African voice 499 by African Voice Newspapers UK

Friday, 13 September – Thursday, 19 September 2013 ISSUE 499

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SINCE 2001

B R I TA I N ’ S N O . 1 A F R I C A N N E W S PA P E R Ruto trial begins at the Hague

Education Missionaries in Nigeria

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Positive attitudes proven to help heart patients

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Immigration policy is damaging to UK economy

Advertising boss says immigrants are lifeblood of economic growth By Alan Oakley The chief executive of the world’s largest advertising agency has said that the UK needs skilled immigrants to provide the staff for many different sectors of the economy including the technology sector.

Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, says the UK needs an enlightened approach to policy in order to produce talent of its own of the calibre of Sergey Brin, (co-founder of Google), Andy Grove (co-founder of Intel) and Elon Musk (co-founder of PayPal and SpaceX). Sir Martin was born in London in 1945 and, after working for UK advertising giant Saatchi and Saatchi, took over as chief executive of WPP in 1985. WPP was then a small UK manufacturer of shopping baskets called Wire and Plastic Products Plc. It is now an advertising agency worth $5bn, employing 140,000 people in 2,400 offices in 107 countries. The Cambridge and Harvard graduate says that UK firms are having trouble in getting visas for the skilled international workers they need. He said: “Although recruiting from countries within the EU is relatively easy, bringing in highly skilled people from outside the region is not, as we at WPP can testify”.

UK and US damaged by restrictions

Sir Martin says that the UK and the US are being damaged by their restrictive immigration policies particularly in the IT sector. In his opinion, immigrants bring much needed entrepreneurialism and talent to the sector. He quotes the result of a survey of 34 start-up companies in the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ area of London (where much of the IT sector is concentrated), which found that 25% were founded by foreignborn entrepreneurs. He adds that research in the US shows that a quarter of all engineering and technology companies founded between 2006 and 2012 had at least one foreign-born founder. These businesses had revenues of $63bn in 2012 and employed 560,000 people. “42% of America’s Fortune 500 companies were founded by first or second-generation immigrants and those businesses have created over 10m jobs and $4.5trillion of annual revenue (30% of US GDP),” he said. Sir Martin says that he also has personal reasons for favouring immigration. His own grandparents arrived in the UK from different countries in Eastern Europe in about 1900. Sir Martin would probably not have been born at all if they had not been able to migrate and meet in the UK.

Continued on page 2

Sir Martin Sorrell says his non-English-speaking grandparents would never have been allowed to settle in the UK under the current points system

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News Immigration policy is damaging to UK economy Continued from front page

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UK One Step Closer to Court Broadcasting Live television broadcasting in courts, for the first time, is one step closer after receiving final approval in the House of Commons this week. From next month broadcasting will be allowed for criminal and civil cases in the Court of Appeal, where filming will be allowed of the legal arguments and the final judgment. Courts Minister Helen Grant said: “Justice must be seen to be done, that is why we are introducing limited television broadcasting in courts from next month. “We are opening up the court process to allow people to see and hear the judges’ decisions in their own words, but we will also ensure that victims and witnesses will not be filmed and will remain protected.” The Government then intends to extend filming to allow the broadcast of sentencing remarks in the Crown Court. However victims, witnesses, offenders and jurors will continue to be protected, and will not be part of broadcasts. The proposals will now be debated in the House of Lords prior to coming into effect in October. Proceedings in the country’s highest court, The Supreme Court, are already streamed live on the internet.

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Mike Abiola Editorial Board Adviser Dr Ola Ogunyemi News Editor Peter Olorunnisomo Managing Editor Alan Oakley Sports Editor Abiodun Teriba Assist. Sports Editor Olubunmi Omoogun Arts Editor Golda John Columnists Ryan Holmes Photo Journalist Isaac Adegbite Graphic Designer African Voice UK Legal Adviser Nosa Kings Erhunmwunsee London Office: Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP

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African Voice is published by African Voice UK.

Business secretary Vince Cable also believes immigration reforms are needed for economic growth

Under today’s points system, they almost certainly wouldn’t have been granted entry to the country. He says: “Earlier this year I visited Poland and Ukraine, meeting a number of our people and clients. As ever I was stimulated by the energy, desire and sheer entrepreneurial zeal on show in these increasingly important, fast-growing markets. “The trip also had more personal significance. My grandparents came to London from Eastern Europe (my father’s parents were from Ukraine and my mother’s from Poland and Romania – the first arriving in England around the turn of the 20th century) and I flatter myself to think that I’ve inherited some of the drive that built a new life in an unfamiliar city far from home. “My paternal grandparents and their four witnesses had to sign their marriage registration with a cross because they didn’t speak English, and under today’s points system they almost certainly wouldn’t have been granted entry to the country. Had that been the case, my life would have been very different, and I probably wouldn’t be here in the UK now (not everyone would see that as a problem!). “I wouldn’t have been a Sorrell (my father changed our family name), I wouldn’t have had the educational and other advantages of growing up in Great Britain, I wouldn’t have had the same career opportunities and I wouldn’t have founded WPP. “So I have an instinctive dislike of some of the current rhetoric – both in the UK and elsewhere – about immigration. But my objections go beyond the personal. “There is much discussion, often emotional, on the overall economic impact of immigration. I’m not going to focus on that, although I think it’s interesting that independent bodies like the Institute for

Fiscal Studies say that Central and Eastern European migrants to the UK before the financial crisis delivered a net benefit for the economy, and that the OECD recently concluded that immigration into the world’s leading economies has not proved a drain on public finances. “What is certain, and all too often lost in the noise of the debate, is that immigrants are a hugely important driver of innovation and entrepreneurialism – traits that spur economic growth. “Look at the vital technology sector. A survey by Management Today magazine found that, from a sample of 34 companies in the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ area of London, at least a quarter of the founders were foreign-born. “It’s a similar story in the US. The Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship discovered that of all the engineering and technology companies founded in the USA between 2006 and 2012, nearly a quarter had at least one key founder who was foreign-born. In Silicon Valley, the figure was well over 40%. “Across the US, these businesses had revenues of $63 billion and employed some 560,000 people in 2012. “Earlier this year the celebrated trendwatcher Mary Meeker produced a characteristically insightful presentation, which skilfully argues the case for immigration reform in the US. “Having pointed out that 42% of America’s Fortune 500 companies were founded by first- or second-generation immigrants, and that those businesses have created over 10 million jobs and $4.5 trillion of annual revenue (equivalent to 30% of US GDP), she moves specifically to the tech industry. “According to Meeker’s deck, 60% of the top 25 US tech companies were founded by first-or second-generation immigrants, including Apple, Google,

IBM, Oracle, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Yahoo! and LinkedIn. “And then to the problem (for the US at least – for other countries it’s a great opportunity). By 2020, says Meeker, US businesses will need to hire more than 120,000 people every year for roles that require a computer science degree. The number of home-grown computer science graduates will be less than half that. “Current policy makes it difficult for highly skilled foreign graduates educated at American universities to remain in the US, and visa restrictions make it impossible to bring in sufficient numbers of highly skilled workers from overseas. Net result: a shortage of talent makes the US tech sector less competitive, the economy suffers and jobs move abroad. “Companies in the UK face the same problem. Although recruiting from countries within the European Union is relatively easy (one of many reasons to maintain UK membership), bringing in highly skilled people from outside the region is not – as we at WPP can testify. Moves to restrict immigration further make it even more difficult. “This is a major hurdle for businesses looking to grow fast. As Management Today puts it in its article about London’s tech scene, ‘political pressure to cut immigration threatens to kill off the goose that lays the start-up egg’. “Other sectors are undermined, too. The university system is one of our national assets, enabling us to build relationships with fast-growing markets. Both the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson have warned of the potential damage to the UK’s £15 billion-a-year higher education market of unduly restrictive immigration policy. “When, in an impressive display of unity, Silicon Valley leaders wrote to the US Senate in June in support of immigration reform, they said: ‘our success stems from our historic diversity, and the constant infusion of new and innovative ideas’. I agree – and those words apply equally to WPP. Moving talented people across borders within our global group, and attracting talent from all over the world, has been an important component of our own success. “If the US wants more Sergey Brins, Andy Groves and Elon Musks, and the UK wants some of its own, there needs to be an enlightened approach to policy. There are genuine concerns about the cultural, financial and social consequences of immigration. The debate must be had, but let’s not cut off this lifeblood and everything we gain from it.”

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British Islamist killed in al-Shabaab attack The Foreign Office is investigating reports that a British Muslim has been

killed in Somalia following a “falling-

The killed western militants were allies of former spiritual leader of Harakat

out” with al-Shabaab. The self-styled Osama al-Britani, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, is reported to have died in an early morning attack on a village near Mogadishu on Thursday (September 12). The death is said to have been confirmed by local residents and a senior source in al-Shabaab. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Somalia and are looking into this.” Al-Britani is said to have been killed alongside American Omar al-Amriki, who was among the most prominent foreign militants fighting in Somalia. Al-Amikri, whose birth name is Omar Hammami, has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List since November last year and is known for recording jihadist rap videos and posting them on YouTube.

The two men were allies of veteran Somali Islamist, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who split from al-Shabaab in June. He is currently in the custody of the UN-backed government. AlShabaab has vowed to hunt down and kill all allies of Aweys since the split. There have been a number of previous reports of al-Amriki’s death since he fell out with the top al-Shabaab commander, Ahmed Abdi Godane. However earlier this month he surfaced in an interview with Voice of America’s Somali Service in which he denounced Godane as a dictator and said that he had finished with al-Shabaab and al Qaida. The news of the killings of the Western militants in Somalia comes a day after a group of 160 leading Islamic scholars issued a fatwa denouncing al-Shabab, saying the group had no place in Islam. Islam experts say the fatwa, issued by so many prominent scholars, is likely to sway opinions on the ground, but is unlikely to change the path of those in the group’s top leadership.

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News NHS must change to solve A&E problems Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt outlined radical changes to improve care for vulnerable older people and alleviate pressure on A&E. Alongside specific plans to support NHS A&E departments in the short-term this winter, the Health Secretary set out proposals to fundamentally tackle increasing pressures on NHS A&E services in the long-term – starting with care for vulnerable older patients with complex health problems. Fundamental changes mean joinedup care - spanning GPs, social care, and A&E departments overseen by a named GP. Many vulnerable older people end up in A&E simply because they cannot get the care and support they need anywhere else. These changes will reduce the need for repeated trips to A&E, and speed up diagnosis, treatment and discharge home again, when patients do need to go to hospital. The facts are clear one in four of us already have a long-term condition and half of all GP appointments and twothirds of outpatients and A&E visits are now made by patients with multiple long-term health problems. Overall, the number of people going to A&E departments in England has also risen by 32 per cent in the past decade, and by one million each year since 2010. The over-65s represent 17 per cent of the population, but 68 per cent of NHS emergency bed use. They also represent some of the NHS’s most vulnerable patients, and those most at risk from failures to

A typical UK A&E

provide seamless care. This is why, to support the NHS in the short term, the Government has made an extra £500 million funding available over the next two years. Today, the Health Secretary set out how £250 million would be used by 53 NHS Trusts this winter. £15 million of this money will also be spent on NHS 111 - to increase the number of clinicians and call handlers so that non-emergency visits to A&E can be avoided. Flu also has a big impact on the NHS, with on average around 750,000 patients going to their GP with ‘flu symptoms and 27,000 people admitted to hospital as a result of the disease each year.

That is why with Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies, Mr Hunt also announced specific measures to minimise the effects of ‘flu, and flu-related A&E visits in the coming winter months: Setting out more fundamental longterm changes, Mr Hunt highlighted three key elements emerging as a result of the on-going engagement on improving care for vulnerable older people with complex health problems. Proposals being put together, in order to be rolled out next year include: The Health Secretary said: “This winter is going to be tough that’s why the Government is acting now to make sure patients receive a great, safe service, even with the added pressures the cold weather brings. But this is a serious,

long-term problem, which needs fundamental changes to equip our A&Es for the future. “In the long term, I want a 24/7 service which recognises patients as individuals and looks out for them proactively. Starting with our most vulnerable, this Government is going to support the NHS in doing exactly that.” The Health Secretary was supported by senior NHS leaders, and by health minister Norman Lamb, who is specifically overseeing how the £3.8 billion integrated care funding will be used across social services and the NHS. Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said: “We want to build a stronger economy and a fairer society. That’s why we recognise the need to join up services around people’s lives so that vulnerable people get better care, closer to home, and the NHS is sustainable for the long term. People shouldn’t fall between the cracks in services, being pushed from pillar to post and not getting the care they need simply because these systems do not work together. “We have been talking about integrated care between the NHS and social care for years and now the Government has put its money where its mouth is. We have created a £3.8 billion Integration Transformation Fund to make sure everyone gets a properly joined up service in order to get the care they need from whoever is best placed to deliver the NHS or the local authority. “This can no longer be just an aspiration by joining up service, we will help keep people out of hospital and provide better care.”

SA and UK sign agreement to promote collaboration among scientists

South Africa (SA) and the United Kingdom (UK) have signed an agreement to deepen interaction among scientists from both countries, encouraging a much wider interface within the research 4

community.

For this purpose, both countries will contribute R1.5 million each towards the organisation of seminars and conferences, bringing together groups of early to mid-career scientists from both

countries to promote collaboration and knowledge transfer, among others. The agreement was signed in Cape Town today between the South African Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom and the UK’s David Willetts, Minister of Science and Universities on behalf of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Minister Willetts is in the country for the SA-UK Bilateral Forum, taking place in Cape Town this week. The Scientific Seminar Scheme will run from October 2013 to March 2015. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Hanekom said this highlighted the strategic importance with which the two countries viewed their cooperation in science and technology, having enjoyed cordial relations for close to 20 years now.

The scheme will be administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF) on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Royal Society in the UK on behalf of the BIS. Under this scheme, one high-level bilateral science and innovation workshop will be held in February 2014, to promote UK/SA scientific engagement within shared priority areas such as astronomy and space, renewable energy, biosciences and health research. South Africa and the United Kingdom have enjoyed bilateral relations on science and technology since 1995 and this scheme is viewed by both countries as a key step in the reinvigoration of the science and technology cooperation, which aims to boost joint prosperity through targeted cooperation in priority areas as well as forging partnerships to exploit new opportunities.

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News

Perverted family doctor jailed for six years

Barend Delport qualified as a doctor at the University of Pretoria in 1981, and registered as a general practitioner in the United Kingdom in 1992

A South African doctor who sexually assaulted and photographed patients as young as 18 months was jailed for six years by an English court on Tuesday. Barend Delport, 55, a general practitioner and Baptist preacher, took 800 photographs of women and children at his surgery for his own sexual gratification. He told his victims – who ranged from a toddler to a woman in her sixties – a raft of lies, even claiming he needed the images for training purposes. Sentencing Delport on Tuesday at Maid-

stone Crown Court, Judge Philip Statman said it was difficult to imagine “a graver breach of trust”. The doctor carried out the abuse between 2003 and last year, and was said to have assaulted numerous victims. The court was given details of only six – three women and three girls aged 14, four and 18 months – whom he sexually assaulted at his surgery in Swanley, Kent in south-east England. The doctor was caught only after a mother asked why her young daughter had been intimately examined and photographed by Delport when she had

complained of a stomach ache. When police received the complaint in March, a letter was sent to every patient at The Oaks surgery urging them to get in touch if they had concerns. It provoked a string of similar allegations. A teenage victim of Delport described her horror at learning he had touched and photographed her for sexual gratification. Up to 100 intimate pictures of the girl were found on the GP’s computer following a police raid. Delport photographed her six times from the age of 10 to 15. The 17-year-old, from Swanley in Kent, said: “I thought he was nice and kind. He would sometimes give me sweets and money when I went to see him. My mom was always in the room, so I never felt weird. “I was a bit embarrassed when he first asked if he could take photographs, but I never questioned it. I was too young and he was a doctor. “When I found out he had pleaded guilty, I felt sick. I put all my trust in him and he wasn’t trustworthy. Now I’m scared to go to the doctor’s.” She said Delport would also tell her he was going to say prayers for her. Shortly after his arrest, Delport resigned from the surgery and left the £500 000 (about R7.8 million) three-bedroom home he shared with his wife Sally in the village of Eynsford.

Mrs Delport, 54, a jewellery maker, is said to “remain committed” to her husband, although they have separated. Delport qualified at the University of Pretoria in 1981 and did his internship at 2 Military Hospital in Wynberg the following year. In 1984 he qualified as a dental assistant. He was registered as a doctor in South Africa with the Health Professions Council of South Africa for 17 years, deregistering only when he emigrated to the UK in June 1998. In 1989 he was given a caution and a reprimand after being found guilty of improper conduct by the council for not identifying a patient before administering anaesthetic. In court, prosecutor Anthony Haycroft said Delport had concocted a string of excuses to justify taking pictures of his victims. He claimed to be a dermatologist when taking intimate pictures of a child suffering from a skin complaint, the prosecutor said. When he was arrested police found 500 000 images on his computer. Of those, more than 5 500 were pornographic and 842 were of patients he had taken himself. Photographic consent forms were also seized. Delport admitted 26 offences, including four indecent assaults on adults and three indecent assaults on children.

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Mobile Payment Gaining Grounds in Nigeria

An example of the rising usage of mobiles within Nigeria

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said the use of mobile payment platform in the country is gaining a lot of ground in the country.

The CBN’s Director of Banking and Payment System Department, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, said this in Lagos at a

one-day conference themed: “Mobile Money and Financial Inclusion: What’s the Next Big Thing?” organised by the Leeds Bryan International Limited and the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC. Fatokun pointed out there was an ongoing agreement between the CBN and mobile network operators to en-

sure sustainable and hitch-free transaction of mobile payments within the economy, adding Nigeria would soon move to 4G internet service. This, he revealed, was a broader network, from the current 3G. “We in central bank on the issue of connectivity are at the last stage of an MoU signing with the Nigeria Communication Satelite (NICOMSAT) such that they would provide WIFI technology at various locations in Nigeria so that connectivity would be made easier,” he added. On CBN’s strategy to avert mobile transaction fraud, Fatokun explained that there was an established guideline on electronic banking which is also applicable to mobile payment, explaining that there were specifications of systems through which to transact business. He added there were technical details on what to deploy, adding phones that did not have the specified security features as specified my NCC would not work for mobile payment and transactions.

The Managing Partner and CEO of Leeds Bryan International Limited, Mr Biyi Adeyemo, stated mobile money’s importance to the national economy could not be over-emphasised as it necessitated ﬁnancial inclusion of everyone that is involved. While explaining that the payment platform would also enhance better ﬁnancial services, Adeyemo pointed out mobile money was relevant for farmers, even in the rural areas, since through it, they could calculate weather to situate farming season and periods. “In health, people would be able to get prompt services at the convenience of their homes without having to move around. It can also help in diagnosing ailments affecting patients with doctors having access to relevant information on them. On insurance, you’ll able to initiate claims and access your premium payment without needing to go there physically,” he added.

Fastjet has record number of travellers in August

Fastjet are a new low cost airline servicing the African continent

Low-cost airline Fastjet plc, has hit another record with the announcement it carried more than 33,000 passengers during August , the highest monthly total since the company began ﬂights in November last year.

Fastjet has now carried 260,000 passengers since the launch and this latest ﬁgure represents a 5.8 per cent increase on the previous month, and a load factor of 84 per cent. Combined, the Fastjet and ﬂy540 operations carried a total of 78,500 passengers in August, a 30.2 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. 8

Ed Winter, Fastjet’s CEO and Chairman said: “As reported earlier this month, we have seen a continued growth in passenger sales revenue in Tanzania. The strong load factor and revenue in excess of $2.7m exceeded expectations for the month.” August also saw the launch of ticket sales for its Tanzanian domestic route to the newly refurbished Songwe Airport in Mbeya. Tickets have also been on sale for the airline’s first international route from Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg, with the first flight due to take off on the September 27.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Wanted: 500 foreign investors at Onne oil, gas fair By Peter Olorunnisomo

Dr. Samuel Ortom

The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated a committee for this year’s international exhibitors for oil and gas in Onne Free Trade Zone with a target to attract 500 foreign investors.

The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, who inaugurated the committee, said the exhibition is slated for between October 24 and 26 in Onne, Rivers State. He said: “The government’s target is to create 60,000 jobs through Onne Free Trade Zone. The government is concerned about attracting investment into the country, particularly in the oil

and gas where we have a comparative advantage. “If we attract more investment it will create multiple opportunities for Nigerians in terms of job and wealth creation. We have over 30,000 people working in Onne as a result of the investment in the zone. We are targeting to double the number of job created. The oil and gas free zone had contributed signiﬁcantly to the development of the economy over the years. As the oil and gas industry continues to play dominant role in the Nigerian economy, the free Zone concept would be central and strategic to deﬁning a sustainable transformation of the national economy. The Minister noted that since inception, the Onne Oil and Gas free Zone had made tremendous and sustained progress in foreign direct investment (FDI), revenue generation, technology transfer employment and wealth creation. The Chairman, Organising Technical Committee of the forum, Mr Chubuisi Onyebuere, said the committee intended to mobilise over 500 investors operating in the zone, as well as investors from all over the world. We are expanding the available space for exhibition by about 30 per cent, he added.

Nigerians invited to acquire Kenyan oil blocks

Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke (Minister for Petroleum)

On the heels of oil deposits in Kenya, the country has offered interested Nigerians its 46 oil blocks for development.

Speaking to newsmen over the weekend, the Hon. Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, broke the news in Nairobi, Kenya. The offer, she said, was part of the outcome of the dialogue preceding the Nigeria-Kenya Investment Forum held on Friday in Kenya. Besides the offer of oil wells, Kenya also sought Nigeria’s assistance in the formulation of right policies and framework to manage the sector. The minister was reported as saying that; “It is well-known that Kenya recently discovered hydo-carbon reserves and is keen to move aggressively in terms of exploration activities.

“The Kenyans feel that as a sister African country, Nigeria, having many years of oil exploration and production, it only makes sense that we exchange agreement in cooperation to hand over knowledge, capabilities and experience learnt. “They seek the templates we have formulated, including policies, processes and a sort of templates that form the Petroleum Industry Bill, among others.” She went on: “We also looked at the areas surrounding Nigeria’s investments possibilities where we think Nigerian businessmen and women could come into the oil and gas sector in Kenya. “They are very keen that Nigerian operators in the upstream, midstream and downstream service sectors of the oil and gas industry look to Kenya as a burgeoning frontier for investments in the oil and gas sector. “They are also very keen that we support them in setting up the right framework, policies and processes and technology to help them drive the exploration activities.” Among the seven Memoranda of Understanding and Bilateral Agreements signed by both countries, she said, included oil and gas, which spelt out details of the cooperations. The CEO of Forte Oil and Zenon Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola, Chairman of Honeywell Group, Oba Otudeko, prominent bankers and investors, Jim Ovia and Tony Elumelu, were in the Nigerian delegation to the forum.

Fed. Govt restates commitment to tourism

Edem Duke

Stakeholders of the Nigerian tourism industry recently held a forum seesion themed ‘Rebuilding the NTDC and Growing the Tourism Value Chain for Revenue Generation and Job Creation’ at the Civic Centre in Lagos last Monday. The Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Edem Duke, said the forum gave full expression to the transformation agenda in the tourism sector. The Federal Government was noted to have restated its commitment to diversify-

ing the nation’s revenue base, with a plan to develop the tourism sector to generate more earnings and create more jobs. According to the Hon. Minister, the ministry has President Goodluck Jonathan’s approval of the transformation agenda in the ministry which provides “a rallying point for showcasing Nigeria’s tourism assets by articulating a strategic brand positioning for Nigeria in the international arena aptly christened Fascinating Nigeria. This is imperative because the world has moved beyond traditional diplomacy into an era of brand diplomacy.”

While stating that the ministry has entered into a strategic partnership with a Dubai-based destination marketing company to domesticate best practices from their experiences, he called on all stakeholders in the Nigerian project to support the re-energised brand positioning. “We urge corporate citizens and every Nigerian, indeed, to proudly start a wordof-mouth campaign in support of our media campaigns, especially on international platforms,” he said. The minister said his ministry is mindful of the many challenges faced by stakeholders across the Tourism value chain. “From the operator, who is confronted with multiple taxes and high cost of capital to the Nigerian citizens who are more likely to be below 35 years of age and seeking better paying job so they can have time for leisure and domestic travel.” Duke said, “in line with the policy of this administration to provide an enabling environment for the private sector to be the engine of economic growth and job creation, we encourage private investors to partner with the NTDC as it unveils programmes and projects.” The Director General of NTDC, Sally Mbanefo, while unfolding her transforma-

tion agenda, said her focus would be domestic tourism. According to the DG, “the domestic tourism market has very high revenue and job creation potential. If we assume that a low estimate of 20 million out of 160 million Nigerians travel locally for business, leisure, culture, religion or sport yearly, and they spend only 10 per cent of Nigeria’s per capital income of $2000 yearly, we will have $4 billion domestic tourism market and hence our focus at NTDC is on developing domestic tourism as the foundation for attracting international tourists.” According to Mbanefo, “we cannot achieve anything without the support of all the stakeholders, home and abroad.” The chairman of the occasion, Mr. Andrew Alli, who is President, African Finance Corporation, described tourism as a major driver of infrastructural investment on the continent. He noted that ﬁnancing is not a major challenge as some investors may want to believe that “if the business idea is good, accessing funding may not be difﬁcult. Financial organisations are only looking out for key factors that can mitigate the risk,” he said.

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Aregbesola woos investors to partner with Osun on N10billion sukuk-bond The governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola has appealed to investors in Nigeria to partner with his administration in order to develop the people of the state of Osun. The governor made this statement while interacting with the investors on the need for them to partner on the #10billion bond Sukuk(non interest bond) at Oriental Hotel Lekki Victorial Islan, Lagos.

Nigeria is gradually opening up to Islamic finance, a move that could bring non-interest banking to over 80 million Muslims and develop one of Africa’s fastest-growing consumer and corporate banking sectors. Home to the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is trying to establish itself as the African hub for Islamic finance, which follows religious principles such as bans on interest and gambling. Rules Sukuk could come to the market soon, after rules for their issuance were approved in March by the Securities Commission; cocoaproducing Osun State plans the country’s first such issuance. Nigeria’s regulators have taken steps to

retain the final say on what Islamic products come to market, a centralised approach which mirrors regulation of the industry in countries such as Malaysia and Oman. The central bank has set up an advisory committee to regulate sharia compliance, while the insurance regulator issued guidelines for takaful operators in April. There are currently three takaful windows operating in Nigeria and up to five firms may be considering entry into the market, said Auwalu Ado, internal sharia auditor at Jaiz Bank. “With a meager 100 million naira as the minimum capital requirement for either family or general takaful, it is expected that many players will join the train as full-fledged takaful companies,” said Ado. Takaful would not just give Islamic lenders an opportunity to protect their assets, but also offer an avenue for Islamic banks to invest their funds actively, he added. Nigeria’s central bank has begun developing lending products to help Islamic banks manage their short-term funding needs; a lack of such products has slowed industry growth in other countries. “The financial market department is developing instruments that will be used between the central bank and the Islamic banks as well as on an interbank platform,” said Umar.

From Right – Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Commissioner for Finance, Economic Planning and Budget, Dr Wale Bolorunduro and Managing Director, Lotus Capital Limited, Mrs Adeola Hajara, during the State of Osun Ten Billion Naira Sukuk Bond Investors Forum, at Oriental Hotel, Lagos State

Photos: Taofeeq Adejare

Governor State of Osun , Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in hand-Shake with Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada during the 19th Nigerian Economic Summit, at Transcorp Hilton Abuja

From Left - Chief of Staff to the Governor State of Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola; Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, General Manager NTA, Mr. Tunde Oluwatudun and Marketing Manager NTA Mr. Bayo Dairo during a Courtesy visit to the Governor at ofﬁce of the governor Abere, Osogbo

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Argentina

Miracle snow survivor exposed as fleeing paedophile

Protests about Israel’s alleged unjust treatment of Eritrean refugees are commonplace on the streets of Tel-Aviv

An emaciated Raul Gomez was rescued by an Argentine helicopter crew

A Uruguayan man, rescued after vanishing in the freezing Andes four months ago has turned from celebrated survivor to crime suspect after authorities revealed he was ﬂeeing paedophilia charges.

58-year-old Raul Gomez Cincunegui, who had been reported missing by his family in May, was found by chance on Sunday (September 8) when helicopters ﬂying overhead saw him sitting next to a shelter at an altitude of 4,500 metres in Argentina’s San Juan province.

A dehydrated Gomez Cincunegui, who weighed just 40 kilograms (a little over six stones) when he was rescued, survived below freezing temperatures in the snow-covered mountains by eating sugar and raisins left behind by mountain climbers in the Ingeniero Sardina shelter, according to rescuers. He was ﬂown to a hospital in the capital of San Juan, where his wife and daughter were able to see him after fearing he was dead. Events took a turn on Monday when Chilean authorities asked for Gomez Cincunegui to be extradited after revealing that he is wanted in connection with the sexual abuse of an eight-yearold boy in Santiago. He was bailed on April 22 and barred him from going near the alleged victim or leaving Chile. An arrest warrant was issued on July 17 after he missed a court hearing. “It is believed that he left Chile through an unauthorised crossing since border police were informed of his ban

from leaving the country,” the prosecutor’s ofﬁce said in a statement. Gomez Cincunegui had left Uruguay by motorcycle in April on his way to a gathering of bikers in the western Argentine city of Mendoza. He then went to visit relatives in the Chilean capital, where the alleged crime occurred, prosecutors said. Facing charges, he travelled to the town of Petorca, 170kms north of Santiago, and left Chile on foot. After walking for 200kms, he got lost in the midst of the Andean winter, according to relatives. He lost contact with his family when the mobile phone connection went dead on a mountain pass between Argentina and Chile known as Paso de los Patos. Hospital reports suggest Gomez Cincunegui is suffering from severe malnutrition but has shown no signs of permanent organ damage. Chile’s Attorney General’s ofﬁce must now consider whether to seek his extradition once he’s healthy enough to travel again.

Pakistan

India

Bus rape gang guilty of murder Taliban invited to negotiating table Persistent and unrelenting violent terrorist attacks that have seen the nation’s death toll approach 1,000 since May’s general election have prompted Pakistan’s government to pursue negotiations with the Pakistani Taliban and other militants in an attempt to bring a halt to the bloodshed.

Protests and world attention have led to overdue reforms in India’s sexual violence laws

Four men have been found guilty of the murder of the 23-year-old medical student they violently raped on a Delhi bus and left for dead. The victim died of her injuries two weeks later. Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Singh and Akshay Thakur were all convicted of rape, murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery and eight other charges at Saket Court in South Delhi. The high proﬁle case has brought sexual violence against girls and women in India into sharp focus, prompting nationwide protests over India’s sex attack laws. The victim, who cannot be named, was on her way home from the cinema with a male friend when the pair were tricked into boarding the bus. The female was subjected to a horriﬁc rape by six attackers, during which a

metal bar was used, while her companion was forcibly subdued. The driver of the bus is amongst the four convicted men. A ﬁfth suspect committed suicide while on remand and the sixth attacker, a 17year-old at the time of the incident, was sentenced to three years in jail; the maximum term a juvenile may face under Indian law. The victim’s family and rights campaigners have called for a change in the law that would see a juvenile tried as an adult in exceptional circumstances, since it is alleged that the 17-year-old was the most violent of the attackers. Worldwide attention has already led to reforms to sexual violence laws. The four attackers are due to be sentenced later this week and may face the death penalty.

On Monday (September 9), a conference of all of Pakistan’s political parties said it supported the new government’s efforts to bring the militants to the negotiating table. Within moments of the declaration being released, the Pakistani Taliban hailed the move. “[The] Taliban welcomes the dialogue offer and has a positive outlook about the joint communiqué,” Shahid Shahidullah, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, told Geo News. As the US prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan next year, Pakistan’s leaders have argued that it is time for the country to bring its own conﬂict to a close through political settlement. Previous attempts at peace with the Pakistani Taliban, however, have only made things worse. “The Afghan Taliban are representative of at least a faction of the Afghan people,” says retired Brigadier Shaukat Qadir. “Our Taliban are not representative of any people.” In 2009, a cease-ﬁre agreement with the Pakistani Taliban broke down in the Swat Valley after the militants seized the oppor-

tunity to deepen their hold of the territory, expanding into adjacent areas and imposing their own brutal brand of Shari‘a. Despite that, there is a widespread feeling of war weariness — something that cricket legend turned politician Imran Khan tapped into during the polls when his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan’s Movement for Justice) party swept to power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Khan has been instrumental in lobbying for negotiations. “Most of these parties have been telling their people that this war can’t be won just by military action,” says Talat Masood, a retired general turned analyst. There is, however, a widespread reluctance to acknowledge that the problem of violence is Pakistan’s own. The conference, says security analyst Ejaz Haider, has effectively argued that “whatever happens in Pakistan is part of the blowback from Afghanistan.” Such thinking, he says, ignores the fact that much domestic bloodshed — like sectarian violence toward Shi‘ites, to cite just one factor — has nothing to do with the Afghan conﬂict. It is also unclear how negotiations will work. The Pakistani Taliban have repeatedly said that they aren’t prepared to lay down their arms during negotiations or concede on issues like female education or recognize the authority of what they say are “un-Islamic” laws. “In that case, it won’t work,” says Masood. “We’ll have to go for a military operation.” 11

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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News

Changes to immigration rules, effective October 1 Immigration minister Mark Harper has laid a written ministerial statement before Parliament outlining a number of changes to the Immigration Rules.

The changes, which come into effect on 1 October 2013, will mean greater flexibility for businesses and workers and include: ● removing the English language requirement for intra-company transferees; ● making it easier for graduate entrepreneurs to switch into Tier 2; ● waiving share ownership restrictions for some senior staff; and ● allowing some students to work as interns under the Tier 5 government authorised exchange scheme. Tourist and business visitors will benefit from the following changes: ● Allowing tourists and business visitors to do some study where it is not the main purpose of their visit. ● Expanding the activities a business visitor can do in the UK. ● Removing the prospective student route. Further changes include: ● expanding checks to ensure applicants for work and student visas are genuine, and that they intend to meet the conditions of leave they apply for; ● introducing powers to refuse Tier 4 extension applications where the applicant cannot speak English; ● introducing a scheme which allows some locally engaged staff in Afghanistan to relocate to the UK; ● setting new youth mobility scheme quotas for 2014; ● enabling those who demonstrate exceptional promise in the arts to apply under Tier 1; ● changes to the way we handle settlement applications for refugees who have committed crimes, and adding the power to curtail leave for persistent or serious offenders; ● introducing temporary Immigration Rules so participants and personnel can come to the UK during the 2014 Commonwealth Games; ● minor changes and clarifications to the Immigration Rules, including those relating to family life. From 28 October there will also be changes to the way applicants for indefinite leave to remain are required to demonstrate their knowledge of the English language and of life in the UK. 12

Mark Harper MP

The full written statement is as follows: The Minister of State for Immigration (Mark Harper) September 6, 2013: I am today laying before the House a Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules as set out below. I will expand the process of genuineness assessments and interviews to Tier 1 (General), Tier 2 (Minister of Religion), and Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) applications for entry and leave to remain, and to Tier 4 Students applying for further leave to remain. I will also be replicating for Tier 4 in-country extensions the existing power to refuse applications where the applicant cannot speak English. We will add Barbados to the list of countries whose nationals benefit from different documentary requirements and are exempt from the genuineness test when applying for a Tier 4 visa. I am making several small changes to economic routes to make them more attractive and more flexible for businesses. These changes include new provision in Tier 1 for artists of exceptional promise, removing the English language requirement for intracompany transferees, making it easier for graduate entrepreneurs to switch

into Tier 2, and waiving share ownership restrictions for senior staff earning £152,100 or more. I will also be introducing flexibility for tourists and business visitors to undertake some study where it is incidental to the main purpose of their visit, as well as increasing the permissible activities a business visitor can undertake in the UK. I am retaining the student visitor route for those whose purpose in coming here is for short term study. The prospective student route is being removed because it is little used and anomalous. I am adding Hong-Kong to the list of participating countries and territories on the UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme, further strengthening business, trade and cultural ties between us. I am introducing rules to give effect to the Secretary of State for Defence’s Statement to this House of 4 June 2013, which provides for some locally engaged staff, who have been or will be made redundant as a result of our drawdown, to relocate to the UK in recognition of the unique contribution they have provided to the UK’s efforts in Afghanistan. The new rules allow eligible applicants, their spouse/partner and their minor dependent children to be granted a period of 5 years’ leave to enter if their character and conduct is

satisfactory. In line with the Statement of Intent “Knowledge of language and life in the UK for settlement and naturalisation” published on 8 April, I am also making changes to the way in which applicants for indefinite leave to remain are required to demonstrate their knowledge of the English language and of life in the UK, together with necessary consequential amendments. These changes will come into effect on 28 October. I am making changes to slow the path to settlement for refugees, and those granted humanitarian protection, who have committed crimes. Applications for settlement from refugees will be refused for 15 years from the date of their sentence if they have been sentenced to over 12 months’ imprisonment; for 7 years if they have been sentenced to up to 12 months’ imprisonment; and for 2 years if they have been given a noncustodial sentence. Discretion to delay the route to settlement will apply in the case of repeat offenders. I am creating new temporary Immigration Rules to facilitate the entry and stay of certain Commonwealth Games participants and personnel during the 2014 Commonwealth Games. I am making minor changes and clarifications to the Immigration Rules, including those relating to family life. I am making minor changes to repeal measures that are no longer required. I am making a minor change to the curtailment rules. This change adds a power to curtail leave where a migrant’s offending is persistent or causes serious harm. The change supports the Home Office in its work to take tough action against those who commit offences whilst here. I am making changes to the rules for dependants in the Points Based System and other work routes, following the High Court judgment in R (on the application of Zhang) v Secretary of State for the Home Department. The changes will allow dependants to apply from within the UK, providing they are not here illegally, as visitors, or on temporary admission or temporary release. They will still need to satisfy all other existing requirements. I am making changes to the visit visa requirement for Kuwaiti nationals holding diplomatic and special passports issued by Kuwait. When travelling to the UK for the purpose of an official or general visit, they will no longer have to obtain a visit visa to travel to the UK.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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News

British entrepreneurs promised help to start businesses

Levi Roots’ success is as a result of a good idea, a financial injection and sound business advice

Aspiring entrepreneurs from across Britain have been promised financial backing from the Government under a £69m package announced by David Cameron today (Thursday, September 12). The Prime Minister hopes the pledged support will help create tens of thousands of new businesses. In his announcement, the Prime Minister says he is determined to help people who want to strike out on their own and to help small businesses to get on, while creating jobs and a boost to the economy. The new funding is intended to build on the momentum started by the over 30,000

new businesses have been created with support from Government schemes in the last two years. According to Mr Cameron, it will include: • Business mentoring and funding for people who are unemployed but want to start up a company. The New Enterprise Allowance will be extended for new starters up until the end of 2014, providing an additional 60,000 mentoring places for claimants. The scheme has already helped to create more than 26,000 businesses. • £34m for Start-Up Loans that will support around 7,600 businesses. The scheme has already proved incredibly popular with around 35,000 people formally registering an interest in a loan and nearly 8000 startups helped.

The Prime Minister hosted a Downing Street reception to celebrate British enterprise attended by over 70 new British businesses who have benefited from the New Enterprise Allowance and Start Up Loan schemes. Mr Cameron said: “I am determined to do all I can to support the British economy and that includes helping small businesses and budding entrepreneurs to get on. In the last two years we have helped tens of thousands of people to turn their ideas into a viable business, and this additional support will help thousands more. “My message is simple: if you have drive, determination and are prepared to work hard, we will back you.” The number of people in the UK involved in setting up or running a new business has increased in recent years and the Government wants to ensure that continues. The Start-Up Loan scheme is intended to help people to get their business ideas off the ground with a loan of typically around £4,500 and mentoring support. The new funding will ensure there are more loans for those over 30 and specific support for ex-Service personnel. The scheme will also be rolled out in Scotland and Wales. The New Enterprise Allowance offers expert business mentoring and financial support to people living on benefits and has been behind a wide range of new ventures since it was introduced in 2011, with

the most recent statistics showing around 2,000 new businesses being set up every month. Referrals to the scheme were due to end in September but will now continue for a further 15 months until the end of December 2014. Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots, who attended the Downing Street reception, has teamed up with Jobcentre Plus to encourage jobseekers to consider setting up their own businesses with the help of the New Enterprise Allowance scheme. The south London entrepreneur behind Reggae Reggae Sauce said: “Before I went to Dragon’s Den, I needed help to get my idea off the ground. That is what these schemes are about. They give you the financial support and the business advice you need to take the next step. Starting your own business can be tough but I’d encourage people to give it a go.” Figures published last month show that beneficiaries of the New Enterprise Allowance come from all ages, with more than 6,000 businesses started by people aged 50 or over – challenging the idea that entrepreneurial zeal is solely a youthful attribute. Almost 4,500 disabled people were also helped by the scheme to become their own boss. For more general information about Start Up Loans or New Enterprise Allowance, please go to: www.gov.uk/start-up-loans or www.gov.uk/new-enterprise-allowance

UK minister visits Morocco Alistair Burt re-emphasises UK support for Moroccan reform, and looks to continued international co-operation and closer economic ties. On 11 September, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt visited Morocco. Mr Burt held official meetings with the Head of theGovernment Abdelilah Benkirane and with Minister-Delegate for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Youssef Amrani. Mr Burt also met representatives from the British Embassy’s partners in civil society and the media. Speaking at the end of the visit, Mr Burt said: “I am delighted to have returned to Morocco for my fourth visit in the year which marks the 800th anniversary of diplomatic ties between our two countries. The UK and Morocco have a strong partnership based on shared values and a shared vision of a peaceful, secure and prosperous North Africa. “I am pleased that the UK is continuing to play a role supporting Morocco’s ongoing reform. It is now two years since we stepped up our partnership programme with the Moroccan government and civil society. In that time, UK funding has offered support to Moroccan journalists and parliamentarians, helped young Moroc-

cans engage in politics and debate, and shared UK expertise with the Moroccan government in crucial areas like transparency and justice reform. “The UK and Morocco also work closely together on a range of international issues, particularly as fellow members of the United Nations Security Council. Morocco plays an important role through its regional leadership on the Security Council and I welcome our cooperation on issues including the crisis in Syria and the situation in Egypt. “Our other focus in this relationship is economic. The Head of the Moroccan government, Mr Benkirane, and I believe there is potential to boost the economic relationship, finding more win-win ties between British and Moroccan companies in the areas where British organisations have experience and expertise. This will mean more jobs and opportunities, particularly for young people. “In my discussions with Moroccan Ministers on Wednesday, I warmly welcomed the strength of the partnership we have already, both bilaterally and in international forums like the United Nations. I expressed my strong support for the ongoing Moroccan reform process, and my hope that the partnership between our countries will continue to grow.” 13

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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CRIME Man jailed for 11 years after rape

Lloyd Phillips

A 48-year-old man was recently jailed for 11 years for the rape of a young woman.

Lloyd Phillips (5.3.65), was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court follwing an incident that happened in a Wembley hotel room. The case was brought to court as a result of the diligent and tireless efforts of Sapphire ofﬁcers who trawled local hotels in the Wembley area in an attempt to identify the crime scene after the victim was able to provide only vague details of the offence.

Phillips had told the 24-year-old victim he had tickets to see ‘The Saturdays’ in concert in Wembley and picked her up from her home in Southampton on the afternoon of 16 December 2011 to drive her to London. As soon as she got into the car Phillips gave her a can of the high-strength alcohol ‘Crunk’ and an unknown tablet. She was also given a bag of powder and encouraged to drink and on the journey the victim says everything became ‘hazy’ and she began to experience hallucinogenic effects. Her next recollection was around 12 hours later when she awoke in a hotel bed with no memory of what had occurred in the intervening hours, but feeling distinctly unwell and with injuries. Phillips then informed her that rather than attend the concert, they had engaged in consensual sexual activity. The victim subsequently attended hospital An investigation was launched and despite the victim’s lack of recollection, ofﬁcers painstakingly trawled all local hotels in the Wembley area in an attempt to identify the crime scene. On 25 July 2013 Phillips was found guilty and will serve eleven years.

Police in Islington close drug den in partnership with Council A drugs den at a ﬂat in Ashby House has been closed by police after information from the community of drug misuse and antisocial behaviour at the location.

The closure order was applied for by officers from Islington police’s Canonbury Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) and granted by a district judge after information was received by the team in June. Officers have been gathering intelligence identifying the key address involved. They executed a warrant on Thursday 9 August after the team from the newly formed South Neighbourhood Policing Team, in partnership with Islington Council’s Housing Department, pro-actively tackled a spate of anti-social behaviour which emanated from the address on the New River Estate. Community-led intelligence concerning drug dealing at the location directed officers to the flat in question. Officers then worked with the community and compiled evidence which suggested that the occupants of the flat may have been involved in drugs supply. A search of the premises uncovered evidence of Class A drugs misuse and although no occupants were arrested, police

gathered further evidence and intelligence that the tenants were using their home as a base for drug dealing, manufacture, and supply. Items found included two pipes used for the smoking of crack cocaine. Through a coordinated approach in partnership with residents of Ashby House, Islington Council Community Safety Partnership, and police, a closure order was applied for from Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court. The closure order was granted and the occupants were given temporary accommodation off the borough of Islington and the drugs premises is now closed. We understand from Islington Council that legal action is underway to repossess the property and exclude the occupants permanently. PC Chris Gould, from the Canonbury NPT, said: “This is a very early indication that the new Local Policing Model in Islington is having a very positive effect in keeping people safe in the borough. We undertook an investigation into the activity and uncovered what appeared to be a coordinated system of drug supply, the focal point of which was a ﬂat in Ashby House.”

Man is jailed for manslaughter of 25-year-old mother of two

Jerome McDonald

A man who was convicted of killing his ex-partner has been be jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey.

Jerome McDonald, 31, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Janelle DuncanBailey, 25, following a disagreement. The court heard how on the evening of 1 January, mother-of-two Janelle made arrangements for a friend to look after her two sons overnight whilst she attended a function. She agreed to collect them the following morning in order to take them to nursery and school. Janelle attended the function later that evening with another friend. Janelle returned to her friend’s home in Bromley to collect her belongings and car before leav14

ing to return to Thornton Heath at around 0400hrs. Shortly after 0440hrs police were called to a domestic incident at Fairlands Avenue. Before making her way home, Janelle had driven to McDonald’s home and an argument ensued between the two. Officers arrived soon afterwards and discovered Janelle and McDonald arguing in the street. To diffuse the situation the officers offered to take Janelle somewhere else and she agreed to leave with them, requesting to be taken to an address in Limpsfield Avenue. The last known sighting of Janelle was by officers as they watched her walking towards a block of flats. Later on that morning Janelle failed to collect her children from her friend’s home at the pre-arrange time and despite efforts to contact Janelle her friend was unable to locate her. As Janelle’s disappearance was out of character her friend reported Janelle missing On the 4 January McDonald was interviewed by police He was arrested in relation to Janelle’s disappearance during the course of the interview. The following day McDonald confessed to killing Janelle. He claimed that after the initial confrontation he had returned home and went to bed. He fell asleep for about 20 minutes but awoke to banging on the front door. As he opened the door he stated that Janelle pushed past him and made her way

into the kitchen. The two began to argue and a struggle ensued. McDonald claimed that he pushed Janelle in her neck and she fell and hit her head. When she was no longer breathing he stated that he placed Janelle in a sturdy bin liner which was then wrapped in a bedsheet and placed her in the rear of a Ford Galaxy that he had access to. He drove the vehicle a short distance and parked it in Mayfield Crescent. Following McDonald’s admission police located Janelle’s body later that afternoon in the rear of the vehicle situated in Mayfield Crescent. A post-mortem was held at Croydon Mortuary on 7 January and gave the cause of death as asphyxia and compression of the neck. McDonald was charged with Janelle’s murder on the 6 January. Detective Chief Inspector Charles King from the Homicide and Major Crime Command [HMCC] said: “The investigation into Janelle’s death was extremely challenging, especially for her family and friends who had to deal with the initial missing persons’ inquiry followed by a murder investigation. “Today the truth has finally caught up with McDonald who through the early stages of the investigation showed apparent concern for Janelle’s disappearance. He callously kept up the pretence by attending the custody centre even though he had killed Janelle by then.

“Janelle’s family and friends have shown an immense amount of courage to attend court throughout this process, to have sat through and heard the distressing details of how Janelle came to die has been extremely difﬁcult for them. “I hope that today’s conviction provides them with some small measure of solace and will allow them to now move forward.”

Police issue urgent appeal Police are appealing for assistance in ﬁnding a 23-year-old exhange student.

The Belgian exchange student is named Douglas Fawcett and was last seen leaving Hotel Chocolat on the 8th September with a bag of stolen goods. He is described as 5 ft 6 with brown curly hair and of a stocky build. When last seen, he was wearing a Belgian football kit with black trainers. It is not known whether he is still in the London area, as he may of travelled to Shefﬁeld where he is studying. Anyone who has sees this individual should contact local authorities.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Sounds of Diaspora People of America

Thandie Newton expecting third child

Thandie Newton has revealed through her publicist that she is expecting her third child. Thandie, 40, and her husband of 15 years, producer Ol Parker already have daughters, aged 13 and 8.

A pregnant Thandie Newton poses at this month’s Toronto International Film Festival

The stunning British actress has been promoting a new film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her latest project, Half of a Yellow Sun, is a film based on the novel of the same name by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The film follows four individuals’ struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria. It premiered at the Festival on September 8. Newton was born in London, England, and was raised in Cornwall. She is the daughter of Nyasha, a Zimbabwean health-care worker, and Nick Newton, a British laboratory technician and artist She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run Fatboy Run, W., 2012, Norbit and For Colored Girls.

The best ever? Serena keeps picking off the doubters

A beaming Serena Williams wins the US Open trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka in three sets.

Serena Williams took her fifth US Open singles title at the weekend, her 17th Grand Slam title, further cementing her as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Some commentators and even some other tennis greats already consider her the best female ever to play the game, but raw statistics will continue to be the sceptics’ best weapon until she surpasses Margaret Court’s 24 titles. It has to be said that 13 of Court’s titles were gained prior to the ”open” era, but that is hardly her fault. Those who see this as a significant advantage to the Australian point to Steffi Graf’s 22 slams as the true benchmark for a modern-day player. Whatever the prevailing view, the record is tantalisingly close. Achieving the record could be a tall order for a 32-year-old who is prone to injury and unapologetically disinterested in living, eating and sleeping the game that made her famous - her charity projects for African schools and her fashion business vie successfully for her passion.

As an advocate for Serena to be regarded as the greatest ever, I point to the period when she and her sister Venus alternated pre-eminence. As one would perhaps expect, factors other than pure tennis ability might contribute to little sis losing out to big sis on occasion. Serena has been beaten by Venus in or on her way to her seven grand slam titles several times. At least some of these titles would surely have gone the younger sibling’s way. . It is tempting to think that the prospect of having to overcome the Williams juggernaut has demoralised challengers into finding another career path and, therefore, prolonged Serena’s reign. Few doubt that, at an age where many sporting champions are clinging on to the last vestiges of their past achievements, Serena is as dominant as ever, perhaps more so. In the four of the last five seasons she has been fit (she sat out most of 2011 injured) Serena has won eight of the 16 slams. Marion Bartoli confounded all expectations by knocking the previously rampant American out at the quarter-final stage at this years Wimbledon. A worthy adversary at last? Alas no; Bartoli announced her retirement a few weeks ago. Perhaps the last word should go to someone who really knows what she is talking about. Martina Navratilova, who, alongside her career-long rival Chris Evert, won 18 majors, said after Williams’ 13th slam at Wimbledon in 2010, at a time when credible challengers seemed to be coming from every direction and the champion’s desire seemed to be on the wane, that she deserved to be ranked in the top five of all time. She added: “It’s not just about how many slams you win or how many tournaments you win – it’s just your game overall. And she’s definitely got all the goods.”

Karma is indeed a b*tch

Woods and Vonn went public earlier this year, confirming weeks of speculation that they were an item There is a persistent rumour doing the rounds that Tiger Woods’ beau, skier Lindsey Vonn, is doing the dirty on the man who, perhaps uncharitably, was renamed Cheetah Woods behind his back after his very public infidelity issues, since which he hasn’t been the same man; and certainly not the same golfer. A “source” said that the 28-year-old Olympic skier was spotted kissing a man backstage at a Justin Timberlake and Jay Z concert in Miami on August 16. Lindsey, was allegedly seen engaging in a very public make-out session with the man, who is said to be older. “After the concert was over, Lindsey and a group of female friends who were

carrying drinks, made their way backstage, and Lindsey spotted a guy she very obvi¬ously knew well,” the source told The ENQUIRER, adding: “She threw herself into his arms and they started on a long session of deep kissing that went on for several minutes. He was a tall, good-looking man, in his mid-40s, with greying temples. They were really going at it. They were both holding drinks, and Lindsey’s free hand was around his neck, drawing him closer, while his hand was gripping her rear end.” At the time, Lindsey was in Miami for a “LVTakesMiami” promotion and photo session for one of her sponsors, Red Bull. She tweeted that day: “Wow that was amazing! Best concert I’ve ever been to!” Before dating Woods, Lindsey was married to former coach Thomas Vonn in 2011. After four years of marriage, which lead to a divorce, she revealed that she hated mixing business with pleasure in the August issue of Vogue magazine. “Doesn’t work. I think there needs to be a certain kind of understanding because it’s very hard for me to relate to someone who doesn’t do sports at a high level. That part is necessary. But to have business in the relationship is very difficult,” she said.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Gospel

NOT OUR WILL BUT GOD’S WILL BE DONE

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed...” Matt. 26:36-39.

By Michael Adekoya

Dear Reader, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in a tight place. He is Omnipotent and Omniscience. He knows how the story of His life will end. He’s not doubtful whether He’s going to come out of the ugly situation He was in. He has the assurance of God! Yet, face to face with the process that precedes the promise, He said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” The Bible says, “He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; but, not as I will, but as You will.” My friend, the Garden of Gethsemane is a tight place and it is a place of surrender where our will align with God’s will. Sometimes, we already conceive in our heart the choice of the person we want to marry, the kind of career we want to embark on, the ministry or business we want to establish and how we want our life to go. But when we come face to face with the process that God has ordained for these things to happen, we struggle. Jesus’ experience in the garden shows us the lesson of how to walk with God and surrender to His will in the midst of pressure. Jesus came to the world with a promise from God that He is the Saviour of mankind. The Bible says, “She (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matt. 1:21. To fulfil that promise, He knew that He was going to die and resurrect again. But when He came face to

face with the process that precedes the promise, His was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. My friend, listen! You may know what God has promised you and the end result of that promise but you are going to come face to face with the middle – the process that precede the promise. Sometimes when we come face to face with the middle of the promise of God, it becomes stressful. It is good to wait for the promise of God but we must know that sometimes waiting period can bring pressure. It is good to wait when we are young and vibrant. At least, as young men or women, we get all eternity to wait. But when we are getting older, the story is not the same. Jesus didn’t go to the Garden to find out how the story of His life would end but He was there to deal with the middle. And this is what most of us are struggling with today. We love the happy ending but we become stressful in dealing with the hateful middle. My friend, God has promised you a happy ending with regards to your marriage relationship, family issue, sickness, spiritual battle, barrenness, business failures, ministry or career but how are you dealing with the middle – the process that preceded the promise? For Jesus and for us, the Garden of Gethsemane is a place in the middle of the promise of God for our lives and the manifestations or fulfilment of that promise. The Garden is not a place to give up because of the pressure or stress but a place of pressing further in prayer. It is a place where God will lead you to deal with the process that precedes His promise. My friend, it is a place where everyone cannot go with you. No stranger, spouse or family members are allowed in operating theatre! It is a

Are you looking for a church?

Not settled in any particular congregation? Perhaps now is the time to pray about it If you are not yet saved try one of the following: Jubilee International Churchmeets at 2,30pm on Sundays at Kings Avenue, school, park hill. London SW4. Part of Jubilee International Churches worldwide. For information, you may call (020)8697 3354 New Wine Christian Church- 11am holds meeting at Ringcross Tennants club, Lough Road, Holloway, N7. a member of the Icthus fellowship

worldwide. For more information call 020 7609 959 or 07957 757 663. Praise Tabernacle- 10:30am holds meetings at 620 Western Avenue (A40), park royal Business centre, opposite Warner Bros. Cinema Complex, W3. part of The Redeemed Christian Church of God. For information you may call 020 8993 3010 New Life Christian Centre 10.30am & 6.00pm. meetings at Cairo New Road, Croydon. The church has

place where you have to be alone with God; it is a place of realigning your will with the will of God. It is a place of total surrender to God. When Jesus was in the Garden, He told His intimate disciples to “stay near the Garden and watch (pray) with Him.” The Bible says, “He went a little further and fell on His face, and prayed” (Math 26:36-39). That is what the season we are in called for now! In our lives, the Garden of Gethsemane is a place where the pressure and stress mount. It is different from the wilderness where we can argue with or answer the enemy. It is different from the cross where we can see the physical problem and the people behind it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, there is nothing to be seen but just pressure and stress! My friend, it is possible for an old faithful to become an old fallen in a mounting pressure. This is why we must be filled with Holy Spirit, God’s Word, continuous prayer, joy and

praise unto God in the days of adversity. Jesus, a man who commands followership of multitudes, dealt with the middle alone with God in the Garden. Listen! When people realize that they can’t get anything from you; when they know that you are going through certain pressure and stress, they will not call you or follow you again. Soon as you stop handing out free lunch, they will be gone. The seventy elders left Jesus after they have had their tittles. They will do the same to you. Jesus asked Peter and John and James (the two sons of Zebedee) His closest disciples - His inner circle - to wait as He pressed further in prayer in the Garden. He needed support and fellowship in suffering. That’s why He asked them to follow Him to the Garden and watch with (pray) Him as He went further in prayer in the Garden but they refused to connect with Him in suffering. My friend, hear me! Anybody would want to know you

a bible school, primary, is involved in extensive mission work in Eastern Europe, Italy and India. For information you may call 020 8680 7671 Ruach Ministries - holds meeting at 9am, 11am and 6pm. For information you may call 020 8678 6888 International Central Gospel church - Battersea chapel, holds meetings on Sundays from 2.00pm. . For information you may call 020 8684 4934 Jesus Arena International- Sunday service at 11.00am at Broadwater farm centre, Adams road N17 The Bible Life Church UK- They meet on Sunday mornings at 2.30pm at St Giles Centre, Camberwell

Church Street, London SE5 Christ Apostolic church (Full Gospel & Pentecostal) Surrey Docks District 163 Ilderton Rd South Bermondsey London SE16 2UT. Tel. 020 7252 2086. Time of worship: Sunday English service 9- 11.30am. Yoruba service 11.30 -2.30pm. Prophetic counselling: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 12noon- 5pm, Saturday only 5- 7pm. Holy Cross Church InternationalSunday 10.am- 1 pm at Crown House 71-73 Nathan way London SE28 0BQ Tel: 07904 234 126, 07809 381 886 Times of service:Bible study: Thursdays 8pm. Night Vigil: Friday Forthnightly 12am

in the power of your resurrection but when it comes to participate in the fellowship of your suffering, the story differs. Just as in Jesus’ case, the people you rely on to go through suffering with you or pray with you while you are in a tight place may disappoint you. They may be sleeping because they don’t feel what you are feeling, but you must press on. Each time we were having our children, I was always with my wife. Even though I was with her in the labour room each time, she was the one going through the pressure of the contraction. Holding her hands and patting her back for relief did not equate my share of what she was going through. My friend, don’t be deceived! Only Jesus knows what you are going through and it is Him alone who can go through the process that precedes

Sunday Service: Sundays 10am - 1pm Winners Chapel London- part of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, at Unit B1 Galleywall Trading Estate, South Bermondsey, London SE16 3PB meets Sunday 7am & 9am and 11am and Wednesdays at 7pm. For details call 020 7237 7894 CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH GRAVESEND, ST. AIDAIN’S CHURCH, ST. AIDAN’S WAY, GRAVESEND, KENT, DA12 4AG TEL. 01474 355 841, 07956 38 38 70 TIME OF WORSHIP: Wednesday Bible Study: 7:30pm to 9:00pm Friday, Night Vigil: 9pm to 11pm Sunday Worship: 12:30pm to 3:00pm

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Africa Newsround Tunisia Tunisia anti-government protests intensify the nation’s young democracy.

Mohamed Brahmi was shot 14 times in front of his wife and children in July

Protesters swelled the streets of Tunis on Saturday (September 7) as tens of thousands turned out to

renew demands that the Islamistled government step down and end a political deadlock threatening

Kenya

Ruto trial opens in The Hague

William Ruto has survived several scandals to become Kenya’s ﬁrst deputy-president, succeeding Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka .

The trial of Kenya’s deputy-president, William Ruto, opened this week at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Ruto, along with former radio presenter Joshua Sang are accused with orchestrating the violence that followed Kenya’s 2007 presidential election in which more than 1,000 people died. Both men are appearing at the ICC voluntarily. Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda accused Ruto and Sang of organising a “carefully planned, co-ordinated and executed campaign of violence targeting perceived PNU supporters,” referring to the allegation that the accused were responsible for directing gangs from their own Kalenjin tribe to attack members of the Kikuyu tribe. The Kikuyu, in the main, backed the victorious PNU party.

The prosecution alleges Mr Ruto organised militant groups and supplied them with weapons in advance of the elections, and gave the order to begin attacks after his party lost the elections. The atrocities committed included the deliberate burning alive of mostly Kikuyu women and children huddled together in a church in Kiambaa on 1 January 2008. Mr Sang is accused of using his radio station to advertise the militant groups’ meetings and of inciting violence by broadcasting inﬂammatory propaganda and anti-Kikuyu hate speech. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to each of three charges of crimes against humanity: murder, forcible transfer of population, and persecution. The case marks the ﬁrst time the 10year-old ICC has put such a high-ranking sitting political leader on trial.

Saturday’s unrest marked four weeks since opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi was killed. His widow, Mbarka, was among the protesters, claiming the action to be the only way to avenge her husband’s death. “Just as you killed the martyr of the people, Mohamed Brahmi, in the arms of his daughters and his son, we will assassinate you with our civilised way and civic way, that will kill you vein after vein,” she said. Waving red and white national ﬂags and pictures of the murdered opposition leader, protesters packed the streets around a building in which a national assembly had been drafting a new constitution until work on it was suspended amid fears the building could come under attack. The protests took on a symbolic tone, with many protesters painting their hands

red. One protester explained: “This is a metaphor for the current government, one of assassinations and blood -- that’s why I’ve dyed my hands red. This is not a legitimate government.” Opposition supporters have also embarked on a hunger strike and are planning sit-ins from Monday. After talks failed to end the stand-off this week, Tunisia’s opposition Salvation Front – a mix of leftists and traditional parties including leaders who once served under ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali – threatened to intensify protests against Ennahda. “We have to put more pressure on the government so they step down. There is no other solution,” said Jilani Hammami, an opposition member. “If we wait for Ennahda, then they will carry on for two months and keep on with their programme.”

South Africa

First victory for Africa at US Open

Lucas Sithole is in the ascendancy after beating perennial world number one, 39year-old David Wagner, twice in succession.

Africa is celebrating its ﬁrst ever winner at the US tennis Open as South African Lucas Sithole defeated world number one David Wagner in the Men’s Singles Quads ﬁnal. Sithole has been wheelchair-bound since losing his legs and part of his right arm in a train accident when he was 11. The 26-year-old claims his life changed once he realised he could still enjoy a full life even after the accident. “It all started when I accepted myself after my accident, I didn’t stay indoors - I went to look for help and my primary school was a big help,” Bongani Zondi, president of Tennis South Africa, congratulated both Sithole and his coach on the win, com-

menting: “We are proud as TSA to have a champion at long last and also a black South African.” Tournament favourite David Wagner, who was US Open Champion in 2010 and 2011, took an early lead in the final, taking the first set 6-3. However, Sithole rallied, boosted by knowing he had beaten Wagner in the round-robin stage of the championship, The South African seized the initiative in set two to win it 6-4. He then kept his for in the third set to take it by the same score. The win confirms Sithole as world number two on the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. He told reporters: “I’d like to thank the supporters and also David for sharing the experience with me on court. I really enjoy playing against him. He is a great player, one of the best in the quads.” 17

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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African Entertainment Travelmusic artist

In association with

Omotola surprise performance at ‘Muyiwa Goes To Nollywood’ show The Forum at Kentish Town turned red hot during the London performance of one of Nollywood A - star actresses Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. It was the concert of Gospel artiste Muyiwa of the riversongz fame. The whole hall was filled with excitement as the highly anticipated show got underway.

All eyes were glued on stage, with some dancing, singing and waiting... Then it happened. The special guest of the night was introduced on stage and the hall literally caught fire! Omosexy as she’s famously known looked ravishing in her royal purple Roooi elegance piece, all jaws dropped! Sending the crowd wild as she walked out to a rapturous applause. Omotola was interviewed about her Christian background and her career by international singer Muyiwa and one of the most influential people in the world even sang and danced. It was truly a night to remember. Omotola, Muyiwa and the very beautiful Ghanaian actress Jocelyn Dumas truly brought the house down. Credit: Daniel Sync/ Sync PHOTOS

Omotola Jalade - Ekeinde and husband

Muyiwa and Omotola Jalade - Ekeinde

Omotola Jalade - Ekeinde

Omotola Jalade - Ekeinde performing on stage

Jocelyn Dumas and Omotola Jalade - Ekeiinde

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Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

Event

Odegbami launches ‘Me, Football and More’ in London By Peter Olorunnisomo

Chief Segun Odegbami, MON, literally filled the Banking hall of the Nigeria High Commission on Friday, 6th September, 2013 with well-wishers, sports enthusiasts, sports and media personalities for the book launch of Me, Football and More, which he authored.

The event which had the tacit support of the Nigeria High Commission, was chaired by no less a personality than Ambassador (Dr.) Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, OFR, CFR ably supported by the Deputy High Commissioner Ambassador O.K. Lawal and other mission management staff. Ambassador Tafida was quick to note that the ‘hosting rights’ for the event was shared with Chief Odegbami whom he described as an icon and household name in the sports sector of the Nigeria nation. He noted the encomiums which the retired Super eagles footballer had gathered and other roles in sports development and management which he had played stating that he was deserving of the honour of the book launch at the premises of the country mission office he had creditably served. The audience were then treated to an audio rendition of a portion of the book which described how Chief Odegbami’s footballing skills had gone beyond him to endear him to the high and mighty and the revelation of a welcome wherever he went. Ambassador Tafida then proceeded to present the book to the gathering. The book, which had a strong tinge of biographical details from the author’s perspective revealed more than the mere narrative of a biographical work and rather added the writer’s instinct flair for details, circumspect and thoughts to distinguish it and bring the reader closer home to the sacrifices, experiences, and rewards which Chief Odegbami had gone through over the incidences and episdodes he chose to relate. Members of the audience thereafter were given the opportunity to relate as they could with the author, his works, fame, and personality even as copies of the books were depleting by purchase. Guests were also treated to a beautiful rendition of music by a budding Nigeria talent who won the hearts of the audience with her vocal quality. It was mentioned that the book would also have sequential versions, raising speculation that we are yet to get the full biography of Chief Segun Odegbami, MON. Photo Credit: Bukola Grace

Cross section of guests at the book launch

From right: Deputy High Commissioner Ambassador O. K Lawal, HE Dalhatu Sarki Tafida OFR, CFR, Chief Segun Odegbami MON and the book publisher

Flower BEN TV presenter, Mee (Yemisi Odegbami) and other guests at the Chief Segun Odegbami MON and Ambassador O. K Lawal Deputy High book launch Commissioner, Nigeria High Commission London

Chief Segun Odegbami with some of the guests

D J Abass on the queue to get the book signed by Chief Segun Odegbami

Alistair Soyode, Chief Segun Odegbami and Alexander Amosu

Alexander Amosu, June Douglas and a guest

Events calendar What’s On & When Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Arts

Theatre, Shows and Musicals By Ryan Holmes

is destined to occupy the throne of Scotland, he and his wife choose to become the instruments of their fate and to kill the first man standing in their path, the virtuous King Duncan. But to maintain his position, Macbeth must keep on killing – first Banquo, his old comrade-in-arms; then, as the atmosphere of guilt and paranoia thickens, anyone who seems to threaten his tyrant’s crown. 21 New Globe Walk, London, Greater London SE1 9DT

Lenny Henry as Troy and Tanya Moodie as Rose

A Boy and his Soul Now- Sept 21st

This one-man show, written and performed by American actor Colman Domingo, tells a familiar story: man in his mid-thirties revisits the childhood home that his parents are selling, and sets off the timebomb of memories contained therein. Our setting is the rundown basement of an old West Philadelphia house: here, among dusty garden chairs and discarded toys, Domingo – or his fictional alter ego, though a glance at the script seems to indicate that he is talking about real places and people – finds boxes of soul records. But it’s impossible not to be carried away by his exuberant impersonations of the various members of his family: his crotchgrabbing brother Rick; his ghetto-girl sister Averie; his mother Edie, quietly consoling herself for her lost dreams. And his writing contains some beautiful lyrical passages, and some tearjerking moments – just like any good soul record.. Tricycle, 269 Kilburn High Rd London, NW6 7JR

Chimerica Now-October 19th

Chimerica is a fragile web of shifting human relationships, which are sometimes severed by corporate greed, state cruelty, or individual selfishness, but achieve moments of connection which transcend their inhospitable environment. It’s staged with a film-like fluidity and flair by brilliant director Lyndsey Turner and designer Es Devlin inside a spinning cube, whose sides open to reveal the squalid Beijing flat of Zhang Lin, Joe’s kindly Beijing contact and friend, and the office of his genial, morally compromised New York newspaper editor. But the only things that are black and white here are Joe’s photographs of China, which are projected all over the set as newspaper contact sheets, crossed out or reframed by 20

the editor’s red pen – a subtle reminder that a photograph is an opinion, not a simple record of the truth. Harold Pinter Theatre,6 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN

The 39 Steps Now- March 2014

When Hitchcock adapted Buchan’s ‘The 39 Steps’, however, he introduced a love interest in a version which Buchan later conceded was better than his own. In this stage version, Patrick Barlow has continued the honourable tradition of mucking around with Buchan’s original, keeping the love interest (now elegantly played by new cast member Rachel Pickup) and adding a whirligig of self-conscious theatrical effects in a production where four actors evoke everyone from lingerie salesmen to a housekeeper who screams like a steamtrain.. The Criterion,218-223 Piccadilly, London, SW1Y 4XA

Pride Now-November 9th

Set in both 1958 and 2008, ‘The Pride’ sees what appears to be the same love triangle play out in two very different eras. In 1958, closeted married man Philip (Harry Hadden-Paton) grapples violently with his feelings for writer Oliver (Al Weaver), while his fragile wife Sylvia (Hayley Atwell) looks on in impotent despair. And in 2008, the three seem to have been given their time again in a more liberated age… Yet they’re not happy – promiscuous journalist Oliver has scewed up his relationship with straight-laced Philip, and Oliver’s chronic neediness is seriously bringing his BFF Sylvia down. Trafalgar Studios,14 Whitehall SW1A 2DY

Macbeth Now- 13th October

When three witches tell Macbeth that he

The Ladykillers Now- October 25th

‘The Ladykillers’ is back in town. Now on its third cast of bumbling, murderous crims, it’s as anarchic and free-wheeling as anything you’ll see on a West End stage. Graham Linehan’s script takes the setup of the 1955 Ealing comedy, in which five crooks hole-up in a little old lady’s lopsided house to plan a robbery, and cranks up the contrast. The gags come faster, the killings are crueller and there’s a delicate knowingness to the dialogue that never oversteps the mark. Vaudeville Theatre, Strand, London, WC2R 0NH

One Man, Two Guvnors Now-March 2014

Fired from his skiffle band, Francis Henshall becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6000 from his fiancee’s dad. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who’s been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers. Holed up at the Cricketers’ Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be re-united with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two guvnors apart. Simple. Haymarket Theatre,18 Suffolk St, London SW1Y 4HT .

Thark-Now-September 22nd

Thark’ is as preposterous a comedy as you’ll ever see. In it, lecherous old duffer Sir Hector Benbow (a splendid turn from Francis himself) accidentally arranges to have an intimate supper with three different women. So far, so farce, but this all unexpectedly gives way to something bizarrely reminiscent of an episode of ‘Scooby Doo’, as the entire gang decamps to the titular haunted house. It makes very little sense plot-wise, but as farce it ticks along like clockwork, and certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome. Given a big budget West End production and the weight of expectations, ‘Thark’ would flounder. One doesn’t so much admire – or even laugh – at the play itself, so much as enjoy it as a nicely crafted period curio, like a joke that we’re all in on with the cast, who attack it with well-drilled chutzpah. Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, London, N4 3JP

Meschac Gaba: Museum of Contemporary African Art Now- September 22nd

Meschac Gaba’s Museum of Contemporary African Art is an immersive twelve-room installation, a ‘museum within a museum’, which is currently sprawling through Tate Modern Gaba has claimed that the Museum of Contemporary African Art is ‘not a model… it’s only a question.’ It is temporary and mutable, a conceptual space more than a physical one, a provocation to the Western art establishment not only to attend to contemporary African art, but to question why the boundaries existed in the first place. Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Arts

18th annual African Film Awards 2013 CALL FOR ENTRIES / NOMINATION OF OUTSTANDING ACTORS! Are you a filmmaker looking to submit your film?

Joseph Benjamin recipient of African Actor of The Year 2012

Are you a member of the film industry and want to come to this year’s African Film Awards? The 18th annual African Film Awards (AFA) is launching its 2013 Call for Entries, inviting filmmakers around the world and especially Nollywood UK to submit feature films, documentaries, shorts and animation works. The AFA 2013 will run November 1-9, and the deadline for submission is Friday, October 18, with an extended deadline of Friday, October 25. Accepted films will be eligible for category-specific Awards. Filmmakers will be notified of their acceptance status by October 25. All materials must be clearly labelled with the name of the film and the person submitting.

If you have any questions, please contact Milton Tella at info@africanvoice. co.uk or 020 3737 3077. GUIDELINES Submission packages must be mailed to:Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP Films not in English must include English subtitles. The cost of shipping an entry must be paid by the entrant. DVD screeners will not be returned. If a film is accepted, press materials for the film will be required, which can include but may not be limited to: highresolution publicity stills, filmmaker bio, or online trailer.

Poet of the Week; Okot p’Bitek Okot p’Bitek

Okot p’Bitek was born on July 20, 1931 in Gulu, and died in 1982, in North Uganda grasslands into a family of Luo people.

His father was a school teacher and an expressive storyteller, his mother Lacwaa Cerina was a traditional gifted singer, composer, and leader of her clan. From his mother’s name, the title Song of Lawino is derived and she taught him many songs that he enjoyed throughout his life. At that time Uganda was a protectorate of British Empire. Under the influence of his mother, p’Bitek grows up learning the tales, proverbs and songs of Acholi folklore sometimes referred to as lwo or luo. He was educated at Gulu High School, then King’s College in Budo, and later at Universities in the United Kingdom. An outstanding student, p’Bitek was noted as a great singer of Acholi songs, a dancer, a drummer and athlete. He composed and produced a full-length opera

while still in high school. He travelled abroad first as a player with the Ugandan national football team, in 1958. At this point, he gave up with football as a possible career; staying on in Britain he studied education at Bristol University, and then Law at the University College Wales at Aberystwyth. He then took a B. litt. degree in Social anthropology at the University of Oxford with a 1963 Dissertation on Acholi and Lango Traditional Cultures. He lost his commitment to Christian belief during these years. This had major consequence for his attitude as a scholar of African tradition, which was by no means accepting of the general run of earlier work. He wrote an earlier novel in Luo, Lak Tar Miyo Kinyero Wilobo (1953) later translated into English as `’ If your Teeth Are White, Laugh!’’ It concerns the experiences of a young Acholi man moving away from home, to find work and so a wife. P’Bitek organised

an Art festival at Gulu, and then at Kisumu (Kenya).He taught at Makerere University and then was director of Uganda’s national Theatre in 1956. In the summer of same year, he participated in the Olympic Games in London and remained in England to study at several institutions including the institute of social Anthropology in Oxford and University College, Wales. In this capacity, he founded the highly successful Gulu Arts Festival, which celebrates the traditional oral history, dance; and other arts of Acholi people. He became unpopular with the Ugandan government; and took teaching parts outside the country. He took part in the International writing program at the University of Iowa in 1969. He was at the institute of African Studies of University of College in Nairobi from 1971 as a session research fellow and lectures, with visiting position at University of Texas at Austin and University of Ife in Nigeria in 1978-179. He remained in exile during the regime of Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin, returning in 1982 to Makerere University to teach creative writing. He died of a liver infection on July 19, 1982.

With the rubbish in the rubbish pit, You say you no longer want me Because I am like the things left behind In the deserted homestead. You insult me You laugh at me You say I do not know the letter A Because I have not been to school And I have not been baptized

My Husband’s Tongue Is Bitter

Stop despising people As if you were a little foolish man. Stop treating me like salt-less ash, Become barren of insults and stupidity;

Husband, now you despise me Now you treat me with spite And say I have inherited the stupidity of my aunt; Son of the Chief, Now you compare me

You compare me with a little dog, A puppy. My friend, age-mate of my brother, Take care, Take care of your tongue, Be careful what your lips say. First take a deep look, brother, You are now a man You are not a dead fruit! To behave like a child does not befit you! Listen Ocol, you are the son of a Chief, Leave foolish behavior to little children, It is not right that you should be laughed at in a song! Songs about you should be songs of praise!

Who has ever uprooted the Pumpkin?

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Health

Positive attitudes proven to help heart patients Heart disease patients with positive attitudes are more likely to exercise and live longer, a new study has found.

A new study shows having a positive outlook on life is good for the heart

Researchers found that heart disease patients with a B positive attitude were 42 per cent less likely to die over a fiveyear period than those with a negative attitude. Researchers used a questionnaire to assess the moods of 600 ischemic heart disease patients in a Denmark hospital. Ischemic heart disease, also called coronary artery disease, is caused by narrowed arteries that don’t provide enough blood and oxygen to the heart. After a five-year follow-up period, researchers found that the most positive patients exercised more and had a 42 per cent less chance of dying for any reason during the follow-up period; deaths were less than 10 per cent. Among patients with less positive attitudes, 50 deaths occurred (16.5 per cent). Positive mood and exercise also cut the risk of heart-related hospitalisations, the study found.

Exercise levels the playing field between positive and negative patients, researchers said. So the differences in death rates between upbeat and sad heart patients weren’t as striking when both groups exercised. However, information on the types and amounts of exercise were not available. “We should focus not only on increasing positive attitude in cardiac rehabilitation, but also make sure that patients perform exercise on a regular basis, as exercise is associated with both increased levels of optimism and better health,” said Susanne S Pedersen, one of the study authors and professor of cardiac psychology, the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands. She is also adjunct professor of cardiac psychology, the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital, Denmark. The study was published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

A tale of rural health in South Africa

Patients in rural South Africa await treatment

The failing healthcare system in the Eastern Cape affects everyone: urban communities, migrants from Gauteng and Cape Town too sick to work anymore or returning home to retire, and healthcare workers who don’t have the medicines, equipment and a functioning referral system, to offer the care their patients need.

But the greatest impact is undoubtedly felt among the 62% of people living in rural areas. Of the 10 most deprived districts in South Africa, three are ru-

ral districts based in the Eastern Cape: Chris Hani, OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts. A failing healthcare system compounds the many socio-economic hardships these communities face on a daily basis, such as high rates of unemployment, lack of clean water and sanitation, inadequate education, and poor nutrition. What makes the failing healthcare system for all residents of the Eastern Cape a double disgrace are two fundamental barriers to care: the difficulties in accessing public health care in the first

place, and the challenges to bring people back into the system after service failures have driven them away, and the lack of healthcare alternatives. To illustrate, it takes two hours and a R30 taxi drive for Nozipho (60), carer of 1-year-old baby, Ayanda, living on a R1 260 monthly grant, to get to the clinic for her grandchild’s vaccinations. After waiting a few hours, without access to sanitation or running water, she is told the vaccination is out stock and is asked to come back the following week when maybe the vaccines will be there. A recent study following up 478 babies born in the KSD sub-district of OR Tambo, found that 35% of mothers had similar experiences. By the age of three months, only 48.3%of children surveyed had received the immunisations due at birth, six weeks and 10 weeks. At one clinic, vaccines are not kept in cold storage (as there is no fridge or electricity), yet the vaccines are given to unsuspecting mothers and children. This is more than a disgrace; this is indicative of a crisis that requires an urgent, immediate intervention. In another instance, many letters and calls regarding Komga Clinic seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Komga, where the mobile clinic to outlying farming communities is no longer operating; where half of their nurses have left, with

no replacements in sight; where the dentist stopped coming; where there is no longer time to take preventative pap smears; where the treatment monitors, assisting the remaining nurses serving the 700 patients on ARVs, were told to go home; where the healthcare workers feel completely powerless. There are many tales of frustrated healthcare workers soldiering on, or worse, deciding to leave the province. What happens when local leadership is poor, absent, disempowering, and even uses disciplinary tactics to silence competent doctors who want to ﬁx the system, and who expose the health care failures? They are pushed out, and poor management triumphantly carries on, while families continue losing their loved ones to preventable deaths.

South African woman receives vaccination

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Culture: The Acoli of Uganda ted against the Acholi people with hundreds dying every day. Children are abducted, women raped, schools closed while the population starves. Today, the impoverished Acholi people suffer under the most inhumane conditions. The Acholi are known to the outside world mainly because of the insurgency of the Lord’s Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony.

The Acoli youth celebrate their culture

The Acholi are a Luo people, who came to northern Uganda from the area now known as Bahr el Ghazal in southern Sudan. Starting in the late seventeenth century, a new sociopolitical order developed among the Luo of northern Uganda, mainly characterized by the formation of chiefdoms headed by Rwodi. By the mid-nineteenth century, about sixty small chiefdoms existed in eastern Acholiland. During the second half of the nineteenth century Arabicspeaking traders from the north started to call them Shooli, a term which transformed into ‘Acholi.’ During Uganda’s colonial period, the British encouraged political and economic development in the south of the country, in particular among the Baganda. In contrast, the Acholi and other northern

The Acoli dance of the men 22

ethnic groups supplied much of the national manual labour and came to comprise a majority of the military, creating what some have called a “military ethnocracy.” This reached its height with the coup d’état of Acholi General Tito Okello and came to a crashing end with the defeat of Okello and the Acholi-dominated army by the National Resistance Army led by now-President Yoweri Museveni. The Acholi of northern Uganda today constitute over a million of the displaced African refugees. The surviving Acholi now number only about a million and a half. Hundreds of thousands have been massacred, maimed and displaced by their own government’s troops and by rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army. There is serious genocide being commit-

The Acholi language is a Western Nilotic language, classified as Luo, and is mutually intelligible with Lango and other Luo languages. Acholi (also Acoli, Akoli, Acooli, Atscholi, Shuli, Gang, Lwoo, Lwo, Log Acoli, Dok Acoli) is a language primarily spoken by the Acholi people in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, a region

Culture

en fireplace. The walls are daubed with mud and decorated with geometrical or conventional designs in red, white or grey. They were skilled hunters, using nets and spears, and kept goats, sheep and cattle. In war they used spears and long, narrow shields of giraffe or ox hide. Family life in Acholi has traditionally always been stable. Once a man and a woman are married and have children, they take pride in remaining faithful to each other. Children were taught to respect their parents and the homestead was the place where you found security, affection and a healthy environment to lead a simple, happy life The backbone of the Acholi culture was the informal education given in the evening at the fireplace, called “wang oo” in Luo. This precious way of passing on a culture of centuries is gone. There is pre-primary or nursery education in Uganda but very

The Acoli dance of the hunters

known as Acholiland in northern Uganda. Acholi is also spoken in the southern part of the Opari District of Sudan. As of 1996 there were reported approximately 773,800 Acholi speakers in the world. However, this has gradually grown to over 800,000. Song of Lawino and its sequel, Song of Ocol, well known African literature, were written in Acholi by Okot p’Bitek. Acholi, Alur and Lango have between 84% and 90% of their vocabulary in common and thus are mutually intelligible Most Acholi are Protestant, Catholic and, in lesser numbers, Muslim. Nevertheless, the traditional belief in guardian and ancestor spirits remains strong, though it is often described in Christian or Islamic terms. The Acholi believed in a supreme being called Jok and in another god, Lubanga, who was the cause of evil. The Acholi also worshipped the spirits of the dead and believed that they helped the surviving members of the family if they were treated well. Acholi is an ethnic group from the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader in northern Uganda (Acholiland) and Magwe Country in southern Sudan. The 1991 Uganda census counted 746,796 Acholi; a further 45,000 Acholi live outside of Uganda. Traditionally they lived in circular huts with a high peak, furnished with a mud sleeping-platform, jars of grain and a sunk-

few children attend because many parents cannot afford the cost. There is no direct government control or provision at the preschool level. There is also a limited number of teachers available especially in villages and very rural areas. Nursery schooling is therefore not seen as being very important For most Acholi people at present, food is largely a matter of survival. Major food crops in the north include ground cassava, millet, sorghum and simsim. The Cuisine of Uganda consists of traditional cooking with English, Arab and Asian, especially Indian, influences. Main dishes are usually centred on a sauce or stew of groundnuts, beans or meat. The starch traditionally comes from ugali (maize meal) or matoke (boiled and mashed green banana), in the South, or an ugali made from pear millet in the North. Cassava, yam and African sweet potato are also eaten. Chicken, fish (usually fresh, but there is also a dried variety reconstituted for stewing), beef, goat and mutton are all commonly eaten. Among the rural poor there would have to be a good reason for slaughtering a large animal such as a goat or a cow and nyama, (Swahili word for “meat”) would not be eaten every day. Various leafy greens are grown in Uganda.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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News Central African Republic leader sacks army chief as 100 killed in clashes

Central African Republic’s new President Michel Djotodia speaks to his supporters

The president of Central African Republic dismissed the head of the armed forces on Tuesday after days of ﬁghting with gunmen

loyal to ousted leader Francois Bozize that left 100 people dead, a government spokesman said.

Calm returned on Tuesday after ﬁerce

clashes between government forces and pro-Bozize ﬁghters in Bossangoa, Bozize’s home region, about 300 km (185 miles) north of the capital Bangui. The ﬁghting was the latest sign of instability since the Seleka rebel group seized power in March in the landlocked former French colony, plunging the nation of 4.5 million people into chaos and a deepening humanitarian crisis. President Michel Djotodia, the former leader of Seleka, named General Ferdinand Bombayake as the new head of the armed forces in a series of changes to military top brass, state radio announced. Bombayake was the head of security for ex-president Ange Felix Patasse, who was toppled in a 2003 coup by Bozize. “The change at the head of the army today is linked to the current situation in the country’s north and the president’s desire to bring some corrections in the security sphere,” his spokesman Guy

Togo slammed over ‘drop outs’ and ‘unstable’ internet connection

Workers laying the underwater “high speed” Internet cables

It was supposed to thrust Togo into the forefront of modern society making it a contemporary digital nation, but the high speed internet has been far from quick.

The impoverished West African nation of six million people has hypothetically one of the fastest broadband internet connections in the world – though people of Togo are far from impressed. The US$650 million telecom station where the WACS undersea cable landed, inaugurated with pomp and pride on last May in Aﬁdegnigban by the head of state, Faure Gnassingbé, and illustrious ﬁgures of state-controlled Togo Telecom. However, since it’s launch it has instead thrown the country’s Internet connection into disarray, crushing the big dreams of some 400 000 users. It has now reached the point where concerened IT students and educators are calling it one of the most unstable and inconsistent connections in Africa. “Twice I spent three hours last week

trying to connect to the internet during one of my teaching sessions, but to no avail,” IT teacher Noel Francis Kpatinde said. “It’s on and off all day, and I believe the country is in crisis,” Kpatindé added. “The state of ICT sector in Togo? Forget it… This is what happens when there is no investment in the sector of telecoms,” technology expert and businessman Ayim Kibama Amilo said. “There is a serious lack of infrastructures in this country, and if we had any we wouldn’t be talking about this issue right now.” All over Lomé, the capital city, walls of shops are still haunted by the faded sign Internet Haut Debit – a French slight translation of high speed internet. “This is what we were made to believe, and we rushed into investing our hard-earned cash, and now it’s history,” said former internet café owner Prudence Akouwa Akpovi. “I used to ﬁght with customers over the slow connection,” he recounted.

“They would leave with anger and frustration thinking that they would ﬁnd something better somewhere, but they came quickly to apologise.” “We were told that our connection is not directly provided by us, apparently it comes from France, then Ivory Coast and Ghana and here. If this is the case, what is the use of lying that the submarine that landed in Aﬁdegnigban will end all our internet problems and make Togo a digital and modern nation?” asked university student Michel Ayite. The countries ever increasing Internet crisis has left millions in the dark, stretching further than just the education sector. This problem is causing major disruptions for online businesses too, and other businesses that require the connection to survive as they are unable to operate. Since all of these problems have began coming to light Togo Telecom, has profusely apologised saying that the problem was out of its hands. The company went on to blame cable failures and technical problems in neighbouring countries such as Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Niger for the rolling black outs and drop offs. Though now it would seem darker days are still around the corner. The countries major issues such as lack of development through investment coupled with the failings of Togo Telecom are seemingly holding the country back. Until these problems are addressed and resolved, it is hard to see when the internet abyss will yield.

Simplice Kodegue said. Kodegue said an estimated 100 people had been killed in fighting in Bossangoa and nearby Bouca with Bozize’s supporters between Saturday and Monday. Some 30 houses had been burned and two bridges demolished, cutting off the region from the capital, Kodegue added. The fighting came after a U.N. warning that Central African Republic was on the brink of collapse. Muslim Seleka fighters are targeting the Christian populations of the country’s north. Bozize, who fled first to Cameroon and then to France, told French media in Paris last month that he still had ambitions of returning to power. The rebellion in CAR - one of the poorest places on earth - has triggered a humanitarian crisis after many aid groups and U.N. agencies pulled out, leaving people to fend for themselves.

Wedding thief is finally arrested in Ghana A woman dubbed the “wedding thief” after carrying out a string of audacious robberies has been convicted in Ghana of stealing £5,000 from a bride and groom at their reception.

Emelia Appiah, described as a specialist in wedding thefts, stole cash presents from a newly married couple in the west African country’s capital by impersonating a member of the team in charge of the gift table. In an audacious move, Appiah is reported to have gone to the bride’s house on the morning of the wedding in April under the pretence of being part of the team to dress her. The prosecutor, Inspector K Nyadikor, told the Accra circuit court that Appiah was turned away because the bride was already dressed. He said the thief later followed the bride to the church where the wedding was taking place in South La – a residential area in Accra – and impersonated another woman who was part of the team in charge of the gift table. Church clerks were fooled and gave her access to the gifts, including envelopes containing a total of £5,000 in cash. Appiah is believed to have used a similar tactic on several occasions, including one wedding where she impersonated a wedding planner. Cash gifts and large, ﬂuid guestlists are common at Ghanaian weddings, making them attractive targets for thieves.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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News Somalia aim to get one million more children into school The authorities in Somalia are launching a new campaign to get one million more children into schools.

The Go 2 School initiative started simultaneously in the capital Mogadishu and in the main cities of Somaliland and Puntland. It is being supported by the UN children’s agency, Unicef, at a cost of $117m (£75m). After two decades of civil war, aid agencies say Somalia’s formal education system has almost completely collapsed, placing future generations at serious risk. School enrolment rates are among the lowest in the world. Only four out 10 Somali children currently attend school, which will be hugely damaging for the future economy of the country. Girls are particularly badly affected. Only one in three are at schools in south and central Somalia, where the militant Islamist group Al-Shabab still controls many areas.

Children smile as they attend school

Unicef says the project will give a quarter of young people currently out of education a chance to learn. “Education is the key to the future of Somalia,” Unicef’s Somalia Representative Sikander Khan said. In June the Somali prime minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon, promised that his government would give education the same priority as defence and security. “We have lost two generations of children to war,” Somalia’s Education Minister Maryam Qasim told the BBC. “The Somali child cannot wait for another generation.” She said she was undeterred by the security threat from al-Shabab saying that education would prevent children joining the militant group. Al-Shabab was driven out of Mogadishu in August 2011 and other main towns after that but still carries out attacks and suicide bombings. President Mohamud took ofﬁce a year ago in a UN-backed bid to end two decades of violence.

Ghana & Benin hold bilateral talks

The bilateral talks being held

As part of his two-day State Visit to Benin, President John Mahama and his Beninois counterpart chaired a bilateral meeting between the two countries. The discussions centred on Ghana’s supply of electricity to Benin and Togo, and how Ghana can support Benin with gas for their newly constructed Thermal Power Plant. The meeting also considered opportunities in infrastructure development involving countries along the corridor, including port operations, road and rail network. The two leaders also discussed extensively their collective positions on the thorny issue of integrating the subregion as a sure way to boosting economic development and the living standards of the people. Of considerable interest to President Mahama and his host were the security situa-

tion in the subregion, the sahel areas and the economic growth of countries on the continent. President Mahama, who was accompanied to the meeting by the Minister for Energy & Petroleum Emmanuel Koﬁ Buah and the Chief Executive of the VRA Kweku Awotwe, assured President Boni Yayi that Ghana will increase the megawatts of power supplied Benin as its generating capacity improves. He argued that availability of sustainable power is the panacea to Africa’s challenges as it will provide the necessary impetus for industrial and productive development. Accordingly, Ghana he said, is working on various energy sources in order to position itself as a net exporter of power to countries like Benin and Togo, which continue to rely on it for electricity. At the end of the deliberations, the two sides signed a Communique agreeing to reconvene the Permanent Joint GhanaBenin Commission with Ghana hosting the next meeting.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Special Interview

Education Missionaries in Nigeria

By Peter Olorunnisomo

The sitting room where we were seated was simple but exotic in the taste of the furniture and other living accessories. The air was cool and spread an aura that spelt serenity in every letter that was in the word. The man who came to the door as we were let in was in the category culturally referred to as an elder. His movements were deliberate but not as a result of age. It was the deliberateness that came with contentment and carefulness, and possibly some characteristic traits of wisdom garnered over the years. Then she walked in from another door in room just as we were welcomed. She was looking every inch like him so much so that I would have described them as twins. To help my reasoning, they were both wearing a long, brown kaftan called the ‘jalammia’. The embroidery on them were the same running around the neck and sleeves. We were then introduced and our mission established, sat down to the business of the Q and A. Me, behind a can of diet coke and my publisher behind a bottle of water graciously offered by madam. African Voice: Thanks for permitting this interview and conceding your time to do this. Would you describe both your backgrounds when you began life? Vincent Buwa: We were both born into well-to-do families by the cultural context of that time. My father was a chief and he was at the forefront of Itsekiri community activities at the time . yes, you can say were born with silver spoons when ‘silver spoon’ meant respect, care, submission to parents, and children well trained not being spoilt. At the time we met, my wife was working with the Bendel State liaison Office and I was a manager with Volkswagen Nigeria Limited. With our ‘humble’ backgrounds, it was easier for us to relate in the understanding of what we were and the roles we played towards one another. It was against this background that I had the vision of establishing a school that catered for people who could not meet the cost of sending their children to the established private schools but who had lofty dreams for their children. Hence our vision statement “to provide the mission-type of education that the present adults went through”. The missionaries set up schools in Nigeria which were noted for their discipline, quality, cost effectiveness, affordability and 26

I am rather comfortable to be called by the title I earned as a Barrister of the Supreme Court of Nigeria than any other. Ostentacious and vain living does not usually augur well for the kind of example and service that we render to the educational service neither does it agree with our personality and beliefs.

Barrister and Mrs Vincent Buwa, Proprietors of Saint Saviours Group of Schools functional education on or off the school grounds. That is the nature of our involvement and the ideals we are committed to. The class segregation that is was going to be bridged because our schools were designed to capture all and sundry within the community where it is located. So we went to Ikotun Egbe, a local suburb in Lagos at the time. African Voice: So how did you begin to work out this dream further? Vincent Buwa: We noted that people were beginning to criticise the educational quality that public schools offered. So when we were both agreed to embark on the enterprise, we went to parents in the locality and began speaking to them of our intention and what we hoped to help their children achieve and what we could do to support them in this regard. There were pockets of private schools in the area then so we had to canvass for the opportunity to show what we were committed to. The key words were ‘vintage education, affordability, and class integration in school services’. This was in-grained in our Christian ethos and we had understanding that ours was going to be some missionary kind of social enterprise. Hence the name St. Saviour’s. That was the beginning of the school for all those that were in the Ikotun community. And we are grateful to God for the name and reputation that the school has achieved. We started with the nursery/primary school in 1989 and by 1993 the secondary school was ready for its first entrants. In 2006, the secondary was graded 26th in the country for its performance at the West African School Certificate Examinations. Notwithstanding, we had situations where the parents could not afford the modest fees charged largely because their individual occupations revolved around retail buying and selling, and menial jobs. This was poverty. My wife then looked at this situation

and brought up a concept to allow instalment paying of fees. Even this did not help some who were market traders, so at her instance, we became more understandingly concessionary. Since these were largely daily paid people, my wife discussed with them and they agreed to pay whatever was convenient at daily. The parents were so grateful that they did all they could to ensure payment in the obvious understanding that we had bent more than backwards for them and we were demonstrable commitment in their interests and for their children. Saving the masses in this way thus justified the name St. Saviour’s to them. The yardstick for our educational philosophy has been the missionary nature and it has greatly influeneced the success of the schools. The missionary and theological perspectives could not be lost in the identity of the school so that though it was a private school, it did not have the Mr. & Mrs’ syndrome. And up till now, fees are still modest and affordable. By God’s grace, the development of the institution has been rapid. And we have kept the humble pie in it as well by our titular nomenclatures which also reflects our responsibilities. While my wife is in charge of the school administration, I do the facility management and planning. We have received awards and recognition from the Federal and State Governements but we won’t let those distract us from our focus in service. If the people are not there, there will be no awards. So it is better we foucs on what we have to do and our responsibilities the more. While I was even offered an honourary doctorate in the by a United States institution, I had to turn it down. I called my management staff and asked what I had done to singularly deserve the award but I couldn’t be convinced that something most extra-ordinary had been done.

African Voice: What kept you going in the early years and trying periods of this venture? Vincent Buwa: We were committed and there was no backing down even when we were subsidising the fees paid by parents. The challenge was there to meet the bills of the rented premises we started out with. But the passion was sufficient too in keep us going. We both had our jobs and put our incomes into everything while we lived as best as we could afford but the school was first. Our priority was the salary of staff and we had an initial fear of loans. But we enjoyed the goodwill of the ‘omo onile’ (the family of the land owners) who helped us secure land for more development when it became necessary under the threat of the escalating rents of the premises. We were able to acquire about two acres and paid for them in instalments. The parents also helped by keeping up their responsibilities to the school and by bridging the contact with the community to facilitate better relationships for development. The school was seen as a community project and our sincerity was transparent to them. It wasn’t too long after before we were able to establish the 3rd school campus which had boarding facilities for boys and girls and with other social educational facilities in different local government areas. We also have a fleet of school buses running different routes for school drops. But initially, I had to use my vehicle and madam’s Volkswagen Beetle as school buses with both of us driving daily. She did the short runs while I did the long ones. It is also necessary to mention the Parents’ Teachers Association which also contributed to the development of the school policies, and valedictory services through its meetings. They also helped to propagate the need to evolve into a university educational service as well. We did apply to the Nigeria Universities Commission but after a thorough self-evaluation agreed that we were not ready to effectively take hold of that area of educational jurisdiction so we had to put it on hold. African Voice: How did you recruit staffs for the school or did you have any prior skill or experience in recruitment? Beatrice Buwa: I think my husband’s vision laid foundation for what this would also be. I really had no formal training in recruitment or any model to borrow from. It all developed from helping our children to do their homework. My observation showed that one of our boys was not re-

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Special Interview

Saint Saviours Nursery/Primary and Saint Saviours High School Ikotun Egbe Lagos State ally doing well in his homework despite the support of a lesson teacher. It was soon clear that the teacher was not using the right methodology so I took it upon myself to help the boy with a different strategy and that showed improvement. My son showed a preference for my style and was soon trying to do his homework by himself but under my guidance. So it was necessary that one had a teacher who understood the needs of children and I able to do this. These and other similar experiences synchronised with my husband’s vision for the school so we got myself, Mr Grant who was my son’s teacher then but better enhanced now, and my sister who was also a committed person in teaching. These were our first teaching staff. While finance was also a challenge as my husband earlier said, the choice of Ikotun was informed by a certain incident whereby I went to attend a friend‘s child-naming ceremony. This exposed Ikotun Egbe to us and with repeated visits broke into the rustic settlement. So most of the recruitment or re-source that was required had a catchment bent to help the ‘dream’ therefrom. African Voice: Did you face any challenges occasioned by religious differences? Beatrice Buwa: With a God concept for all men, no differenciation of any sort was considered and so everything went well. It was for everybody that was willing to come to us regardless of lowly the economic status was. The school’s name is significant here and the need to allow God to play a part in the people’s lives was paramount. Vincent Buwa: It is my belief that God planted the school before we got there. Muslims do attend the school and even display greater enthusiasm, commitment and patronage. Both Christian and muslims

worship are facilitated and mutually exclusive. The morning assembly of the children is conducted by a reverend clergy and the muslims do not complain. This is the school’s policy. African Voice: How has your educational teaching content reflect your evolution over the years? Beatrice Buwa: We have a robust scheme of work. We evaluated the schemes of work from various sources and notable institutions from where we were able to address various needs and expectations and evolve ours so that while we had certain common features in the scheme, we also had ours which was tailored towards the vision and those expectation of the parents; and also

helped to cater for the educational needs and methodologies required to achieve our mark. From here we have established and instituted common core features and also those of the missionary schools, with our philosophy which include discipline, teacher supervision and teaching delivery monitoring and evaluation in proximal relation to the scheme of work. We want to see the child wearing the scheme as a school uniform. We developed a strategy that evaluated teachers and students with a reward mechanism that motivated the teacher to do more to succeed with their students. African Voice: Did you face any challenge(s) in registration of GCSE/ WASCE that would have impacted on the

Barrister Vincent Buwa and Mrs Beatrice Buwa

success or failure rates of students? Beatrice Buwa: I will say that my childhood fear of failure helped to motivate the pursuit of our pupils/students to success at the first secondary school certificate examinations which was such a breakthrough that it brought with it the incident of scholarships to the school thereafter. African Voice: How big is the population of the school? Beatrice Buwa: Our successes in establishing the school and the success rate of the students at their national and state examinations led to the proliferation of the school in different locations such that we have two locations each of nursery, primary, and secondary education. Vincent Buwa: The schools are founded on acres of land that is able to provide several amenities for hostels, sports, and halls. All these go towards helping the social and academic education of the class of people who are in the areas of the schools’ locations. Thus the number is large and the school has positively impacted on the communities that the school bands are engaged to perform in community events. The attendance demand for the school is high and we have therefore evolved a management style to effectively implement the school’s policies and achieve optimum service delivery. Each school and its sections have administrative heads and these are raised in a hierarchy that also shows responsibilities. May I also add that we are looking to develop relationship with UK institutions in order to facilitate international exchange programmes and excursions for the children whether local or international. This is an area that requires very careful preparation because of logistical challenges that may develop therefrom. African Voice: How effective is the socio-cultural engagements in the schools for the benefits of the students? Beatrice Buwa: We have social clubs such as the academic clubs, Science Thinkers, Maths Club among others and these have won awards in the state. We also facilitate sports and cultural groups in the tribal callings e.g. Ibo, Hausa, Yoruba, etc . African Voice: Have you ever felt frustrated to the point that you feel like giving up? Beatrice Buwa: We have never felt frustrated, and the challenge and excitement has always been to give so much to life and to people in the community. There have been no regrets whatsoever. African Voice: Do you factor any other corporate social responsibility to your educational service? Beatrice Buwa: We have scholarship schemes and community support ventures by participating in building roads, provision of electricity for the community, making drainages, etc. Every year the school gives four scholarships to secondary school students for university education, and also four scholarships to pupils going into secondary schools which is not restricted to a given school but is based on academic successes. We also give scholarships to children from the SOS children village (an orphanage). Barrister Vincent Buwa and Mrs Beatrice Buwa are the missionaries of education that African Voice interviewed. 27

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Change of Name I formerly known and addressed as Kassim Adekunle Ogunbadejo now wish to be known and addressed as Casey Adekunle Badejo. All former documents remain valid. Members of the public, Home Office and Nigeria High Commission, London should please take notice.

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Nigeria make World Cup playoffs top seeds

Nigeria celebrate winning the Mandela cup

Nigeria are one of the five top seeds for next week’s draw for the final World Cup playoffs after they ranked in the top five African teams still in the competition. The African champions are ranked fourth best team in Africa in the latest FIFA Rankings released today by the world football governing body. They have recorded 707 points and dropped to 36th place on the global ranking. Cote d’Ivoire remain the top African team as they are the 18th best team in the world, while Ghana are second as

they are rated 24th in the world. Mali are fifth best African team as they are 38th, but unfortunately they did not qualify for the final playoffs. Following the disqualification of 44th ranked Cape Verde for using an ineligible player against Tunisia in their final qualifier, Tunisia, who are 46th, are thus the fifth and last top seed as they are ranked higher than the likes of Cameroon and Burkina Faso in the world. The second pot for Monday’s draw will therefore be Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia and Senegal. Meanwhile, Nigeria coach Stephen

Keshi has said the goal they conceded against Burkina Faso has warned his team ahead of next month’s World Cup playoffs. The Super Eagles on Tuesday let in a late goal to the mainly home-based team from Burkina Faso after they were coasting to a comfortable 4-0 win inside the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna. “Conceding a goal at home could be very dangerous as regards our qualification because an away goal could be very damaging and so we would need to be very careful,” he said. “Sometimes it’s good this way because then we have a point of reference and we will make corrections. “In the proper game, we have to be very cautious how we defend and how we play.” Ameobi: Eagles face big test in playoffs He said the friendly against Burkina Faso afforded him the chance to have a closer look at players like Shola Ameobi, Victor Nsofor and James Okwuosa, who are knocking hard on the firstteam door. “I gave some players the opportunity to play, I wanted to see more of Nsofor,

Shola and James,” Keshi said. “It was not about the score line, it was more about our tactical shape and understanding what we want to do in future.” Striker Emmanuel Emenike, who got his second goal in as many matches in three days, said with the current form of the team, the Eagles will be very difficult to stop on their way to Brazil 2014. “With the way we played at the Nations Cup and against Malawi in Calabar, no team in Africa can stop us,” declared the Fenerbache striker. “The most important thing is that we have to believe in ourselves and go out and do the job. “We are African champions and every team wants to come out and fight against us we are the champions.” Nigeria are expected on Thursday morning to know from the latest FIFA rankings whether they will be among the five seeded teams for the playoffs, which will be played on a knockout basis. The main draw for the final playoffs will be staged in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday afternoon.

Ghana seeded for World Cup play-off draw The Confederation of African Football has confirmed Ghana as one of the seeded five countries for the 2014 FIFA World Cup draw.

Ghana players celebrate

The Black Stars are ranked second on the contingent according the September FIFA ranking released on Thursday. The Ivory Coast are the highest African countries and also included in the top five countries are Algeria, Cape Verde and Nigeria. FIFA Team led by its director of Competitions, Mustapha Fahmy and including Gordon Savic, Head of FIFA World Cup & Olympic Qualifiers Competitions, will be in Egypt for the draw on Monday. There will be also a draw for each match to determine which team plays host first. The home and away play-off matches to find the five (5) African representatives at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 will be played during: 11-15 Oc-

tober 2013: 1st leg and 15-19 November 2013: 2nd leg. Meanwhile, The National Sports Authority will soon abandon the sale of advance tickets for international matches to curb the printing of fake ones. This follows last Friday’s fiasco during the World Cup qualifier against Zambia where thousands of fans with genuine tickets could not enter the filled stadium. It is suspected that some fans entered the stadium with fake tickets. A source has told the Daily Graphic that though advance ticket sales were in accordance with FIFA regulations it was helping ticket racketeers to cash in. The source blamed the security personnel usually deployed at the gates to check tickets for doing very little to save the situation. Ghana will play one home match either next month or November depending on the outcome of play-off draw.

Friday, 13 September 2013 – Thursday, 19 September 2013

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Muntari: ‘We want to do well’

Toure: ‘Drogba tried to bring me to Chelsea’ Yaya Toure has revealed that Didier Drogba tried to lure his fellow Ivoirian to Chelsea back in 2005.

Sulley Muntari in action for AC Milan

Sulley Muntari has underlined the confidence he has in this season’s Milan squad as they look to better their third placed finish of last season. The Ghanaian international believes that there is a positive mix of youth and experience in the Rossoneri camp and has urged his side to perform to the best of their abilities. “We want to do well at all costs this year and every match is important for us. We have to look ahead and put last year behind us,” he told Milan Channel.

“This is the way it works at Milan, you forget about last year and get down to focusing on this year. We have to do well this year and I believe that we can. With the players here we will do well because we have a great group of players. “We have Philippe Mexes, we have Nigel De Jong, and there is [Cristian] Abbiati. Then there is [Marco] Amelia, there is [Antonio] Nocerino so we have a lot of good players. “The way we go about our business is important. We also have Robinho and then we have the younger players who will learn very quickly. This is very important.” Milan will face Torino on Saturday evening

as they look to build up from their first win of the season against Cagliari in Week Two. “We will have a very interesting season ahead of us. It is very important for us,” added Muntari. “We have to stay fit. We have players away on international duty so they have to stay in shape. We will have a full squad when they return to get back to league action. “However, the match at Torino will be a difficult one. It may be difficult but we cannot have any excuses about going there and not winning and taking home the three points.”

“It does not matter who we face” – Cameroon coach

Cameroon coach Volke Finke

Cameroon qualified for the 2014 World Cup qualifying playoffs after their 1-0 win over Libya in Yaoundé on Sunday. The draw for the final qualifying round

of playoffs will take place in Cairo on the 16th of September and will announce the team that will face the Indomitable Lions for one of the five African tickets available for Brazil. According to the FIFA rankings, on

which the seeding will be based, the Cameroonians should face either Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria or Cape Verde. Asked by Camfoot on Monday in Yaoundé, while he was attending the local championship game between Canon Sportif and Coton Sport de Garoua, national coach Volker Finke declared that he has no preference regarding the outcome of this draw. “At this stage of the competition we should not have any preference. We have to get into our mind that we must just play football. We do not have the choice. After the draw we will see and prepare accordingly,” explained the German, who did not want to comment on Samuel Eto’o’s international retirement. “We have to let the dust settle down first and I will see what will happen in the next weeks (…) it does not help to speculate now,” said Finke, who is not worried about having to travel for the return leg. “There is no calculation to be made.”

At the time, Toure was plying his trade with Ukrainian outfit, Metalurh Donetsk, before moving onto Olympiakos in Greece. It was also thought that the two Ivory Coast internationals had a negative relationship, but the midfielder has denied all misguided perceptions. “I have never had quarrels with Didier, contrary to what some claimed,” Toure told a national paper. “Didier has been my long-time friend. “He did everything possible for me to join Chelsea in 2005 and we have been close since then. Would your enemy ever want you to work with him in the same place?” Toure then joined Monaco before enjoying a three-year stint at Barcelona.

Discovered! 14 yr. old female weight lifter A FOURTEEN-year-old Grade Nine pupil of Twashuka Basic School in Luanshya at the weekend lit up the Rowlee Limited-sponsored Zambia Weightlifting Federation (ZWF) national championships held in Kitwe with her exhilarating performance.

In an otherwise male dominated sport, Mutale Masala defied all odds by lifting a combined weight of 65kg and going by her age, it was described as a phenomenal lift and one with huge potential. The daughter of a former national champion and Zambia coach, Mutale Masala from Luanshya Weightlifting club, started weightlifting early this year after initially trying out athletics. “She started out with athletics. I exposed her to various athletics competition including the Inter-Company Relay in Lusaka, but I noticed she can make it bigger in weightlifting, so I introduced her to the sport early this year,” Masala said of his daughter. She unfortunately was the only competitor in the women’s category and went away with the top prize. ZWF secretary Dominic Mutale described Masala’s performance as impressive and foresaw a bright future in her career, and was confident that her exploits would attract more women to the sport. “We have problems attracting women to the sport. I hope this impressive performance will be able to bring us more women to weightlifting,” Mutale said. 31

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Nigeria make World Cup playoffs top seeds SEE PAGE 30

Pls don’t go - Cameroon pleads

Samuel Eto’o

By Peter Olorunnisomo It would appear that the retirement of Samuel Eto’o certainly needs to be reviewed as Cameroon considers this too early in the face his relevance in the Indomitable Lions’ squad. It would appear that the Lions are yet to find a player to replace him. Perhaps harder still is that he is still ‘delivering the goods’ for high profile clubs so the question ‘why not for Cameroon’ is relevant.

His decision to retire from national duties has great cause for concern such that the role of Roger Miller is made a pointer to what his presence in the team

can still achieve for the country. In fact his retirement notice is being considered as one of the vagaries of the star. Two days after reports on a withdrawal of the Indomitable Lions striker, the Synafoc (National Union of Cameroonian footballers) by its president David Mayebi, sent a letter asking Samuel Eto’o to return to his decision. Extracts. “It is with great emotion that we learned of your intention to terminate your international career. We trust that this is only a rumor. As hitherto you did not officially pronounce it”. “A General does not abandon his troops at the front; a captain never leaves his

ship before his passengers. Follow the example of your idol Roger Milla, as a reserve officer; he was able to support his teammates during the 1990 World Cup in Italy “. “The country still needs you, this is not the right time you should put aside the Republic. You’re the man for the job in your capacity as leader of the group. Your presence alone is enough to galvanize the public to thrill the opponent and reassure your partner. You’re the mascot, the tree in whose shadow your teammates come to rest “. “We hasten to say” do not leave us! “. We know we can count on your patriotism, your high sense of general interest

and esteem of the Cameroonian football. The dream of the people of Cameroon is the Indomitable Lions in Brazil in 2014 and SYNAFOC want that to happen with you “.

Continued on page 31

African Voice Newspaper is published by African Voice Communications. Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP. Tel: 020 3737 3077 Registered at the British Library as a newspaper. ISSN 1475-2166.Email: africanvoicenews@googlemail.com