african voice by African Voice Newspapers UK

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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ISSUE 483

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 Dr Thopmson wins 2013 Woman4Africa award

SEE PAGE 6

£1.00

Memorial service for Prof.Chinua Achebe held in London

SEE PAGE 9

Dagenman jailed for internet fraud SEE PAGE 14

UK did illegally hold torture victims Judge describes unlawful detention as disturbing

By Alan Oakley The High Court has ruled in favour of torture survivors who felt their detention in Immigration Removal Centres contravened Home Office policy. Five claimants, assisted by the charity Medical Justice and the Helen Bamber Foundation were able to highlight systemic failings in the application of the Home Office’s own policy that where there is independent evidence that an individual has been the victim of torture, they should only be detained in very exceptional circumstances. In 2012, Medical Justice published a detailed report – ‘The Second Torture’, which found that the safeguards to identify victims of torture were failing at every stage and that torture survivors were routinely being detained in breach of Home Office policy. The report was validated by similar findings made by the HM Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in a report published in December 2012. The Second Torture exposes how victims of torture are routinely being held in immigration detention centres in disregard of UK policy and legislation. The safeguarding procedure, known as Rule 35, designed to protect torture survivors was found to be not fit for purpose. The report is based on 50 people who have medical evidence of the torture they sustained, 14 of whom now have been granted leave to remain. Policy guidance and legislation make

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clear that individuals who have independent evidence of torture should be released, absent very exceptional circumstances. However, the report shows that victims of torture are routinely detained and the release mechanism fails to work. Of the 50 cases examined, only one person was released through Rule 35. Of the five cases brought to the High Court, one was settled by the Home Office before going before the judge. In the remaining four, Mr Justice Burnett, presiding, found the individuals were detained unlawfully. In issuing the Court’s ruling, Mr Justice Burnett described the situation as “disturbing”. Jamie Beagent, representing the torture victims, explained: “This is not what should have happened. Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules, and associated Home Office policy, provides for a procedure by which torture survivors should be identified by medical staff at the Immigration Detention Centres and alerted to Home Office caseworkers who should then apply their policy and release the torture victim. “However, in each of these cases this failed: obvious physical evidence such as scarring was missed and reports were not prepared on time or at all. In most cases a detainees allegation of torture was recorded without any actual medical assessment or concerns raised. In turn, Home Office caseworkers simply accepted these reports without seeking more information and dismissed allegations on the basis that the caseworker did not believe the detainee.

Minister for Employment Mark Hoban, Seyeb Hadian owner of Natural By Nature, a beneficiary of the New Enterprise Allowance and Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots.

New Enterprise Allowance meets reggae reggae SEE PAGE 7

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Prime Minister David Cameron condemns Woolwich killing

Prime Minister David Cameron has said the UK will “never give in to terror or terrorism”. Shortly after the killing a man, thought to be Mr Adebolajo, was filmed by a passer-by, saying he carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day. Sources said reports the men had featured in “several investigations” in recent years but were not deemed to be planning an attack - “were not inaccurate”. They confirmed one of the suspects was intercepted by police last year while leaving the country. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday, Mr Cameron said: “One of the best ways of defeating terrorism is to go about our normal lives.” He said there was no justification in Islam for the attacks, which were “solely and purely” the responsibility of the individuals involved. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said it would be wrong to blame the killing on either Islam or British foreign policy. Visiting the scene, Mr Johnson said: “Plainly this was a horrific incident. Everything that I have seen and heard this morning leads me to conclude two things: that those guilty will be brought speedily to justice and second, I have no doubt that Londoners can go about their lives in the normal way today.”

Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Mike Abiola Editorial Board Adviser Dr Ola Ogunyemi News Editor Emmanuel Urhiofe Sub Editor Alan Oakley Sports Editor Abiodun Teriba Assist. Sports Editor Olubunmi Omoogun Arts Editor Golda John Columnists Michael Adekoya Rasheed Ogunlaru Photo Journalist Isaac Adegbite Graphic Designer Alvin Brown Legal Adviser Godwin Okri London Office: Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP

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African Voice is published by African Voice UK.

News Judge describes unlawful detention as disturbing Continued from front page

“The consequence is that the protections supposed to be afforded by the Rule 35 process simply do not work and the onus is left on the individual detainee to obtain independent evidence that they have been tortured. Whilst charities such as Medical Justice do their best to assist they are limited by their resources and the availability of medical practitioners and cannot provide a universal service to the thousands of people held in immigration detention at any one time.” “Whilst I am pleased our client’s cases have succeeded, they are the lucky ones. They were able to access independent medical help. Unfortunately, today’s judgment demonstrates that the safeguards provided for by Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules are not fit for purpose. “These safeguards must be bolstered to protect the vulnerable victims of torture who are presently routinely detained for long periods despite the Government’s stated policy not to do this.” Natasha Tsangarides of Medical Justice and author of The Second Torture, said: “This judgment demonstrates the contempt in which the Home Office holds the rule of law. All the victims were found to have been imprisoned unlawfully, which shows that Home Office safeguards to prevent the detention of torture survivors are not working. Medical Justice has been lobbying the government for seven years over this point but nothing has changed. This judgment exposes them. To prevent this happening again, we hope that the causes of the failure are identified, remedied and where appropriate, that people are held to account.”

More than 100 free schools applications approved By Milton Tella

Over 130,000 extra school places has been made available with the approval by Education Secretary Michael Gove of 102 new free school due to open in 2014 and beyond. Free schools are state-funded schools independent of local authority control. They are to be run by teachers not local or central government bureaucrats. They have the freedom to decide the length of the school day and term, the curriculum, and how they reward their teachers and spend their money. Many of the free schools approved will be based in areas of deprivation, or where there is a shortage of school places, like the schools open or approved. Among the free school proposals approved are: The Jane Austen College in Norwich, a secondary school for 1,100 students that will specialise in English. It has been proposed by inspirational Head Teacher, Rachel De Souza. The school will have a focus on cultural literacy and traditional academic subjects, with every pupil studying a language until 16, with the option to study Latin. In total, 70 of the applications approved are from teachers, existing schools, and educational organisations. Twenty-four of

Education Secretary, Michael Gove the approved free schools – 8 special free schools and 16 alternative provision free schools – will serve the most vulnerable children and young people. This adds to the 5 special and 12 alternative provision free schools that opened in September 2012, and Harmonize Academy, an alternative provision free school, that opened in January this year. Today’s announcement underlines the continuing demand for free schools. More local communities want a different or bet-

ter school to meet the needs of their children and to help drive up standards in their local area. Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “There are many innovators in local communities set on raising standards of education for their children. I am delighted to approve so many of their high-quality plans to open a free school. “Free schools are extremely popular with parents and are delivering strong discipline and teaching excellence across the country.”

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Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Comment Over Seven Million People Now Receiving HIV Treatment in Africa - UN Report he number of people in Africa receiving antiretroviral treatment increased from less than 1 million to 7.1 million over seven years, according to a United Nations report which documents the progress in the AIDS response in the world’s second largest continent. “Africa has been relentless in its quest to turn the AIDS epidemic around,” said the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Michel Sidibé. Antiretroviral treatment increased from less than 1 million in 2005 to 7.1 million in 2012, with nearly 1 million added in the last year alone. AIDS-related deaths were also reduced by 32 per cent from 2005 to 2011. The UNAIDS Update on Africa, which was released to coincide with the beginning of the African Union’s (AU) 21st summit in Addis Ababa, which began Sunday and

runs through 27 May, attributes this success to strong leadership and shared responsibility in Africa and among the global community. It also urges sustained commitment to ensure Africa achieves zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. “As we celebrate 50 years of African unity, let us also celebrate the achievements Africa has made in responding to HIV--and recommit to pushing forward so that future generations can grow up free from AIDS,” Mr. Sidibé said. The report states that 16 countries--Botswana, Ghana, Gambia, Gabon, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe--now ensure that more than three-quarters of pregnant women living with HIV receive antiretroviral medicine to prevent transmission to their child.

Despite positive trends, Africa continues to be more affected by HIV than any other region of the world, and accounts for 69 per cent of people living with HIV globally. In 2011 there were still 1.8 million new HIV infections across the continent, and 1.2 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses. In the report, entitled Update, Mr. Sidibé emphasizes that sustained attention to the AIDS response post-2015 will enhance progress on other global health priorities. He also identifies five lessons in the AIDS response that will improve the world’s approach to global health. These are: focusing on people, not diseases; leveraging the strength of culture and communities; building strong, accountable global heath institutions; mobilizing both domestic and international financial commitments; and elevating health as a force for social transformation.

“These strategies have been fundamental to Africa’s success at halting and reversing the AIDS epidemic and will support the next 50 years of better health, across borders and across diseases,” he said. The report also stresses AU leadership is essential to reverse the epidemic. At this year’s Summit, AIDS Watch Africa, a platform for advocacy and accountability for the responses to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria founded by African leaders in 2001, will review progress on health governance, financing, and access to quality medicines, among other areas, and measure whether national, regional, continental and global stakeholders have met their commitments. The AU, UNAIDS and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) will also launch the first accountability report on the AU-G8 partnership, focusing on progress towards ending AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa.

Enter the dragon, but not here

By Peter Olorunnisomo

he African continent seems to have a continuous experience of self-made misadventures. It was a mark at some time to worry about the rapid incidence of military coups and government take-overs, then it graduated into civil rebellion lced with allegations of corruption, misappropriation, embezzlement, etc (if I must borrow Fela Anikulapo’s words). The symptoms soon changed to querulous electoral malpractices and even genocide. But that was merely to think African was the architect of its own fortunes. Incidences in Africa, manifesting different political languages and terminologies to define civil, political, religious unrests are expected to creep into the diction of developmental administration of states. Very perturbing is the influences of the ‘wars’ fought from over there which have found bases in Africa. The wars between the east and the west, Moslems and Christians, democracy and theocracy or, for the sake of my adventure in language use, Islamic monarchy (sic), acculturation and de-culturation, have all found verve in Africa. But these are not African reasons for war or unrest. These are very foreign to the hospitable, tolerant, and pacifying nature of the African principled in his culture. The story below about the insurgents of the Al-Qaeda and allied/splinter organisations become very worrisome to the only continent that has the potential of being closest to nature and therefore the only environment where Man can return to be Man when everything 4

else has been re-ordered by the elite wisdom of the first world. These days, it is no longer about ‘seizing the land that belongs to us’ or emphasizing that Africa must belong to Africa, neither is it that colonisation or neo-colonisation is being resisted nor the ever present battle of natural disasters and diseases ever-pressing to remind Africa that she is not sufficiently developed to win the war of annihilation. Where terrorism has bred and fermented, become cancerous to governments and developments, reducing life expectancy and integrity, I have asked myself what the African cause is, what we stand to benefit, and who awards us the ‘prize booty’ that must liberate the nascent development which Fela Anikulapo brands in the term, ‘under-developed nations’? The story below, culled from France 24, is news but what news is this news that does not portray the truth of a people? Islamist groups claim twin attacks on Niger targets The al Qaeda-linked MUJAO group claimed responsibility for a double bombing in Niger on Thursday that left at least 20 people dead. Moktar Belmoktar, an Islamist who led a January attack of an Algerian gas plant, also claimed involvement. Suicide bombers in Niger detonated two car bombs simultaneously, one inside a military camp in the city of Agadez and another in the remote town of Arlit at a French-operated uranium mine, killing at least 20 people and injuring 30, according to officials in Niger and France.

Fighters from Islamist group Ansar Dine near Timbuktu A surviving attacker took a group of soldiers hostage, and authorities are attempting to negotiate their release. Two of the hostages have already been killed, FRANCE 24’s Manzo Diallo reported from Agadez. The attack in Arlit was claimed by Moktar Belmoktar, the extremist who led the attack on a natural gas plant in Ain Amenas in Algeria in January, according to a communiqué posted on jihadist forums. The group also threatened more attacks in the future. “We will launch further operations” in Niger, the group said in a statement posted on Islamist Internet forums. The statement also threatened France and other countries involved militarily in battling Islamist ex-

tremists in neighbouring Mali. Both of the attacks in Niger were also claimed by a spinoff of al Qaeda, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, which earlier vowed to avenge the French-led military intervention that ousted them from Mali’s north. The timing of Thursday’s attacks, which occurred at the same moment more than 160 kilometres (100 miles) apart, and the fact that the bombers were able to penetrate both a well-guarded military installation and a sensitive, foreign-operated uranium mine, highlight the growing reach and sophistication of the Islamic extremists based in Mali.

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Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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News

Dr Thompson wins 2013 Women4Africa awards

Dr Kem (Nkem) Thompson, first medical professional to win the award

Dr Kem (Nkem) Thompson, a General Practitioner based in North London, has been awarded the ‘Motivational Speaker of The Year Award’ at the 2013 Women4Africa Awards which took place at the Kensington Town Hall. The Women 4 Africa Awards recog-

nises and celebrates Outstanding UKBased African women in various categories, whose efforts have positively impacted the community. Dr Thompson was being recognized for her various Health-based Motivational talks that she delivered during the

previous year in various communities, which each received rave reviews, with attendees asking for more. Audiences love Dr Kem’s fresh, no-nonsense yet non-judgemental approach to the topics she covers, and they leave empowered with practical tools they can use to improve their health. She is becoming widely known as “the” doctor to talk to if you wish to come off medication for such chronic illnesses as Diabetes (type 2) and Hypertension, and if you wish to cultivate healthy lifestyle habits to manage your weight safely. Her no-bull, down-toearth approach gets her invited back for more presentations. Dr Thompson’s passion is obvious when she speaks, and this is what keeps her audiences rivetted. Accepting the speech in absentia, Dr Kem as she is fondly known, said ““I wish to first give all thanks and praise to my heavenly Father YAHUAH who has given me every good gift I possess. Thank you to everyone whose input has contributed to my winning this award, special mention to multiple awards winning Dayo Olomu for his unique role in the process. I’d like everyone

here to know this: if you have a desire or dream in your heart, know that it’s been put in there by your Maker, and with it, He’s give you the ability to make it come true. So feed your dream, nurture it, go for it with all you’ve got and at the right time, you WILL see the fruits of your efforts. You’ve got what it takes to make it and you WILL succeed if you don’t give up! Thank you!” Dr Kem is not your average medic. She’s also a prolific writer, having been published widely in both online and offline media, has published a book on inspirational principles for women, and is working on a health-related inspirational book at the moment. She walks her talk and overcame breast cancer in 2011 using the principles she is so passionate about sharing with her audiences. She said: “I’m thrilled to have won this award. I hope it opens doors for me to reach a wider audience with my message of Positive Personal Proactive HealthCare (aka don’t just sit there, DO SOMETHING about your own health!), because from my day job, I see that it’s a message that’s sorely needed today.”

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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News

Reggae Reggae Sauce magnate promotes New Enterprise Allowance for jobseekers

Ole - Dean Clarke with his mentor the Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots

Kenni Finni, Levi Roots, Mark Hoban Minister for Employment, Seyeb Hadian, Dean Clarke, Natasha Simpson and Iain Lockhart

Dragons’ Den star Levi Roots is teaming up with Jobcentre Plus to encourage jobseekers to consider setting up their own businesses with the help of the Government’s New Enterprise Allowance scheme.

well area of London were a couple of success stories that have been on the scheme. Dean Clarke is just one of the people to have already benefited from the scheme, and when Levi met Dean he was so impressed by his story that he agreed to be his business mentor. Dean, a budding entrepreneur from Brixton, had always dreamed about starting his own business. But as a young man with no business experience, he wasn’t sure where to start. Dean spoke to his Jobcentre advisor, who told him about the

By Milton Tella

Levi, who has gone from strength to strength since successfully securing investment in his Reggae Reggae Sauce business on the BBC TV show, has been engaged in setting up business clubs in the Brixton area aimed at school and college students between the ages of 11 -18, where he can pass on the benefit of his knowledge. He is particularly interested in creating greater reach in ethnic minority communities. Speaking to African Voice at the launch of the new government initiative, Levi said, “When l set up my business, l had the idea but the right support that is vital was missing. The new New Enterprise Allowance provides experienced business men-

tors plus financial support, so new enterprenuers are not alone”. Levi is calling on jobseekers to tap into their entrepreneurial side and consider setting up their own business. He said: “Being your own boss is great. It can be really hard work, but it’s well worth it, so I’d encourage jobseekers to ask their Jobcentre Plus advisor about the New Enterprise Allowance. It’s a great scheme that offers expert mentoring and cash to support you while you’re starting up.” At the flag off ceremony in the Camber-

New Enterprise Allowance. In February this year Dean launched ‘r3v3r3nt’, a business selling custom designed skateboards and clothing. He has global ambitions for the brand. Minister for Employment Mark Hoban said: “Many people want to look after themselves and their families by starting their own business. We have helped nearly 20,000 budding entrepreneurs to do just that through the New Enterprise Allowance. I want to see many more unemployed people start a business of their own.”

Levi Roots with just some of his product portfolio 7

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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African Development Bank AfDB to host Seminar on Infrastructure and Diaspora bonds The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) will host a workshop on infrastructure and diaspora bonds in Africa during AfDB’s annual meetings in Morocco on May 29, 2013.

One of the main objectives of the seminar to be at held at the Palmeraie Golf Palace in Marrakech, themed “Financing African Structural Change - Infrastructure and Diaspora Bonds” is to raise awareness of all stakeholders in the role that infrastructure and diaspora bonds can play in catalyzing financing to address the existing infrastructure gap in Africa. With the widely cited and largely conservative continental infrastructure gap of USD 93 billion per annum, the urgency for innovative financing was never more palpable. “The resources required to develop and maintain modern infrastructure far exceeds the

funds available to African governments through taxes, bilateral or multilateral aid or any other traditional source of funds. This raises the question of what new sources of capital can be mobilized and how to attract them to finance Africa’s infrastructure needs. Using innovative financing tools like infrastructure and diaspora bonds will be critical to ensuring continued economic growth across the continent”, said AfDB Group Treasurer, Mr. Pierre Van Peteghem, the event’s moderator. One of the most anticipated panelists at the event is the Central Bank Governor of Kenya, Professor Njuguna Ndung’u. The Government of Kenya has thus far been the pioneer in issuing infrastructure bonds in Africa. Other African countries like Cape Verde and Ghana have shown interest in following suit. Nonetheless, the reality remains that infrastructure bonds have seldom been used in Africa.

Professor Njuguna Ndung’u, Central Bank Governor of Kenya

Tax credit claimants warned over scam emails Tax credits claimants are being warned about scam or “phishing” emails sent out by fraudsters in the run-up to the renewal deadline. The warning comes as HMRC has launched an advertising campaign to remind claimants to renew their tax credits or their payments might stop. During last year’s tax credits renewals period, from April to July, nearly 22,000 phishing emails were reported to HMRC. Although the department worked with other agencies to shut down more than 147 scam websites during the period, others continue to be created. Phishing emails often promise money back and, if the recipient clicks on a link, they are taken to a fake replica of the HMRC website. They are then asked to provide credit or debit card details or other sensitive information such as passwords. The fraudsters then

try to take money from their account. Money may be stolen from victims’ bank accounts, or their personal details can be sold to criminal gangs, leading to possible identify theft. Nick Lodge, Director General of Benefits and Credits, said: HMRC will never ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email. We are committed to your online security but the methods fraudsters use to obtain information are constantly changing, so you need to be alert. Anyone who receives this type of email should send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk. HMRC works with law enforcement agencies in the UK and overseas to shut down phishing attacks. Scam websites have been closed down in countries including Austria, Mexico, the UK, South Korea, the USA, Thailand, Eastern Europe and Japan.

World Bank Announces U.S.$1 Billion Pledge to Africa’s Great Lakes Region,

On the first day of an historic joint United Nations/World Bank Group mission to the Great Lakes region, the World Bank Group announced $1 billion in proposed new funding to help countries in the region provide better health and education services, generate more cross-border trade, and fund hydroelectricity projects in support of the Great Lakes peace agreement that was signed by 11 countries in February. World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim, who is traveling with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, on a three-day trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda, said that a secure and developed Great Lakes region was vital to Africa’s efforts to dramatically

reduce extreme poverty and create prosperity for millions who have had little economic opportunity. “We made extraordinary efforts to secure an additional $1 billion in funding because we believe this can be a major contributor to a lasting peace in the Great Lakes region,” Kim said. “This funding will help revitalize economic development, create jobs, and improve the lives of people who have suffered for far too long. Now the leaders of the Great Lakes region, by restarting economic activity and improving livelihoods in border areas, can boost confidence, build economies, and give new opportunities for millions of people.”

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Memorial Service for Prof. Chinua Achebe at All Saints Cathedral London The Nigerian community in the United Kingdom (UK) held a memorial service and a colourful departing ceremony for the late literary icon, Prof Chinua Achebe on May 18 in London as part of series of global activities.

The church service organised by the Chinua Achebe Memorial Committee was held at the All Saints Cathedral New Cross London was presided over by the Bishop of Southwark with representatives of the Bishop of Canterbury. Meanwhile, Prof. Achebe’s body has arrived in Abuja in a Nigerian flag-draped casket and was received at the airport by Nigerian officials led by the Secretary to the federal government. His coffin was taken into a church service at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport before proceeding to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. A Service of Songs was conducted in honour of the late literary icon at the airport before an Igbo traditional dance group performed outside the venue. After the brief service of song at the Airport, the body of the late Achebe was conveyed back to into the Overland Airline jet and flown to Enugu. The body was then taken to Awka, the Anambra State capital, on Wednesday May 22 and received after a border reception at Amansea by a cross section of Anambra people. This was followed by a short service for him at the Alex Ekwueme Square also in Awka. The body then departed to his hometown, Ogidi, the same day for a funeral service at St. Phillip’s Anglican Church, Akpakaogwe, Ogidi, to be followed by interment on Thursday, May 23. It was a funeral arrangement for the African hero as the mourners sing welcome home. Inatago! We welcome you home, our hero. We are proud of you!

Chief and Mrs Achebe ,Bishop of Southwark Rev Chessun ,Rev Ben Enwuchola, Bimbo Roberts, Bishop of Woolwich Rev Dr Ipgrave

Put together under the aegis of the United Peace Federation, UK, and hosted by Baroness Rosalind Howells of St. David, a visiting delegation of the UPF from Nigeria will attend the event. A cross section of individual perspectives addressing issues on the day, which also marks the 50th

Chris McManus was murdered on 8 March 2012 by terrorists in Nigeria, after being taken hostage. His family have issued the following statement through the Foreign Ofﬁce: “We would like to thank the Coroner for supervising the Inquest, and likewise the senior investigating ofﬁcers for producing such a comprehensive report for the Coroner. We would also like to thank all those who contributed statements for the Coroner in particular the British Military personnel who with their Nigerian counterparts risked their lives attempting to rescue Chris and Franco from the compound in Sokoto. “We hoped until the end for a positive outcome as we are sure did Chris and Franco. They were always in a dangerous situation from the time of their kidnapping. However, the sequence of events particularly over the last few days of their lives, played out in such a manner as to make it a hopeless one. We accept that the decisions reached and taken by the authorities were the only ones possible based on the information available. “Two years ago we lost our beloved Chris, the trauma, pain, horror and distress have been overwhelming and intense. We are living our way through the grief with the tireless support and love of our family and friends. Our thanks and love goes out to each and every one of them. “Chris can not be hurt any more; we and all those who loved him will always remember the way he lived and not the way he died.”

UK to Assist Nigeria Over Crude Oil Theft

Her Excellency Mrs. Aloun Ndombet-Assamba Jamican High commissioner, reading her eulogy.

Africa Day celebration, UK The United Nations Africa Day celebration for the year 2013 will be celebrated in London on 4th June, 2013 at the Westminster Parliament premises.

Coroner verdict on Briton murdered in Nigeria

anniversary of the inauguration of the Organisation of the African Union, will feature Belinda Otas, a versatile journalist, writer, editor, cultural critic, with a passionate interest in Africa: politics, social development, arts and culture, gender issues and the African Diaspora, Charlotte Simon, co-founder of Mothers of Congo, who will speak on the current situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Aliu Bello, who worked for UNICEF for 25 years, will comment on ‘Less Than 1000 Days To Go to Fulﬁl MDG’s and What Come Next for

Africa’, and an additional Nigerian view from the visiting delegation as well as comments from the audience. The Africa Day is an annual commemoration of the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963. On that day 32 independent African states signed the founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2002, the OAU became the African Union. Africa Day is celebrated around the world and the 2012 edition was celebrated in New York. The London event is

The United Kingdom and the United States have indicated interest to assist Nigeria curb the menace of crude oil theft which President Goodluck Jonathan has described as “blood oil”. The minister of petroleum resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, made the announcement at a lecture entitled “The Future of African Energy in a Changing World” delivered on Sunday at St. Anthony’s College in Oxford University, England. “I must say that both the British and US governments have been in discussions with us and are keen to join hands with us to fight this menace. “The global community is on track and already geared up and we are working to put in place a strategic platform that will involve us all and enable us track and fingerprint stolen crude,” Alison-Madueke said. She said that crude oil theft and vandalism were being executed on a professional scale beyond petty stealing: “It is, therefore, clear that this crude is being taken to refineries outside the shores of West Africa.”

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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My critics are jittery, says Aregbesola

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the weekend said his administration’s performance has made his critics jittery. He said: “The unimaginable massive projects going on across all sectors have created fear in them.” Aregbesola spoke at the Sodik Adeleke Central Mosque in Osogbo, the state capital, after the Jumat service on Friday. He debunked the allegation by his critics that his administration borrowed N300 billion. Aregbesola said: “We have prayed to God to make us the example of His government on earth and that is why we are making headway. They were here for seven-and-a-half years and they destroyed the system. But because God has been with us all the while, we

have been able to achieve what we have achieved. “The maximum allocation accruable to the state is N240 billion, but they are alleging that we have borrowed N300 billion. Does that make sense at all? “What Osun State can earn in the four years of our tenure cannot cater for the projects we are embarking on. But because we believe in God and His love for us, we are succeeding in all what we are doing. “Because they could not point at anything they achieved in their sevenand-half years in power, our massive projects have created fear in them. What we have done is enough for a government to say it has done enough, but in our case, we have just started.” Source: The Nation Newspapers, Nigeria.

From Left: President Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Osahon Onabulele, Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Former Chairman Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Kayode Akinlade at the 53RDAnnual Delegates Meeting and Scientiﬁc Conference, Organized Dinner for the Governor State of Osun

Photos: Taofeeq Adejare

From Left -Deputy Governor State of Osun ,Otunba Titi Laoye – Tomori, Governor State Of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Former Governor Cross River State, Donald Duke and Secretary to the State Government, State of Osun, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti during a courtesy visit to the Governor at Government House, Osogbo

Governor, State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and his Deputy, Otunba Titi Laoye- Tomori in an enthusiastic motion during the ofﬁcial inspection of ongoing construction of Old-Garage, Osogbo/Ila-Odo Dualization road at Ajegunle, Osogbo 10

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Bomb squads set to turn to plan bee Croatia Croatian scientists are attempting to train bees to find unexploded landmines. Following the Balkan wars in the 1990s, tens of thousands of deadly landmines were left unexploded and, despite the efforts of bomb squads since the conflicts, hundreds of people have been killed by devices that remained undetected. Zagreb University Professor Nikola Kezic, who is leading the effort to teach bees to ‘sniff out’ unexploded devices spread over 500 square miles of minefields, provided the reasoning behind the project: “Bees have a perfect sense of smell that can quickly detect the scent of the explosives. They are being trained to identify their food with the scent of TNT (trinitrotoluene) … Our basic conclusion is that the bees can clearly detect this target, and we are very satisfied. “The method of training the bees by au-

thenticating the scent of explosives with the food they eat appears to work: bees gather mainly at the pots containing a sugar solution mixed with TNT and not the ones that have a different smell.” Researchers plan to conduct further controlled testing on the bees’ ability to search out landmines before they are fully deployed into the ﬁeld. In the past, dogs (and rats) have been trained to ﬁnd landmines but because of their weight they run the risk of detonating the weapons. Prof. Kezic added that “US researchers had in the past experimented with minesearching bees, but TNT was not part of their tests because its smell evaporated quickly and only small traces remain after time.” Croatia is scheduled to join the EU as of full member on July 1.

Landmines are currently being neutralised at considerable personal risk

Churchgoers angry as pastor detained Indian men in dock over gang-rape New Zealand

Kazakhstan A pastor has been arrested and ordered to be held for two months ‘pre-trial detention’ for “harming health” in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

66-year-old Bakhytzhan Kashkumbayev, who leads Grace Protestant Church in Astana, was arrested on suspicion of an offence under Kazakhstan Criminal Code Article 103, Part 1 (“Intentional inﬂicting of serious harm to health”). This carries a punishment of restrictions on freedom or imprisonment of between three and seven years. Police said the criminal case had been opened in October 2012 “for causing considerable harm to the psychological health” of a church member. In October 2012, after raiding the church, detaining and questioning members and taking literature and money, police told the local media that the alleged “harm” was caused by church members being “given hallucinogens to drink”. The alleged hallucinogens were local red tea used as a non-alcoholic communion wine. However, police questioning at the time are understood to have gone far beyond the “harm” they were supposedly investigating. Prosecutor’s assistant Zh. Bukin moved for Pastor Kashkumbayev to be

held in detention for up to two months while the investigation proceeds. At a hearing on the morning of Sunday, May 19, Judge Nurlan Bayakhmetov upheld the pre-trial detention. Sources present at the May 19 hearing said that the accusation presented in court was not because of the tea, but for praying in tongues and singing. This allegedly led a woman to “lose her mind.” Like many Christians worldwide, Grace Church members “pray in tongues” under what they state is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Church members complained that Pastor Kashkumbayev’s arrest had been deliberately timed to take place after the end of the working day on Friday 17 May. They also pointed to the unusual timing of the Sunday morning court hearing that ordered his pre-trial detention. They said that Pastor Kashkumbayev’s lawyer, Riza Nurbayeva, had been unable to attend the hearing, so only a state lawyer was present. However, the Court Chancellery maintained that the timing of the court hearing was solely related to the timing of the arrest. “The hearing has to take place within 60 hours of arrest, so if an arrest is on a Friday, for example, hearings can and do take place during the weekend,” the ofﬁcial told Norwegian news service, Forum 18.

Goundar (left) and Prasad were jailed on May 9

A 21 year-old woman has given evidence in a Hamilton court implicating four men of Indian origin of gang-raping her April 2011.

The woman has claimed that Amir Chand, 25, Harvinder Singh, 22, Kamaljeet Singh, 27, and Sumit Vermani, 26, raped her in the course of an evening during the Hamilton 400 weekend, a motor racing event that took place on the streets of the city. Prosecutor Philip Crayton said the woman, who was aged 19 at the time of the incident, was drinking with a friend near the Waikato Stadium. The pair then met a third girl in the car park of a local convenience store. It was then that a car driven by Chand with Vermani in the passenger seat pulled up beside the trio. The third girl, a 16 year-old, knew the men and the trio, therefore, accepted

their offer of a lift. Giving evidence via video link from another room in the court premises, the victim said she got worried when the car started heading in a different direction from their intended destination. She claims she and her friends were taken to a house where she alleges she was raped ﬁrst by Chand and then by the other three men. When asked by the prosecutor if she tried to resist, the victim said she eventually gave up “hoping that it would be over sooner” and later suffered an asthma attack. Earlier this month, two men of Indian origin - Benjamin Nilesh Goundar, 24 and Ashumendra Rohit Prasad, 27, were sentenced to 16 years and 15 years respectively in the High Court at Hamilton for multiple rapes, sexual violations and abduction of a 15-year-old and her 17year-old cousin. 11

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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News

Oklahoma is devastated again

Devastation in Moore, Oklahoma after the tornado

By Peter Olorunnisomo he city of Oklahoma was visited early in the week once more by a tornado and it the suburb, called Moore, most devastatingly. That was the fourth time in about fifteen years that Moore has been so hit. The storm measured about EF-5 on the five point Fujita scale which indicates the strength of the tornado and therefore establishes the level of devastation which it is capable of. The storm had an incredible wind speed of about 190 mile per hour and 600 times more powerful than Hiroshima, reports say. Not only was it one of the most devastating storms of all time in the United States, it also showed that Oklahoma has taken the most tornado storm in the US than any other city in that country. The Moore suburb is a city 11 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City and has a population of about 55,000. The storm spanning about two miles wide flattened everything in its path and left houses and structures in sticks and bricks debris flung as far wide as ninety miles away. In video footages of the tornado, the spinning whirlwind with seemed to gather momentum towards the damages it was going to do and by the time it hit the suburb, its impact scattered whole frames into fly12

ing splinters and a levelled ground littered with debris. The storm hit the city at about 3.00pm local time and most of the citizens had about a 16 minute warning regarding its direction and the need to clear out or seek cover. Most students were still at school and parents rushed to thre to be with their children. Others were able to move out of the way of the storm and some, possibly, holed up as best as they could in their houses or shelters. At what was once Plaza Towers Elementary, an 11 – year old Claire Gosset was reported as saying, “I couldn’t hear anything but people screaming and crying.” “It felt like the school was just flying.” Echo Mackey, a parent who went to the school to be with her son, recalls “I heard someone say, ‘It’s about to hit us,’ and then the power went out.” Messages of empathy have been pouring in as President Barack Obama declaring a federal disaster in five Oklahoma counties, described the storm ‘as one of the most destructive tornadoes in history.’ In her message, Queen Elizabeth said, “I was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of life and devastation. Prince Phillip joins me in offering our heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families.” President Zuma of South Africa has also been re-

ported to have sent a condolence message while the Pope Francis reportedly said, “I am close to the families of all who died in the Oklahoma tornado, especially those who lost young children”.

Tragedy strikes Oklahoma The tornado which hit the city of Oklahoma on Tuesday has been said to be so destructive and powerful that it laid flat the Moore suburb and raised a casualty concern of over 230 persons injured, dead, and missing. Four schools and city hospital in Moore were ravaged. Among the schools are the Briarwood Elementary and Plaza Towers Elementary school which were directly in the path of the storm and were literally flattened with casualties including seven (7) school children dead and a two-month pregnant school teacher, Ms. Doan, from Plaza Towers, who sustained a fractured stemum and spine injuries, as she huddled the kids in her embrace for protection. As parents rushed to the schools after the disaster, it was soon what was to be seen and so was gathered at a church nearby while search and rescue operations began including about eighty (80) members of the National Guard and search dogs. The parents

however, were very anxious and distraught as they waited for the names of the rescued children to be called as they are found by a man with a megaphone. For a tragedy that struck at 3pm, the voices of victims beneath the rubbles of houses and public buildings had gone quiet by 6pm. Parents later posted pictures of their children on Facebook and Twitter in their desperation to be re-united with them. Oklahoma Governor, Mary Fallin said, “Our hearts are broken for the parents that are wondering about the state of their children that had been in the schools that have been hit. I know there are several families wondering where their loved ones are.” Barbara Jarrell called her daughter, Tiffany Thronesberry, from her cell phone under the rubbles of her home screaming ‘Help! Help! I can’t breathe. My house is on top of me.” She was later rescued and taken to the hospital for treatment. Hundreds of homes were said to have been destroyed while infrastructure such as power and water pipes were either cut off or severely disrupted in affected areas. A makeshift medical centre had to be set up in a car park to give prompt medical attention and assessment to the rescued.

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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News

TSF Awards of Excellence 2013

Mrs Fausat Situ, Mayor of Southwark Councillor Althea Smith, James Mitchell, Cllr. Michael Situ, Labour London Assembly Val Shawcross, Johnson Situ and Leader of Southwark Council Peter John.

Mayor of Southwark Councillor Althea Smith, Joshua Oluwafemi, Kemar Hawke and Cllr Anood Al – Samerai (Leader of Southwark Lib Dems).

he 2nd annual Tayo Situ Foundation recognition awards celebrating exceptional young people took place at Southwark Council, 160 Tooley Street, London on Friday 17th May 2013. The four outstanding winners from the list of 18 nominees this year were Reon McFarlane, David Idowu Choir, Kemar Hawke and the pair of James Sesay & Joshua Oluwafemi. The Awards keynote speakers were the Leader of Southwark Council Peter John spoke on “Young People as Leaders in the Community”. While, Mr. James Mitchell talked on “Young People as Leaders in our Community”. Also in attendance to further motivate the youth were Labour London Assembly Val Shawcross, Mayor of Southwark

other participants involved in the session. Due to his hard work, he subsequently secured part-time paid employment with Millwall and further secured a place onto the Welling United Football Academy Programme based in Eltham. David Idowu Choir - 60 strong active members and over 100 who have had some exposure to the choir during its first year. The Choir has provided unique opportunity for young people to develop their talent. They have performed in many places including in 2012 taking part in the Southwark Civic Ceremony at Southwark Cathedral marking the Queen’s Jubilee, performing at the Imagine Festival with Charles Hazlewood, and the ‘Chorus 2012’ weekend at the Southbank Centre and headlining at the Southwark Concert for Winter at The Great Hall, Goldsmith’s

Cross-section of guests in attendance.

Councillor Althea Smith, Prem Goyal OBE, entrepreneur and community champion and Cllr Anood Al – Samerai (Leader of Southwark Lib Dems). The profiles of the 2013 winners who have become Ambassadors of the Foundation and TSF will be working with them to support their future progress are as follow: Kemar Hawes – Kemar plays for the Peckham pride under 15 basketball team. He also plays for England Under 15 basketball, and was recently nominated as the best under 15 in the country after his team recently won the championship. Reion McFarlane - Reion started volunteering on the Millwall Kickz programme since 2010 at the age of 12, by assisting in refereeing and organising games and being a good role model for

University. The choir also entered the Music for Youth Festival and won through to the national finals in Birmingham where it was awarded the Martyn Donaldson Music Trust Senior Choir Award. James Sesay and Joshua Oluwafemi - James and Joshua thought it will be a good idea to bring together a few friends to mentor young people in the community through a number of innovative methods. They set up a group called Project BISCEY which stands for: Behaviour, Internalisation, Self-esteem, Careers. James and Joshua are still full time students/interns but have found time in their schedules to run this group. It was an evening of entertainment and networking with musical performances from Exellerate Dance Group and David Idowu Choir.

Mayor of Southwark Councillor Althea Smith with recipients of TSF Recognition Awards 2013 class. 13

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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CRIME Men jailed for £368,000 student loan fraud

The ringleaders of a major student loan fraud worth £368,000 have today been jailed for a total of seven years following an investigation by the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

Daniel Buchanan, 31, of Downhills Way, Tottenham, and Mustapha Ali, 22, of Malcolm Road, E1, ran an extensive and sophisticated scheme, through which individuals could make false online applications for loans and grants to the Student Loans Company. Buchanan was jailed for three years and Ali was jailed for four years at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court. The National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit (NTFIU) investigation centred on 174 fraudulent applications to the Student Loan Company for studies at 29 universities and colleges in the UK. Both men were involved in providing false exam certiﬁcates to applicants and giving assistance to applicants to enrol on university courses with false documentation. In many cases the applicants withdrew from their courses before applying to other universities to claim another loan with Buchanan and Ali’s help. Buchanan and Ali received a cut from the loan payment of the successful applicants and charged £1,000 for a set of false

Daniel Buchanan

Mustapha Ali

A-level certiﬁcates. Buchanan also took advantage of the scheme by enrolling on a Criminal Law and Criminology degree at London Metropolitan University using fake qualiﬁcations created by Ali. Richard Walton, Commander of the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), said: “This was a major student loan scam. Buchanan and Ali criminally exploited the student loan system; legitimate students across the country will be thankful for these convictions.” Ali was the administrator of the fraud and had been making fake applications on a small scale since 2008. Buchanan joined

the scam in 2010 and acted as a recruiter which coincided with a signiﬁcant increase in the rate of false applications. As systems administrator Ali collated the identities of the students involved in the fraud plus the details and passwords of their SLC accounts. With that information he could access the accounts online, submit and update the false applications, monitor their progress and arrange payments. A painstaking investigation revealed computers linked to Ali had accessed 186 student loan accounts 1,156 times. Detectives discovered that he kept spreadsheets to keep track of the fraudulent applica-

tions and recovered text exchanges where Ali explains the scheme to potential clients. In September 2012 Buchanan raised suspicions when he called the SLC to ask for the return of his passport which he had submitted as part of his own loan application. Minutes later he phoned back pretending to be another applicant also requesting the return of a passport. The SLC established both calls were made from the same mobile phone, which their records showed belonged to Buchanan. During the investigation Buchanan was recorded talking about collecting money, which he called ‘p’s’ or ‘bags’ , and made it clear he was working with Ali, who he described as ‘My Man’ and ‘My Brethren’. A search of his address subsequently uncovered documents relating to false applications and a list of people he had recruited. On 4 December 2012 ofﬁcers from the Metropolitan Police Service arrested Buchanan and Ali, and searched a number of premises recovering false documentation. In addition over £30,000 in cash was recovered along with evidence of extravagant lifestyle funded by the crime which included luxury foreign travel, designer clothing and high value jewellery.

Fraudster Adeshola Adegite jailed A Dagenham man who went on a fraudulent online spending spree, ordering £79,000 worth of goods from retailer Next has been jailed for 18 months.

Adeshola Adegite, 41, of Coopers Close, was jailed at Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday 30 April 2013, after pleading guilty to opening 411 fraudulent online Next accounts within London and 19 within the Essex Police District [Section 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006). He had previously pleaded guilty on 12 March 2013 to opening four fraudulent online Next accounts within the Essex Police District [Sec 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act 2006] as well as possession of an article for use in frauds, namely a Next identity card. A further 35 similar offences were also taken into consideration. A conﬁscation order was made against Adegite, ordering him to pay back the £79,000 spent. The accounts were opened and purchases made between 1 May 2011 and 26 November 2012, with collections arranged across 21 London boroughs

and Essex. The unemployed, married father-offour would set up online credit accounts using a variety of identities, telephone numbers and email accounts to order a wide range of goods, including clothes, electricals and home furnishings, for next day delivery.

“

He is now behind bars and will have to pay back the value of the goods that he fraudulently took”

Adegite would arrange for delivery usually at residential premises, including homes of the elderly. He would monitor his order online to ﬁnd out when his parcel had arrived; if it had been signed for or dropped at another location (e.g. behind garden gate or in a garden shed). If challenged by the person who signed for the order, Adegite would produce a false Next identiﬁcation card; state the items had been delivered to the wrong address before taking the package back.

Adeshola Adegite

Adegite would ensure his chosen delivery locations were within walking distance of a train station, so he could make off quickly with his parcels concealed in his ruck sac. On average, Adegite would open around three or four online accounts a week. He was arrested by Essex Police on

26 November 2012 after a local resident reported a suspicious male removing an item from a shed in Rayleigh. Adegite was initially charged with numerous fraud offences committed in Essex. As the investigation progressed, offences committed in London were identified, resulting in the London Crime Squad taking overall responsibility for the investigation. Investigating officer DS Richard Evans of the London Crime Squad, said: “Adegite is a prolific offender whose online fraud profited him to the value of £79,000. “Following a successful investigation by the London Crime Squad, with the assistance of Essex Police and Next, Adegite has been brought to justice. He is now behind bars and will have to pay back the value of the goods that he fraudulently and so greedily took.” A Next spokesperson said: “We worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service and Essex Police on this case and have since reviewed all of our online security procedures and made the appropriate changes to try to ensure this doesn’t happen again’

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Sounds of Diaspora People of America

OJ lawyers confident of retrial

Simpson has piled on the pounds between his 2008 conviction and now

Jailed former American footballer and actor O J Simpson is making a new bid to be released.

In a hearing last week, Simpson’s lawyers presented evidence that showed Miami-based attorney Yale Galanter – who led Simpson’s defence when he was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery - shared responsibility for the ill-conceived plan for the NFL Hall of Famer and former Hollywood star to take back personal items and mementos from two sports collectible dealers in a Vegas hotel room. They also built a case that Galanter deliberately sabotaged Simpson’s chances for acquittal and appeal to protect himself and his own self-interests. As Simpson’s new legal team worked to portray Galanter as hungry for the money and fame that could come from an O.J. trial, the lawyer said it was Simpson who agreed to spend more than a half a million dollars on his defence, turned down a plea bargain and decided not to testify. When Simpson testified on Wednesday (May 15), he recounted his hotel room confrontation with memorabilia dealers, and his interactions with the lawyer he blamed for his

conviction. He said he trusted Galanter based a long professional relationship. “He was my guy,” Simpson said. He added that Galanter made no mention of a plea deal and advised him not to testify in his own defence when other lawyers said it would help. Simpson’s lawyers have a high legal burden to prove their case under a writ of habeas corpus, which relies on showing not only that his lawyer’s work was ineffective but that if he had acted differently it would have changed the outcome. But there is another key issue — conflict of interest. “An actual conflict is a violation of the right to counsel,” said Jennifer Carr, a criminal law professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. If Simpson “can succeed in showing that there has been an actual conflict, he need not show that that conflict caused the verdict. Merely showing the conflict is sufficient to show his right to counsel was violated,” Carr said. Las Vegas lawyers Gabriel Grasso and Malcolm LaVergne, who also participated in the case, testified that Galanter had a conflict because he could have been called as a witness. There was a trail of phone calls between Simpson and Galanter before and after the Sept. 13, 2007 hotel room confrontation. Other points raised by Simpson’s team included Galanter’s failure to hire investigators or experts and never interviewing witnesses against Simpson because, “We already knew a lot about them.” A key criticism was Galanter’s refusal to hire experts to analyse audio recordings from the hotel incident, telling a colleague they were “operating on a shoestring” while demanding more money from Simpson’s business manager. He also refused to challenge admissibility of the tapes, insisting they would help Simpson. Jurors said they convicted Simpson, who will be eligible for parole in five years, solely on the basis of the tapes because they found the witnesses not credible. If Simpson succeeds in getting his conviction thrown out, prosecutors will have to either retry him or offer a plea bargain. It is also possible Simpson could be freed with credit for time served. If he loses, he will be sent back to prison and will probably appeal to a higher court. The judge will issue a written ruling at a time yet to be specified.

Ruinous debt is more drama than Mary J needs Jailed tax-debtor Lauryn Hill may soon be able to form a prison duet if reports of Mary J. Blige’s financial woes prove correct.

According to TMZ.com, the ‘No More Drama’ singer owes a barely credible $3.4 million to Uncle Sam, having left her federal tax bill unpaid for three years. Even when she clears this up, she allegedly owes ANOTHER almost $4 million in state taxes and bank loans on which she and husband Martin Isaacs have defaulted. This is not the latest financial setback for Ms Blige, whose movie credits include ‘Prison Song’ and ‘I Can Do Bad All By Myself’. Her charity, The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now Inc., was accused of mishandling funds and failing to pay back a loan last year. Speaking about the allegations, Blige previously said: “The lives of young women are at stake. I feel what they feel. I don’t want them to suffer. I promised them something and I’m gonna deliver. Period. (..) The problem is that I didn’t have the right people in the right places doing the right things. This should have never been allowed to happen, but it did and now we are fixing it.’ The 42-year-old’s financial security has been in question in recent months due to a string of events including the outstanding $901,769.65 tax lien in the State of New

Mary J Blige has sold over 50 million albums worldwide Jersey, and defaulting on a $500,000 loan. If the true extent of her debt is as is being reported, there must be serious questions about her ability to come up with the money. If she proves unable to, the title of her hit single ‘I’m Going Down’ might prove prophetic.

Snoop lights up the stage in Jo’burg Snoop Lion is alleged to have ignored a police warning and smoked weed on stage at a Joheannesburg concert at the weekend. The warning came as a result of reports that Snoop lit up and smoked something during the previous evening’s performance at the MTV base Africa All-Stars concert in Durban. The former Snoop Dogg, who adopted the new moniker after spending time in Jamaica, performed most of his 1990s hits such as Gin and Juice, What’s My Name?, and his more recent hits,Signs, Sexual Seduction, Drop It Like It’s Hot, as well as his latest release No Guns Allowed, which is a collaboration with his daughter Cori B and rapper Drake. An obviously appreciative crowd, comprising Rastafarians as well as the rapper’s traditional hip hop and gangster rap fan base,

lapped up the energetic performance and filled the air with the distinctive smell of marijuana. As if to acknowledge the crowd, Snoop lit up what appeared to be a large spliff. Concert organisers, G and G Events, told the newspaper it could not confirm or deny what Snoop Lion had been smoking. Company spokesperson Darren Sandras is understood to have expressed the opinion that whatever went on backstage was strictly artists’ business. Johannesburg’s Metro Police have declined to comment. Snoop, accompanied throughout the show by his mascot Nasty Dogg, closed the show with Young, Wild and Free, his collaboration with Wiz Khalifa and would next be moving on to perform in Cape Town in the next leg of his tour.

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Gospel

By Michael Adekoya

IT’S TIME FOR SELF EXAMINATION “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test and judge yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5-6).

ear Reader, the year 2009 is coming to a close in few days time. If there is a time for spiritual check-up, inventory, audit, complete examination or accountability of your life for the last 11 months, it is now. In the natural, before a Physician or Surgeon can perform any major operation, the patient has to be opened up. My friend, as from 2008, we have entered into the season of the ‘suddenlies’. God is ready to bless His people with His Sovereign suddenlies – sudden salvation of your loved ones, sudden mass healing, deliverance, miracles, blessings, divine connection and answers to long time prayers. God is ready to decorate His people with colour! But, He requires us to do one thing. We need to open ourselves unto Him, get prepared and position ourselves to receive in 2010. It is coming! One of the preparations we should make is to take inventory of our life and do our personal spiritual checkup. When opportunity meets preparation, success, victory, solution or fulfillment emerges. Exposure is necessary if we want freedom from our sinful habits, lustful thoughts, unhealthy heart conditions and our corrupt attitudes. Below are some probing questions which I normally ask myself at the end of every year while I’m submitting to a thorough examination. My friend, you too can ask yourself the same questions: 1. What is my spiritual temperature? Jesus calls us to be fervent in spirit (read Romans 12:11). The Greek word for “fervent” means “white hot.” Too often we tend to adjust to our cool, lukewarm or comfortable environ-

ment instead of heating things up. Yet, people who are filled with the Holy Spirit should carry fiery zeal and fire wherever they go. My friend, has your spiritual passion been quenched by the busyness of life, selfish ambition, the lure of wealth, pressure of life or by bitterness and discouragement? If you are not careful, lukewarmness and compromise can become normal and prayerlessness can become routine. 2. What is my heart rate? We are called first and foremost to be worshippers, but for some of us, intimacy with God is not always our priority. My friend, are you wholehearted in your devotion to Jesus this year, or do the distractions of entertainment, work, other pursuits or relationships fill up all your time? Does your heart beat fastest for Jesus, or have other interests replaced your first love for Him? Do you truly live to please God, your heavenly Father? Are you in the centre of His will? Are you seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness or you are seeking all others things first? Have you become addicted to the praises of men instead of the conviction of the Spirit of God? You need to examine yourself today. 3. Do I need attitude adjustment? My friend, listen! If we don’t walk with the limp of humility, pride will cause us to strut. Do you radiate the fruit of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good character, humility, faithfulness and self-control - or you are best known for your anxiety, arrogance, anger, strife, envy, rudeness, bitterness, contention, cutting remarks and irritability? What happens when you are under pressure—do you manifest the sweet demeanour of trusting hearts, or throw childish

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

Harlem Gospel Choir temper tantrums? 4. Is there anything toxic in my system? Are we harbouring resentment toward anyone who has wronged us? If so, a bitter poison is taking its toll—and we could infect others and start an epidemic. My friend, you must forgive every offence, release every judgment and drop every grudge. Otherwise the angels will enlist or register your name as members of “The Greatly Hurt Church.” Are you envious or jealous of another brother or sister because they make more money or seem more successful than you? You must rejoice with those who are rejoicing instead of secretly resenting their godly success, victory, miracle and blessings. 5. Does my tongue need an examination and healing? My friend, does your attitude of gratitude and grateful thanksgiving pour out of your mouth regularly, or do you spend most of your time griping and complaining? Are you blessing people regularly with encouragement, or tearing them down with criticism and negativity? Have you grown so callous that you don’t feel convicted 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

when you malign a person’s character by talking about him or her behind their back in contentious gossiping? Are you a talkative… talking too much and listening too little? Words determine destiny! Have you determined your destiny by the way you use your tongue? Does your mouth leak so much that your blessing runs out through your tongue? 6. What’s happening in my most private or secret places? My friend, you can’t sexual purity as optional. You cannot to under-rate the power of your lifestyle in this last days’. You cannot be spiritually healthy if you don’t hate sins. You can’t sin and win at the same time! Do lust, greed and corruption control any area of your life? Have you bowed your knee to the spirit of Baal, who controls our culture with gayism, lesbianism, pornography, masturbation and perversion practices? Do you flee from sexual temptation the very second you are confronted with an image, or do you toy with it as long as you know no one is looking? What are your capacity, ability and strength to resist temptation? Can God be trusted when 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

you’re going through trial? These questions don’t represent a complete examination, but, my friend; they are the start of a process for me during this period of the year – a significant season of self-examination, confession, repentance and change. I encourage you to humble yourself and allow Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, to X-ray every square inch of your spiritual life. The pain is worth it. Would you please repeat what David prayed when He was on the Lord’s operating table: “Search me O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” Psa. 139:23-24. My friend, added blessing brings added responsibility! Jesus says, “Much is required from those to whom much is given.” Luke 12:48. When God entrusts you with more, He will let you get away with less! Jesus refused to let anything or anyone break His focus and destroyed His assignment. When Peter got in His way, He said to Peter, “Get thee behind Me, Satan; you are an offence unto Me.” Matt 16:23. When His self-will got in His away, He said God, His Father, “Not My will but Your will be done!” Listen! As you examine your heart and made adjustments, you should also lay aside every weight and the sin that easily beset you. Refuse anything that weighs you down or distracts you from doing the will of God. Be careful with relationships that lessen your hunger for God or weaken your resolve to do His will. Look ahead into 2010 by looking only unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith! Remain blessed! 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

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Africa

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

Newsround

Zambia

Student protesters set free as Sata yields to pressure Zambia’s President Michael Sata has bowed to international pressure and released hundreds of students who were arrested after protesting against a government decision to remove maize and fuel subsides.

The students from the University of Zambia (UNZA) had been protesting outside President Sata’s ofﬁce, demanding an audience with him. The president was not in Lusaka that day, but when contacted he ordered police to arrest the protesters and instructed his education minister to have them expelled from the university. The president said he had information that opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema had sponsored the students to engage in unruly behaviour. “Today (May 17) some opposition leaders like HH (Hakainde Hichilema) are taking money to buy students from UNZA to cause trouble at Arcades and on the Copperbelt. To this end, I ask you Minister of Education, identify those students,

expel them from the university and hand them over to Ms (Joyce) Kasosa (Lusaka province Commissioner of Police) who will arrest them,” he said. Mr Sata said it would cost the country KR250 million to build ﬁve universities and that KR1.1 billion was being spent on subsidies, which was wrong. He said Zambians sacriﬁced a lot during the privatisation process, when people like Mr Hichilema allegedly enriched themselves at the same time. “It is immoral for us to subsidise fuel when our children can’t even afford an education. I am appealing to all Zambians to trust me because our priority is to distribute national resources equitably,” he said. Meanwhile, Minister of Education Dr John Phiri warned students in various public universities not to be used by disgruntled politicians as tools to cause confusion. “There are disgruntled Zambians out there who want to use students in universities and colleges to cause confusion. As minister in charge, I will not allow this and I want to warn students not to allow themselves to be used as tools of confusion,” Dr

Michael Sata’s U-turn was as a result of international pressure Phiri said. Mr Sata reportedly retracted after concerns were raised by opposition political parties, civil rights organisations

and the international community. The students were forced to pay ‘admission of guilt ﬁnes’.

Uganda

Zimbabwe

Police seal off and search newspaper HQ

Zimbabwe constitution of reforms becomes law

Muhoozi Kainerugaba is allegedly set to succeed his father, Yoweri Museveni Police have closed the offices of journalists to name their source, and also Kampala-based newspaper, The authorising a search for a letter written by the general that is held in the publication’s Daily Monitor, declaring it a crime offices. scene following publication of a Government spokesman Fred Opolot series of stories about Uganda’s says the country’s security was comprocoordinator of intelligence mised when the newspaper published the letter, “It is alleged by the police [the letter] services, General David Sejusa. was doctored by some of the media houses The general has demanded an investiand that prompted an investigation,” Opolgation into alleged plots to assassinate key ot said. military and government officials who are Security forces have also taken the Daily seen to oppose President Yoweri MuseveMonitor’s sister radio stations KFM and ni’s alleged plans to install his son MuhooDembe FM off air. zi Kainerugaba as his successor. In August last year President Museveni, Last week, the Criminal Investigation in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of Department interrogated the authors of the the armed forces, promoted his son from story and the newspaper’s managing ediColonel to Brigadier. It was the second tor for three days but failed to extract the promotion for Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who source of their information. Police subsehad been promoted from Lieutenant Coloquently obtained a court order telling the nel to Colonel in September 2011.

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe has signed into law a longawaited new constitution that curbs presidential powers and clears the way for new elections. The constitution was overwhelmingly approved by voters in a March referendum with the support of both main parties in Zimbabwe’s coalition government. A new constitution was one of the conditions of the 2008 power-sharing deal between President Mugabe and his long-time opponent Morgan Tsvangirai, who is now prime minister. The new charter imposes a limit of two ﬁve-year presidential terms, although

President Mugabe, who is 89, will be allowed to seek ofﬁce again. Other changes include more rights for women and a scaling back of the death penalty to exempt women, the young and the elderly. The new constitution replaces a 33year-old document forged in the dying days of British colonial rule. A general election is expected later this year to end the coalition government formed after the disputed 2008 polls. The constitution stipulates new voting procedures and reforms to be implemented from the signing date, so that the earliest new elections can be held is August 14.

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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artist African Fashion Travelmusic

liberté have burst onto the scene with some cool designs and a noble story. Founded in 2009 with the concept of building premium outdoor leather shoes and creating sustainable jobs. From slip-on natural leather espadrille’s, to suede mocs and lace up shoes, Oliberté’s shoes are hand stitched by quality craftspeople in Oliberté’s own factory in Ethiopia using materials sourced from Africa.

In association with

Oliberté

General Manager of Oliberté Ethiopia

eraw is one of the most important people with Oliberté – since the company’s start in 2009, the Oliberté Ethiopia Limited branch manager has found local sources for materials, developed products and patterns, and managing day to day events. He is quick to smile, but also quick to engage in serious conversation and to speak his mind. “When I was young, I used to make things from wood, from this, from that. So somehow I made shoes from wood because somebody asked me to make,” he says of his journey to working for Oliberté. After graduating from Technical school, he was set to go to university until his best friend pointed out an advertisement for training on how to make shoe patterns at Anbessa shoe factory in Addis Ababa, where he grew up. He went, he stayed, he excelled, and after ﬁnishing the training from there he worked for a shoe factory where

Feraw he was sent to attended Cordwainers’ Technical College in London (now part of London College of Fashion). “It was not planned for me to go into shoe business, but because of that advertisement and my background making shoes from wood, that is where I ended up,” he says. Over the years since, he has worked in Zambia and Ethiopia. Now, Feraw has a wonderful wife, 18-year-old daughter, and 15-year-old son, and is integral to Oliberté (though he insists on making sure there is no role he holds that cannot be passed down to

Adibo in progress in Ethiopia 18

another Oliberté Ethiopia employee). “At ﬁrst, it was just another job,” he says. “But now, it’s not just a job for me. I want to see Oliberté progressing and I’d like to be one of the person involve to build it up … We provide regular work. We pay whether or not there is work to be done that day, or whether there is electricity.” In Feraw’s spare hours, he spends time with his family and travels to nearby areas to provide handmade shoe-making training to nonproﬁts.

Not only are Oliberté’s shoes chic enough for every day, they are also one of the ﬁrst brands of premium footwear to be wholly produced in Africa.

Oliberté are sold @ Debenhams: Lakeside, Westﬁeld, Oxford Street and Liverpool.

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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African Fashion

Racism in Fashion

‘We have one black girl, we don’t need you’: Victoria’s Secret Angel Chanel Iman reveals racist attitudes from the fashion industry

hanel Iman, one of the most successful black models working today, says she still gets the “sorry, we already have one black girl” treatment from certain designers and casting agents. Iman, who has been on the cover of dozens of magazines, including American Vogue, was asked by the Times of London if racism was still an issue in fashion:

“

Yeah, most deﬁnitely,” she says forcefully. “A few times I got excused by designers who told me, ‘We already found one black girl. We don’t need you any more.’ I felt very discouraged. When someone tells you, ‘We don’t want you because we already have one of your kind,’ it’s really sad.”

Vuitton shows for their overwhelmingly white casting this season. Scully, who casts shows for Tom Ford, Jason Wu, and Stella McCartney, among others, said:

“

Some of the biggest names who move fashion to the forefront, like Dior, get a D- on ethnic diversity. I feel the Dior cast is just so pointedly white that it feels deliberate. I watch that show and it bothers me — I almost can’t even concentrate on the clothes because of the cast...Natalie Portman could complain that John Galliano was a racist, but I feel Raf Simons sends the same message.”

Iman says the answer is not all-black fashion shows or magazine issues — “It doesn’t help us; it just puts us into a category” — but more diversity in every show and magazine. And less toleration of all-white or nearly all-white casting. “There needs to be a permanency [about] using black models,” she says. “You still see all-white shows in Europe and New York.” Fashion photographer Steven Meisel says he often gets negative feedback from clients when he proposes models of color for big jobs: “I’ve asked my advertising clients so many times, ‘Can we use a black girl?’ They say no. Advertisers say black models don’t sell.” Meanwhile, top casting director James Scully — always a refreshingly frank voice in the industry — criticized the Christian Dior, Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Louis

Scully also calls Calvin Klein’s habit of putting precisely one model of color in its show every other season what it is: tokenism. “They do it to not get in trouble, they don’t do it because they believe black women should be on that runway,” he says, adding, “Versace will use Joan Smalls in their advertising, but why wasn’t she walking their show in February?” Scully was contributing to a roundtable with ﬁve of the most prominent casting directors in the industry, including Jennifer Starr, John Pfeiffer, and Barbara Nicoli and Leila Anana. Unfortunately, Scully’s thoughtful take on racism and fashion’s construction of race is not a universal. Nicoli, who with Anana casts Gucci and Saint Laurent, among others, explains that the lack of diversity at the Gucci show isn’t intentionally racist — it’s just because Gucci seeks a certain kind of beauty, and, in their opinion, that kind of beauty just happens to be possessed almost exclusively by white models. “Gucci never has a huge

The Fall-Winter 2013 shows saw 151 shows and live presentations during fashion week’s eight days — making it the biggest and busiest NYFW.. But it wasn’t very racially diverse.

This season, 151 New York designers’ shows were covered by Style.com. Those shows presented 4479 individual women’s wear “looks” to buyers and press, representing 4479 opportunities for a model to walk the runway or pose in a presentation. 3706 of those looks, or 82.7%, were this season shown on white models. Asian models nabbed 409, or 9.1% of all the runway looks. Black models were hired for 271, or 6%. Non-white Latina models had 90 looks, or 2%. Models of other races wore 12, or 0.2% of all looks. Thirteen companies — Araks, Assembly, Belstaff, Calvin Klein, Elizabeth & James, Gregory Parkinson, J Brand, Jenni Kayne, Juicy Couture, Louise Gol-

Style.com

number of black girls in the show because in the mind of Frida [Giannini, Gucci’s creative director], she wants this [speciﬁc] type of girl,” says Nicoli. This “type” can be black or Asian, or, presumably, nonwhite Latina, but she just often isn’t. “She wants this girl, then if the model she likes is black or Asian, it’s ﬁne. But when you do a casting, [you see a lot fewer black and Asian models than white models].” Nicoli adds that it’s hard for designers to cast racially diverse shows, because everybody knows different races have different body shapes:

“

It’s also true that, for example, Caucasians have a specific body type, black girls have a specific body shape, and Asian girls have a specific body shape. So I guess there are some collections where it’s more perfect for an Asian body shape because they are more flat and less sexy, in a way. Asians, they are not curvy, so to put an Asian [who’s] very flat [with a] baby body shape in a show where normally the designer knows they love sexy, beautiful, curvy girls, it’s a bit of nonsense.” And that’s when we started to do this. This season, the most racially diverse runways were in New York, where 82.7% of the spots on the runway still went to white models. Overall, the big four fashion weeks — New York, London, Milan, and Paris — were nearly 90% white. [BuzzFeed]

Chanel Iman

din, Lyn Devon, Threeasfour, and Whit — had no models of color at all. The brands Araks, Calvin Klein, Elizabeth & James, and Louise Goldin didn’t hire any non-white models last season, either. That means this season, around 9% of all NYFW shows had all-white casts. That’s up slightly from last season, when only 6% of shows had only white models. For comparison, in 2007, one-third of NYFW shows were all-white. Designers that had more racial diversity included 3.1 Phillip Lim, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Costello Tagliapietra, Diane von Furstenberg, J. Crew, Jason Wu, Jeremy Scott, Jonathan Simkhai, Mara Hoffman, Naeem Khan, Nicole Miller, Rebecca Taylor, Suno, Tracy Reese, Yeohlee, and Zac Posen. This season marks the ﬁfth year that we’ve collected this information, but I must admit that every time we ﬁnish one of these reports I’m left with questions, many of which are the same ones that

I wrestled with nine seasons ago. Why does a huge global brand like Calvin Klein, whose multi-tiered business model depends on people from all corners of the globe wanting to see themselves in its logo, always appear to care so little about racial diversity at fashion week? Why does one mass-market contemporary label — J. Crew — apparently put so much effort into hiring a multi-ethnic cast of models, when others — Elizabeth & James, J Brand — do not? At the high end, why are Oscar de la Renta’s and Diane von Furstenberg’s shows so racially diverse, while Michael Kors’ and Vera Wang’s aren’t? Why are some of New York’s talented younger designers — Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, Phillip Lim, Zac Posen — hiring so many more models of color than their just-as-buzzed-about peers like Alexander Wang, Proenza Schouler, and Rodarte? Why do so many fashion brands still treat racial diversity as optional, or a matter of taste? 19

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Arts

As Chinua Achebe joins the immortals

“

By Chido Nwakanma

Chinua Achebe was well known throughout the 55 countries of Africa and even beyond. His fame rested on solid personal achievements. As a young man of 28, he had brought honour to the continent by telling the authentic story of Africa in the work Things Fall Apart. His work changed the narrative of years of denigration of the African as if he had no culture, nor language nor history.

“That was many years ago, 50 years and more, and during that time Achebe’s fame grew like a bush-fire in the harmattan. He would write several other novels, essays, short stories, poems and works all evincing deep wisdom, knowledge, prescience and impassioned advocacy for the betterment of Africa and the black race.” This recasting of the opening lines of the most famous book out of Africa and one of the best books in world literature played through my head in contemplation of a truly outstanding life whose passage is being celebrated this week as the University of Nigeria held a Special Senate Session to honour Chinua Achebe. There was a sense of the dramatic and surreal at the occasion. As is the tradition at Senate meetings, University Registrar Ogbueshi Anthony Okonta called out names of members of Senate present. They responded. He called several names, certainly with no intention of calling the more than 100 professors present. Then he called Emeritus Professor Chinua Achebe. Silence. He called thrice. Silence. The grave silence provided an entrée for the Vice Chancellor Prof Barth Okolo who observed that it was unusual for Achebe not to answer to his name. The VC then called him once more as Achebe’s body rested in the casket at the centre of the Main Hall of the Enugu campus. There was no response as the hall fell deeply silent at the further calling of Achebe’s name. 20

Not only did he climb the tall tree of literature, he also held aloft the ladder so that other writers could climb through the African Writers Series and his vocation as writer and teacher.

Chinua Achebe

Photo: Anthony Nsofor

“The drums beat and the flutes sang and the people held their breath as African countries struggled for independence. The Western narrative of Africa was strong and deep seated, but Chinua Achebe was determined and equipped with knowledge, passion, and the craft and wisdom of ancient story tellers. Every line, every proverb and every sentence of that book stood out. In the end, Achebe defeated the Tarzan narrative and gave African writers a voice.”

ing, and served as editor of the journal of socio-political discourse, Nsukkascope. His presence alone was an endorsement and enabler. He was professor emeritus until his passage. In an earlier tribute, UNN Vice Chancellor Prof Bartho Okolo asserted that Prof Achebe was “one of the academic titans whose presence on the faculty served as a beacon of light that drew the world to the University of Nigeria.” Chinua Achebe was an agada kpa here uzo, to quote Uzor Maxim Uzoatu. He was a pathfinder and trail blazer.

Dignitaries from across the world gathered in Ogidi, in Nigeria’s Anambra state, to witness the interment of renowned author Chinua Achebe on Thursday 23 May “Truly, this is a solemn confirmation that the earthly sojourn of our revered colleague, Emeritus Professor Chinualumogu Albert Achebe, our compatriot who rose to become a citizen of the world, has come to an end. It is therefore with profound grief and regret that I preside over this special Senate in his honour”, the Vice Chancellor added. It would be a tad too dramatic to say that things have fallen apart with the passage of Chinua Achebe. The literary community are certainly no longer at ease either with the impeding of our hopes concerning continued longevity for this Iroko who departed this plane on March 23, 2013 in the United States. Scholars gathered Tuesday to pay their last respects to Chinua Achebe with an academic procession and special Senate session at the Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria. It was sobering yet uplifting. Chinua Achebe’s history is already well told across the world. At each event through this week of his funeral, though, that life story would be told and retold. It

is clearly important to share, acknowledge and deeply appreciate his life. Achebe lived just short of a century but he was, pun very much intended, a man of the people; of his students; of his country and of the world. It is fitting that the world has acknowledged his passage and his monumental contributions in several tributes and eulogies ranging from formal proclamations in his honour from government entities in Nigeria, the United States, South Africa and Jamaica as well as tributes from writers and writers’ organizations worldwide as well as by citizens everywhere. Chinua Achebe was an academic in the finest traditions of contributing to new knowledge, illuminating hidden or unclear aspects of life and opening the eyes of people to new vistas. He was the epitome of inspiration to all who heard the sound of his voice or read the words he wrote. At the University of Nigeria, he served as a researcher, as a teacher, and as a fountain of knowledge and inspiration. He gave life to Okike, the journal of new African writ-

No-one expected Achebe to live forever; as god-like as he seemed, he still was but a man. When he wrote Things Fall Apart, it was a revelation. It not only was a fantastic read, it opened our eyes to so many issues with and about so many subjects beyond even the obvious. It was clear that the gathering Tuesday was not really to mourn but to pay the respect of the University community. The university through the Vice Chancellor declared that, “He will be remembered as a remarkable teacher, astute administrator, a creative genius, a story teller and author of extra ordinary ability.” VC Okolo said UNN mourns Achebe for “his unique contributions to the development of our university and for the enormous visibility he brought to our university through his creative works, even in his death.” It is clear then that no one can be talking about LAST respects, as the debt of Africans to Achebe will never be fully repaid. Homage to Achebe will clearly never be a one-time thing. Chinua Achebe by his work, life and passage on March 23, 2013, has joined the pantheon of immortals that would forever be remembered wherever the stories of peoples and nations of the world are mentioned. The gratitude of the University of Nigeria is one that is shared across the world for the life and work of Chinualumogu Achebe. And it is gratitude that several people will express by telling it on the mountain, over the hills, across the seas, that there was a Country. And in that country, there were People, and in the hearts of those people… there was a Man. There IS a man. Achebe is dead. Long live Chinua Achebe.

Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Friday, 24 May 2013 – Thursday,30 May 2013

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Africans set to scrap for Tahiti ticket All eight teams participating at the African qualifiers that are taking place in El Jadida in Morocco from 22-26 May have the same goal: to reach the final match and grab one of two tickets for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup later this year in Tahiti.

The tournament draw, which happened the day before the tournament began, saw Senegal, who won the tournament two years ago, drawn into Group A against hosts Morocco, Madagascar and rookies Ghana. Group B will consist of Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt and Libya. Favourites to reach the semi-finals at least are Senegal and Nigeria, who are the only African countries to escape the group phase at a Beach Soccer World Cup finals with both managing the feat in 2007 as well as 2011. Madagascar, who finished fourth at the last qualifiers in 2011, are expected to be a tough challenger, while ambitious Morocco, who are hosting the qualifiers for the second time in a row, are hoping to become the first North African team to qualify for the finals but will need to improve on their previous performances, having finished fifth in 2011 and 2009 and last in 2006. Senegalese captain Ngalla Sylla, who is one of four players in the squad who played in the 2011 World Cup finals, said that the team’s goal was clear. “We want to win this

tournament, or at least be a finalist, so that we can qualify for Tahiti,” he said, while his coach Amadou Diop admitted that even though preparations had been hampered by disbanding of the team after several players had sought asylum outside the country, they were confident of doing well. “The team has seen a lot of changes with young players being introduced, but we can still do well.” Ghana, meanwhile, are hoping for a spectacular entrée into continental action just six years after the country first formed a beach soccer team. Under the guidance of interim coach Maxwell Kpeglo, the team has prepared for the tournament in Morocco. ‘’We are venturing into the unknown, but to me that is a positive challenge and the players all agree that this is their time to make their country proud and also make a name for themselves,’’ Kpeglo said. Supersand Eagles confident Nigeria’s Supersand Eagles, are hoping to continue their run, which has seen them represent the continent in four of the five World Cup finals for which qualifiers were held. They have twice won the tournament and twice finished runners-up. They start their campaign against Libya, and Abu Azeez, who top-scored at the COPA Lagos Beach tournament last year, said that they are excited about the competition’s start. “The team knows what is at stake, and we are going to make sure we do our best to

Dembele is aiming for the top Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele is not ruling out a title challenge next year - if they can handle the “small games”. Tottenham missed out on a top-four spot and UEFA Champions League qualification when they were pipped by Arsenal on the final day but Dembele is aiming higher next season. When asked about the prospect of a serious title bid, the Belgium international said: “I’m never shy to say that I believe in everything. So if we start well next year, you never know. “Maybe if some good players come in, then it’s a different season. There’s a chance, why not?” One of the reasons why Spurs were off the pace this time around was their failure to take maximum points from teams in the bottom half of the table. They failed to get a win home or away against the likes of Wigan and Norwich leading Dembele to conclude that this is a key area to work on. The 25-year-old added: “We dropped a lot of points against the bottom teams. Against the good teams we can make the difference. “So maybe we have to be aware next year as well, these are the games for us that are very difficult - the small games. “That’s the thing maybe we have to look 22

Mousa Dembele

out for. Of course, that’s the sign of a strong side. That’s something that comes with experience as well. “If there is a bottom team here, maybe we are too relaxed and think, ‘OK, we are going to win’. “Maybe that’s the reason (we missed out on the top four). The thing is, we are close because against the top teams we are good. I think, ‘They are not better than us’. “But against the small teams, it’s like, ‘OK, the top teams would finish this’.”

Nigeria’s Supersand Eagles have twice won the tournament and twice finished runners-up make the nation proud, by not only qualifying but we also have in mind doing well at the world championship in Tahiti.” Coach Audu Ejo Adamu has several African beach soccer stars in his squad, like captain Isiaka Olawale, Ogbonnaya Okemmiri and Victor Tale, who was top scorer for the team at the last World Cup finals. Former Nigerian international Taribo West, who watched the team during preparations, predicted that the side can do well. “I expect them to win and qualify,” he said. “They have an incredible team, and I believe their handlers know what to do to keep them at the top. If they maintain their form from what I saw at the COPA Lagos,

I think they will be unbeatable. They are incredibly good.” 2009 runners-up Côte d’Ivoire and Egypt, who have made it to the semi-finals at the last three editions but failed to qualify for the championship match, should be Nigeria’s main challengers. Libya, who finished seventh and eighth at their two previous appearances, are looking for a better classification this time around. The group phase of the competition sees the groups compete on a round-robin basis with the top two teams advancing to the semi-finals. The two winners of those matches will then qualify for the finals in Tahiti.

Boateng delighted to seal Fulham move

Derek Boateng in action

Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng is heaving a sigh of relief after completing his move to Fulham. The journeyman announced on Tuesday he had concretized his transfer as a free agent by agreeing a two-year deal. Boateng passed a medical at Craven Cottage in January but Fulham could not reach a deal with his former club FC Dnipro. The 30-year-old is now set to revive his playing career in the English Premier

League after being frozen by Juande Ramos the last ten months. He tweeted: “I have signed a two-year deal with Fulham FC! I’m happy to see this deal confirmed! Thanks God, my family and everyone who support me!” Boateng has vast experience after playing for Panathinaikos, AIK Stockholm, Beitar Jerusalem, FC Cologne and Getafe. He has played at two FIFA World Cup finals in 2006 and 2010 and has three Africa Cup Nations appearances under his belt.

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Victor Moses rises to shine in England Victor Moses was picked as the top Nigeria performer in England this season, while many troubles dimmed the star of Osaze Odemwingie according to ratings by MTNFotball. com.

Osaze Odemwingie: The season of the West Brom striker ended when he drove on deadline day to London during the January transfer window to force a transfer to QPR. Since the transfer saga, he has lost the favour of the fans and the club and it is now very likely he will leave ‘The Baggies’ earlier than when his contract is up. He will also be remembered for his disparaging Twitter attacks on Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi and his country’s team after he was overlooked for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa in January. Shola Ameobi: Not the best of seasons for the experienced striker as Newcastle fought to stay up. He had a limited playing time, but the highlight for him would be ﬁnally making his debut for Nigeria in November in a friendly against Venezuela. Sone Aluko: The Hull City winger started well with the championship team notching nine goals in the ﬁrst 14 games and so doing getting a Player of the Month award before injury set in. His goals most certainly contributed to

Continued from back page

For Solomon Asante, the lull of ‘playing with very good players with different nationalities’ is too strong to ignore and ‘gives me an opportunity to work very hard’. Even then, ‘in football, money plays part but a club has also to be good. So yes, money played a part in my move.’ Given the standards of football in Ghana and Congo, Ghana’s profile certainly dwarfs that of Congo but it appears that TP Mazembe are spewing resources from the Katanga province to redeem this difference starting from the cub level, and if money can endow footballing skills in Congolese citizens then Africa should beware of an emerging force. TP Mazembe, run by the country’s regional governor, Moise Katumbi. Own their own stadium, gymnasium, clinic and have two aeroplanes. Apart from being forur-time African champions, the club has also had the pleasure of being the first to play in the finals of the World Club championships from Africa. The club is known to have players from Zambia, Malawi, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Senegal, Cameroon, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and even Brazil on its wage list.

Victor Moses

‘The Tigers’ winning automatic promotion to the EPL several years after they last played in the top ﬂight. Danny Shittu: The big defender was rock solid in the heart of the Millwall defence and the London lions were at some point certain to gain promotion to the EPL until things began to fall apart. Shittu did well for the team and even led them as captain to semi-ﬁnal of FA Cup. He also got some vital goals along the way to eventually earn a new two-year deal.

Mikel Obi: He was an important member of Chelsea squad though towards the end of the season, injury denied him playing last six games including the Europa League semi-finals as well as the final. Hopefully, his star will rise again with the expected return of his mentor Jose Mourinho at the helm of Chelsea. Victor Anichebe: Fit again after some long-term injuries, this big striker played himself into the heart of Everton fans and ex-manager David Moyes with a series of superb displays as a super sub which eventually led him to bench Nikica Jelavic. He scored six goals in the EPL, a little short of the double digit figures he had hoped for. Victor Moses: The Chelsea winger became an instant hit with Chelsea after making a switch from Wigan Athletics to now feature UEFA Champions league and Europa League winners. Many tipped Moses to be a fringe player at Stamford Bridge, but he rose to the challenge so much so that he became an important part of ‘The Blues’ particularly in their successful campaign to win the Europa League. He scored four goals in the second-tier European competition, a goal in the league and was more prolific in the other cup competitions.

TP Mazembe tipped to be the best?

Kidiaba , TP Mazembe goalkeeper

Kolo Toure linked with Liverpool switch Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has been linked with a move away from the Citizens, with Liverpool being the Ivoirian’s most likely destination. Liverpool are keen on signing the former Arsenal centre back to replace recently retired Jamie Carragher. The 32-year-old has fallen out of sorts at the Sky Blues, mostly playing second ﬁddle to the likes of Matija Nastasic and Vincent Kompany. Joleon Lescott has also started to return to form while Micah Richards has returned from a long injury lay-off, subsequently demoting Toure even further down the pecking order. Toure made a respectable 23 appearances for City in the 2012/2013 season, but that was mostly due to other players being out injured. The Ivoirian’s contract comes to an end in June, thus the Merseyside giants can pick the player up on a free transfer. Toure joined City from Arsenal in July 2009 for £14m.

Mikel major doubt for Mexico friendly

Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi is now a major doubt for Nigeria’s friendly against Mexico on May 31 in the United States of America. MTNFootball.com reports quoting a top official of the Football Association. “Mikel has not called to pull out of any of the games. “The issue which many are referring to is a very simple one - Mikel only said he needs to go back to London to process his Brazil visa and this may take longer than expected or could come earlier than anticipated. “So, it’s rather a 50-50 situation which the head coach is fully aware.” Several top stars have already pulled out of the friendly in Houston, Texas, for various reasons. Ahmed Musa and Fegor Ogude will not be available because of club engagements, while injury has ruled out Chelsea winger Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike as well as Kalu Uche, who is based in Turkey. The Mexico match is expected to prepare the Eagles for a hectic June during which they will play two 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Kenya and Namibia as well as feature in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. 23

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ISSUE 483

Boateng delighted to seal Fulham move

SEE PAGE 22

TP Mazembe tipped to be the best?

TP Mazembe of Congo

By Peter Olorunnisomo

Is TP Mazembe of Congo becoming the best club on the African continent? Yes, TP Mazembe – it may seem not to carry the profile of the Orlando Pirates of South Africa, Rangers of Enugu, Esperance of Tunmisia, Al-Ahly of Egypt, Asante Kotoko of Ghana, etc but football is enabling that club to defy the effects of war in Congo. Twenty odd years ago, a footballer recognized the prospects of going through Bourkina Faso and Cote D’Voire in order to climb up the professional ladder until Europe comes calling. The club has been around for quite a

while but never has its presence been more felt in the African continent than in recent years. Its consistency on the African club competitions belittles the fact thatn war has been going on in that country for more than a few years. In that spate of sociopolitical disruption comes the unraveling of TP Mazembe. At least the money from mineral endowment which is also a cause of unrest is also facilitating a good cause and arguably the world’s best unifying peace factor – football. Not true; why else would at least five (5) top Ghanaian national league and team players leave clubs such as Asante

Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak, serviced by gold, for TP Mazembe? The players in question are Yaw Frimpong, Solomon Asante, Richard Kissi Boateng, Daniel Nii Adjei, and Gladson Awako. BBC Sports’ Michael Oti Adjei was quoted as saying “People think that maybe it’s a sign of how the Ghanaian football league has fallen that we can have Ghanaian players going to play in Congo.” He however notes that ‘people are divided in opinion. Some think that those players are not in Congo for sporting reasons, but for money.’ That reason is validated by Richard Boateng’s opinion, ‘In life you have to progress. We

joined them so that we can make a name in African football before moving on.’

Continued on page 23

African Voice Newspaper is published by African Voice Communications. Unit 7 Holles House Overton Road London SW9 7AP. Tel: 020 7274 3933 Registered at the British Library as a newspaper. ISSN 1475-2166.Email: africanvoicenews@googlemail.com