Nigerian Watch - Issue 069 by Health & Fitness Guru

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the amazing grass to grace story that has delighted Nigeria – page 2

NigeriaN Watch

available from Feb 26

NIGERIAN WATCH the UK’s LeadiNg aFricaN NeWsPaPer With the Largest circULatioN

BeFFta commUNitY NeWsPaPer oF the Year 12 - 25 Feb 2016

Issue No 069

FortNIghtLy

to Inspire, Inform and Entertain

nigerianwatch.com

Love iNc. The cultural society that is making waves as a matchmaker Page 3

‘thaNK YoU For YoUr sacriFice’

What President Buhari told UK diaspora leaders in London – page 12

Beast mode oN Legendary footballer delivers masterclass in “perseverance” Page 5 NeW gcse marKs BLacK historY BreaKthroUgh iN the cLassroom – page 4

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

awesome discovery of a bread hawker

NIGERIAN

WATCH commENt

Proud to support the Commonwealth

n a little over one month (March 14-16), over 18 heads of state and over 500 leaders from business and civil society will gather in London for the 3rd Commonwealth Africa Summit. And we are proud to say that we are official media partners to the gathering. We believe the Commonwealth is a force for good. Many commentators in the West disparage it as a postcolonial booby prize, a relic from times past. But it is very much of the present, bringing together economies in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Americas. And Britain of course. The London Summit will be like Davos for the Commonwealth, an agenda setting gathering of political and civil leaders and business chiefs. This year’s theme is Shared Prosperity, Mutual Security, and will explore increased collaboration between commonwealth economies, and how they interact with those of developed countries. In other words, who's doing business with who? And why? Counter-terrorism will be under the same spotlight – Who's winning? Why? – as will civil and gender issues. It is that kind of information exchange that the Commonwealth is unique in delivering, because it has no sanctions. It can only lead by example and best practice. In these war weary and connected times that is weight enough. We are proud to be associated with it. For more information, visit www.commonwealth.com maryanne jemide, mD

Publisher tevin jemide Publisher/managing director maryanne jemide managing editor jon hughes art editor cathy constable contributors obah Iyamu; harriet ogbeide; aj james; ayo akinfe; Funmi odegbami; samuel kasumu; Ngozi mbana; Ekanem robertson, jessica onah, Laura adenuga; Edel meremikwu chief cartoonist harold ogbeide oﬃce address Nigerian Watch chartwell house 292 hale Lane Edgware middlesex ha8 8NP email editor@nigerianwatch.com marketing@nigerianwatch.com sales@nigerianwatch.com Website www.nigerianwatch.com tel: 020 8588 9640 Fax: 020 7160 5232 Nigerian Watch is a fortnightly newspaper owned by green World media Ltd. Views expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. all rights reserved. No part of the newspaper may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher.

ISSN 2051-4670

It is the remarkable grass to grace story that has captured the imagination of Nigeria, a fairytale come true: the poor migrant hawker, who accidentally stumbles onto a superstar’s photoshoot and, after a gut-wrenching search, is discovered. But that’s what happened to 27-yearold Olajumoke Orisanuga stumbled onto the set of the This Day style shoot for Tinie Tempah, to feature in the Nigerian newspapers colour supplement. When the pictures were published in This Day’s Style magazine Nigeria’s social media erupted with one question, “Who is that girl? Was she a model? How did we convince the model to balance all that bread on her head?” But Olajumoke wasn’t a model, she was a bread hawker on the streets of Lagos, forced to leave her home and family in Ire, Osun State, because of poverty. A trained hair stylist she and her husband, a sliding door installer from the same village, were not earning enough money to care for their two young children. So she relocated to Lagos with her 14 month old daughter to give bread hawking a try, leaving her husband and older 5 year old behind. The photographer Ty Bello put out word on the Lagos grapevine and waited to hear from the accidental cover star. And the rest is now history, as Olajumoke turned up, embarrassed to be wearing the same clothes. Since the This Day photoshoot, thanks to Ms Bello and the This Day style team, Olajumoke has internships with two of the biggest beauty salons in Lagos, is signed to the reputable Few Models Management agency and become the face of Payporte’s next campaign. We know this isn’t the last we’ll hear of Jumoke, she’s deﬁnitely a rising star.

All images from; Ty Bello/This day Style

oLajumokE orIsaguNa (from top clockwise): Starring in her own photoshoot after being tracked down by Ty Bello, her This Day Style cover and the original photo bombing of Tinie Tempah’s photoshoot.

CHINA PLEDGES MASSIVE ‘NO STRINGS’ INVESTMENT IN NIGERIA TO MARK 45 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP China has promised to invest a large chunk of the $60bn it has earmarked to spend in Africa in Nigeria under an ambitious plan to help diversify the economy as part of Beijing’s way of commemorating the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties with the country. One of the major sources of foreign direct investment in Nigeria lately, the People’s Republic of China has been a major participant in several new sectors of the economy like telecommunications and housing. China and Nigeria ﬁrst established diplomatic relations in 1971 and to commemorate this, Beijing

plans to expand its investment further. Qin Jian, the Chinese chargé d’aﬀaires of China's embassy in Nigeria, described economic cooperation between both countries as fruitful. He added that China was willing to integrate its development with independent and sustainable development in Nigeria and other African countries to achieve common development. According to Mr Qin, at the successful and historic second edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed ﬁve major pillars for China-Africa

relations. He added that China and Africa should seek equality and mutual trust in politics, economic cooperation, mutual learning in civilisation, mutual assistance in security, and unity and coordination in international affairs. Mr Qin said, “China’s 10 key cooperation plans with Africa in the fields of industrialisation, agriculture modernisation, infrastructure, etc, will serve as an all-around blueprint in a period to come and symbolise that China-Africa relations will take a big stride and enter a new era.” To fulfil the 10 plans, China has pledged $60bn in

development funding to Africa. "When carrying out cooperation with Africa, China sticks to the principle of four no's and three priorities.” These include attaching no political conditions, interfering in no African country’s internal aﬀairs, raising no demanding requirements and making no empty promises. Among the listed priorities were the improvement of African people’s livelihood and enhancement of Africa’s capacity for independent development. Of late, China has entered into numerous infrastructural bilateral agreements with several African countries.

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

If you’re looking for love there’s only one place to go… ICSN To mark Valentine’s Day the Igbo Cultural Support Network (ICSN) is staging a host of events, featuring a “Blind Date” game, debates, including “is courting important?”, and social activities based around “The right and wrong ways to engage with the opposite sex”, and an opportunity to learn Igbo chat up lines !!! There will also be a “L-O-V-E” fundraising party in association with Neasden College on Saturday 27th February. DJ Ripla will be on the decks, promising to get everyone mingling and interacting with lots of cheeky fun and games. But beware, it could be you who meets your bae or Nkem and is struck by Cupid’s arrow. Love is most deﬁnitely in the air at ICSN gatherings. The ever vibrant and active cultural association is responsible for seven weddings in the past 18 months! This year two couples who met through events staged by ICSN will tie the knot. Ejike and Chinenye, who met at the 2014 ICSN Iri-ji festival, and Uche and Uzoma, who

From abovE cLockWIsE; couples that have found love in IcsN; Charles and Nneoma, Frank and Isabel, Chine and Lookey, Uche and Uzoma, Amanda and Kosi, Ejike and Chinenye and Ike and Nneka.

met at Igbo School in April 2015. In 2014, Amanda and Kosi Ezewuzie, who met at the 2010 Iri-ji, got married. Prior to that, in the past 18 months four other couples have got married, including: the daughter

of Kate Anolue, Chinelo to Okey, who recently gave birth to a daughter named Kamsiyochukwu; Charles and Nneoma; Frank and Isabel; and Ike and Nneka. For details of both the Sunday

General Meeting and the ‘L-O-V-E’ Fundraiser, see listings page 18. ICSN is using the event to raise funds for AMURT Nigeria, which works to improve maternal and general health care in rural Ebonyi State.

To contribute to the ISCN AMURT fundraising visit their youcaring page via; https://goo.gl/MRV3dk Fore more information on the group’s general activities visit, www.icsn.co.uk

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

New GCSE marks black history breakthrough African children in British schools will be able to study black history at GCSE for the first time ever from this September. Sadly not all, only those at one of the 1400 schools in England who currently pursue the OCR history syllabus and then only if the history teachers choose to pursue the option – as the black history element is not a core area of study. But as decisions are being made now in all schools in England as to which syllabus' to follow in all subjects, parents have an opportunity to bring pressure to bear on their child's school to decide to follow the OCR history course. The new history syllabus from OCR offers the option to study Migration to Britain c10002010, which will account for 25% of the overall mark. The alternatives are Power Monarchy & Democracy c1000-2014 and War and British Society c790-c2010. Mike Goddard, Head of History at OCR said: “Migration is an ideal history topic for GCSE students to study, allowing them to consider fundamental historical concepts such as continuity, change and significance, rooted in the major events of England’s history.” He pointed out that concepts of continuity and change over a long sweep of time is one of the new requirements for History. Historian Professor Mark Ormrod DPhil (Oxon), FSA, FRHistS, of the University of York, is one of a number of academics researching migration who is feeding up-tothe-minute research into the new topic. “This GCSE topic is fantastic, as immigration has been a constant in our history, a feature of life in Britain for 2,000 years and longer,” he

statue of king agaja in abomey, benin, Nigeria.

ayuba suleiman Diallo and The Fifth Pan african congress, manchester 1945

What’s oN thE mIgratIoN syLLabus Under the syllabus students will discover that the black presence in Britain goes back at least two thousand years and encounter the evidence of African presence in the Middle Ages, enquire into the lives of Africans in Tudor England, learn about African contributions to the emancipation struggle and working-class

movements in Britain, study the growth of multicultural port communities around the lives of merchant seamen, be aware of early 20th century movements such as the Pan African Congress and the League of Coloured Peoples, and study post WW2 immigration and the struggles against racism in the

told Nigerian Watch. “It is an outstanding example of how a long view of history helps us to understand, and to ﬁnd a place for ourselves,

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1970s and 1980s. In addition, a linked in-depth study on Impact of Empire, 1688-1730, has a section that focuses on the economics of the trade in enslaved Africans, with a focus on Cape Coast Castle and personalities such as John Cabess, King Agaja and Ayuba Suleiman Diallo.

in contemporary society. People from Europe and further aﬁeld have arrived on these shores, in numbers small and large, in search of

asylum, work and opportunity, and were sometimes invited to come. Our research project, ‘England’s Immigrants: 1330-1550’, shows how, for example, in the late middle ages, no one was more than 10 miles from an immigrant.” The catalyst for the new syllabus was a submission from the Black and Asian Studies Association to the Department for Education, which undertook a curriculum review in 2013. One of the authors of that paper, who is also one of the writers of the textbook that accompanies the new course, Martin Spaﬀord of BASA, welcomed the breakthrough. He told Nigerian Watch, "This really is a step forward and we’re hoping that we’ve opened slightly a door that others can open wider. The fact that Black British history is now part of an exam course means that the experience and expertise of your readers can have a way in and, we hope, encourage children and parents to explore diverse British histories and discover their own heritage here in Britain going back centuries. "Two weeks ago Prof Hakim Adi and I were in a school in Thamesmead with a wonderful Year 10 class many of whom were of Nigerian heritage and they were fascinated by the evidence of Africans living in Elizabethan England in a wide range of occupations." To read the BASA paper visit, www.blackandasianstudies.org and click on the link at the top of the page. In itself it is a fascinating guide to the black presence in Britain. For more information on the OCR syllabus, visit www.ocr.org.uk/Images/207163speciﬁcation-accredited-gcse-history-a-j410. pdf

Petition launched demanding schools should prepare us for life SOLICITORS

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Political commentator and social campaigner Kenny Imaﬁdon (right) is calling on the government to give higher priority to "citizenship" classes in school so when pupils leave secondary education they are prepared for the real world. He has posted an online petition at change.org to coincide with the launch of Bite the Ballot campaign to get young people to register to vote in time for this May's local and Mayoral elections. In the petition he writes, "I think it’s crazy, particularly during a week when Bite The Ballot are coordinating the National Voter Registration Drive campaign that so many young people aged 16-24 have left school without knowing that they have to be registered on the electoral roll, which then allows us to vote, improve our credit rating, be called for jury service, and become a vote worth winning in the eyes of decision makers." He urges the secretary of state for Education Nicky

Morgan to give citizenship classes the priority they deserve by ensuring they be subject to Ofsted inspection, which they are currently not. Mr Imaﬁdon writes, "If citizenship classes were monitored by Ofsted, headteachers would take the subject more seriously and standards would drastically improve.

“Most importantly, more young people would leave school knowing exactly what it means to be a citizen. They’d know their rights, understand their potential and appreciate how to #TakePower in democracy.” To sign the petition search “change.org + schools need to prepare us for life”

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

The beast delivers a masterclass A fortunate group of aspiring young Nigerian athletes were encouraged to get their “Beast Mode On” by legendary footballer Adebayo ‘the Beast’ Akinfenwa, in Soho on January 31. This was the launch event of a new initiative from Team Nigeria UK to let young diaspora sporting talent learn from the experience of those who have been there and done that. For over an hour Bayo held his young audience rapt as he took them on a whistle-stop tour of his life in the professional game; the professional footballer who was told he was not cut out to be a professional footballer. He has subsequently played in the UEFA league, Champions League, scored the winner in a cup ﬁnal, experienced promotion and starred alongside Ronaldo and Messi in FIFA 15. As he says, “I’m a league two player [with AFC Wimbledon] with a Premiership proﬁle because I’ve managed to use what I’ve got to the best of my ability and beyond.” The young Bayo fell in love with football and was a natural, garlanded with praise during his school boy career. But at 16 the walls came tumbling down when no club came in for him as he

expected. Trials came and went and clubs said that while he had the ability he was “too big”. He is big, hence the nickname; tall at 1.8m, barrel chested, with the arms of a weightlifter, and coming in around 80kg. “Look at my chest, look at my arms, forget I can pick up 180kg, what’s stronger than all of that is your mind. The mind is the most powerful thing you own. It alone will determine if you’re going to persevere through any situation that confronts you.” And Bayo did. Two years followed during which he suﬀered rejection upon rejection while reluctantly forced to pursue a business course by his parents. “I only did that to please them, but listen to this, four years ago I started my sports label BMO using what I learned in college. “I tell you that because at 15 you think you know it all but 16 years later it provides for me and my family. I din’t know then, but now I realise. Listen to your parents and coaches. People that have been there. Listen and go hard. Persevere.” That’s what Bayo did and at 18 he got the call from Lithuania. FK Atlantas wanted to sign him. It was nearly over before it began. In his ﬁrst pre-season

some of team Nigeria uk with bayo

game – played on a Sunday league pitch, with the crowd on the touchline – he was subject to monkey chants and racial abuse and 300 of the clubs’ own fans joined in the chant of “Zigga, zigga, zigga, let’s kill the…” He nearly ﬂed back home but he said, “I wasn’t going to let anyone defeat me.” He ended the season scoring the winner in the equivalent of the FA Cup and became an overnight superstar. Subsequently he has played for a number of British clubs including Swansea and boasts a strike rate of 1 in 3. “You can be anything you want to be,” he concluded. “Go home, write down what that is and then go for it. Go hard. The harder you go in life generally the more things drop for you.” Articulate, warm and witty the

FroNt: adebayo ‘the beast’ akinfenwa, David Doherty & Dele akinfenwa

Beast proved a natural raconteur and delivered a masterclass in what it takes to be a professional sportsman.

Joy for port harcourt Life coach Joy Ogeh-Hutfield will be returning to Nigeria later this month to try to help boost the selfesteem of young people in the country. More than 500 young people are expected to be at the Discover your Purpose Conference in Port Harcourt between February 18 and 21 to listen to the Swansea-based inspirational coach. The conference is billed as a "powerful and empowering event" designed to help young men and women "discover their purpose and bring direction and focus into their lives." “I am delighted to have been invited to Nigeria and the fact that it is a conference aimed at empowering young men and women makes it all the more attractive to me. They need to transform their mind-set so that they can carve a successful future for themselves,” said Ms Ogeh-Hutfield. “This conference is aimed at creating a mindset shift in regarding their approach to life and their future. My role is to give the young people the boost, self-confidence and self-esteem that will bring about better clarity and direction in pursuing their life purpose.” Minabere Kuromieme, organiser of the Nigeria conference, said he specifically organised and requested Joy for this conference, who has just released her new book Purpose Made Easy: 21 Days to Discover your Purpose.

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

Lassa FEvEr outbrEak IN NIgErIa cLaIms 101 LIvEs A growing Lassa Fever (LF) outbreak in Nigeria has killed 101 people, as West Africa battles to contain a ﬂare up of the virus, according to data from the nation’s health authorities released February 6. Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) statistics show that reported cases of the haemorrhagic disease — both conﬁrmed and suspected — stood at 175 with a total of 101 deaths since August. “As at today, 19 (including Abuja) states are currently following up contacts, or have suspected cases with laboratory results pending or laboratory

Lassa Fever (LF) is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus and was first discovered in 1969 in the town of Lassa, in Borno State, Nigeria. Similar to Ebola, which is also haemorrhagic, clinical cases of LF had been known for over a decade, but had not been connected with a viral pathogen. The first reports of LF in Nigeria emerged in November but has now spread to 14 other states, amid a flurry of contradictory information released by State and Federal Governments. The primary animal host of the Lassa virus is the Mastomys rat. The virus is transmitted by contact with the faeces or urine of the rat accessing grain stores. Diagnosis and prompt treatment is essential. Early supportive care with rehydration, coupled with the treating of any symptoms improves survival. About 80% of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms. However, one in five infections result in severe disease.

symptoms of LF General symptoms include: fever, general weakness, malaise, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, cough and

conﬁrmed cases,” the NCDC said in a statement. Deaths from the virus were recorded in the nation’s political capital, Abuja, Lagos, and 14 other states, the NCDC said. While health authorities assure Africa’s most populous country of more than 170 million they have the virus under control, there are fears the actual scale of the outbreak is under-reported. The outbreak of Lassa fever was only announced in January — months after the ﬁrst case of the disease happened in August — with subsequent

deaths reported in 10 states, including Abuja. Last year, 12 people died in Nigeria out of 375 infected, while in 2012 there were 1,723 cases and 112 deaths, according to the NCDC. In neighbouring Benin at least nine people have died in a Lassa outbreak, with a total of 20 suspected cases, health authorities revealed. Benin was last hit by a Lassa fever outbreak in October 2014, when nine people suspected of having the virus died. The number of Lassa fever infections in West

Here Chima Olugh, who is a pharmacist with expertise in both public health and primary care, details the nature of the disease and lessons that need to be learnt by Nigeria’s health authorities. Mr Olugh is also Director of Consult Health Limited, which provides expertise and advisory services in primary care service design.

Laboratory workers are also at risk, so samples taken from humans and animals for investigation should be handled by trained staﬀ and processed in suitably equipped laboratories. On rare occasions, travellers from areas where LF is endemic export the disease to other countries. Although malaria, typhoid fever, and many other tropical infections are much more common, the diagnosis of LF should be considered in febrile patients returning from West Africa, especially if they have had exposures in rural areas or hospitals in countries where LF is known to be endemic.

abdominal pain. In severe cases: facial swelling, ﬂuid in the lungs, bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure may develop. Shock, seizures, tremor, disorientation and coma may be seen in the later stages of the disease. In fatal cases death can usually occur within 14 days of onset. The disease is especially severe late in pregnancy, with maternal death and/or foetal loss occurring in greater than 80% of cases during the third trimester.

transmission Humans usually become infected from exposure to the urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. These rats breed frequently and bear many oﬀspring, increasing the potential for spread of the virus from rats to humans. Lassa virus may also be spread between humans through direct contact with the blood, urine, faeces, or other bodily secretions of a person infected with LF. There is no evidence supporting airborne spread between humans. Person-to-person transmission occurs in both community and health-care settings, where the virus may be spread by contaminated medical equipment, such as re-used needles. Sexual transmission of Lassa virus has also been reported.

Africa every year is between 100,000 to 300,000, with about 5,000 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The case of Nigeria

Persons at greatest risk are those living in rural areas where Mastomys are usually found, especially in communities with poor sanitation or crowded living conditions. Health workers are at risk if caring for LF patients in the absence of proper barrier nursing and infection control practices.

often diﬃcult, especially early in the course of the disease. LF is diﬃcult to distinguish from other viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola virus and many other diseases that cause fever, including malaria, shigellosis, typhoid fever and yellow fever. There is currently no vaccine that protects against LF.

Diagnosis

Prevention and control

Because the symptoms of LF are so varied and nonspeciﬁc, clinical diagnosis is

Prevention of LF relies on promoting good “community hygiene”, to discourage rodents from entering homes. Effective measures include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households and keeping cats. Because Mastomys are so abundant in endemic areas, it is not possible to completely eliminate them from the environment. Family members should always be careful to avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons. In health-care settings, staff should always apply standard infection prevention and control precautions when caring for patients, regardless of their presumed diagnosis.

It’s no secret the Nigerian healthcare system struggles to cope when faced with a pandemic or epidemic of any kind. One would have thought that many lessons were learnt from the Ebola episode. But seemingly not. The current outbreak ﬁrst emerged in 2015 – sometime between August and November – when some strange deaths occurred in a community in Niger State, which left the community confused. This was followed by a period of uncertainty and anxiety, and they reached out to the only rational explanation they could imagine – the supernatural. By the time the public health authorities were informed and a diagnosis of LF was made, the outbreak had spread to many states. Control eﬀorts included a mixture of persuasion to report suspicious cases to health authorities, establishment of task teams, and even an emergency meeting of the National Council of Health. One patient, however, is reported to have “escaped” the hospital where he was being treated. The community was scared; they did not know who to trust. The single most important factor in the control of outbreaks is trust in the health care system by the citizens of a country. A great “Centre for

Disease Control” is worth very little in the context of a public health care system that is largely dysfunctional, which its citizens do not trust. The most likely transmission mechanism for the current LF outbreak is person-to-person. While rats are the likely source of initial infection, it is extremely given the unlikely, geographical distribution of cases, that there is any ongoing zoonotic source of infection. Therefore, to break the chains of transmission of the LF virus, people must trust the health authorities enough to inform them of any signs of illness and not seek alternative sources of relief. Those infected and affected must trust that the healthcare workers’ that they report to will treat them and care for them humanely in the presence of overwhelming historical evidence to the contrary. The Federal and State governments are now responding to the outbreak by enhancing the disease surveillance for early detection, reinforcing treatment of patients, and conducting awareness campaigns among the affected population. Major challenges are the ongoing security risks in the country limiting access to some areas as well as the limited availability of resources to respond to the escalating outbreak. The World Health Organisation (WHO) does not advise or recommend any restrictions on travel or trade with Nigeria, although travellers returning from affected areas who develop symptoms of fever (see above) should seek medical advice. One thing we can all be sure of is that when this outbreak is over, Nigeria will be in a celebratory mode, similar to that witnessed during the Ebola period. My advice would be for the medical authorities to spend a lot of time in reflecting on what went wrong, learning some lessons, and preparing for the next epidemic.

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NEWSWatch

Lammy to investigate race bias across justice system Prime Minister David Cameron has asked long-time civil rights campaigner and Tottenham MP David Lammy to investigate evidence of possible bias in the justice system against black defendants and other ethnic minorities. Announcing the review on January 30 Mr Cameron said, “We need to ask difficult questions about whether the system treats people differently based on race.” He continued, “If you’re black, you’re more likely to be in a prison cell than studying at a top university. And if you’re black, it seems you’re more likely to be sentenced to custody for a crime than if you’re white. We should investigate why this is and how we can end this possible discrimination.” BAME individuals currently make up over a quarter of all prisoners - compared to 14% of the wider population of England and Wales. Latest figures also show that BAME people make up a disproportionate amount of Crown Court defendants (24%), and those who are found guilty are more likely to receive custodial sentences than

white oﬀenders (61% compared to 56%). The review will address issues arising from the point of arrest onwards, including through the court system, in prisons and during rehabilitation in the wider community, in order to identify areas for reform and examples of good practice from the UK and beyond.

Mr Lammy has been asked for recommendations to ultimately reduce the proportion of BAME individuals in the Criminal Justice System and make sure that all suspects and oﬀenders are treated equally, whatever their ethnicity. A barrister by profession Mr Lammy welcomed the review saying, “With over a quarter of the prison population coming from a BAME background the urgency here is clear. “I look forward to leading a team that will evaluate what works in the UK, draw on lessons from abroad and listen to a broad range of voices from the justice system and our BAME communities.” Mr Lammy will be supported by a secretariat from the Ministry of Justice and a panel of expert advisers. They will meet regularly and are expected to submit a ﬁnal report to Ministers by spring 2017. Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Race and Community since 2010 and a former Minister of State, Mr Lammy received cross-party praise for his work on the 2011 London Riots and authored the book “Out of the Ashes: Britain after the Riots in 2011”.

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

sWEEt Day For bIttEr LEaF FarmErs Anambra State has begun to export pumpkin leaves (Ugu) and bitter leaves (Onugbu) to the UK. To reach this milestone, the Federal Quarantine Agency visited Anambra several times to inspect and certify various farms to ensure they are fit for the purpose. The first set of participating farmers have been trained to produce vegetables of high quality without applying fertilisers and other chemicals. The vegetables are therefore classified as 100% organic. This is only the beginning, however, as the state government plans to increase vegetable production exponentially and make Anambra a top vegetable export state.

LoL - emoji’s that represent us A new set of African-themed emojis has been launched on smartphones and tablets. Available to download for free on Android and iOS, the Afro Emoji stickers allow users to express themselves with African characters. Donning afro hair and traditional African items of clothing, including gele headwraps and isiagus, the Afro Emoji stickers can be used with Whatsapp, SMS or iMessage, Facebook, Twitter DM, Skype, Google hangout and BBM. The creators of Afro Emoji, iManagement Consulting said, “We, as Africans, deﬁnitely have a distinctive way of communicating with one another, and Afro Emoji is a fun, graphic depiction of that. We are building a modern African hieroglyph that represents us.” Some of the well known caption sayings include, “Abeg no vex”, “E make brain” and “My Oga at the top”, and users can also invent their own sayings. 50 free Afro Emoji stickers are available with the download and a further 300+ stickers are available for £1.49 as an in-app purchase.

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

Nigerian women honoured On Friday January 29 Patti Boulaye went to Buckingham Palace to receive her OBE for services to entertainment and charity. Soon to be following in her footsteps will be Yemisi Jenkins, President of the Association of British Nigerian Law Enforcement Oﬃcers. Ms Jenkins was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours in recognition of her services to the UK border security and

ensuring wellbeing at work. The prominent community activist will receive her award at the Palace on February 23.

barber launches grooming range for black men Croydon barber Aaron Wallace (right) has launched the very first blackowned grooming brand in the UK specifically tailored to the needs of black men. Born out of his Shear and Shine barbershop, the company has ambitious plans to become the market leader. Mr Wallace, the ambitious entrepreneur behind the brand, determined to launch his own product line after he first opened the door to his barbershop, Shear & Shine, Grooming for the Black Gent,

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in March 2014. “I always felt that black men were overlooked in this area and with male

grooming becoming more and more important, I saw an opportunity to serve my community. “Through Shear and Shine Grooming, I want to provide everyday solutions to grooming problems that I know us men often face” Afro-Caribbean skin and hair is notoriously known for having its own set of common problems that require diﬀerent treatments to its European counterparts. For more information visit www.shearandshinegrooming.co.uk

wages’ study shows education doesn’t pay for black people It doesn't matter how well qualified you are, if you are black in Britain you will be paid substantially less than a similarly qualified white workers. Analysis of pay data by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) suggests that the difference in average pay rates amounts to a gap of 23%. Black graduates earn on average £14.33 an hour, compared with £18.63 earned by white graduates, the TUC says. The average pay gap between black and white workers with Alevels is 14%, and at GCSE level 11%. The TUC's general secretary Frances O'Grady said, "Race still plays a huge role in determining pay. The harsh reality is that at any level of education, black and Asian workers are getting paid less than their white counterparts. The government cannot afford to ignore these figures and must take genuine action to tackle pay discrimination." The Runnymede Trust, a leading race equality think tank, has previously found that pay gaps are not due to the type of university attended, as they even extend to black workers with degrees from the most selective Russell Group of universities. Indeed the TUC's analysis, based on the Labour Force Survey figures from 2014 and 2015, shows the pay gaps are widest for those with higher qualifications.

"This suggests that education alone will do little to address racial inequalities, and the need for interventions that directly challenge racial inequalities in the workplace," the TUC said. The trade union umbrella body is calling on the government to recognise the scale of the problem and to urgently develop a race equality strategy. The research follows a study reported in the Observer that found ethnic minority graduates in Britain were much less likely to be employed than their white peers six months after graduation – and many earned less for years afterwards. The study, by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, found British ethnic minority graduates were between 5% and 15% less likely to be employed than their white British peers six months after graduation. There are also marked disparities in wages between many ethnic minority women and black Caribbean men who ﬁnd jobs after graduation and their white counterparts. At the weekend, the prime minister warned educational institutions, the police, the military and the courts they were the focus of a new eﬀort to tackle social inequality fuelled by “ingrained, institutional and insidious” racism.

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a creative revolution is underway in Nigeria The arts has always played second fiddle to academia in Nigeria but that may be changing judging from the over 150 people who attended the All Party Parliamentary Group on Nigeria on Considering this was the second APPG meeting in as many weeks it clearly shows a piqued interest in the creative industries, which was the topic of debate. The session was held in conjunction with the British Council (BC) and presented the arts in Nigeria in a new light; as the catalyst for challenging dialogue, community regeneration and international collaboration. And, as a key economic driver, with the creative industries sector forecast to double in size by 2019. Ojoma Ochai, Director Arts Nigeria, BC – the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities – gave a brief snapshot of the seismic shift taking place in NIgeria. She started off with the observation that it used to be said in Nigeria, "if you want to hide something put it in a book". But the recently released Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John, published by Casava Press, sold out its first print run. Meanwhile, Fifty, the film made by Brixton based Nigerian Biyi Bandele, opened across Nigeria in 24 cinemas and sold out for over four weeks. There has been a 70% increase in cinematic releases across the country, presaging the arrival of the new Nollywood. Just halfway through the UK/Nigeria season, which the BC launched last August, the

statistics are phenomenal. Forty events have been staged involving 46 partners from Nigeria and the UK, 32,000 people have engaged face-to-

Elnathan John Biyi Bandele

face, 1.6m have tuned in to broadcasts of events, and the hashtag (#ukng) has had over 80m impressions. Meanwhile, global auditing and consultancy ﬁrm PWC in its Entertainments and Media Outlook, said Nigeria's entertainment industries are the fastest expanding major market globally with an annual growth rate of 15% and by 2019 it forecast will be twice as large – meaning it will be contributing around 5% of Nigeria's GDP. 82% of that growth the report said will be fuelled by the Internet. Against this backdrop Ms Ochai said, "Nigeria is clearly open for business already and the next few years presents an opportunity for global

networking and collaboration greater than we can imagine, because the internet breaks down barriers." Marion Wallace, who was the manuscript curator behind the British Library's celebrated West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song, conﬁrmed the growth in literary publishing, observing that “Nigeria is especially fruitful in producing writers". There is now a greater diversity of writers, with more women and ethnicities represented, and a greater breadth of subject matter and genres. Both Hadrian Garrard, Director, Create London, and Nigerian Dele Glasgow Adeyemo, Co-founder and Director, Pidgin Perfect, spoke of delivering community arts projects in Lagos designed to build bridges and show how culture is used to transform communities. Mr Adeyemo, whose organisation has developed a cultural hub called Create Lagos, told the meeting, "There are a lot of good people to engage with in Lagos, form trend analysts, fashion design, video curation, ﬁlm and publishing to name a few." He said the hub was "charting the creative revolution in Lagos as more and more creative spaces emerge where the most urgent and challenging subjects are being discussed". He concluded by saying, "Create Lagos is a state of mind" because more and more people are being drawn to the city from across Nigeria and the world to engage in that conversation. When it comes to the arts, it may well be time for us to think again about their value.

festival of black writing The UK’s first books festival dedicated entirely to writers of colour, Bare Lit, debuts later this month. The event has been launched as a riposte to the ‘white out’ at literary festivals across the UK and the shameful omission of any BAME authors among those to be celebrated on World Book Night. This came in the wake of Spread the Word, a report into diversity in publishing released last April, which found that “an old mono-culture prevails in publishing” and that less than five per cent of writers appearing at the three big literature festivals in the UK were BAME authors. At that point “it seemed imperative to do something”, said Samantha Asumadu, one of the organisers of Bare Lit. Ms Asumadu, founder of Media Diversified, said the current representation of writers of colour at UK festivals was “abysmal”, and accused publishing of “institutional discrimination”.

She added, “That writers of colour are invited only to speak about diversity is a damning indictment of both the publishing industry and literary festivals themselves. By curtailing them in this manner, readers are missing out on the full range and beauty of their work. “If we don’t value writers of colour and they are not seen and heard with their white peers, they are even less likely to get published. I can’t imagine my life without having read Buchi Emecheta and Toni Morrison as a teenager. That future titans of writing may not get their chance to be read widely because of institutional discrimination in publishing is heartbreaking.” The Bare Lit Festival, takes place on Feb 27-28 at The Free Word Centre and The Betsey Trotwood pub in Farringdon, London. For more details visit www.barelitfestival.com

NIGERIAN WATCH 17 Dec 2015 - 15 Jan 2016

OSAMORWatch

The

Kate OSaMOrColumn I will put BAME issues at the heart of policy discussions

In the last month, I was honoured to be promoted to the position of Shadow Junior Minister for Women & Equalities. I am joining a small team led by Kate Green MP, working alongside Cat Smith MP and Baroness Hayter. Having only recently been elected to the House in May 2015 and as a passionate advocate of

BAME women’s rights, I am very excited about this new position. This month, I spoke in my new position at an anti-FGM event in my constituency run by Project ACEI, a community engagement action group founded by Alimatu Dimonekene. The conference aimed to extend support available to local communi-

tImE to boost PartNErshIPs WIth NIgErIa This month, I am excited to have been given the opportunity to visit Nigeria on two delegations, one addressing the issue of UK-Nigeria trade with Africa House and the other addressing the work of the British Council in Nigeria. Both delegations are broad in their scope and as expected, involve packed schedules. The Africa House delegation to Abuja, seeks to promote direct trade for sustainable wealth, explore trade opportunities which span the sectors of education, science and technology, communications and

ties who are currently underrepresented by services, including Nigerian communities in Enfield. In Nigeria, the practice of FGM was outlawed in May 2015 but it is estimated that 19.9 million Nigerians have undergone FGM, representing 16% of the 125 million FGM survivors worldwide. I am particularly excited to use my new platform to bring greater attention to BAME issues; from the higher number of black men diagnosed with severe mental health issues, to the impact of the changes to housing benefit on BAME communities, to the difficulty for black SME’s to access loans. There are many important issues that must be addressed to ensure our community is better represented in parliament policy discussions.

construction. I am looking forward to meeting local businesses, as well as those working in the education sector, as a former member of the Education Select Committee. The British Council delegation to Abuja, Sokoto and Lagos centres around the programmes in social development and the arts that are currently being run by the British Council. As chair of the Nigeria APPG in parliament, we recently held an event hosted by the British Council on the Nigerian Arts. It was a privilege to hear about all the exciting and dynamic projects going on in Lagos and across Nigeria in terms of ﬁlm, literature and arts. Whilst they explore very separate issues, at the heart of both of these delegations is the importance of cooperation and partnership. I am very much looking forward to hearing of the positive exchanges that will be borne out of these visits.

register to vote and make a diﬀerence This month begun with the National Voter Registration Drive, from 1 - 7 February, an annual campaign, working together with thousands of people around the UK to engage, inform and inspire communities to register to vote. We are fortunate to live in a democracy in which everyone is entitled to political engagement through voting for their representative. Voting is a human right, which is sadly denied to too many people across the world and has historically been denied to too many within the UK. To all Nigeria Watch readers in London, the mayoral elections coming up in May 2016 represent a chance for your voice to be heard and your vote to make the diﬀerence. I believe Sadiq Khan offers an alternative for London and would be the best mayor for our city. Like myself, Sadiq is a Londoner through and through; the city helped him, the son of a bus driver and seamstress,

become what he wanted to be. In Sadiq’s own words; “London gave me the opportunities to get from the council estate where I grew up to helping run a business and serving in the Cabinet. Now I want all Londoners to have the same opportunities that our city gave me.”

“We need a mayor that is for everyone and Sadiq is that person” Under the current government, the gap between the richest and the poorest is only widening; and from the rising prices of housing to the rising prices of transport, London is becoming increasingly inaccessible to many of its population. In London the average house price rose 9.8% to £537,000 and schemes like Help to Buy remain out of reach for low and lower-middle bracket earners.

Sadiq’s campaign aims to tackle this inequality head on. It is about creating opportunity for everyone. It is about returning London to its people. Through a commitment to 50% aﬀordable homes target and a ﬁrst dibs for Londoners policy, Sadiq will ensure that the new homes which are being built are going to those who need them, those who are living and working in London. Through freezing TfL fares until 2020, Londoners and those visiting the city won’t have to face hikes in prices. Creating opportunity also means making business a priority. I believe that Sadiq, having run a successful business before being MP, is the most pro-business candidate and will always make business a priority. Sadiq will set up a Business Advisory Board of independent business leaders to shape policy towards business, will support small and tech businesses by protecting start-up spaces and ensuring there is available new industrial workspace to help people establish their own business, and support young people into employment through apprenticeships. And this will be done in a culture that promotes social responsibility; Sadiq will recognise and reward good employers who pay the London Living Wage. We need a mayor that is for business, that is for housing development, and that recognises the importance of these things for every Londoner, not just for the few. We need a mayor that is for everyone, and Sadiq is that person.

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

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News from the

NIGERIA HIGH COMMISSIONLondon

PMB ﬁnds a willing audience in UK diaspora

L-r: National security adviser babagana monguno, minister of Foreign aﬀairs geoﬀrey onyeama, President buhari, acting high commissioner to London simon ogah and special adviser media & Publicity mr Femi adesina

President Muhammadu Buhari GFCR thanked the diaspora for “its sacrifice” when on a whirlwind visit to London last week (Feb 4). But thankful though Nigeria was for the billions sent home in remittances he dampened hopes that diaspora voting would be achieved anytime soon. And he revealed that the crackdown on corruption was paying such dividends it would meet the budget defecit as occasioned by the collapse in oil price. PMB spoke off the cuff for nearly 30 minutes in a speech peppered with humour but packed with details of his administration’s serious intent. The President was in London for the European Union’s plenary session on security and rising terror threat. Despite having been in meetings all day, with more scheduled for the remainder of his short visit, he made time to address 200 invited members of the diaspora,

including among many notables the Lord Lieutenant of London Ken Olisa, Pastor Nims and Kate Osamor MP. Introducing the President Nigeria’s acting high commissioner to the UK Simon Ogah said, “I warmly welcome you on behalf of the staﬀ at the Nigeria High Commission and all Nigerians in the UK. I want to convey our gratitude for being gracious enough to take time out of your hectic schedule to come here this evening.” In a change to the published schedule, it was determined that instead of their being a Presidential address followed by interactive session, the three elected representatives of the UK Nigerian diaspora – Babatunde Loye, chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK), Dr Paul Eke, chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation North (NidoN) and Henrietta Abraham (NidoS) – would speak ﬁrst and PMB

would respond. The change was necessitated by time constraints and PMB’s expressed desire to address the concerns they raised rather than make a formal speech. All spoke of the need for greater engagement with the diaspora.

caNuk caLLs For votE commIttEE Mr Loye led the charge raising the issue of diaspora voting and calling for the establishment of a technical committee, replete with diaspora representation, to deliver such. “I kindly appeal to Mr President

to revisit the issue of the Diaspora’s voting Right in Nigeria, with the necessary political will and weight, to ensure this becomes a reality and essentially your legacy for all

Nigerians in the Diaspora. If Nigeria’s second source of income generation after oil is our remittances” – which he said between 2011 to June 2014,

ARE YOU LOOKING TO REGULARISE YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THE UK? If yes we can help you. 1. Do you have a child who is a British citizen? If yes we can help you settle in the United Kingdom. 2. Do you have a child born in the UK who has lived here continuously for 7 years. If yes we can help you settle in the United Kingdom. 3. Do you have a child born in the UK who has lived in the United Kingdom continuously for 10 years. If yes your child is eligible for registration as a British citizen and you will also be eligible to apply for settlement 4. Have you lived in the UK continuously for 20 years? If yes we may be able to help you 5. Are you under the age of 25 years old and have you lived in the United Kingdom half your life. If yes you are entitled to settlement in the United Kingdom. 6. Have you been refused leave to remain in

the United Kingdom, We can help you with your appeal 7 . Has your entry clearance application refused, we can help you with your appeal 8. Has your application for further leave to remain in the United Kingdom refused without a right of appeal. There have been changes in the Home Office policy on 20th October 2014. 9. Do you want to bring your wife or your child to join you in the UK? If yes we can help you 10. Are you currently detained and facing removal or deportation? If yes we may be able to help 11. If you are a businessman and want to invest a minimum of £200,000.00 (two hundred thousand pounds) in the UK, we can help you and your family to settle in the UK

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amounted to about $63.billion (N10.35 trillion), far more than the 2016 budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of N6.08 Trillion – “then we deserve what other Nigerians are getting irrespective of our location. “To this end, I would like to encourage the Federal Government to set up a Technical Committee made up of Representatives of CANUK and the government to help fashion out a working document for meaningful engagement with Nigerians here in the UK. CANUK under the High Commission is better placed as the only body amongst other diaspora organisations in the world to be much more organised and cohesive.” He also cheekily invited the President to the 2016 CANUK Christmas party, while also taking him to task regarding a request to pay a courtesy call to the villa in Abuja. “Mr. President Sir, May I informally request your presence at the December 2016, CANUK Annual Award Night to reward excellence. And request that a date be ﬁxed when we can pay His Excellency a courtesy visit in Abuja, as we submitted this request in August of 2015 and awaiting a formal response.”

Of the two million strong Nigerian diaspora in the UK she said, “Imagine what could be accomplished if this was harnessed and became a brain gain and resource gain for Nigeria. Many are ready to put their shoulder to the plough to contribute to the development of Nigeria but this can only be accomplished with a strategic, structured and coordinated approach to harnessing this potential. There is a need for creating an enabling environment for Nigerians to invest or establish in Nigeria. Many businesses doing well

thE PrEsIDENt’s rEsPoNsE During the representations of the diaspora’s community leaders PMB had studiously listened and made notes. When he took his place at the podium he lost little time in addressing them. He described remittances as “one of our great resources, a great help to the country. I thank you for your sacriﬁce.” He suggested this gave the diaspora inﬂuence; use your remittances to your constituency (family, friends, workmates, former classmates) to encourage them to President buhari making his address

NIDo N&s oFFEr suPPort Dr Eke said Nido North had the expertise “ready willing and able” to return home to revolutionise the oil and gas industry and, despite the current collapse in price, put it on a stable and profitable footing. “In Scotland we Nigerians have developed the human capital in the oil and gas industry that we would like to use to support your administration. Nigeria needs experts to make the industry profitable and we have the human capital and technical expertise to do this. We are offering your administration this human capital. We are ready to come home to support your administration.” Finally, Ms Abraham thanked PMB for taking time out to listen and speak to the diaspora, saying it “demonstrates your commitment to Nigeria and Nigerians in diaspora”. She continued, “Nigeria stands at a pivotal stage in its development. Many will see it as a challenge, we see it as an opportunity for Nigeria to leverage itself to become one of Africa’s strongest nations. I’m really thankful for your anti-corruption stance and desire and efforts to create good governance.” Like the previous speakers she emphasised the potential of the diaspora, which she called a formidable group that “can be harnessed in the development of Nigeria”. She highlighted how other nations, such as China, the Philippines, Kenya and the UK are leveraging on the skills and opportunities offered by diaspora nations. “Nigeria ought to consider seriously the opportunities the diaspora can bring to the nation because the nation is doing a lot and we would like to support your efforts in accomplishing the goal you have for Nigeria.”

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

L to R; Babatude Loye, Dr Paul Eke and Henrietta Abraham

here want to go back home. It is important to create an enabling environment for them. Indeed, the UK government at a round table highlighted this issue of utilising this potential because diasporas are committed to their countries and the Nigerian diaspora in the UK is committed to Nigeria and want to see it succeed. “We want to contribute not just to good governance but the

“I wonder why me? Why didn’t I come to oﬃce when oil was $140 a barrel and not $30” development, social responsibility, investment and other areas. We can do it with your support. We’re behind you. We pray that you succeed. Nido North and South stand together to facilitate and ensure that the diaspora help to accomplish this.”

support your preferred candidate. But the President said there was no causal relationship between the level of remittances and the desire among the diaspora for voting rights, because it was a bureaucratically complex issue to resolve. “This issue - DVR - has been coming up wherever I have been from Kenya to America to Johannesburg, all the countries I have visited since I was sworn in. We’re critically looking at the system itself. But we must make sure the election process is credible.” He compared his election to that of Prime Minister David Cameron in May 2015 to show how difficult it would be to deliver DVR quickly. “I met with the PM. He too had just been elected. I told him, you’re process is too boring; no house was burnt, no car was burnt, no one was shot. People could even sit at home or in their office, post in their vote and it would count!” In Nigeria it was different. He detailed events leading to the postponement of the election in Nigeria and the role played by

America, Europe and Britain in ensuring it went ahead. “US Secretary of State John Kerry read the riot act to the previous government. He spoke with Professor Jega (then Chairman of INEC) and us, the opposition, saying they would not accept an election outside the Nigerian constitution and they maintained the pressure. It was the same for Britain, who used all their experience and powers as well. We thank God, the super powers and technology for allowing this to happen.” The technology, which he admitted people were not allowed to use in some parts of the country, had been an “overall success” in delivering a free and fair election. He concluded on this issue saying, “ Friends of Nigeria believe Nigerians are too aggressive for someone to come from overseas and tell them what to do. Instead they recognise they need to embrace them and tell them what they are losing, so you better understand because you can’t claim the certainly sophistication you want to represent, that you are civilised, you are decent, that you want to be democratic, if you don’t.” On the issue of the collapse in oil price he said “You know we’re really in trouble” and also coined the phrase “why me?” “I wonder why me? Why didn’t I come to office when oil was $140 per barrel. Why did I come to office when it’s down to $30,” he said. But he revealed the issue facing Nigeria was not so much a lack of expertise in the oil and gas industry but corruption, which has bedevilled Nigeria. He cited two examples. On assuming office he had discovered the NLPC, which oversees pensions, had 45 separate bank accounts, the military services more than 70. So his administration had introduced the treasury singular account – which had been devised by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan but had been frustrated by “the democratic bureaucracy for whom it was unpopular”. “We have imposed TSA,” he said, adding that by doing so, “By the end of December we had mopped up more than N2.3trn. With what we’re getting we believe we will end up without any defecit. This is only money misapplied for weapons. We haven’t started on the National Petroleum Company. But we are determined to recover as much as possible the money misappropriated by unpatriotic Nigerians.” It would take time he warned. “I spoke with British experts, who had been sent to help with training and systems, and told them when I was in the same seat in another form - a uniform - if I saw corrupt people we collected them up and put them in protective custody, and I told them they were guilty until they could prove they were innocent. “But now it’s a different system and I need their co-operation because it is their system I have borrowed, and when I see someone driving a Rolls Royce, having fantastic house in Abuja and riding

around in private jets they are all innocent until I can prove them guilty. “I’ve given just the tip of the iceberg of the problem we inherited and that is why we are going so hard because we have no other way if we are to hold everyone accountable.” The audience roared its approval. Another facet of the clampdown on corruption would see budget allocation transformed. From this year departments would receive zero, the President said. “They will have to come to us and detail the number of capital projects

“What you can do for us is encourage education – that is the solution” they have and they will have to justify what they need and the government will give what it can towards what it needs,” he said. He said the looting of the military budget had probably cost the PDP power. “If that money had been used to buy the correct weapons to fight Boko Haram, the probability is Boko Haram would have been eliminated and the PDP would have won the election. But because they failed to secure the country they lost control.” Lack of security had far wider reaching consequences he said, diverting money earmarked for infrastructure development into security. “Money for infrastructure – power first, roads, rail – has been misappropriated,” he said. “The money that should go quickly towards that and help industry stabilise, to enable people to produce the goods and services that will give the money to buy the weapons, increase the number of soldiers and police, and pay them more for being in the field, has been diverted for security.” That’s why Nigeria faces a chronic unemployment problem. More than 60% of the population is under 35 and most, whether they have been to school or not, are unemployed. “Agriculture, solid minerals and education are the answer,” the President said. “So we are going to do that very quickly.” He concluded by saying, “There are 170m Nigerian people, exposed to climate change, illiteracy and poverty. What you can do for us is to encourage education, that is the solution. For people who have received education there is a level of situation, negative situation, that they will accept before they will organise and create ways to get out of it themselves. “But when you sentence them to illiteracy it exposes them to religious and tribal sentiments and you find your attention is distracted dealing with riots and immediate problems, and rather than focus on bringing Nigeria into the 21st century you remain mired in the 16th.”

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

YOURWatch

Letters to the Editor Let us know what you think. Put pen to paper and send your letters to: The Editor, Nigerian Watch, chartwell house, 292 hale Lane, Edgware, middlesex ha8 8NP, or email us at: editor@nigerianwatch.com Letters to be included in the next issue must be received by no later than Feb 23, 2016. anonymous letters will not be published. Please include your full name, postal address and contact telephone number. Names and addresses can be withheld, if preferred. Letters may be edited for publication.

Super Ministers, Supernova, Brahe, Buhari and Bakare There are interesting developments between Denmark and Nigeria, one of them being linked to the TB. Wondering what TB stands for? Well, wonder no more, for it stands for Tycho Brahe and also Tunde Bakare. Brahe was an astronomer and Bakare is a pastor. Tycho Brahe was a rich Danish man. He studied Law. Tunde Bakare is a rich Nigerian man. He also studied Law. Tycho Brahe’s mother belonged to an important family of leading churchmen and politicians. Tunde Bakare is a leading churchman and politician. Tycho Brahe is associated with SN1572 (Supernova) which he discovered on November 11, 1572 – his most famous discovery as an astronomer. Tunde Bakare was the Convener of SNG (Save Nigeria Group). He was born on November 11, 1954. Tycho Brahe is reputed for his accuracy of observation and Tunde Bakare, the accuracy of predictions.

Brahe was born December 14, 1546, and Muhammad Buhari December 17, 1942. Interestingly, Nigerian President Buhari, who once had Bakare as his vice presidential running mate, swore in his “super ministers” on November 11, 2015, the anniversary of Brahe’s discovery of a Supernova. Like Denmark Buhari is ushering in for the ﬁrst time in Nigeria a welfare state. Denmark has been voted the best place in the world to live and Nigeria not exactly the best, yet. Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth, London, England, via email

Register to Vote I noticed in your last issue that there were a lot of articles on diversity and discrimination; a lack of recognition of black talent in music, on our TV screens, less opportunities in attending university, applying for jobs and even lower pay.

Whilst some establishments mentioned such as the BBC, Channel 4, Penguin books, The Bank of England and The Race Equality Charter are attempting to address this, it’s not enough. I can’t help but feel with the upcoming

elections that this underlines the importance of people being registered to vote. If we’re not on the electoral roll we can’t vote and again we won’t be heard. Kemi Adebowale, Edgware, London, via email

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

NEWSWatch

Pastor and Dr go to the top of the world to make a difference

basE camP (L-r): Dr coker and Pastor Irukwu

At a special service at Jesus House on February 7 Pastor Irukwu and Dr Tomi Coker were celebrated for completing one of the ultimate tests of human endurance – scaling Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The pair undertook the gruelling challenge as part of a fundraising effort to contribute to the global health work of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), to improve the care of women in low-income countries. On the 5,896m (19,341ft) climb the pair were part of a team that included 50 obstetricians and gynaecologists. It took five days to complete, setting out on January 23 and reaching the summit on the 28th. At an earlier service Pastor Irukwu told the congregation, “We should all have the desire to make a difference in the lives of

the less privileged, disadvantaged and marginalised. It is what God expects of us. For those who have the grace, embark on physical challenges and raise money for such good causes along the way. She continued, “I would like to borrow the Nike slogan and say, ‘Just Do It’. Preparation is key, so ensure you do that properly. God will strengthen and make a way for you to accomplish what He has laid on your heart to do for His glory.” Of the climb itself, Pastor Irukwu said, “It was deﬁnitely the most challenging task we have undertaken but it was an unforgettable experience and the pain and physical exertion were well worth it. The views throughout the seven-day trek were breathtaking and Kilimanjaro’s summit was awe-inspiring.” To support the RCOG fundraising eﬀort visit: www.justgiving.com/sola-irukwu1

at thE summIt (L-r):Pastor Irukwu and Dr coker

family condemn laptop killers who azImo rEWarDED For rEmIttaNcE INNovatIoN “laughed” when cleared of murder Azimo, the digital money transfer service, has been named the best low cost remittance service at Africa’s sixth annual Kalahari Awards. The London-based company received the award at the Remittance & Mobile Money Expo in Lagos on Feb 3, for demonstrating superior innovation and for its significant contribution to making access to financial services more affordable and available to people living in Africa and beyond. “Azimo’s entry was outstanding as a leading innovator, providing low cost remittances to Africa with a positive impact on the remittance ecosystem. We are proud of their achievements in bringing low cost remittances to the continent and we hope the award will spur them to greater heights in 2016 and beyond,” said Emmanuel Okoegwale,Principal Associate, Mobile Money Africa. Africa is one of the largest recipients of remittance in the world, with at least $40bn flowing to the region every year. Over the past six months, Azimo has grown over 300% in transactions sent to the region with the majority of them now coming from mobile devices. Commenting on receiving the award, Michael Kent, CEO and founder of Azimo said, “Remittance flows have more of an impact on economic stability than foreign aid, yet high transactions fees still plague hard working migrants, especially from Africa, looking to support their families, friends and businesses back home. We are on mission to make this broken industry better. Being selected for this award is testament to that mission, our growth and the hardworking Azimo team that puts our customers at the heart of everything we do.” The company is currently offering zero-fee transactions to Nigeria with real-time funds delivery.

The family of a teaching assistant stabbed to death after he was ambushed by Gumtree robbers told of their heartbreak at “injustice” as three men were cleared of his murder on February 4. University graduate Michael Adegbite (right), 28, had advertised his MacBook for sale on the online marketplace but when he met the “buyers” one pulled out a knife. He and his friend Mohammed Umer fought oﬀ the teenagers and snatched back the computer. The Old Bailey was told Mr Adegbite later followed the trio who had attacked him to try to identify them, armed with an iron bar for protection. The talented football coach was stabbed through the heart in the ensuing confrontation in Lackmore Road, Enﬁeld, last July, and bled to death in the street. Isaac Owen-Brady and Christopher Nzeh, both 18, and Montel Ajayi, 19, whooped and congratulated each other in the dock after being cleared of murder. The three had admitted conspiracy to rob and Nzeh, who stabbed Mr Adgebite, was convicted of manslaughter. The court heard they had a history of Gumtree robberies. In a statement released on February 5,

the victim’s mother, father and brother said, “We feel let down, it is an injustice. Throughout this his attackers have shown nothing but blatant disrespect. “They laughed throughout the trial, after the verdict. They have shown no remorse. They should have some feeling for their victim and his family. They had robbed people before. Now they will probably come out of prison quickly and do it again. There is no moral compass.” Mr Adegbite, of Chingford, was a talented footballer who had trials for Wolverhampton Wanderers. He became a ﬁtness instructor at Leyton Leisure Centre and was praised as a role model during his time as a coach of youth team Eastside United FC in Hackney, and in his job as a teaching assistant at Heathcote

School in Chingford. He graduated from University of East London and had been signed up by a number of modelling agencies. His family said, “Michael was an amazing guy. He was a model, a personal trainer. He was looking to build his own football brand. Things were going great for him and it was all taken away. “They took a knife with them. They were willing to commit violence. What Michael did was a normal response, to want to go after them and try to identify them so they could be caught. “They robbed him of his life. The verdict has come as a huge shock. We hope the judge will find some justice when they are sentenced.” Giving evidence in court, Phillip Omotoshi, who Mr Adegbite asked to help track down the robbers, said his friend was a “peaceful and fun-loving man” but had “felt violated” by the crime against him. The robbers were arrested after their fingerprints were found on the laptop and Mr Adegbite’s car window. Ajayi, of Waltham Cross, Owen-Brady, of Enfield, and Nzeh, of Hitchin, had all denied murder. Owen-Brady was also convicted of possessing a folding knife. They will be sentenced at a later date.

nigerians among the most romantic on valentine’s day New data released by money transfer service, WorldRemit, shows Nigerian’s are among the most romantic when it comes to marking Valentine’s Day. According to the global statistics, Nigerians (as well as Cameroonians, Bangladeshis and Ugandans) are most likely to make a long distance call to

loved ones on Valentine’s Day, sending 21% more airtime transfers on Valentine’s Day compared to an average day in February. Nigerians are also one of the top ﬁve most generous lovers - sending an average of £24 more in money transfers to their loved ones for Valentine’s Day.

They follow South Africans, who sent an average of £93 more in money transfers to their loved ones for Valentine’s Day last year compared to spending patterns the following week, as well as India and Indonesia, who sent £50 and £46 more in money transfers respectively. The WorldRemit app lets people send

money or airtime straight from their smartphone, instead of having to travel to a money transfer agent. Those receiving money can collect the funds as Mobile Money, bank transfer, for cash pickup or as a mobile airtime top-up. WorldRemit’s service is available to senders in 50 countries. It oﬀers trans-

fers to more than 125 destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. WorldRemit customers send 400,000 transfers every money. Data based on an internal analysis of WorldRemit’s top 15 recipient countries in the months of Jan-Feb, 2015. www.worldremit.com

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LEISUREWatch

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

FashionWATCH

deLe sosimi at Kings Palace - see music listings on page 18

By OBAH IyAMU

There is a sure way of injecting new life into your closets - taking notes from our fortnightly updates! Prepare to step up your winter game with simple pursefriendly tweaks. Fur coLLars This dashing take on the regular neck scarf is the new cult accessory. Take a bold move and pick up a fur scarf from the high street and give your wardrobe a big boost. Wear on your shoulder over a wool coat, or wrap stylishly around your neck to keep you warm and also to keep you in the style game. From princesses to mere mortals alike this trend is sure to be the layering piece of the season. Clash with monochrome nudes and blacks to give that wow factor. A stripy fur sash is my everyday outﬁt punch.

maXI jumPErs The fashion people have spoken: “what you really need now to snap the cold is oversized jumpers”. They are wearing it with thigh-high boots and pairing with the unexpected, Maxiskirts! The style geniuses have come with the jumper game and we are deﬁnitely here to play, and playing safe is out of the question. Jumpers stopping anywhere between the knees to ankles are a major hit. Make it a double act with longer length skirts and jeans, or wear with converse-style sneakers to keep it super causal. I am loving the baggy jumper look.

WoNDEr.LaND

an acclaimed performance by Lois chimimba as aly, in Damon albarn and moira buﬃni’s musical about a teenage girl tormented by bullies at school, who discovers Wonder.land online. Ongoing until 30 April, National Theatre, Upper Ground, Southbank SE1 www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

thEatrE The rolling stone Dembe and Sam have been seeing each other for a while, but they’re gay and this is Uganda. The consequences of their relationship being discovered will be explosive especially for Dembe, whose brother goes into the pulpit each week to denounce the evils of mutual male love. Ongoing until 20 Feb,

Matinees Thurs & Sat 2.30pm, evenings 7.30pm. From £20. Orange Tree Theatre, 1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk

stage. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?

red velvet

Ongoing until 27 Feb, 7.30pm evening performances, 2.30pm Wed & Sat matinees. Tickets from £35. Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road WC2H www.branaghtheatre.com

Set in the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1833, a young black American actor has been asked to take over the lead role in Othello after the original actor collapses on

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

LEISUREWatch

Fortnight

What to sEE aND Do ovEr thE NEXt The vagina monologues

Lgbt hIstory moNth 2016

12 ladies of all diﬀerent ages and ethnicities are joining forces as volunteers to be part of an upcoming beneﬁt production of the Vagina Monologues. All the proceeds will be going to a small London charity, ‘nia’, based in Hackney, who work towards preventing violence against women & girls.

With a view to celebrate BAME art and culture; a showcase of the great and the good of Black Queer Cinema, including: The Color Purple, originally released 30 years ago, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg; The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the “New Negro Movement”, set in the 1920s; Brother to Brother explores the parallels of what it was to be Black and Gay in the early 20th century with what it is to be a Gay Black Man today. Call Me Kuchu, (left) spotlights David Kato Uganda’s LGBT great hope, a ﬁlm about the birth of a movement, with a post screening discussion about the ongoing struggle for recognition of Queer people in Africa and the solutions to tackle continued persecution with activists such a Apata Ronnie, and Podcaster Mike Daemon, who will be recording the discussion for his show live from Nigeria. Ongoing until 28 Feb. Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Town Hall Approach Road, Tottenham Green N15 For dates, times and tickets prices visit; www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk

19-21 Feb, 7.30pm. Tickets £12. The Proud Archivist - 2-10 Hertford Road N1 www.theproudarchivist.co.uk

FILm concussion

Screening by the ICSN Film club of the true life story of Igbo pioneer Dr Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith, who discovered a brain disorder aﬀecting athletes playing American Football. 12 Feb, check website for time. O2 Cineworld, Greenwich,

14 Days...

Penninsula Square SE10 www.icsn.co.uk

sPokEN WorD Wole soyinka at the british Library

comEDy basketmouth valentines uk tour 2016

Wole Soyinka will be in conversation with Olusola Oyeleye.

Basketmouth in Concert with Olamide; Lil Kesh, Adekunle Gold: YBNL. And comedians including: Okey Bakassi; Buchi; Salvador; Funnybone; Acapella and Bowjoint in aid of African Arts and AfroCarribean Societies at UK universities.

15 Feb, 6.30pm - 8pm. Tickets £12. British Library, 96 Euston Rd NW1 www.bl.uk

14 Feb, 11pm. Tickets from £25 Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street W6 www.cokobar.com

out-spoken Regular monthly showcase of leading poets, rappers, and musicians. 23 Feb, 7pm. Tickets £8. The Forge, 3-7 Delancey St NW1 www.forgevenue.org

Fairytales For grown ups: telling The blues

Jan Blake, and blues guitarist, Matt Chandler, tell the blues. 24 Feb, 7.30pm. Tickets £10. The Forge, 3-7 Delancey St NW1 www.forgevenue.org

bare Lit Festival The ﬁrst literary festival focused entirely on writers of colour in the UK, with a

lineup of established and new international authors participating over two days, in two venues, including novelist Xiaolu Guo, poet Jane Yeh, London’s Young Poet Laureate Selina Nwulu (pictured right), journalist and ﬁction author Robin Yassin-Kassab, and many more. 26-27 Feb, see website for details of dates and times and how to book. Free Word Centre ,60 Farringdon Rd EC1 and Betsey Trotwood Pub, 56 Farringdon Rd EC1 barelit.squarespace.com

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

LEISUREWatch

musIc Dele sosimi

BEHIND

Nigerian Afrobeat superstar Dele Sosimi performs in a world-class acoustic setting.

THE SCENES

19 Feb, 8pm. From £9.50 Kings Place, 90 York Way N1 www.kingsplace.co.uk

with Lace Mamen

La bomba De tiempo Legendary 16-piece percussion phenomenon from Buenos Aires.

uncle rafool time!

toP uk aFrobEat aND urbaN PraNkstar uNcLE raFooL DroPs hIs FIrst vIDEo ‘WashErE omo Ft oLuWa shImzIE’ thIs moNth. bts boys Was at thE scENE!

19 Feb, 7pm. Tickets £12 The Forge, 3-7 Delancey St NW1 www.forgevenue.org

soukous vs hip hop – congo meet sierra Leone Kasai Masai from London (right), mix the traditional sound of the equatorial African village with a distinctive urban edge. The band’s fast-paced style of Soukous and African Rumba is impossible to stay still to. Meanwhile, Alim Kamara rocks crowds with energy and thought provoking lyrics that safely carry you through a roller coaster of emotions. 27 and 28 Feb, 8pm. Tickets £9.36 Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road E1 www.richmix.org.uk

EXhIbItIoNs a New home

A mixed media exhibition showing works by members of the East London Printmakers print studio and guest artists. The theme is ‘belonging’, and it explores issues around identity, migration and a sense of home. Ongoing until 23 Feb, 12 noon 6pm. FREE The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park, Clinton Road E3 www.eastlondonprintmakers. co.uk

I am The greatest: muhammad ali at The o2 Exploring Muhammad Ali’s incredible rise from humble beginnings in Kentucky, where he was known as The Louisville Lip, to becoming the three times heavyweight

champion of the World. 4 Mar - 31 Aug, Mon-Fri: 10am – 4pm, Sat-Sun: 10 am 5.30pm. Tickets from £18. The O2, Peninsula Square SE10 www.theo2.co.uk

othEr valentine’s night and relaunch of Naija style magazine Nigerian buﬀet, live band, dancers, cultural performances and a promise that everybody goes home with a present… 13 Feb, 6pm tip late. Advance tickets £20 Haringey Irish Centre Tottenham Page, Pretoria Road N17 www.naijastyle.global

IcsN valentines general house meeting Monthly social meeting, with Igbo proverbs about relationships/marriage as well as Igbo love messages/chat up lines and Blind Date, love box, as it’s Valentines. 21 Feb, 6pm-9pm. £5 entry. Free for members Score Centre, 100 Oliver Road E10 www.icsn.co.uk

L-o-v-E: a Fundraising Party for amurt Nigeria

rich mix youth takeover Festival 2016

With Dj Ripla on the decks, playing all your favourite Afrobeats, garage, hip hop, rap, trap music and old skool classics and a variety of L-O-V-E games to get everyone mingling and interacting…

Five days of free and low cost arts workshops, industry professional masterclasses and gigs during February half-term.

27 Feb, 10pm-4am. Advance tickets £10. Festac Bar, 148 Holloway Road N7 www.icsn.co.uk

15-20 Feb, times vary, FREE booking essential for some activities, see website for details. Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road E1 www.richmix.org.uk

african-caribbean health Day Raising awareness of preventable diseases in the African-Caribbean community, speakers include Levi Roots, Dr Adeola Olaitan and Leye Ajayi discussing issues such as Weight, Blood pressure, Cervical and Prostate Cancer. 20 Feb, 9.30 - 4.30. Tickets £13.49 Royal College of Nurses (RCN), 20 Cavendish Square W1G http://black action4 health.com

If you are in the game, afrobeat or main stream urban, you will know of the craziest prankster of them all right now, uncle rafool. “I almost been punched, kicked and slapped by superstars on my own show. If you don’t believe me just type uncle rafool on youtube,” he says. This Nigerian british prankster has got everybody tripping, Paigey cakey, may7ven, msbanks, moelogo, timbo stP etc. uncle rafool is a “ProbLEm”. rafool tells bts at his own video shoot for ‘Washere omo’ that he is generally cool and just being truthful – “all their music suck and I don’t want to lie to them!” “my chaNNEL Is to comPLImENt thE WomaN’s ‘Washere omo’ is his first single EFFort IN EvEryWay, ENsurE a smooth ruNNINg ft. oluwa shimzie. shimzie is all oF thE homE,” kolawole ajayi ceo Nigerian cuisine music with hits like ‘come show When you’re travme’, ‘carolina’ and ‘hustle’. elling abroad, you shimzie says he and rafool are will not know how doing a joint project, which should much you will miss be out around summer. check out your Nigerian Food. pictures of bts boys with the cast The longer you stay and crew from Washere omo. The abroad, the more record sounds dope and all the you know you just beautiful stuff was handled by the can’t live without it. edgy boss media. Let go! you are not alone there; Nigerian cuisine has over 57 Nigerian dishes online and over 25,000 subscribers from The usa to uk and Europe. Now you know bts boys have to catch up with a guy like this. myself and mr ajayi chopped it up at a cool spot in the o2 arena and yes my own dish appointment was booked. kola told me he started cooking Nigerian dishes and having friends around as a hobby, they were impressed and kept coming often. he decided to put it online without knowing how successful it will be. behold today NIgErIaN cuIsINE helps facilitate foreign marriages, helps the woman and the family work, helps men treat the Women well, and helps the kids at universities cook these dishes themselves and stay off the microwave culture. These are just a few advantages people have told kola about his channel, Nigerian cuisine. Watch the full interview showing at 10.30 p.m on ben tv sky channel 182, and on www.btsbehindthescenes.com. Nigerian cuisine is sponsoring the food feast in London on april 30 with afrobeats Dj starzy, it’s an all african fire and grill face-off. tickets start from £5.00. Don’t miss the face off, don’t miss the show.

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

EDUCATIONWatch

Why we should value migrant students The refugee crisis has seen schools in many countries having to accommodate new arrivals. but the oEcD's education director, andreas schleicher, says the evidence of international tests suggests migrants are likely to be an asset to their new schools Immigrant children are often highly motivated and have ambitious parents. And these clever, hungry-to-learn youngsters often achieve higher results than the rest of their classmates.

social background, these highachieving immigrant teenagers were almost a school year ahead. This doesn't only happen in the United States. In 13 out of the 37 countries with comparable data, including the United Kingdom, the In 1954, the United States opened top 10% of immigrants were at least its borders to an immigrant from 10 points ahead of their nonimmigrant counterparts Syria. His son, Steve in Pisa tests, after Jobs, became one of the accounting for social most creative background. entrepreneurs, These highly revolutionising motivated students, industries from managing to overcome personal computers the double disadvantage through animated of poverty and an movies and music to immigrant background, mobile phones and have the potential to digital publishing. make exceptional In the current Andreas Schleicher contributions to their refugee crisis that might look like a fairy-tale, but it is not that host countries. On average across all countries, implausible. While immigrant youngsters top performing immigrants and might face cultural, social and non-immigrants reached similar economic disadvantages, the top levels of performance on the Pisa 10% of 15-year-old students with an mathematics test. Many immigrants, after the immigrant background in the United States did just as well as the top 10% sacriﬁces of migrating, seem without an immigrant background, determined to make the most of any as measured by the international Pisa opportunity that arises. Their children also seem ready to tests. In fact, when accounting for take on an academic challenge.

Alongside the Pisa tests are questions about students' willingness to try to solve more complex problems. Firstgeneration immigrants, including in the UK, are more likely than average to want to stretch themselves and try to answer more diﬃcult problems. The OECD's research shows that immigrant students - and their parents - hold an ambition to succeed that in most cases matches, and in some cases surpasses, the aspirations of families in their host country. For example, parents of immigrant students in Belgium, Germany and Hungary are more likely to expect that their children will go to university and get a degree than parents of students without an immigrant background. What makes this so remarkable is that these immigrant families are likely to be poorer than their nonmigrant neighbours and their children are likely to do less well in school. But nonetheless their parents still hold higher expectations for them. The gap in parental expectation grows even wider when it's a comparison between newly-arrived poor migrants and local deprived families.

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In Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong and Hungary, the parents of immigrant students hold much higher educational expectations for their children than the parents of similarly disadvantaged nonimmigrant students. The migrant students seem to be more determined. Comparing students of similar ability, the immigrant teenagers were often the ones with more ambitious career expectations. Such confidence can pay off. Students who hold ambitious, yet realistic expectations about their educational prospects are likely to work harder and make better use of the education opportunities available to them. Nonetheless many children from immigrant backgrounds face enormous challenges at school. They need to adjust quickly to different academic expectations, learn in a new language, forge a social identity that incorporates both their background and their adopted country - while often under conflicting pressures from family and peers. These difficulties in integrating into a new society are magnified when immigrants are segregated into

poor neighbourhoods and into struggling schools. So it's no surprise that Pisa test results have shown students with an immigrant background falling behind nonimmigrant students. However, this average performance gap should not mask the finding that many immigrant students overcome these obstacles and excel academically. They succeed in school and it's a testament to the great drive, motivation and openness that they and their families possess. There is also nothing inevitable about immigrant students doing less well, as the evidence of Pisa tests shows they can achieve very different results in different countries. The crunch point isn't the point of entry for migrant students, but what happens afterwards. It depends on whether schools are ready and able to help such migrants succeed and reduce the disadvantages that will face them. The world might seem to be becoming an increasingly complex and uncertain place, but some immigrant students are an inspiration for how societies can become more cohesive and resilient.

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

EDUCATIONWatch

thE INtErNatIoNaL stuDENts’ FaIr

UK University Fair 2016

sI-uk Education council host the uk university Fair 2016, the largest university fair in the uk The UK University Fair is the largest UK education fair designed only for international students applying to UK universities. Through its regular editions in London, SIUK provide a unique platform for international and EU students to meet and gain information from over 100 universities, colleges and language schools in one location. Our expert team of international consultants and university specialists can help you make the right choices on the day. The UK University Fair is the Number One university fair for international students applying to UK universities. In addition to meeting over 100 universities, there are a number of other activities on the day to make your visit as productive as possible: Seminars and presentations on Oxbridge applications; UCAS and visa requirement tutorials, with experts discussing in detail how

to apply and what to include in your application; plus the requirements needed for a successful stay at a UK university. Top 10 UK universities Warwick, Exeter and Surrey will be attending the next UK University Fair. Over 100 international scholarships are also available, while students who make an impression with the universities can also expect on the spot oﬀers – just don’t forget your supporting documents! Tier 4 student visa and student visitor visa advice will also be on hand if you need assistance, and appointments can be made with a UK visa specialist who can help with any issue. Each member of the SI-UK visa team is qualiﬁed and recognised by UK Visas and Immigration. The University Fair takes place on Saturday 5th March, 12:00-17:00 at Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Terrace W2 www.ukunifair.co.uk

for international students

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SPORTSWatch

NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

WarrIors From page 24 football to bring about peace in the community... “By the special grace of God, we should come back to the city of Maiduguri so the people should be happy.” The ﬁrst league match is pencilled in for February 21 against Wikki Tourists in what the players hope will signal the start of a campaign to improve on last season’s 13th position and 14th the year before. Security will be uppermost in the minds of both the league and fellow clubs when considering El-Kanemi’s application. The Boko Haram jihadists view sport as un-Islamic. But the club and its supporters point to the return of businesses and trade as a sign the situation is changing in Maiduguri, where Nigeria’s military high command is now based and troops patrol the streets. “Even when they (Boko Haram) were in Maiduguri we played successfully without any hitch... Nothing bad will ever happen in Maiduguri Stadium,” said club chairman Mohammed Zanna. The return of football would also send a powerful message about the success of the counter-insurgency, he added. It would be a relief, too, for hard-pressed fans, who were forced to travel up to 10 hours just for a home game at neutral grounds, risking insurgent attacks and ambushes along dangerous roads. The head of the El-Kanemi Supporters Club, Isa Abdullahi Awala, said football has been a way of getting through the horrors of recent times and looking to the future. “It brings us together... to forget everything that’s happened because we love our team,” he told AFP.

‘Legend’ kanu helps gunners land Naija stars

Arsene Wenger – pictured alongside Kanu and flanked by new signings Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze – fended off stiff competition from Manchester City and Bayern Munich to land the prized duo, who impressed for Nigeria during their Under-17 World Cup win in Chile. On hand to greet the pair was former Gunner Kanu, who has just been named among the 48 top footballing legends in the world by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Now 39, Kanu played for the Super Eagles between 1993 and 2011. He also captained the U23 team to Olympic gold in 1996, when Nigeria became the first ever African country to win an Olympic footballing gold, beating Argentina and Brazil along the way. Meanwhile, West Ham have signed Nigeria centreforward Emmanuel Emenike from Fenerbahce on loan for the rest of the season. “I have always known West Ham as a great club. I have always been watching them. West Ham’s a great club and I am very, very happy and very, very excited that I am here,” Emenike told West Ham TV.

On Sunday January 31 members of ICSN (Igbo Cultural and Support Network) were in Victoria Park, East London, to take part in a 5km fun run. The intrepid runners, (l-r) Natalie, Chioma, ICSN Network Director Chinedu and Ijeoma braved the pouring rain to raise money for AMURT. See page 3 to support their fundraising.

‘INsaNE’ roW IsoLatEs oLIsEh Members of the Nigerian Football Federation’s (NFF) technical committee have resigned en-mass in response to the recent criticism they received from Super Eagles’ head coach Sunday Oliseh, who called several of them ‘insane’. Oliseh has come under ﬁerce criticism lately after the home-based Eagles crashed out of the Championship of African Nations (Chan) tournament recently held in Rwanda in the group stages. He subsequently hit back at his critics in a Youtube video, calling them ‘insane’ for calling for his sacking, saying Chan was not a major priority. Following Oliseh’s outburst, football fans have criticised him further, saying he ought to have shown more restraint and accept criticism in good faith. In response, Oliseh has accepted his error and written a letter of apology to the NFF chairman Amaju Pinnick. However, members of the technical committee, who Oliseh appeared to have been referring to in his Youtube have decided they will no longer work with him. All to have resigned are former Super Eagles; Christian Chukwu, Paul Bassey, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju and Garba Lawal. They apparently were unhappy about what they described as the mishandling of the Sunday Oliseh’s case by Mr Pinnick. After Oliseh’s outburst, the NFF had referred the case to the technical committee to recommend sanctions against the outspoken coach. After exhaustive deliberations and arriving at a decision, the committee was apparently disappointed that Mr Pinnick jettisoned their report. Mr Pinnick took the matter to the youth and sports minister Solomon Dalung, who saved the embattled coach by asking for a second chance for him. One committee source said, “The committee recommended for his outright dismissal after they agreed that he had violated his contract.” Chris Green, the chairman of the technical committee, conﬁrmed the development but

said that he was working hard to ensure that the wise men rescind their decisions. He added, “It is true that they are not keen to work again but I am prevailing on them to think twice because of their love and passion for the game and patriotism for the country. "They cannot be treated with levity. They are heavyweights on their own and they are not paid a dime for their services.”

Mr Green conceded that the technical committee has not had a smooth relationship with Oliseh after the coach said he had nothing to do with them when they queried him following a dismal outing in Chan. at the time of going to press, it was announced the NFF is to ﬁne Sunday Oliseh US$30,000 over the incident. Mr Oliseh had not responded to the sanction.

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NIGERIAN WATCH 12 - 25 Feb 2016

INsIDE

kanu named among top Footballing World Legends

Sportswatch FootBaLL’s comiNg home to BorNo

In what is the most positive sign that the situation in northern Nigeria is returning to normal El Kanemi Warriors are agitating for a return to their 10,000 capacity home stadium in Maiduguri after a two year absence.

The club were forced out in 2014 at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, relocating to Kano. But now with relative calm returning to Borno, thanks to the Federal Government’s counter insurgency and decision by President Buhari to station Nigeria’s military high command in Maiduguri, the club wants to return home. Oﬃcials are trying to convince the Nigeria Football Federation and, crucially, the 19 other clubs in the Nigeria Premier League that Maiduguri is a safe place for players and fans. Should all clubs agree to the proposal, league organisers will inspect the club’s 10,000-capacity ground before the new season gets under way later this month. Club manager Ladan Bosso said that approval to play again in Maiduguri would help the city and its citizens recover after so much bloodshed. “When there’s no peace, there’s no football,” he told news agency AFP. “We can bring Turn to page 23 05/02/2016

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