V O L . 1 N O. 1 3 • M A Y 9 – M A Y 1 5 , 2 0 2 1
RING THE ALARM: Sexual assault is at an all time high in Nigeria. NO, the devil didn’t make them do it!
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE
Photo: @HairByUgo
CONTENTS
“THE TRUTH OF IT IS, THE SHAME WAS NOT MINE, AND FOR ALL VICTIMS IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS, IT IS NOT OURS. THE SHAME IS RESERVED FOR EVERY CREEP WHO HAS EVER TOUCHED US INAPPROPRIATELY. THE SHAME IS ON THE ABUSER, NOT THE VICTIM, NOT THE SURVIVOR. IT IS TRAGIC THAT SO MANY OF US HAVE TO SURVIVE THIS KIND OF CRAP, AND I’M SO SORRY IF IT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU.” -ROSE MCGOWAN, BRAVE
8-11
COVER STORY: RING THE ALARM: SEXUAL ASSAULT IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH IN NIGERIA. NO, THE DEVIL DIDN’T MAKE THEM DO IT!
T
hese days, one can hardly turn to the daily news without reading a horrific headline involving sexual abuse. While there is NO age or gender upon whom it is acceptable to make inappropriate sexual advances, commit sexual abuse or assault, it is most heinous when these insidious crimes are performed on a minor (underage person), or in simpler terms- a child. Some older folks may say, “Thank goodness this didn’t happen in our day” or “In our time things like this never happened”... but I have news for you, it did! Maybe creeps, pedophiles, rapists and sickos hid their tracks better, more likely though society kept these shocking stories buried deep and refused to acknowledge their existence, essentially erasing the accounts of victims and survivors from memory. There are generations of women and men who have normalized the sexual abuse they endured from their childhoods, accepting those situations as ‘one of those things’, thereby becoming oblivious or worse still, insensitive to the younger generations’ abuse. Today in Nigeria, much like many parts of Africa, there’s still a huge culture of silence, denial, hypocrisy, victim/ survivor shaming, erasure and stigmatizing, untreated trauma, survivors’ guilt, lack of accountability and perhaps most importantly, lack of justice! Social media has helped in spreading messages about awareness, re-educating millions on the issue of consent, and teaching us many of the things we should have been taught growing up. However, as social media is also a double-edged sword, it often stands as judge, jury, accuser and devil’s advocate- swaying public opinion and giving room for rape apologists, perp sympathy and trolling but that is not where true justice ought to come from as it is the responsibility of a good criminal justice system to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of bringing perpetrators to book. The conviction rates are shockingly low as some statistics claim less than a hundred people have been convicted and sentenced in Nigeria for crimes of sexual abuse in over 20 years! This issue shines a light on some of the cases that shook us out of our reverie and have empowered many survivors to speak out and bring their truth to power as darkness can only be driven out by the light. We owe it to each other, the younger ones and those unborn to work together and purge our communities of this evil. Blaming the victim is an act of refuge and self-deception. It allows the blamer to sit in judgment, imagining some mystical justice that means bad things happen only to bad people, thus ensuring their own safety. Latasha Ngwube @latashalagos
AUSTYN OGANNAH
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Editor: Latasha Ngwube Editor-at-Large: Chalya Shagaya Beauty Editor: Onah Nwachukwu @onahgram Contributing Editor: Odun Ogunbiyi @oddbodandthecity Senior Writer: Chisom Njoku @inchisomwetrust Contributing Writer: Boluwatife Adesina @bolugram Uzo Orimalade @uzosfoodlabs House Photographer: Rachel Seidu @rachelseidu Graphics/Layout: Olatunji Samson Digital Media: Oladimeji Balogun Interns: Kehinde Fagbule, Tilewa Kazeem Guest Art Director: Sunny Hughes ‘ SunZA’
4 5
ODDBOD & THE CITY
Tension, Frustration & Languishing
WEBSIGHTS DOWNTOWN
The Gates Are Open Bill & Melinda’s Love Story Ends
12-13 6-7
THE SCENE DOWNTOWN
Lagos State hosts Eko Star Awards with EbonyLife Place to honour Outstanding Women in TV and Film
FASHION
First Date Fashion Do’s & Dont’s
14-15 BEAUTY
PEELING ME SOFTLY
www.thewilldowntown.com thewilldowntown thewilldowntown
PAGE 3
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 3
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
ODDBOD & THE CITY ODUN OGUNBIYI
TENSION, FRUSTRATION & LANGUISHING
T
his week it would be almost impossible for me to put a positive spin on the state of the union. So, in the spirit of not participating in toxic positivity, I am going to keep it real.
The lack of security in the country has been front and centre for me; my phone was blowing up with security alerts and alarming videos. It seems that any situation can quickly deteriorate—at the drop of a hat—into bullets flying. The tension is palpable and yet we all carry on like its business as usual. I feel like we are all participating in some sort of unacknowledged mass psychosis. It’s broke, but we are not trying to fix it. This is Oddbod and the city, my Lagos adventure.
Mindhunter Been under the weather for the last couple of weeks so I spent a fair amount of time languishing on my couch and feeling sorry for myself. Currently bringing me joy is the Netflix series, Mindhunter. Yes, I am a statistic—studies have shown that women love a good crime show and I am no exception. The series is based on the true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Series Crime Unit, written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Set in the 1970s, the series follows two FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they pioneer the development of criminal profiling to find serial killers. If you are a fan of the show Criminal Minds you are absolutely going to love this. The science of it all has always held a fascinating appeal for me and it seems impossible to imagine there was ever a time when it was not understood that past experiences could predict behaviour. There are two seasons to enjoy and with Oscar-nominated director David Fincher and Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron on staff behind the scenes, we are talking about good quality entertainment. PS I would like to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt apologies for recommending the Queen Latifah show The Equalizer a couple of months ago. I am sad to say it has taken a turn and is almost impossible to watch and I am especially angry with her hairdresser. Sorry. Please don’t hold it against me. I was trying to support the sisterhood.
Frustrated into Compliance I was speaking to one of my childhood friends last week. British and lived in England her whole life, she wants to know if I have taken the vaccine yet because she is still thinking about it. I explain to her how the average person will be frustrated into compliance— that jumping on flights, making restaurant reservations, and going back to school will soon require your vaccine card, mark my word. She seemed shocked at my compliance and pessimistic point of view. Frankly, I am in awe of anybody who still feels they have such freedom of choice. I used to be like that once upon a time. Nigeria has slapped those rose-tinted ideations out of me. You wake up to new banking and tax regulations and suddenly the whole country is required to register on numerous databases with irritating acronyms. Never mind that they are ill-prepared to get 200 million people into these databases. How do they frustrate you? They link it to your bank account, driver’s license, passport application, phone number and Wi-Fi so you are forced to comply. I am still recovering from my three-month attempt to migrate my phone number to a new SIM card. I will not call out the company because it’s happening across the board.
PAGE 4
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 4
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
websights DOWNTOWN
The Gates Are Open Bill & Melinda’s Love Story Ends
On the 3rd of May, the world’s most influential couple, Bill and Melinda Gates, announced they were ending their 27-year marriage saying “We no longer believe we can grow as a couple.”
The billionaire couple have three children and jointly run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; an organisation that has spent billions of dollars fixing healthcare systems across the world. Once the richest man in the world, Bill Gates is currently placed on the Forbes list as the fourth wealthiest person on the planet with a net worth of $124bn. He made this money through the mammoth software company, Microsoft, a firm he co-founded in the 1970s. Melinda, now 56, joined Microsoft as a product manager back in 1987 and what started as an office romance blossomed into a beautiful marriage. However, as Bill told a Netflix documentary: “We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married.” This showed how extremely practical he has always been (and to be fair we couldn’t have put that past him - he re-invented the computer as we know it). Melinda echoed this when she said she found Bill writing a list on a whiteboard with the “pros and the cons of getting married”. It seems he had been methodical even in matters of the heart. They got married in 1994 (7 years later) on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over.
BY KEHINDÉ FAGBULE
A union that had been at the forefront of conversations around gender equality and viewing marriages as a partnership, the Gateses quickly became America’s power couple and even bigger, the world-at-large. “Bill and I are equal partners,” she told the Associated Press in an interview in 2019. “Men and women should be equal at work.” In her recent memoir The Moment of Lift, she wrote about her childhood, life and private struggles as the wife of a famous figure and stay-at-home mother with three kids. Working together at the foundation had made their relationship better, she argued. “He’s had to learn how to be an equal, and I’ve had to learn how to step up and be an equal,” she wrote. Apart from her work with the foundation, she founded Pivotal Ventures, an investment company focused on women and families, in 2015. “The world is finally waking up to the fact that none of us can move forward when half of us are held back,” she said at the time. “The data is clear: empowered women transform societies.” The couple established the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 in Seattle with the foundation focusing primarily on public health, education and climate change. Over its 21 year history, the foundation has given out a lot of grants with the most recent one coming during the COVID-19 pandemic when they donated about $1.75bn to vaccine initiatives and research. In 2019, the foundation had net assets of more than $43bn. Bill and Melinda Gates had pumped more than $36bn into the foundation between 1994 and 2018. Bill Gates, 65, last year announced that he was stepping down from Microsoft’s board to focus on his philanthropic activities. It is expected that both Bill and Melinda are going to branch out into their separate charity initiatives now, however, reports have stated that they will keep working together to run the foundation. Either way we look at it, as devastating as this news is, it is also a celebration of love and as with every other breaking news story, the internet reacted. Here are some of the best ones.
It was reported that the couple never signed a prenuptial agreement. However, a separation contract was drafted when they were still legally married but considering the divorce. According to the aforementioned divorce filings, the couple has agreed to divide real estate property, personal property, debts and liabilities as “set forth in our separation contract.” Spousal support “is not needed,” the couple further added. A couple of days after the divorce was made public, reports surfaced of how Bill Gates has been taking annual vacations with his ex-girlfriend in what was an agreement between him and his wife, Melinda; to keep his vacation tradition with his exgirlfriend, Ann Winblad, alive. Bill had been dating software entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Ann Winblad, even before Melinda got to Microsoft. His relationship with Ann meant so much to him he made sure to keep her in his life after they split in 1987. “This marriage is irretrievably broken,” Melinda wrote in her request for a divorce. “We ask the court to dissolve our marriage and find that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract.”
PAGE 5
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 5
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
FASHION BY CHISOM NJOKU
Nigerian
Streetwear Brands Setting The Pace S
treetwear is essentially a casual form of dressing that became very popular in the 90s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, and street fashion. Streetwear has become a sensation in African countries which are just recently shifting away from an excessive focus on corporate fashion as the standard for professionalism. This fashion revolution means you can choose comfort and convenience, without having to compromise on style. Today there’s no denying that streetwear has made its way into luxury fashion with brands like Ashluxe and Lagos Space Program at the forefront. Below are 7 Nigerian Streetwear brands you need to know to up your style game;
Lagos Space Programme Ashluxe Is a high-end streetwear brand that founder and creative director Yinka Ash designed to reimagine street style specifically with the enlightened millennial in mind. Ashluxe has grown to become one of the fastestgrowing fashion brands out of Africa with a cult-like following and celebrity fans like Davido, Pa Salieu, D-Smoke among others. Its latest collection ’Apollo’ [inspired by space exploration] was a commercial success with most items selling out upon release. Ashluxe produces different varieties of fashion items ranging from t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tracksuits to socks, sneakers, and joggers.
Is a Nigerian, genderless brand created by Adeju Thompson. The brand which originally started as an attempt to depict an alternative Lagos has now evolved into high fashion as they debuted at this year’s Milan Men’s Fashion Week. The collection, titled “Aṣọ Lànkí, Kí Ató Ki Ènìyàn,” which translates into “we greet dress before we greet its wearer,” was as much about the clothes’ ritual significance as it was about breaking the rules of normative fashion.
WAFFLESNCREAM Is a community of like-minded creatives who explore different approaches to celebrating subcultures. From his love for skate culture, Jomi Marcus Bello founder of the brand has been able to set up a profitable business where he sells his boards, patterned wheels, and bolts alongside bright checkered bucket hats, uncle shirts, t-shirts (some of which are made in collaboration with Patta, a Holland-based streetwear brand), and traditional Ankara print baggy trousers. Their latest collection ‘Jungle Jungle’ is available for sale on their website.
PAGE 6
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 6
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
FASHION
David Blackmoore Is an urban streetwear fashion brand that associates itself with royalty and is concerned with connecting with the African youth. Founded by Sammy Asaju and David Asiafa, David Blackmoore or DB as it’s fondly called is truly a unique offering as the brand creates its trends and also builds on existing streetwear trends, with oversized tops, back print t-shirts, glowing colors, and signature prints, the brand is a one-stop-shop for all things fresh.
XII Popularly called XII Glover is a Nigerian streetwear and multifunctional lifestyle brand for both men and women representing young Nigerians. Founded by Ife and Sumbo Odunsi, the brand has been able to establish itself as a leading voice among Streetwear aficionados. The brand which recently celebrated its second anniversary also released its latest collection ‘Indigens’ which is currently available on their website.
Alien
N.A.C.K (Nigerian Articulate Culture Kullection) Is a casual Nigerian fashion brand, founded by Luto Tailo. It is essentially a clothing company that is into the manufacturing of clothes and accessories for gentlemen, ladies and children. Describing itself as a company that’s here “to create a Nigerian brand that Nigerians and the entire world would be proud of.” Nack is a forward thinking Afrocentric brand with diversity as its watchword and has been endorsed by public figures like Richard Mofe Damijo, 2face, Mawuli Gavor and more. They produce t-shirts, female apparel, face masks, sneakers, accessories and more.
Is a creative Streetwear brand founded by Emmanuel Jay Iwang. The brand has undergone various levels of change and has shown tremendous growth over the years. Spotted on some of the biggest names in Nigeria including Oxlade, Timaya, Tekno and Rema with whom the brand created custom merchandise. Their latest collection ‘Agnst’ has been incorporated into Rockstar Games [creators of Grand Theft Auto] gameplay so characters in the game can wear outfits from the collection.
PAGE 7
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 7
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
COVER
RING THE ALARM:
Sexual assault is at an all time high in Nigeria. NO, the devil didn’t make them do it!
PAGE 8
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 8
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
COVER
BY THE DOWNTOWN TEAM Since the creation of the first man, there have been different problems that needed fixing at every point in history. The economy had to be fixed, countries had to come to a truce to avoid senseless wars, innovations became a necessity to improve quality of life. All of these were made possible because they were prioritised at some point. To solve a problem, we must first define it. A large number of Nigerians go about committing sex crimes every day and don’t even know it. For an act that has plagued the human race for so long, there’s little or no education on it, accountability from the perpetrators nor help rendered to the victims; especially in Nigeria. The umbrella term is Sexual Abuse (or assault) and by definition, it is any sexual act or behaviour carried out on someone without their unequivocal go-ahead. This ranges from inappropriate touching, penetration (vaginal, oral or anal), indecent exposure to talking - to a point where the other party is uncomfortable. Sexual abuse can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. It can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time; it has no age, gender, disability, or socioeconomic boundaries. Every victim’s experience is different and unique. With the most common forms of it being rape, sexual harassment and child molestation, the following descriptions are types of sexual abuse. Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse, also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether by asking or pressuring, or by other means), indecent exposure (of the genitals, female nipples, etc.), child grooming, and child sexual exploitation, including using a child to produce child pornography.
Acquaintance/Date Rape Date or acquaintance rape is a sexual assault committed by a person known to the victim. The assailant could be a friend, a relative, a date, an employer, or a recent acquaintance. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the incident (such as drug or alcohol use), rape is a crime of violence that is punishable by law. Date/Acquaintance rape is one of the most under-reported violent criminal acts because many survivors do not realize that they’ve been sexually assaulted. Anytime a person forces, coerces, or manipulates another person to engage in sexual activity against their will or without their consent, that is sexual assault. Sexual assault is not sex. The perpetrator is motivated by a need to feel powerful by controlling, dominating, or humiliating another person.
Stranger Assault Stranger sexual assault is usually a one-incident occurrence of sexual assault. It is someone you have never met before, with whom you do not share any experiences or history. When the assault happens, there can be no doubt as to what is happening: that it is sexual assault.
Stranger sexual assault is a sexual act of violence outside of the victim’s normal relationships. Stranger sexual assault almost always involves a certain degree of physical violence. If you have been a victim of a stranger assault, you must consider reporting to law enforcement. Offenders that attack someone that they do not know are often more violent and tend to be repeat offenders.
Incest Incest is sexual contact between persons who are so closely related that their marriage is illegal (e.g., parents and children, uncles/aunts and nieces/nephews, etc.). This usually takes the form of an older family member sexually abusing a child or adolescent.
Intimate Partner Sexual Assault
In marital or intimate partner sexual assault, it is an assault that is a physical and sexual violation but also a betrayal of trust. The offender is a person whom you thought you knew intimately, with whom you share a history, a home, and quite often children. The offender is a person whom you have made love to frequently often over many years, with whom you have shared your most intimate secrets and fears, and whom you believe to love you, want the best for you, who would never intentionally hurt you. Marital or intimate partner sexual assault is so destructive as it betrays the fundamental basis of the marital relationship because it questions every understanding you have not only of your partner and your marriage but of yourself. You end up feeling betrayed, humiliated, and above all, very confused. Many men or women who are victims of marital or intimate partner sexual assault have great difficulty in defining it as such. The traditional idea that a man can’t rape his wife or intimate partner and that somehow, in taking our marriage vows we have abdicated any say over our own body and sexuality, basically denies women the right to say “NO,” is still prevalent among married women as much as among men. A wife or partner being sexually assaulted will often question his or her right to refuse intercourse with her husband or partner, and while she or he may realize that legally it constitutes rape, there are many reasons which may prevent him or her from perceiving it in such a light.
Same Gender Assault Same-gender assault is when a sexual assault occurs and the victim and the perpetrator are of the same gender. This does not necessarily mean that they identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ), however, samesex sexual assault does occur in the LGBTQ community. Same-gender sexual assault is often referred to as “homosexual rape.” This is not very accurate as many sexual assaults involve non-consensual acts other than “rape,” and because the perpetrators of this form of sexual violence are not always homosexual. Victims of same-gender sexual assaults may find it hard to come forward because of how people would perceive their sexual orientation. Sexual Harassment/Stalking Sexual harassment is when someone: touches you or asks you to touch them in private parts even if it is over the clothing; shows you sexual pictures or objects that make you feel uncomfortable; talks about sexual things or tells
you dirty jokes; makes you feel uncomfortable at school, work, or at play; doesn’t stop when you ask them to. Stalking is defined as a course of conduct directed at a specific person that places a reasonable person in fear for her or his safety. Sexual Exploitation by Professionals Sexual exploitation by a helping professional includes sexual conduct of any kind between a professional and the person seeking or receiving a service. Helping professionals include doctors, therapists, professors, police officers, lawyers, religious leaders, and any other professional who offers a helping service.
Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Just as it is against the law to slip someone a drug to facilitate a sexual assault, it is also considered sexual assault if the victim or survivor knowingly and voluntarily ingests drugs or alcohol. Performing any sexual act(s) on a person who is unconscious or asleep, too drunk to withhold consent, or unable to communicate is against the law. The victim usually blacks out and has no memory of the assault or the events surrounding the assault. The drugs that are commonly slipped to the victim or survivors are eliminated quickly from the body, leaving no evidence that the drug was in the victim or survivor’s system, thus making it difficult to prove lack of consent.This factor, along with loss of memory, often works against the investigation of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assaults. Remember alcohol is still the most commonly used drug to facilitate sexual assault.
Indecent Exposure, Peeping and Hidden Cameras These are all forms of sexual violence. Victims or survivors can experience the same short and long-term effects as victims or survivors of other sexual violence. The offenders of these crimes come from all different backgrounds and environments. The offender may have a long history of incidences of inappropriate behaviour or it may be an isolated incident. Any of these actions are crimes and it is important to report them to local law enforcement.
Child Pornography Child pornography is defined as material that is either made using children or through the use of modern technology, is made to appear that children are being
PAGE 9
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 9
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
COVER used. Child pornography does not have to involve obscene behaviour but may include sexually explicit conduct that is suggestive.
Female Genital Mutilation Female genital mutilation occurs in multiple countries including Nigeria. Experiencing it is painful and traumatic, both short and long-term. Sometimes practised as part of a religion, it is a harmful and oppressive practice. The most common type of Female Genital Mutilation is the removal of the clitoris and the labia minora.
Human Trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including surrogacy and ovary removal. A common pattern has formed with every single form of sexual abuse: the unequivocal go-ahead from the receiving party. This is often referred to as consent. Let’s talk about it.
Consent Due to the complexity of this term, its legal definitions may vary by location and circumstance, the general concept is always the same: Consent is an ongoing process of discussing boundaries and what one is comfortable with. Consent is a voluntary, enthusiastic, and clear agreement between two or more participants to engage in specific (sexual) activity. Sometimes people tend to have a varying definition of consent but there is no room for different views on what consent is. For example, people incapacitated by drugs or alcohol cannot consent.
Age Of Consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim that the sexual activity was consensual, and such sexual activity may be considered child sexual abuse or statutory rape. Sadly, the age of consent doesn’t always protect minors because some countries [especially in Africa] have terribly low ages of consent with Wikipedia records placing that of Nigeria at 11- years-old. Different factors influence the age of consent so sometimes even within a nation, there may be different ages among various groups. The factors that influence the age of consent in Nigeria are majorly religion and culture. Both factors play a role as they provide loopholes for the age of consent and often encourage the marriage of children. So how does this translate to the mess we have today? Let’s look at the statistics. The Numbers... Nigeria does not have the best track record when it comes to arresting and prosecuting malefactors of sexual crimes. According to the Nigerian Bureau of statistics sexual offences in Nigeria 2017. They place the number of reported cases of rape and indecent adult at
Busola Dakolo
Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo
2,279. The number reported cases of unnatural offences at 1,164 yet there are 0 convictions reported by the police and 1 state out of all 36 states reported no case of indecent assault. In an interview with BBC, a human rights activist who runs a foundation that supports women who are victims stated that during the coronavirus lock down the number of domestic violence cases increased from at least six people coming in for cases of domestic violence per week to four to seven cases per day and 70% of them were related to rape. This enquiry was made by BBC after some women who were arrested in 2019 in Abuja during a raid accused them of rape. A tweet surfaced the year the scandal against the COZA broke out. The tweet claimed that since Nigeria’s time immemorial, there have only 18 rape convictions. Although research has proven this to be wrong, it also revealed something alarmingly astonishing. In a nation of over 200 million people, there have only been 65 rape convictions from 1973 to 2019 but the number of reports of rape and sexual assault cases is significantly higher. Due to these poor numbers, victims have resulted in openly calling out their offender on social media or anonymously posting their ordeal. When a person is sexually abused and comes forward, there is usually awful victim-shaming and that stigmatizes the idea of talking about abuse experiences in the mind of an abused person. Sex offenders are usually never punished to the full extent of the law as their cases are often treated with kiddies gloves so they’re usually let off with a warning or a small flick on the wrist. However, it becomes a slippery slope as victims are then hit with defamation suits which nurses the ideology that perpetrators can get away with their crimes and this
Dbanj
forces survivors to suffer in silence.
The Cases That Made Mainstream Media The Busola Dakolo’s Story
A recent example of this is Busola Dakolo, a photographer, who in an interview accused Reverend Biodun Fatoyinbo of rape. He denied the allegation but it had already sparked a flame in the society which resulted in him having to take a temporary leave. As expected her story came with its share of social media backlash, tagging her testimony as fallacious. She processed to sue the COZA reverend demanding an apology but was hit with a countersuit that saw her pay the sum of 1 million Naira for damages.
Other notable sexual abuse cases that rocked the nation include; The D’banj Saga
Nigerian artiste Oladapo Oyebanjo was accused by Seyitan Babatayo of sexual abuse. Via her Twitter thread, she detailed that two years ago, she met D’Banj at an all-white party at Eko Atlantic with his then manager and a friend. In her account, she was told that D’Banj had taken a liking to her and was offered a large sum of money to sleep with him, to which she refused. According to her Twitter thread, D’Banj allegedly barged into her room after being given the key by the hotel’s facility, and after this, she recounted disturbing details of the singer forcing himself on her. After a strong social and media controversy with several declarations of the innocence of the singer by his fans and admirers coming up against those who believed Babatayo was telling the truth, the Nigerian police in charge of D’banj’s ongoing rape case eventually decided to discontinue the investigation into the rape allegations made by Babatayo. The decision came after family representatives of both Babatayo and D’banj reportedly held a meeting to discuss the matter. Babatayo, who is “Aunt Seyitan” on Twitter, recently released a public statement in support of the case closing.
Seyitan Babatayo
PAGE 10
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 10
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
COVER What Next Naija?
As already established that this is a societal menace, something has to change… drastically. It is high time we ditched the shame-driven mentality we have grown to imbibe into our culture and become more intentional with ensuring that sex offenders face the full wrath of the law and survivors get the help they need. It is never the victim’s fault. Here’s a list of crisis centres you can reach to seek help for a victim or report an offender. Mirabel Centre - 0817 627 5695 STER - 08095967000 Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT)- 0813 7960048 Cece yara Foundation - 08182417752 WARIF - 08092100008
Uwa
Uwa’s Tragic Ending Uwaila Vera Omozuwa was a student of microbiology at The University of Benin whose life was cut short in a fatal attack. She was found dead, lying half-naked in a pool of blood at her church where she studied. According to her sister, Uwa usually went to church on weekdays to study and avoid distractions from her siblings at home. Six suspects were arrested in connection to the brutal rape and murder of Uwa with all of them making confessional statements according to The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo but none of them has been sentenced since their arrest in June 2020.
Olanrewaju James AKA Baba Ijesha, The Latest Sex Offender. The latest instalment on the hall on shame is Nollywood actor Olanrewaju James popularly known as Baba Ijesha who was arrested on the 22nd of April for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl with the first time dating back to when she was just 7 years old. The actor was captured on CCTV in the house of the complainant, Damilola Adekoya, known as Princess, a comedienne cum actress, who happens to be the survivor’s foster mum. This sparked a lot of outrage online as the court of public opinion weighed in. Some of his colleagues (with Iyabo Ojo and Tonto
Dikeh leading the charge) called him out and rebuked him for his actions, demanding that swift justice be served. On the other hand, were rape apologists like Yomi Fabiyi supporting the suspect? Last Sunday, the CCTV footage was released to the public eye and the details of it were as gruesome as the initial reports had indicated. It showed the actor kissing and fondling sensitive parts of the child. Unlike all of the aforementioned cases that made it to the mainstream media, this one looks like the only one that’s going to get a conviction as the suspect already pleaded guilty on a video that was circulated on social media. With pressure heaping on the Lagos state police and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team to ensure that justice prevails, both parties have filed five different charges against the sex offender with a possible life imprisonment sentence on the cards. Needless to point out the significance of this case as everyone is looking closely. Nigerians are clamouring for the actor to be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent for other paedophiles in the community.
Baba Ijesha Princess
Iyabo Ojo
Yomi Fabiyi PAGE 11
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 11
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
THE SCENE DOWNTOWN
Uche Cynthia Nwuka, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism- Uzamat Akinbile Yussuf & Mo Abudu
Lagos State hosts
Eko Star Awards with EbonyLife Place to honour Outstanding Women in TV and Film Omawumi
L
BY LATASHA NGWUBE
agos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has once again partnered with EbonyLife Place to highlight an area of achievement in Nigerian arts and culture, along with support from Nigerian International Film Summit.The Eko Star Film & TV Awards was staged to recognise the considerable accomplishments of women in the film and television industry as well as bring some of these unsung heroines to the fore and celebrate them along with their better-known colleagues in acting. EbonyLife Place CEO, Mo Abudu remarked on the challenges many women face in the industry and why it was critical they be recognised and supported others on the journey.
jeoma Onah & Mimi Bartels
Taiwo Ajayi Lycett
Chioma Ude
Biodun Stephen & Sharon Ooja
PAGE 12
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 12
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
THE SCENE DOWNTOWN
Dakore Egbuson Akande
Diche Enunwa
Helen Anawana
Ladun Awobokun
Ijeoma Noeline Onyeator
Joy Odiete
Judith Audu
Kate Henshaw
Kemi Adetiba
Nancy Isime
Osas Ighodaro
Pat Oghre
Shaffy Bello
Shileola Ibironke
Colette Otusheso
Temitope Bolade Akinbode
Uche Jombo
Ufuoma McDermott for Omoni Oboli
Yolanda Okereke
PAGE 13
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 13
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
BEAUTY BY ONAH NWACHUKWU
PEELING ME SOFTLY H aving super smooth skin is every woman’s dream. Attaining that goal, however, is a different story, especially when you have reached a certain age. Yes, with age come wrinkles, spots, and everything in between, so the question still remains: how do we get rid of them? Although there are a lot of new beauty trends and products that can help you achieve smoother skin, a safe solution that combats these aging signs, such as wrinkles and skin blemish, which also happens to be quite popular, is a Chemical Peel. Adding a chemical peel to your regular beauty routine guarantees better-looking skin. For the sake of those of you who have never heard of this beauty trend, we’ll start at the very beginning. What is a chemical peel?
GABRIELLE UNION
ONYEKA MICHAEL UGWU
PAGE 14
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 14
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
BEAUTY
THESE PEELS SHOULD BE DONE BY A PROFESSIONAL RECOVERY
Generally, it takes about seven to ten days or more, depending on the type of peels used, for your skin to recover from a peel. As with most skin treatments, during recovery period, stay away from the sun because your skin a quite sensitive at this time.
DIY PEELS
A chemical peel is a type of deep exfoliation of the skin that involves controlled damage to the skin, which eventually peels off to reveal clearer-looking skin… and yes, it also works on dark-skinned people. There are different types of chemical peels: light, medium, and deep, and each one targets a specific problem.
Light Chemical Peel
This type of chemical peel targets and eliminates the superficial layer of the skin, ie, the epidermis. A light chemical peel can be repeated every two to five weeks for treatment of dry skin, acne, superficial wrinkles, and uneven skin tone.
Medium Chemical Peel
A medium chemical peel targets the epidermis and the upper-middle layer of your skin, AKA dermis, removing skin cells from them. It can be
Peeling Solution The ORDINARY
repeated every five to nine weeks, and it fights visible wrinkles, acne scars, and uneven skin tone.
Deep Chemical Peel
It works on removing skin cells from the epidermis and portions of the middle to lower layer of the dermis. For this reason, this procedure can only be done once. It removes deeper wrinkles and scars, or even precancerous growths. It usually involves a pretreatment for up to eight weeks.
Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate KIEHL’S
While you are advised to leave the more advanced peels to professionals, there are peels that can be done from the comfort of your home; they simply have a lower concentration of the ones used professionally. So you can rest assured that you will also have the benefits of a professional peel without the downtime. The trick to it is to look out for certain ingredients like exfoliating acids which help reveal fresher skin and target lines and wrinkles, and then, there is the super vitamin C which helps with dark spots. Another point worthy of note is that although at-home chemical peels are not as concentrated as the ones used by your dermatologist, it is important not to over do it, otherwise you will set your self up for an infection. Remember that this is a form of exfoliation and excessive exfoliation will expose the skin and cause inflammation.
Vitamin C+ AHA Resurfacing Peel OLAY
PAGE 15
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 15
07/05/2021 15:56
VOL 1 NO.13 • MAY 09 – MAY 15, 2021
SÓRÓSOKE FASHION DOWNTOWN BY TILEWA KAZEEM
THE SISTERS OF MEJI
You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them, is the quote that comes to mind during my chat with Tiffany-Annabelle and Tosan Davis, founders of MEJI. The two equally talented and beautiful sisters turned business partners are daughters of the elegant Helen Prest Ajayi- A lawyer and one-time Miss Nigeria. Their company MEJI helps brands and businesses grow by improving their online presence. With Tosan (TED) as the Visual Director and Content Management and Tiffany-Annabelle in charge of Business Development, Client Sourcing and Relationship Management. They are perfectly paired but maintain their individuality, with one a die-hard coffee drinker and the other, a matcha latte addict. Read more about these two sisters who love and cherish each other while embodying the literal and figurative essence of MEJI.
B
efore I delve into what MEJI is, I’d like to know the minds behind the brand. TED: Umm... I wouldn’t say I’m an awkward person but I’m a bit more lax and goofy than cool and composed. I love photography. Growing up, I was always particular about how things looked. Putting things together and making them beautiful is what I love to do so when I tell people I’m a visual director at MEJI- those who have known me for a while would say that makes sense. I have simplistic ideas about things, I’m not a complicated person. It doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t like talking to people, it’s that I’m more of a listener than a talker and that pretty much reflects in MEJI. I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person. I express myself more in my visuals. I love anime and I’m a huge movie buff but oddly enough, I love movies that look a certain way. Thankfully, all my hobbies align with my obsession of things being visually appealing. Tiffany Annabelle: I am a positive person, very selfaware. That is how I describe myself. I’m a bit of a workaholic and I am trying to achieve that balance but I’ll confess I’m not there yet. I am learning to balance my me-time with my work time but it’s been a bit of a mix and I am going through a process where I’m spending more of my free time on my art. I draw and I paint and this year I’m going to start taking it more seriously. I love to read, listen to music- my favourite singer is Michael Jackson and I love Netflix. I remember thinking to myself how much of a brilliant idea Netflix was and I also love cooking. What inspired MEJI? TED: I used to do social media management by myself at first and I remember I had two clients but it was a lot of work for one person. So one night, Tiffany was talking to me about my experience and she said “Hey! This would make a lot of sense if I helped you in this area and that area.” That’s how we came up with the name MEJI because it means two. We work best together because we are so different and yeah, that’s how it started. What is your role in MEJI? TED: I’m obviously a co-founder with Tiffany but I specialise in visuals. I direct the way things look and that comes down to the colours of brands, the fonts used, the curation of the pages and I have assistants as well. Younger people who work well with me and we collaborate on ideas, essentially making
typically the things I struggle with are things she can help me with and vise versa. We grew up not really understanding our differences but now that we are older, it’s great to know that what I do not understand she can explain to me and I her, which is precisely what MEJI is all about. Tiffany-Annabelle: I’d say my sister. She’s my rock and my best friend. She is someone who knows me so well and I trust her opinion on everything. If she says she has a funny feeling about someone, I start to look at the person differently. She’s such an important part of my life. If she says we can do it I believe her.
sure that each and every brand we represent looks a certain way. A lot of what Tiffany does entails handling the business side of things but she also directs in terms of the ideas. I can say “I like this colour and I think we should use this font or they should probably upgrade their logo to this” and she’ll say “Cool! We are going to go for this strategy, this number of pictures and this type of text.” This question is for both of you; How much has MEJI eaten into your personal lives? Tiffany Annabelle: It is a lot of work balancing the responsibilities of everyday life, having staff and making sure your business is providing the service it has to. I’ve found that because it’s an online business the work sneaks up on you and you spend the whole day working. I’m not exaggerating when I say right now I sleep, eat and drink MEJI. TED: We are young and we want to succeed as quickly as possible- there’s a bit of a hunger there and we are very passionate. The reality of our lives is we have to be working most of the time and as much as we would like to have more of a social life, we must meet a certain standard very soon. We have to! There’s a lot of interest at this point but that interest may not always be there so we always have to take all our opportunities very seriously and that typically involves us working through the week. Only recently did Tiffany come up with a system where a lot of work is done in advance which gives me perhaps a Sunday off (and that’s a big maybe). Our goal right now is to have a positive response to anyone that says “Hey! Can MEJI take us on?” What is it like as young business owners in charge of a team? Tiffany: They are a mini-work family. We want them to be well rested as well as enjoying their work so we are always getting feedback from the team. TED and I have a lot of ideas and it is always helpful when members of the team point out things that don’t work out structurally for them, for clients or for the delivery of work. This way, it is not us steering the ship, they also have an important role to play. It is important to note that the team has a great attitude to work. Everyone in each department is focused,hungry, dedicated. They are thinking people and aren’t ashamed to learn when they don’t know and we are very proud of their energy and attitude. TED and I can’t simply do this without them and we are grateful for them. Rough days are inevitable. We all have them at some point in our lives but how do you get past those times as business owners? TED: It’s very strange but the way I get through the rough days is my sister. She’s different from me so
Where do you want your brand to be in 2 to 3 years from now? TED: First off, I’d say expansion. I think there are many industries we haven’t tapped into, but I’m very sure that our team is capable. We are growing organically and exploring different avenues but one thing we can guarantee is excellent service, proper visuals, growth for any business we work with and professionalism. Your mother is Helen Prest Ajayi. What was that like growing up TED? TED: My mum won when she was 19 years old in 1979. She’s a very elegant woman and she always taught us to be strong, perseverant, hardworking and graceful. She didn’t model when she went into competition and won. She knew nothing about it. A lot of that had to do with her beauty and brains as well. I wouldn’t say that defines her but that’s a big part of her as well. How come you didn’t follow in her footsteps? TED: I wouldn’t say I’m the most graceful person (laughs) and I’m not one to be photographed to be seen in that way, it’s a lot of attention for me. I see my mum on TV and in interviews, she’s a lot braver than I am and she’s very confident, there’s no way I could have done that. I haven’t been interviewed many times in my life, maybe twice, this will be my third interview. Mum is more of a public figure, I’m a bit more insular but I’m trying to get out of that. I’d like you ladies to walk me through your daily routine. TED TED: First thing I do when I get out of bed is pray, then I drink coffee - I love coffee and I write in my gratitude journal. I also love food and dining out. I’d say I prefer to eat than to cook. So for breakfast, I have eggs benedict or Tiffany’s pancakes- she makes the best pancakes. After that, I go through my to-do list and that typically involves me looking at existing and potential clients. I gather my research and I talk to the general managers of the MEJI team before we start the day. Tiffany Annabelle: I say a few words of affirmation, thank God for waking up and have a cup of Matcha latte. Sometimes I have a morning workout but that is later on in the morning and then breakfast. I always have breakfast. What is MEJI and I’m not referring to your ‘About Us’...I’m asking what MEJI really means to you philosophically? Tiffany Annabelle: First and foremost, I think the main thing MEJI means to me is it’s a partnership between two sisters, because if we don’t agree on anything we can’t move forward. MEJI is true to our culture because it literally means (two) in Ishekiri. It is true to our process and it’s what we embody. There are a lot of things that we work on by ourselves but the way that MEJI has flown and grown has worked extra well because it’s a collaboration. @theaestheticbyted @meji.gram
PAGE 16
THEWILL dt_restyle May 09.indd 16
07/05/2021 15:56