issue43 part3 by Barth Emuekpere

Reports: Obinna Ebogidi

XCEL REVELATION

Garrison axis of Ogbunabali community

OGBUNABALI: O

An Abode of Killers at Night?

ne should not judge the content of a book by the deceptive brightness or scruffiness of its cover, advises a very popular truism. Indeed, such outward appearance might be illusory and misleading. Unlike its outlook, nevertheless, the name of a book often times, says so much about its content, as it uniquely creates an imagery in the mind of would-be readers. As I set out of my house this morning, I am trying hard not to defy the wisdom laden in that legendary saying. Though I must point out that the dilemma here has nothing to do with the worthiness of a book. I am, in fact, working hard not to judge a certain place by its name. Located somewhere around the commercial nerve of Port Harcourt,

Nigeria's Garden City, is a settlement whose name is a consortium of all the earthly problems besieging me this Friday Morning. Popularly known for playing host to what could be described as the Information and Technology hub of Port Harcourt, the Ikwerre town of Ogbunabali literarily translated to mean, Killers at Night in English Languageis a settlement whose nomenclature and ontology begs for explanation, especially for an inquisitive soul as mine. I must point out that I am not alone in this knowledge-seeking expedition on Ogbunabali. I have only had to carry on the baton of curiosity from The

The Community Civic Center

Chairman, as my Publisher, Mr. Barth Emuekpere, is fondly called. It was he, who had suggested this Ogbunabali Dilemma to be the maiden story in this tear rubber page, XCEL Revelation in your darling XCEL International. XCEL Revelation seeks to unveil, investigate and present to your reading comfort, the mystery behind some of the strangest places, cultures and perhaps their names, in Nigeria. Now that I ponder on the task ahead of me, I now see why The Chairman suggested Ogbunabali to debut XCEL Revelation. This is because the natural conjecture, like in my present predicament is to innocently assume that the urban settlement which often wears a peaceful and serene allure during the dayespecially at work hours when it is flooded with people in need of computer accessories or repairsmight in fact, be rapaciously deadly at night. Ogbunabali is one place where many residents would always try to avoid for any sort of night outing, a specific reason. The name of the community presents it as a slaughter ground for intruders as me who might mistakenly stray away to its nocturnal enclave in the night. To make matters worse, it once was reputed to house some of the most feared cultists and criminals who terrorized and ransacked Port Harcourt and its environs in the wake of the rival cult and militant

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XCEL REVELATION that misinterpret nearly everything. Can you go to Katagora and ask for a village there, is it proper,” he cursed, in self approval.

Ogbunabali Road as seen from the Garrison - Trans-Amadi Drive

skirmishes that rocked the city, a few years ago.

victims majorly at night, when it is reportedly said to be at its strongest.

There is hardly any Port Harcourt resident or visitor who has not heard a thing, be it directly or indirectly, about the place where people are allegedly maimed, raped and killed during the stillness of the moonlight: A nocturnal encampment where the rich is robbed, a traveler is stripped of his belongings and the fate of the pauper is left dangling at the mercy of his attackers.

It is perhaps that Ibo intonation and interpretation that might have led to the misconception about the meaning of Ogbunabali, my first respondent, Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent, a tenant in his twenties, who has been living in the village since his first birthday, suggests.

As many other things life which are better heard than experienced or at the least, seen, garden city inhabitants would rather keep their beliefs to themselves and do everything possible not to be caught anywhere close to the enclave of Killers at Night. But I would soon find out that there is more to the nomenclature of Ogbunabali, than meets the ordinary eyes of a stranger. I had left my residence about fifteen minutes ago, no thanks to a traffic buildup along the Igwuruta Road which connects my neighborhood to Aba Road. I necessarily had to connect to Aba Road so as to board a vehicle to Garrison Junction: Gateway to the Ogbunabali enclave. In nearby Imo State, information has it that there is a fiery deity which also goes by the name, Ogbunabali meaning, Killer at Night. The deity Ogbunabali is rumored to be reputed for striking its

An Ogoni by origin, Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent, a quality exponent of the faculty of “Home Away from Home,” gospel, maintained that if at all Ogbunabali, which he has come to know as his second home, would mean anything, it definitely would not be anything close to a habitat of killers at night. He blamed the misconception on strangers. “If it means anything, it would be killer and night, not killer at night,” he affirmed, reassuringly. As I approach the community, via an entrance from CFC junction, I meet Timothy Amadi, a 54-year old indigene of the community who would later frown at the idea that the nomenclature of his village was a subject of intriguing inquisition. In fact, Amadi, if for anything, was frantically direct and firm in his accusation against the Ibos, for the misconception surrounding the meaning of his village's name. “It is coming from the Ibos,” he begins. “An Hausa man who does not know would not liken it to be those who kill at night. It is the Ibos, our nearby neighbors

The Ibo-infested nomenclature vexation is not limited to Amadi alone. His friend, also an Ikwerre from another district, who was listening to our conversation with noticeable interest, equally had a complain to make against the Ibos over what he cited as commonplace Iboshaded construal of names of places, elsewhere in Port Harcourt, like Rumuola and Rumuokwurusi. “Do you know that until tomorrow, RA Club (Shell Residential Area) has been struggling to change the name of its location to Rumuokwurusi? Though they recently acceded, the gulf session where I work, up till now, they still describe it as Umuokwurusi. If you see the document of my contract agreement, it is still Umuokwurusi they used instead of the Ikwerre traditional, Rumuokwurusi,” he lamented. As it would turn out, Amadi and his friend would not offer any further help in untying the ropes behind the vagueness of the controversial name of his village, as he made it appear. “Whenever I travel out of here, I always encounter people who misinterpret this name and I keep correcting them,” he had said earlier. Timothy who had now taken a solemn posture appeared too vexed to continue with the meeting. A journalist knows when the time to reach for the door beckons. But I would not leave, not until he had directed me to a community chief, who would later identify himself as Elder Friday Okpara, to attend to my knowledge hunger. As I would later find out from Livingstone Wechie, a public analyst and Ikwerre indigene from Nkpolu, before proceeding to Okpara's territory, embroiled in the name is a cobweb of historical and lexical dilemma. Wechie posits that Ogbunabali belongs to a class of ancestral names whose meanings are usually bequeathed in antiquity. I would later discover this from my interaction with elder Friday Okpara, a chief in Ogbunabali. “Translating it is premised on the context from which we are looking at it,” Wechie

The community is popularly known for hosting the computer village of Port Harcourt

had said.

predicted by Wechie.

Okpara, a 61-year old father, was attending to some itinerant water distributors from his front yard borehole in his unfenced bungalow when I approached him.

“It is a name given to a son by his father,” he contended, maintaining that it has nothing to do with night even though its literal interpretation might be suggestive of that. He however confessed that, “that is what I do not know actually, but it is a name given to a son”.

Simply tying a wrapper around his waist while leaving his chest region bare to the unhindered heat of the surging and scourging afternoon sun, my host, Friday Okpara, ushered me and my colleague, Nnamdi Uzoukwu, into his Ogbokoro. Ogbokoro is an apartment where guests are received in an Ikwerre traditional setting. Okpara's Ogbokoro was built by his late father in 1976, but it was interestingly looking modern and strong. Okpara tells us that it would amount to a taboo for him to demolish the house for any reason. “Even if I bring the entire building down and erect a story building, I would have to create a corner for the Ogbogoro at its rightful place,” he enthused. The Ogbokoro is also referred to as an Obiri, Okpara added. The elder faulted the pronunciation of the name by strangers who he said are often unable to pronounce the name with its local and original intonation. He said the right elocution of the forename is Ogbum-Nu-Abali and not Ogbunabali, because, according to him, two communities united to form the village. Elder Okpara affirmed that the two communities derived their names from two ancestral Ikwerre siblings, Ogbum and Abali, children of Rebisi, a highly respected clan in Ikwerre Kingdom. Hence they originally owned their individual houses and families. These houses he called Oro-Ogbum and OroAbali. In the Ikwerre dialect, Oro literarily means House. “The short way of pronouncing them is Orogbum and Orobali. Oro-Ogbum means, House Don Kill Me,” he said in Pidgin English. This means House Has Killed Me. Elder Okpara, an indigene of Abali community would however find it difficult to tell what the meaning of OroAbali means, in its true context, just as

Nonetheless, judging from An Obiri belonging to the Odum family of Orogbum his earlier Oro-House explanation, Oro-Abali “After that one, he will come with his would ordinarily mean, Night House; an people and drinks. That drink is not explanation which finds support in carried on a basin. There are native Livingstone Wechie. basins which are made from raffia stemit is on it that they carry that drink. But when approached, two other Ikwerre Women will carry it on their head and indigenes from Rumuokwurusi and sing and come down with the drinks. By Rumuikwe respectively, Morris Achor then, the girl's family would have and Boniface Nwoha gave a new twist to gathered. The family of the girl would the conflagration. taste the drink to confirm if it is good. Even if it is good, they will customarily While Achor said Oro-Abali means “Bad say it is not. They can say, top it Two or Thing Done in the Night,” Nwoha refined Three Thousand Naira. They would then it to mean, “Work Done at Night”. say, 'okay the drink is now sweet'. It's all for the fun of it,” the elder said Put together, we appeared to be trapped ecstatically. in another cobweb of confusion with the actual meaning of Oro-Abali. At the Asides from the marriage rites, the moment, I clung steadfastly to Wechie's people also engage in traditional prognosis as it appeared to be the only wrestling and dance contests. This is one option available. aspect of the people Nwilo enjoys most. “But it does not come close to their native But beyond the name dilemma, there are delicacy which is primarily fresh water other elements that define the lifestyle of fish, because of the proximity of the the people of Ogbunabali, just as other village to surrounding streams and Ikwerre climes. rivers,” Nwilo added. Okpara, for instance, while describing his people as peaceful and accommodating, a claim which Nwilo Bura-Bari Vincent had confirmed, allowed that it is a taboo for an indigene or tenant to fetch the Police to arrest somebody in the village. “At such instances,” he explained, “What we do is to table the matter before the council of elders or family councils”. Okpara however said that when a criminal is apprehended, the village hands them over to the Police. He said marriage rites in the community starts with a visit of the groom to the home of the intended bride to see her father who would usually request that he returns after some days so that he can consult with his daughter.

Trans-Amadi Drive axis of the community with an old signpost reflecting OGBUNABALI Rd. & a newer signpost projecting its real name OGNUM-NU-ABALI Rd.

Afterwards, he said, the groom would m a k e a n introductory visit to the bride's home to be acquainted with members of her immediate family with little incentives.

Asked if he was thinking of relocating from the area after spending so many years, Nwilo dismissed the possibility and declared that Ogbunabali, sorry, Ogbum-Nu-Abali is the best place a stranger can live. As I make my way back to my residence at Rumuokwurusi, one thing that excites me is that the community in partnership with some relevant government authorities is employing frenetic steps to correct the delusion surrounding the name Ogbunabali as you can vividly see in the illustrating picture where the community is attempting to replace a road sign at one of the Garrison Junction entrance ways into the community. Formally inscribed Ogbunabali Rd the authorities have now changed the signboard to Ogbum-NuAbali, reflecting the correct name of the community. Overtime, it is hoped that as the community continues to work collaboratively with the authorities to correct the misconception, residents, visitors and even printers and authors will come to acknowledge the authentic name and also appreciate the meaning of the community Ogbum-Nu-Abali and not a sardonic Killers at Night, which Ogbunabali seems to suggest. XL

CAREER

Wise

HOW TO WIN OVER

YOUR BOSS

You go through life trying to seek approval from your superiors. You constantly want to please your parents with good grades, impress your coaches on the field, and wow your professors in the classroom. And as an adult, you want to win over your boss at work. Al Coleman, Jr., author of Secrets to Success: The Definitive Career Development Guide for New and First Generation Professionals, and Anita Attridge, a Five O'Clock Club career and executive coach, shared tips for impressing your boss and winning his or her approval. “For young professionals trying to win over their boss, my advice would fall into three categories: do great work, assist and support your boss in accomplishing his or her professional goals, and consistently demonstrate an interest in the success of your boss and the organization you work for,” Coleman says. Why is it so important to win over your boss? “Building a strong relationship with your boss will give you a better understanding of his or her expectations,” Attridge says. “Your boss's perception of you affects your salary increases and bonuses, opportunities for visibility in the organization, and advancement opportunities.” Here are tips for winning your boss's approval: Do your job, and do it well It may seem obvious, but plenty of employees fail to accomplish the basic tasks that are required of them. If you make a diligent effort and do a good job, your boss will be impressed. “It all starts here,” Coleman says. “If you don't do great work it'll be difficult, if not impossible, to win over your boss, even if you follow all of the remaining suggestions well. Employees who do good work, consistently, efficiently, and professionally, are a joy to manage and ultimately allow their manager to focus on critical issues within the organization. The less your boss has to focus on your accomplishing your daily tasks, the more he or she can focus on accomplishing his or hers.” Really get to know your boss “When you first start working with your boss, you should sit down and have a conversation about how he or she likes to communicate,” Attridge says. Ask your

boss if he or she likes to correspond by phone, e-mail or in person, find out how often he wants status updates from you, and figure out how much detail he wants in those updates. Great communication is vital for building a strong relationship with your boss. Assist and support your boss's professional goals A primary job of any employee is to make the boss's life easier. And just like you, your boss has professional goals that he or she is trying to accomplish, Coleman says. “Find out what's on your boss's plate, and see how you can help to lighten the load.” Be loyal to your boss Always be a dedicated and honest employee. “Never talk about your boss to colleagues in the office, and “If something never go around isn't at the top him or her when you have an of your list but issue,” Attridge your boss says. “If there is an issue, sit expresses that down and talk it's a priority to your boss. Be a respectful and then it loyal employee, immediately and keep those becomes your conversations between the two priority, too”” of you.” A lack of trust can s e v e r e l y damage the relationship and your career. Make your boss's priorities your priorities “Your job is essentially all about meeting the boss' priorities the way he or she wants them to be met,” Attridge says. “Remember that it's a team effort, with your boss the lead person. If something isn't at the top of your list but your boss expresses that it's a priority then it immediately becomes your priority, too.” Communicate with your boss regularly to make sure your goals and priorities are in sync. Take the initiative with projects and assignments. Volunteer to take on new projects but don't overload yourself. You want to have

enough time and energy to do a great job on everything. One thing that will really impress your boss: “Try to think of valuable projects or assignments that you can start and complete without much supervision or guidance from your boss,” Coleman says. Seek solutions to problems Don't rely on your boss to fix everything. “When a problem arises don't just point it out. It's likely obvious to everyone that something has gone wrong,” Coleman says. “Instead, offer suggestions And, if appropriate, roll up your sleeves and try to address the problem.” When a problem surfaces, never whine about it. “No one likes a negative person,” he adds. “That reduces morale and may impede productivity. When adversity comes, and it will, try to avoid complaining and instead seek ways to solve the problem.” Show an interest in an activity your boss is passionate about Don't be afraid to tap into your boss's personal life. “No one is all work and no play,” Coleman says. Find out what the boss likes to do outside of work and take an interest in the activity. “Consider reading the same book she's started and discuss key points or chapters with your boss, or join her in a round of golf if she loves the links. She'll appreciate your efforts to share in something they find pleasurable, and you may get some invaluable one-on-one time to display your skills and competencies.” Demonstrate a long-term interest in your organization “Although younger employees rarely remain with the same company for life, there's nothing stopping you from thinking and acting in the long-term interest of the company,” Coleman says. “Learn about your key customers and products and figure out how you can support increased growth.” He also suggests asking questions to get a better idea of where the company is heading and to figure how you can align your career development and professional goals with the company's goals. “Over time you'll develop into a valued employee, and hopefully you'll acknowledge your boss as a key supporter in your growth and development which ultimately indicates to others in your organization that your boss is a great developer of talent.”

Obinna Ebogidi

TRIBUTE

Ezeindigbo! Odumegwu Ojukwu Loses Final Battle F

rom the ancestral town of Nnewi, Anambra State in Eastern Nigeria, the famous Ikoro drum, reserved specially for outstanding people in the traditional Igbo society and beaten once in a century, is sounding exoterically, painstakingly announcing the painful passage of the Odenigbo of Ngwo. And as one imitating a Chinua Achebe instructed literary elegy, the Governor of Nigeria's Anambra State, Dr. Peter Obi has gracefully and temporarily taken-up the primeval town carrier profession of his ancestors. “Amuma na Egbeigwe edelu juuuu; Udo eji akpu Agu agbabie; Odenigbo Ngwo anabago; Ikemba Nnewi a gaba goo; Dikedioramma nweru ka osi noru kitaa, Ezeigbo Gburugburu , enwoooooo!,” he cries. When translated, this would mean that “Lightning and thunder have been silenced; the rope used for dragging the lion has snapped; the Odenigbo of Ngwo has retired to bed; the hero loved by all is ill at ease, the overall king of the Igbo ewooo!” Town crier Obi does not stop there, he asks melancholically, “Obu inaba ka anyi mezie gini? Onye ga na-ekwuru anyi? Onye ga abamba ka Agu ma oburu na ana emegbu anyi? Enwoooooo! Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, enwoooooo!” Do not stress yourself with the task of translating that one. The Anambra Governor was simply mourning that, “If you retire to bed, what shall we do? Who will roar like the lion when we are oppressed? Ewoooooooo! Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, ewoooooo!” It was the sorrow laden in that

unmistakable requiem that woke this writer from an allegorical flight by imagination and alerted him about the sudden demise of the Ezeigbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who has been aptly described by Nigeria's Senate President, David Mark, as “a hero's hero/ a dogged fighter who fought till the end to liberate the oppressed”. A statement by the family signed by one of his sons said the late Ikemba died in London after “a protracted and brave fight against stroke,” at the age of 78. One of the last icons of Nigerian history, Ojukwu Odumegwu-Ojukwu was on admission at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu before he was flown to the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust the British hospital where he was admitted on December 24, 2010, after suffering from stroke. After spending some months at the NHS Foundation Trust, the ailing Ojukwu was moved to the Bupa Kensington Nursing Home, London, where he died in the early hours of Saturday, 26th November, 2011. Expectedly, his death has opened a floodgate of tributes, with President Goodluck Jonathan describing him as one of the greatest contributors to the evolution of modern Nigeria and one whose love for justice, equity and fairness made him lead the Igbo into the civil war. “While alive, Ezeigbo Gburugburu was such a subject of history that it makes little sense to start contemplating how history will remember him. He is worthy of Caesar's own summary of his victory in Pontus (former Asia Minor), Veni, vedi, vici, (I came, I saw, I

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conquered). Ojukwu came, saw and conquered, leaving for us vital lessons in patriotism and nationalism. With his death, a part of every Igbo man has also died. We shall continue to remember him in our prayers... ” affirmed, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State. Senate President, David Mark described him as a man who loved his people and was ever prepared to lay down his life for them to have a better life. He remains a legend. He was one of the very early fine military officers the nation had. He contributed to the evolution of modern day Nigeria. The nation has lost one of her best.” General Muhammadu Buhari also described the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a painful loss to the country. Buhari, who spoke through his spokesman, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said Odumegwu-Ojukwu would be greatly missed for his fight for justice and credibility of the electoral process. Senator Ike Ekweremadu said the story of Ikemba Nnewi was like an interesting folktale which every well-meaning Nigerian would have naturally wished never ended. He said, “A mighty Iroko has fallen and a big masquerade has touched the ground,” adding that “Ojukwu was a legend, intellectual, patriot, and a great statesman who contributed immensely to the development of the nation.” APGA, the party whose Board of Trustees, he chaired, in a statement titled: “Our leader has gone back to the Lord,” by its national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, said the deceased would be greater in death as he would remain a reference point for the coming generation. XL

TRIBUTE

The national vice chairman of the ruling People's Democratic Party (Southeast), Chief Olisa Metuh, said Ojukwu was “our symbol, our identity and our undisputed leader. For our struggle, he gave his life. He will continue to live in the hearts of every true Igbo man for generations to come.” Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, former Chief of General Staff, the de facto vice president during the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, could not have put it better. Describing what Ikemba Nnewi, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, meant to the nation, the retired naval chief said, “He was a dogged fighter; somebody who would

doggedly pursue a cause he believed in.” That doggedness of purpose was a trait that ran through his life; from cradle to his grave. For a man born of a privileged background that had his life cut out for him and could have spent his life lapping up the luxury arising from his birth, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, born on November 4, 1933 at Zungeru, Niger State, chose early in life to chart a different path for himself. His father, Sir Louis Phillippe OdumegwuOjukwu, was one of Nigeria's richest men of his time. Sir Louis, a businessman from Nnewi in the present day Anambra State, was a transporter who made his wealth from the boom in the transport sector occasioned by the Second World War. The rebellious streak in the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who first went to school in Lagos, showed early in his life. The young Emeka, barely 11 years old, made headlines when he fought a colonial

teacher at his school, King's College, Lagos, for degrading a black woman. His action earned him a stint in prison from the colonial authorities. This action must have been one of the reasons that made his father ship him off to Britain at the age of 13 to continue his education at Epsom College, in Surrey. He however capped his education with a Masters degree in history at Lincoln College, Oxford University. On his return to Nigeria in 1956, to his father's chagrin, he decided to pursue a career outside the family business. His first job was as an administrative officer in the Eastern Nigeria civil service. He was posted to Udi. Almost one year after joining the civil service, he quit to join the military, making him one of the few graduate Nigerians then to join the force. The move was to push him into national and global limelight when years later, he launched the first and only secessionist bid in Nigeria. With his aristocratic background and education, it did not take him long to rise up ranks. Of the 250 persons in the officer cadre, 15 were Nigerians, with Britons making up the balance. However, in the lower officer cadre, of the 6,400 people, 336 were British. The late Odumegwu-Ojukwu, whose army number was N/29, was resourceful. He was one of the early participants in the United Nations' peacekeeping force, under whose auspices he was sent to the Congo, under the command of Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, an officer who was later to become Nigeria's first military head of state. Shortly after his return from the peace mission, the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1964 and moved to Kano as commander of the 5th Battalion of the Nigerian Army. Two years after his arrival in Kano, the budding army officer was to be caught in the vortex of politics that had seeped into the military, especially with the exit of the colonial officers on the heels of Nigeria's emergence as a flag nation after its independence in 1960, and it became a republic status three years after. There was growing dissatisfaction in the nation over the conduct of politicians in their struggle for power. The crisis reached a head with the upheaval in the Action Group that was the ruling party in the Western Region, now comprising the six states in the south-west as well as Edo and Delta states. This precipitated the first military coup in Nigeria on January 15, 1966, and which was organised by five majors, led by Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.

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The coup which turned out to be a flop claimed the lives of Chief Samuel Akintola, who was the premier, Nigeria's prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and northern premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, among others. A few days after he took over the reins of power, Aguiyi-Ironisi named officers to head the nation's four regions. OdumegwuOjukwu became military governor of the Eastern Region while Hassan Usman Katsina was his counterpart in the Northern Region; Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, Western Region and David Akpode Ejoor was governor of the Mid-western Region. Four months after the failed coup, there was unrest in the north over the killing of two of its political leaders, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. People from the southern region became targets of attacks by northerners. Hundreds were killed and many buildings belonging to the south-easterners were destroyed. There was hardly any family in the zone that did not lose a member. As the body bags rose, there was growing anger in the south-east. The mood was retaliatory. However, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who had become a colonel, strived to calm his people. Based on assurances from his counterpart in the north that steps were being taken to end the pogrom and that the safety of those who had not fled the region was guaranteed, he dissuaded his people from embarking on retaliatory attacks. But things worsened. On 29 July 1966, the north executed its own counter coup. A group of officers from the area, including Murtala Ramat Rufai Muhammed, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma and Martin Adamu, led northern soldiers in a mutiny. They killed AguiyiIronsi who was on a state visit to Ibadan, the capital of the Western Region. Then to accentuate the ethnic colouration of the coup, the masterminds, after two days of talks with Aguiyi-Ironsi's deputy, Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, rejected him as the late head of state's successor in defiance of military command. Rather, they made Yakubu Gowon, a colonel, the new head of state. Ogundipe, who was senior to Gowon, was sent to London as Nigeria's High

Commissioner. In South-eastern Nigeria, the restiveness arising from the pogrom was yet to abate. Various efforts to douse the tensions failed. As part of the efforts to restore peace in Nigeria, Ghana organised a forum for the leaders from the various regions in the country to meet to talk peace. The Aburi Peace Conference which held in January 1967, did not succeed as the parties did not keep the Aburi agreements. On May 30, 1967, Odumegwu-Ojukwu secede Southeastern Nigeria from the rest of the country and proclaimed the area a sovereign state with the name: Republic of Biafra. “Having mandated me to proclaim on your behalf, and in your name, that Eastern Nigeria be a sovereign independent republic, now, therefore, I, Lieutenant Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of the authority, and pursuant to the principles recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters, shall, henceforth, be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of The Republic of Biafra,” the late Biafran leader proclaimed. The south-easterners could not have chosen a better man to lead their cause. When on July 6, 1967 Gowon declared war and attacked Biafra, the south-east, led by OdumegwuOjukwu refused to recant. He got support from some foreign nations. After 30 months of civil war in which Gowon, with support from Britain, Nigeria's colonial master, used every weapon, including food blockades, which led to massive hunger in the south-east, to humble the Biafrans, their commander, knew that his infant republic would not survive. On January 9, 1970, OdumegwuOjukwu, who had transformed to a general in the Biafran army, handed over to his deputy, Major General Philip Effiong, and in line with the saying that he who fights and run away, lives to fight another day, he fled to Côte d'Ivoire. There, Ivoirian President Felix Houphouet-Boigny granted him political asylum. Whenever you discuss Ojukwu, you mention the war. Yet this was not the only thing that defined him. He was brilliant. He was intelligent. If Biafra had succeeded, it would be one of the most developed countries in Africa today, given its technological advancement within a spate of three

years even in the face of battle. Putting Biafra aside, Ojukwu belonged in the class of political orators. He had a good command of the soap box - and like Chuba Okadigbo, Samuel Akintola and KO Mbadiwe; Ojukwu's oratorical power was alluring. He proved his mettle in every regard, despite in the end losing the campaign for the sovereign nation of Biafra. His critics and admirers alike, acknowledge his smartness and courage, even as some continue to assess his exuberant role as exploitative of the emotionalism of a traumatized Igbo people. After 13 years of political asylum, President Shehu Shagari granted Odumegwu-Ojukwu a state pardon. This offered him the opportunity to return to Nigeria in 1982. Upon his return, the people of his native, Nnewi gave him a chieftaincy title, Ikemba, meaning “Power of the People”, while the entire Igbo nation offered to call him Dikedioramma, meaning “Beloved Hero”. Before the 1983 general elections, Odumegwu-Ojukwu joined the ruling National Party of Nigeria and vied for its senatorial ticket. But he lost the election to a relatively unknown commissioner, Dr. Edwin Onwudiwe. About a year after his return, the Second Republic ended following a coup that produced Major General Muhammadu Buhari as Head of State. Odumegwu-Ojukwu was among politicians detained and subsequently jailed by the Buhari junta. Freedom, however, came for him about two years later when General Ibrahim Babangida, in a palace coup in 1985, overthrew Buhari and reviewed his prison term and charges. After the return of democracy in 1999, Odumegwu-Ojukwu became the leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, a party whose sphere of influence remains within his former Biafran enclave, the south-east. When prominent Igbo leaders converged in Enugu on November 4 (2011), to celebrate Odumegwu-Ojukwu's 78th birthday anniversary, little did they know that they were engaging in a last dance for the Igbo leader, who was then in a London hospital. They never had any premonition that Ezeigbo Gburugburu, as he was fondly called, had only twenty-two days more to live, he was spending his last month on earth. It will be recalled that three months earlier, he was rumoured dead. It took assurances from one of his sons, Okigbo to dispel the death rumour. “It is not true that my father is died,” Okigbo who lives in London said. Like another prominent Igbo leaders and Nigeria's first president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Odumegwu-Ojukwu read his obituary alive. However, the man who had fought many battles and survived, including

that of the heart, lost the greatest battle of all after he kicked the bucket at the Bupa Kensington Nursing Home in London. Initially married to the late Njideka Onyekwelu before eloping with the beautiful Bianca Ojukwu, the Ezeigbo's death is to say the least, painful. It marks the end of another man of honour and vision, a man who saw the tomorrow we now see today, a real Soldier who fought on the side of the people. Ojukwu, no doubt has played his part like he should, and today, he's gone with the medal of not only an Achiever, a Conqueror, but a history maker Nigerians will remember and cherish for a lifetime. Perhaps his demise may have set the stage for Nigerians in their usual manner of celebrating a man after death to do so now. Odumegwu Ojukwu you were indeed a soldier as even death did not find it easy taking you away. Though you finally lost the battle, you fought gallantly and worry not, for it's your final battle. Sleep well valiant Ojukwu.

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p i h s n io t a l e R By Adams

Dating Ups & Downs

Dating is a process a lot of us really can live without. It's an emotional rollercoaster that can drive you to drink four year-old bottles of Mike's Hard Lemonade from the back of your refrigerator. Here's a list of the top ups and downs of dating and how to feel better about them: 1. Stop the mental post-date recap abuse. You went out with somebody with whom you thought you had a connection, and it turns out you didn't. So now you're going to mentally torture yourself for the next four days trying to figure out what you said wrong. You'll even torture all your friends asking them what you could have done differently. The post-date recap is a form of mental torture. You will never know what that other person is thinking unless they call you. If they don't call, it really does mean that he or she is just not that into you. 2. We made out in the parking lot and they never called again. Making out is fun! You needed it. They needed it. Don't beat yourself up that you did it, just realize you did it. Be okay with it. It was a great date. You were in the moment, and you experienced something that you wanted to do.

bit of intrigue, a little bit of mystery and no mental torture. 5. Who cares what they think? You left the above voicemail message without knowing if you'll ever see them again, and they don't call you back. You start to think, "Now they know that I like them, and they don't like me." So what? Is it better to just sit there and hope and pray they call? I always believe in being honest. You've got to do what feels right for you. 6. Stop giving your power away to one person. If a two-hour date can cause you to give away all your power and confidence, then you need to learn to embrace yourself and love yourself more. This is just one person you went out with for two hours. They don't know what an amazing person you are. The only thing they know is the person they sat across from at the table. Whether they choose to hang with you again isn't the issue. The issue is that one person does not determine your worthiness. You've got to toughen your skin. Rejection is what dating is all about; you can't take it personally. If I go out with someone and I have a great time but they never want to see me again, I'm still a great person the next day.

3. I texted them the next morning and said, "I had a great time last night," and they never texted back. So what? You had a great time last night. So did they. They just woke up, and their post-date recap was different from yours. They probably had a good time, but when they thought about it, the chemistry and the "it" factor wasn't there. It's not about you. At least you were honest. So you did all you can do.

Want some tips about dealing with dating rejection?

4. Should I have said something different in my voicemail message? You left a voicemail message and now you're replaying it in your head a thousand times. "Should I have said 'Last night was fun' with more enthusiasm? Is that why she's not calling me back?" When it comes to voicemail messages, the shorter the better. From an old sales technique, I always prefer to say, "Last night was fun. I have something really funny to share with you the next time we speak." That's it -- it creates a little

7. In order to feel better about dating, you need to think abundance. Just because you think you like somebody and they don't call you back, this is not the last person in the world you're going to meet. In order to be a successful dater, you need to practice abundance. The power of abundance is training your mind to realize that if it doesn't work out with one person (or 10 people), there are plenty of other people out there who do want to hang out with a fantastic person like you. www.xcelmediaonline.com

3 Keys to Meeting Single Women M

ost men think there's a magic word they can say to get a woman to talk to them. While there is no such "magic word," there are three keys to communicating with a woman that work every single time. This is not earth-shattering stuff. What I'm about to suggest to you is a simple approach that has worked every single time my friends have used it. Here are the three simple steps to communicating with a woman: STEP 1: Observe What She Is Doing. Take the example of a woman standing behind you in line at the supermarket unloading her groceries. If she's behind you in line at a departmental store, what is she ordering? What is she eating? Notice everything she's doing. Let the environment give you something to say. Most guys think of something to say that's so random it makes absolutely no sense in a woman's mind. Women actually make fun of these guys and say, "You won't believe what he actually came over and said to me.â&#x20AC;? STEP 2: Act on the Observation. In order to properly act upon the observation, you need to open her up and evoke a feeling. For instance, if a woman is ordering a double espresso, the thing to talk about is usually the first thing that comes to your mind. A typical guy might say, "Do you like coffee?" which leads to a yes or no answer. A man who is 100 percent present will look at her and say, "Rough night last night?" or "Busy day ahead?" What you're trying to do is stay inside her head and remain in her current thought process. It's much easier to have a conversation based upon things she's already experiencing. A woman will share something that's already going on in her head. Another example: you're standing at a Bar and see a woman ferociously texting someone while standing there by herself. You can walk over and make an assumption like "Is your friend late?" This will in turn open up a conversation based upon feelings and emotions. Women are emotional creatures. They want to bond with you emotionally. They don't want to bond with you randomly. This leads us to Step 3. STEP 3: Listen to What She Has to Say. In order to have good conversation and bond with a woman, you need to listen to what she says. If you listen to her, you will know what to say next. It's called a conversation for a reason. A lot of men always think about what to say next, or they have a script in their head about what to say next. That's not a conversation -- that's a bad screenplay. For example, I was standing with a couple of friends on a corner in Lagos. There was a pretty girl standing there by herself with a suitcase, obviously waiting for someone to pick her up for a weekend getaway. So what did these two guys do? They observed and they asked her: Guys:

"So where are you going?"

Girl:

"Ikeja."

Immediately one of them says, "Ikeja? I stay in VGC." That's not a conversation. That is a guy changing the subject to talk about himself. He doesn't care about her right off the bat. The correct thing to say in this situation is this: Guy:

"Where in Ikeja are you going?"

Girl:

"The shore for the weekend."

Now, in turn, the two guys can keep her present in her head about the weekend and ask her about her trip. Guys:

"Which beach?" or "Wow, how long are you staying there?"

If they listen and stop thinking about how to impress or amuse her by telling her they're from VGC, they'll actually connect with her and have a conversation about the shore, vacations and who knows where the conversation might go. Men complicate things for no reason. There are no magic lines that you can say, but in reality if men just talked to women like they talk to their closest friends, they would have amazing conversations. Men just need to relax and listen to what women are saying. Do this and you're going to have great conversations. It's that simple! Get out of the house, observe, react and listen! XL

10 Principles of Good Parenting “Your relationship with your child is the foundation for her relationships with others.” Here are Dr. Steinberg's 10 principles of good parenting:

T H E

WHAT YOU DO MATTERS Whether it's your own health behaviors or the way you treat other people, your children are learning from what you do. "This is one of the most important principles," Steinberg explains. "What you do makes a difference...Don't just react on the spur of the moment. Ask yourself, What do I want to accomplish, and is this likely to produce that result?"

curious and inquisitive in the classroom also is making her argumentative at the dinner table."

YOU CANNOT BE TOO LOVING "It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love," Steinberg writes. "What we often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never the result of showing a child too much love. It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of love -- things like leniency, lowered expectations, or material possessions."

ESTABLISH AND SET RULES. "If you don't manage your child's behavior when he is young, he will have a hard time learning how to manage himself when he is older and you aren't around. Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is with my child? What is my child doing? The rules your child has learned from you are going to shape the rules he applies to himself. "But you can't micromanage your child," Steinberg notes. "Once they're in middle school, you need to let the child do their own homework, make their own choices and not intervene."

BE INVOLVED IN YOUR CHILD'S LIFE "Being an involved parent takes time and is hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities. It frequently means sacrificing what you want to do for what your child needs to do. Be there mentally as well as physically." Being involved does not mean doing a child's homework -- or correcting it. "Homework is a tool for teachers to know whether the child is learning or not," Steinberg says. "If you do the homework, you're not letting the teacher know what the child is learning."

FOSTER YOUR CHILD'S INDEPENDENCE. "Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self-control. Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of selfdirection. To be successful in life, she's going to need both." It's normal for children to push for autonomy, says Steinberg. "Many parents mistakenly equate their child's independence with rebelliousness or disobedience. Children push for independence because it is part of human nature to want to feel in control rather than to feel controlled by someone else."

ADAPT YOUR PARENTING TO FIT YOUR CHILD Keep pace with your child's development. Your child is growing up. Consider how age is affecting the child's behavior. "The same drive for independence that is making your 3-year-old say 'no' all the time is what's motivating him to be toilet trained," writes Steinberg. "The same intellectual growth spurt that is making your 13-year-old

BE CONSISTENT. "If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child's misbehavior is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency. Identify your non-negotiables. The more your authority is based on wisdom and not on power, the less your child will challenge it."

AVOID HARSH DISCIPLINE Parents should never hit a child, under any circumstances, Steinberg says. "Children who are spanked, hit, or slapped are more prone to fighting with other children," he writes. "They are more likely to be bullies and more likely to use aggression to solve disputes with others." "There are many other ways to discipline a child -- including 'time out' -- which work better and do not involve aggression." EXPLAIN YOUR RULES AND DECISIONS. Good parents have expectations they want their child to live up to," he writes. "Generally, parents overexplain to young children and underexplain to adolescents. What is obvious to you may not be evident to a 12-year-old. He doesn't have the priorities, judgment, or experience that you have." TREAT YOUR CHILD WITH RESPECT "The best way to get respectful treatment from your child is to treat him respectfully," Steinberg writes. "You should give your child the same courtesies you would give to anyone else. Speak to him politely. Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he is speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Try to please him when you can. Children treat others the way their parents treat them. Your relationship with your child is the foundation for her relationships with others." For example, if your child is a picky eater: "I personally don't think parents should make a big deal about eating," Steinberg says. "Children develop food preferences. They often go through them in stages. You don't want to turn mealtimes into unpleasant occasions. Just don't make the mistake of substituting unhealthy foods. If you don't keep junk food in the house, they won't eat it.”

Dr. Femi kayode

NATURE & SCIENCE

THE SECRETARY

BIRD I

ts common name is popularly thought to derive from the crest of long quilllike feathers, lending the bird the appearance of a secretary with quill pens tucked behind his or her ear, as was once common practice. The Secretary Bird with the scientific name Sagittarius serpentarius is a large, mostly terrestrial bird. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara. Although a member of the order Accipitriformes, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards, vultures, and harriers, it is given its own family, Sagittariidae. The Secretary Bird is instantly recognizable as having an eagle-like body on crane-like legs which increases the bird's height to as much as 1.3 m (4 ft) tall. From a distance or in flight it resembles a crane more than a bird of prey. The tail has two elongated central feathers that extend beyond the feet during flight, as well as long flat plumage creating a posterior crest. Secretary Bird flight feathers and thighs are black, while most of the coverts are grey with some being white. Sexes look similar to one another as the species exhibits very little sexual dimorphism, although the male has longer head plumes and tail feathers. Adults have a featherless red face as opposed to the yellow facial skin of the young. Habitat Secretary Birds are endemic to SubSaharan Africa and are non-migratory, though they may follow food sources. Their range extends from Senegal to Somalia and south to the Cape of Good Hope. Secretary Birds prefer open grasslands and savannas rather than forests and dense shrubbery which may impede their cursorial existence. While the birds roost on the local Acacia trees at night, they spend much of the day on the ground, returning to roosting sites just b e f o r e dark. Diet T h e Secretary Bird is largely terrestrial, hunting its prey on foot, and other than t h e caracara (such as

NASA Telescope Confirms Alien Planet In Habitable Zone

N Caracara plancus), is the only bird of prey to do so habitually. Adults hunt in pairs and sometimes as loose familial flocks, stalking through the habitat with long strides. Prey may consist of insects, mammals ranging in size from mice to hares and mongoose, crabs, lizards, snakes, tortoises, young birds, bird eggs, and sometimes dead animals killed in grass or bush fires. Larger herbivores are not generally hunted, although there are some reports of Secretary Birds killing young gazelles. The importance of snakes in the diet has been exaggerated in the past, although they can be locally important and venomous species such as adders and cobras are regularly among the types of snake predated.

Relationship with humans (Cultural significance) The Secretary Bird has traditionally been admired in Africa for its striking appearance and ability to deal with pests and snakes. Africans sometimes call it the Devil's Horse. As such it has often not been molested, although this is changing as traditional observances have declined. The Secretary Bird is the national emblem of Sudan as well as a prominent feature on the Coat of arms of South Africa. In Sudan, it is featured in the middle white strip of the Presidential Flag; it is the main object on the Presidential Seal, and features heavily in Sudanese military insignia. The Secretary Bird on the Presidential Flag and Seal has its head turned to the right, with its distinctive crest clearly visible and its wings spread out with a white banner between its outstretched wings reading "Victory is Ours". In South Africa, the Secretary Bird, while not the official bird, is featured as a symbol on the national coat of arms, representing vigilance and military might, as well as the rise and pride of modern South Africa. The Secretary Bird has been a common motif for African countries on postage stamps, over 65 stamps from about 30 countries are known as of date including some from stamp-issuing entities such as Ajman, Manama. the Maldives and the United Nations where the bird does not occur.

ASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft has confirmed the discovery of its first alien world in its host star's habitable zone that just-right range of distances that could allow liquid water to exist and found more than 1,000 new explanet candidates, researchers announced today (Dec. 5). The new finds bring the Kepler space telescope's total haul to 2,326 potential planets in its first 16 months of operation. These discoveries, if confirmed, would quadruple the current tally of worlds known to exist beyond our solar system, which recently topped 700. The potentially habitable alien world a first for Kepler, orbits a star very much like our own sun. The discovery brings scientists one step closer to finding a planet like our own one which could conceivably harbor life, scientists said. "We're getting closer and closer to discovering the so-called 'Goldilocks planet,'" Pete Worden, director of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., said during a press conference today. The newfound planet in the habitable zone is called Kepler-22b. It is located about 600 lightyears away, orbiting a sun-like star. Kepler-22b's radius is 2.4 times that of Earth, and the two planets have roughly similar temperatures. If the greenhouse effect operates there similarly to how it does on Earth, the average surface temperature on Kepler-22b would be 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius). The $600 million Kepler observatory launched in March 2009 to hunt for Earth-size alien planets in the habitable zone of their parent stars, where liquid water, and perhaps even life, might be able to exist. Kepler detects alien planets using what's called the "transit method." It searches for tiny, telltale dips in a star's brightness caused when a planet transits or crosses in front of the star from Earth's perspective, blocking a fraction of the star's light. The finds graduate from "candidates" to fullfledged planets after follow-up observations confirm that they're not false alarms. This process, which is usually done with large, ground-based telescopes, can take about a year. The Kepler team released data from its first 13 months of operation back in February, announcing that the instrument had detected 1,235 planet candidates, including 54 in the habitable zone and 68 that are roughly Earth-size. Of the total 2,326 candidate planets that Kepler has found to date, 207 are approximately Earth-size. More of them, 680, are a bit larger than our planet, falling into the "super-Earth" category. The total number of candidate planets in the habitable zones of their stars is now 48. To date, just over two dozen of these potential exoplanets have been confirmed, but Kepler scientists have estimated that at least 80 percent of the instrument's discoveries should end up being the real deal. XL

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Starting a Business

without Money

Creating and sustaining your own business is still the surest way to amassing wealth. It is by far the more difficult route to take, but many have succeeded. There is a fallacy mindset that you need money in order to start a business. The purpose of this article is to challenge that mindset. Possessing the right knowledge and having perseverance and dedication is more important. Being prepared to fail a few times is also vital for your ultimate success. Let's now consider some principles that could help propel you to financial greatness. 1. Grow some passion and determination. Determination is the separating factor. Passion drives determination. Find some areas you are passionate about and grow your skills in those areas through studies, training courses and the practical application of knowledge and skill. Find ways to make money out of your passion rather than resorting to making the niche that makes you money your passion. 2. Be prepared to reinvent yourself. Flexibility is also a great asset as you may have to 'reinvent' yourself a few times to find the right slant to tackle the niche you have chosen to operate in. Be prepared to give up one niche for another in the short term, moving with the times and changes in the economic climate and consumer demand. 3. Conduct a few tests run on your ideas to evolve them. Preparation and planning is vital before setting out on any venture. Business plans are evolving documents. Draft one and then ignore it for one year. Compare the practical rolling out of your business venture with your original business plan, and then refine the plan again. Work on this at least once a year going forward. Favor the least expensive idea over the cost-heavy one. 4. Start your business whilst still employed. 90% of entrepreneurs started off as employees in some or another capacity prior to venturing out on their own. Firstly, never sign an employment contract containing a restraint of trade. Then, once you have adequate knowledge and experience, the ideal is to make the transition from a full time employee to a consultant, still in the same industry or even better, within the same company. Slowly set yourself free from your familiar working environment in this manner. This allows you a soft landing, which is good for your mind and emotions and also gives you opportunity to have more flexibility of time in order to grow business opportunities and test business ideas without impacting your pocket too adversely within the first vital year of trade. 5. Find opportunities to build skills you require to succeed in the area you intend operating in, with as little cost as possible. Find ways to make lucrative deals with training institutions or companies to have them pay for your training in exchange for services rendered. We live in a resultsdriven society. 6. Remember that the customer is most

important. Always understand what the customer wants. Derive the best way to satisfy those wants. The main focus of any business is customer satisfaction. (Secondary focus should then be quality, cost/profit, appearance, function of product/service, etc...) 7. Let your creativity replace your money. Get back to basics. Leverage and minimize the need for cash and aggressively increase sales activity through developing and implementing creative ideas and concepts. Always think big. Take massive action towards your goals and persist until you succeed. 8. Remember you are your best employee. Keep it small and cost free in the beginning. Be loathe and hesitant to employ people, unless you are guaranteed of their return on investment. If this is a gray area, rather don't do it. Salaries are usually the greatest management expense in any business. You want to keep these costs as low as possible, in the beginning and throughout the life cycle of your business. 9. Involve your family in your business (wife, husband and children). Give them joint ownership of the success of your business. Many large corporations have been in family generations for years. At the very least, entrepreneurs who started these great companies have, in their children, totally dedicated company leaders who can be entrusted with anything. Make sure your family agrees what you are planning to do. This is because you will use the family resources, the time, the money, the health, the nerves. After becoming the boss in your business you may soon become bossy in your family too. To avoid jeopardizing your family-life, discuss the business rules with your family and stick to the agreed plans. After all it still may be fun to run a family business, but things can go terribly bad, if you divorce yourself from your family-life. 10. Try to avoid Partnerships. Few were made in heaven. Most were born in hell. Rather make people 'partners' in various aspects, but never sign anything on a dotted line in this regard. Be careful when using the term 'partner' with business associates, as the legal concept of promissory stoppers (the spoken word superseding a written contract) might bite you at a later stage, especially if you start making money. 11. If you have a home, this is where your first office has to be. Write off a part of your home to 'rental' in your books, and pay this money into your bond, if you have one. The reason for suggesting this is obvious.

12. Give discounts and offer better value for money than competitors. Money talks. Consumers want value for money and abhor the idea of being 'ripped off'. Make good on your promises and never be tempted to engage in false advertising as it will ruin you and your business' reputation in no time. Ensure your profit margins are protected when deciding on this aspect. 13. Make up for the absence of money with hard work. If you enjoy what you do, investing long hours in your business will often feel like 'fun' and you will do it willingly. If you are forced to do something you don't enjoy too much to bring in income (only allow this for short term spurts) and are required to spend excess time doing it; ensure you carefully manage your stress levels. You may experience burnout before you start making real money or get anywhere in the ventures you are truly passionate about. This is a sure path back to becoming a paid employee all over again. 14. Know your rights. Having sound knowledge of Commercial Law, especially the Law of Contract and your Countries' Legislative requirements in as far as business owners are concerned is important to succeed as an entrepreneur. Seeking Legal Counsel for every small aspect concerning the law will bankrupt you in no time. Rather build this skill and knowledge as far as you can before you begin forking out money to pay for it. 15. Look after your physical, mental and emotional state. If you lose your health, you lose it all. A healthy body, mind and soul (emotions included) are vital to success as a business owner. Try and get some income protector insurance in place as a self-employed person cannot afford to lose income to this possibility. Your gym fee is an important monthly expense and don't be tempted to compromise on that when finances become tight. Keep grounded in your faith as you will need strength of spirit to survive the 'jungle' out there. 16. Get the balance right. Live life within balance. Even when you are starting out a business without a cent in the bank. Losing your balance and perspective in life will make you poorer in the long run and is never a risk worth taking. Never miss a night's sleep. Additionally, it is a bad idea to be taking drugs to aid your performance ability or to meddle with your regular healthy eating and exercise plans. This will break you down and cause you to make irrational, emotional decisions which are never a good thing in business. XL

SOCIETY

Nneka cuts her birthday cake with husband & children

Port Harcourt Glamourous Lady NNEKA REASON-ONYA Celebrates A New Beginning At 40

lamour, ecstasy and splendor dazzled brilliantly, Saturday 14th January, 2012 at the prestigious Banquet Hall of Port Harcourt's Presidential Hotel when friends and associates joined elegant and trendy society lady, Dr. Obianma Nneka Reason-Onya to celebrate her 40th birthday amidst buzz and delight. A Medical Consultant and Unit Head of the National Health Insurance Scheme at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, stunning and sensational Nneka sure knows how to complement gorgeousness with officialdom. Supported by her hubby, Mr. Reason-Onya and their four lovely children, Reason Jnr, Angel, Ruby and Diamond, Dr. Obianma Nnekaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bash also featured a startling fashion show from her fashion line, Nnekaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Togg, where she doubles as the CEO cum Creative Director. But the pleasurable evening would not end without the launch of her Magazine, My Style and Medicine, a publication which promises to delight readers with sleek and beautiful fashion as well as tips on how to be glittering and adorable just like her, making the celebration tripartite. Dr. Obianma Nneka Reason-Onya's colourful tripartite party succeeded in reinforcing the popular maxim that life, human life to be precise, indeed begins at 40.

Nneka in her ravishing outfit

Nneka & husband savouring the excitement of the event

Cutting the birthday cake

with Reason Onya Jnr.

Mr. Barth (right), publisher, XCEL Magazine representing Sir. Celestine Omehia

The Onyas with Chief Tony Chukwu

The Onyas with Prof. Ojule, Chief Medical Director, UPTH

The Onyas with Prof. & Dr. (Mrs) Ikhimalo, Dean college of Medicine Uniport

Mrs. Patience Ozokwo, Mrs. Nneka Reason-Onya & Mrs. Charity Wogu

Hon. Felix Nweke (2nd left), Reason Onya & Chief Ambrose Nwuzi

Ms. Medline Tador, Nneka & Mrs. Bunmi Durojaiye

Nneka (centre) with her models during the fashion show

Nnekaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s splendid 40th birthday cake

Pastor Joseph Mukoro, Faith Power Int Centre with Nneka

Nneka & MC, Abimbola XL

(Continued from page 17)

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Neill Blomkamp, 32, South African, Movie Director

Koffi Olomidé, 55, Congolese, Musician

Someday, Blomkamp just might give Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas a run for their money. The South African movie director and scriptwriter shook the world with District 9, Africa's first Sci-fi which tells the story of a bunch of extraterrestrial refugees who find themselves in a South African slum. The movie attracted rave reviews from international critics and raked in over $200 million from the Box office. Blomkamp is currently working on a new movie, Elysium, scheduled for release in 2013

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The Algerian-born, Paris-based Guitarist and songwriter is one of North Africa's most coveted musicians. She got early career start performing with Political rock band, Atakor, which was a vocal critic of the Algerian government. She quit the band in 1999, moving to France to pursue her own independent career. Massi has released four successful studio albums to date. Her 2003 studio album, Heartbroken ranks as one of the most popular Northern African albums of all time, and sold close to one million copies. XL

Baaba Maal, 58, Senegalese, Musician Arguably Senegal's biggest music export since Yossou N'dour. The regal Senegalese musician is usually referred to as 'The Nightingale' for his resonant and transcendent vocals. The UNDP Youth Emissary has Degrees in music from the University of Dakar and the Beaux-Arts in Paris and sings in Pulaar, his traditional tongue. Maal remains one of the most internationally recognized musicians from Africa, and has released 16 albums to date.

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Hugh Masekela

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Olomidé possesses a first degree in Business Economics and reportedly has a Masters Degree in mathematics from the University of Paris, but he found mainstream fame and considerable fortune playing music. Olomidé is one of the more famous performers of soukousan extremely popular and peculiar genre of African music which intermixes vigorous gyrations with finger-style guitar of Rhumba and African melodies. Olomidé has released over 30 albums during the course of his career which have sold millions across the world.

Souad Massi, 39, Algerian, Musician

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Nnaji has frequently been hailed as Africa's own answer to the likes of Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and the rest of the feminine Hollywood stars. She started out in her acting career over 24 years ago, at the age of 8, playing a supporting role in a Nigerian TV series. Today, she is arguably Africa's most revered actress and the poster girl for Nollywood- Nigeria's burgeoning movie industry. The Nollywood diva has become one of Africa's most recognizable faces, and has featured in over 80 successful Nigerian blockbusters.

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Genevieve Nnaji, 32, Nigerian, Actress

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Koffi Ol omidé

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THE 40 MOST POWERFUL CELEBRITIES IN AFRICA

Hugh Masekela, 72, South African, Musician The 72 year-old South African Jazz maestro and internationally-acclaimed trumpeter shows no signs of slowing down. He started out playing the Trumpet at the age of 14 and used his music to protest against apartheid, slavery, and socio-economic exploitation. In 2004, he published his autobiography: Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela. Masekela sits on the board of the Lunchbox Fund, a charity which provides a daily meal to students of township schools in the sprawling slums of Soweto.

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Awilo Longomba ICA

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The visually-impaired wonder couple met at the Institute for the Blind in Bamako, Mali in 1977. Both discovered their love for music and started recording together; married in 1980. The couple is generally considered as pioneers of Afro-blues, a distinct genre of music which fuses traditional Malian sounds and music with foreign instruments like rock guitars, Syrian violins and Cuban trumpets. They have released 3 successful studio albums till date and have played alongside international acts like Irish rock band, U2 and Coldplay. The duo's lyrics dwell mainly on sociopolitical issues in Mali and across Africa.

Awilo Longomba, Congolese, Musician The Congolese musician is one of the most notable proponents of the Soukous music genre which has gained an increasing international acceptance not only in Africa, but the rest of the world. Longomba started out as a drummer, but quit in 1995 to pursue his first love, music. He has released four albums to date and now lives in France.

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Eric Wainaina, 38, Kenyan, Musician Binyavanga Wainaina, 40, Kenyan, Author The Kenyan writer authored the essay “How To Write About Africa”- one of the most satirical pieces ever written about the continent. In June, the 2002, Caine Prize winner published his debut novel, One Day I Will Write About This Place which was selected by the Oprah Magazine for its 2011 summer reading list. Wainaina is one of Africa's most popular new generation of storytellers and is the founder of Kwani, the first literary magazine in East Africa.

Kenya's most cerebral author and playwright published his first novel, Weep Not Child, in 1964. He was forced out of Kenya and sent on exile in the 70s because of his intense criticisms of the Kenyan government which he usually channeled through his plays and novels. In 2006, he published his first novel in two decades, Wizard of the Crow which tells the story of an imaginary African state governed by its despotic ruler. He currently serves as a Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Irvine.

Freshlyground

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Kenya's most famous singer-songwriter studied at Berklee College of Music. After the infamous 1998 Terrorist bombing in Nairobi, he instantly released Kenya Only- a song which went on to become the official mourning song for the period. His debut album, Sawa Sawa which he released in 2001 has sold over two million copies, making it one of the bestselling Kenyan albums of all time. The multi-award winner released his third studio album, Love and Protest earlier this year (2011). In 2009 he produced the musical, Mo Faya which was shown at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and received rave reviews.

Ngugi Wa Thiongo, 73, Kenyan, Author

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Binyavanga Wainaina

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Ngugi Wa Thiongo

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At the age of 13, K'Naan left his homeland of Somalia in the heat of a civil war and escaped with his family to New York, and later to Ontario, Canada where he joined a thriving Somali community and started rapping. In 2006, he released his debut album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher to modest success. His biggest break came in 2009 when Coca-Cola used a remixed version of his hit single, 'Wavin' Flag' as its anthem for the 2010 World Cup. K'Naan has been a very vocal advocate for aid to Somalia in the wake of the country's recent famine.

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Amadou and Mariam, K'Naan, 33, Somali, Rapper Malian, Musicians

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K'Naan

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Freshlyground, South African, Musicians The Seven-member South African Afro-fusion band started out in Cape Town in 2002. Success came almost immediately. In 2003, the band released their debut album, Jika Jika, which went on to achieve immense commercial success. They have gone on to release four successful studio albums to date. Last year, the band collaborated with Colombian pop star, Shakira, in writing and performing "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” which was the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The band members hail from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

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Tuface Idibia

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Rokia Traoré, 37, Malian, Musician

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SPECIAL REPORT

Chimamanda Adichie, 34, Nigerian, Writer The Nigerian-born author is arguably the most popular new-generation writer to emerge from Africa and one of the continent's leading contemporary literary voices at the moment. In 2006, her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun won the coveted Orange Prize.

The daughter of a Malian Diplomat is one of the more popular new generation artists to emerge from Africa. Shot into the limelight in 1997 when she went under the mentorship of famed Malian singer, Ali Farka Touré, under whose mentorship she produced her first album, Mouneissa. Later that year, Radio France Internationale heralded her with an award for 'Best African Discovery' in 1997. Her career took off afterwards. Traore fuses traditional Malian sounds with western influences. Traoré has released four successful albums to date, including Tchamantché, her latest work which was produced in 2008.

Tuface Idibia, 36, Nigerian, Musician The Nigerian-born crooner is one of Africa's most recognizable new-generation singers. He started out his career in the mid 90s with the Plantashun boys, a defunct Nigerian boy band that achieved modest recognition in local circles but disbanded in 2004. Tubaba, as he is fondly called immediately struck out independently, finding success and international renown for hits such as 'African Queen' which has become one of the most popular African love songs of all time. Idibia is a recipient of several local and international awards, including the MTV Award for Best African Artist in 2005.

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Don Jazzy,

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P-Square, 29, Nigerian, Musicians The Nigerian R&B duo attained continental superstardom with romancelaced lyrics and Michael Jackson-styled dance moves. The identical twin brothers released their 5th studio album, “The Invasion” in July this year (2011) to critical acclaim. The album reportedly went platinum within eight weeks. Their 2009 album, Danger, has sold close to nine million copies worldwide. The music video for their hit song, “No one like you” has been viewed over 10 million times on YouTube- a top record for any Nigerian artist.

Don Jazzy, 30, Nigerian, Music Producer Africa's Number one beat maker heads the phenomenal Nigerian record label, Mo' Hits which is home to successful Nigerians artists like D'Banj and Wande Coal. The venerable music producer and occasional singer is also the undisputed King of Social media in Nigeria. He boasts over 130,000 followers on Twitter. Earlier this year, he signed on to Kanye West's GOOD Music record label along with his protégé, D'Banj. Jazzy also earned production credits for his work on Kanye West and Jay-Z's collaborative album- Watch The Throne.

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D'Banj, 31, Nigerian, Musician Don Jazzy's protégé is one of Africa's most recognizable new generation artistes. He has sold over 3 million albums worldwide over the last six years and signed a record deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music earlier in 2011. The Nigerian crooner and Harmonica player is also one of the savviest entrepreneurs in Africa's music industry. He has stamped his now famous 'Koko' brand name unto everything from mobile phones, an entertainment lounge, bottled water and even Garri (a Nigerian staple meal made of processed cassava).

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Asa, 29, Nigerian, Musician Real name: Bukola Elemide. The Nigerian singer-songwriter is one of the most popular new-generation artists to emerge from Africa. She released her sophomore album, 'Beautiful Imperfection' last year to immense critical acclaim. The Paris-based artist is renowned for her fusion of contemporary Jazz sound, pop and reggae with traditional Yoruba melodies.

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Nneka, 31, Nigerian, Musician The Nigerian-German soul musician has become one of Africa's more popular international singers. Contents of her lyrics dwell majorly on poverty, war and related social ills. She first came into the limelight in 2004 after performing as an opening act for Jamaican Reggae act, Sean Paul during a concert in Germany. Nneka appeared on the David Letterman show in January 2010, and has collaborated with American Hip-Hop act, Nas, for a remix of her internationally acclaimed hit single- Heartbeat. Nneka is a brand ambassador for Nigerian Telecoms Company, Starcomms.

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Patricia Amira, 33, Kenyan, TV Personality Africa's own answer to Oprah, the Kenyanborn media queen is one of the continent's most popular talk-show hosts. Her daytime talk show, The Patricia Show is broadcast in over 45 African countries and watched by over 10 million people. The show focuses on indigenous achievements and human interest stories across Africa.

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I N H I N K

n a society such as ours which is deeply entrenched on the thresholds of poverty, educational malfunctioning, insecurity of lives and properties, poor leadership and scarcity of true mentors, it is common to find so many young people who are on a steady decline to the fortress of frustration. Often times, youths give up on their dreams even before taking a retrospect to fashion-out possible modalities to realize them because of our suffocating environment which rarely creates room for any worthwhile dream to germinate, let alone mature. This is the dilemma confronting many young Nigerians today. Many have been so frustrated such that they relapse to crime and other ignoble behaviors, in a bid to survive in a harsh economy as ours which pays little or no attention to the entrepreneurial development of its citizens. Experience has however shown that one way to improve a developing economy like Nigeria is to invest and encourage entrepreneurial businesses. There is also a need for aspiring entrepreneurs to look beyond the challenges surrounding them and focus on the possibilities before them. Only then will you overcome. From Oprah Winfrey to late Steve Jobs to J.K. Rowling, entrepreneurial success stories are the stuff from which American dreams are made. Much like these famous names, the four self-made millionaires we will be profiling have one thing in common: Thanks to hard work, determination and sound advice from mentors, friends and family, they've been able to build thriving businesses from the ground up. Their stories encapsulate a lesson which many Nigerians who are desirous of attaining a fulfilled life should find very interesting. The rise to the top can be bumpy. In fact, some of the most successful entrepreneurs, as you would see, were homeless during the early years of their companies. Learn how these four diverse entrepreneurs -- from a t-shirt designer to a media mogul -turned meager beginnings into multimillion-dollar success and

what advice they offer to budding business tycoons who hope to follow in their footsteps. Radio One Founder and Chairperson, Catherine L. Hughes, 64, by conventional standards, was not destined to build a successful multimillion-dollar media company. She was a teen mom by 16 and a high-school dropout. However, she later completed high school, followed by brief stints at area universities in her hometown of Omaha, Neb. Despite her limited formal education, Hughes, who credits publishing legend John H. Johnson as one of her mentors, worked her way up at Omaha's KOWH radio starting in 1969 before heading to the nation's capital to become a lecturer at Howard University. In 1975, she became general manager for the university's radio station, WHUR-FM. By 1979, she bought her first radio station, WOL-AM in D.C., with her then-husband and founded Radio One a year later. Those early years were rough. Hughes, who was divorced by then, slept with her son on the floor of her radio station because she couldn't afford to live anywhere else. "My mother tried her best to talk me out of the radio business because of that," Hughes recalls. It's for this reason that she advises young entrepreneurs to be wary about who they divulge their challenges to -even family. "If I had listened [to my mother], I would be a government employee right now and there would be no Radio One." We now shift attention to Bert Jacobs, the 46-year old Co-Founder and CEO of Life is good. You've probably seen the beret-wearing, smiling face of "Jake," the Life is good logo, on the company's tee shirts and products. Co-founders Bert Jacobs and his brother, John Jacobs, 43, started peddling their tee shirts on the streets of Boston -- going door-to-door at college dorms and sleeping in their van to save money -- in 1989. It would take nearly six years, however, before their shirts finally caught on with consumers, thanks to "Jake." The logo, which is infused with optimism, was created after a conversation about how the world was slammed with constant negativity. It became an instant hit. Now, the New England-based company has revenues in excess of $100 million, and each year more of it goes toward their charity, Life is good Kids Foundation, which helps children overcome life-threatening challenges. The story of the founder and CEO of Farrah Gray Publishing, farrah Gray, is not any different. Provocatively inspirational could be a better word choice. When most 6year-olds were worried about what time their favorite cartoon came on TV, Gray was already an entrepreneur. He was going doorto-door in his inner-city Chicago

With Olawale Osolo

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ACTIVATING THE ENTREPRENEUR IN YOU

neighborhood selling hand-painted rocks as bookends to help his ailing mother make ends meet. Trying to figure out a way to improve his family's home life sparked something big: By the time he was 17, Gray had founded and operated several businesses, including Kidztel, a prepaid phone card company, and Farr-Out Foods, a food company targeting young adults, which grossed $1.5 million in sales before he sold it. At 20, his first book, "Reallionaire: Nine Steps to Becoming Rich Inside and Out," was published. Now, Gray's focused on his latest venture, Farrah Gray Publishing, a boutique celebrity book publishing house he started in 2009, which includes titles such as "Transparent" by CNN's Don Lemon. Gray also spends his time contributing to charitable organizations, such as the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Marrow Donor Program. For anyone considering starting a new business, he suggests keeping things small: "A lot of times we get caught up in trying to be the next Facebook or Apple. That isn't necessary -niche yourself." Last on the pack is Jesse Conners, the 28-year old founder and CEO of PeppermintPark.com. Like many of us, Conners had an unusual childhood: When she was nine, her parents joined a cult and -believing that the world was about to end -sold all of their worldly possessions. From then until she was 18, Conners traveled across the U.S. and to Mexico with her family, following the cult's message and searching for work along the way. As unconventional as it was, she says her upbringing spurred the independence she needed to succeed in business. While in high school, she started doing the marketing for her father's chiropractor practice, which eventually led to a job in real estate. At 21, she auditioned for and was cast in the first season of NBC's "The Apprentice." Although Conners didn't win, her stint on national television landed her a job on the real estate speaking circuit. In 2008, she began building PeppermintPark.com, a membership-based fashion and luxury brand online retailer. The Web site has been up and running for a little over a year and has a ten-person staff. Earlier this year, Conners's "outside the box" approach to business helped her to surpass a $1 million net worth. Conners advises budding entrepreneurs to be aware that daily obstacles are the norm, not the exception. "There is constantly some fire that you have to put out. That's what running a business is all about," Conners says. "Don't let it discourage you. Try again, start again." Do not allow any life circumstance weigh you down. You can still become that which you have ever dreamed. Reach for the top and be the best you can ever be.