Unperturbed by the economic hardship plaguing the nation, fun seekers in Ibadan, the capital  of Oyo State, still find ample time to unwind and enjoy nightlife in various joints and club houses located in some strategic areas. From Orita-Challenge to Queen Cinema area to Roundabout and Bodija axis, down to Sango, U.I and Ojoo, social activities are always at the peak from around 9.00p.m till the wee hours of the following day.

Night crawlers and club freaks often frequent pubs, brothels and high-profile club houses, depending on their social status, exposures and financial strength, which go a long way in determining where they groove and rock themselves overnight.

Besides, ladies of easy virtues with different shapes and sizes are always at hand to savour the pleasure of the night with men at negotiated prices. However, some female students of tertiary institutions in Ibadan are not left out in the thrills and euphoria as they also storm some club houses to catch their fun.

Customers enjoy varied African and intercontinental delicacies, snacks, fish pepper soup and suya meats with drinks at various fun spots to spice up their night adventures.

In a bid to feel the pulse of the fun seekers and their corporate service providers, including club houses, five star hotels, brothels, pubs and joints, the Nigerian Tribune visited some of these fun spots to catch a glimpse of the socio-economic activities and interact with the stakeholders.

Upwardly mobile guys in the social circles often announce their arrival in their preferred fun spots with their wonder on the wheel automobiles, amidst array of beautiful damsels, which at times keep the mouth of other fun seekers agape.

At Club 0305, situated on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Bodija, Ibadan, fun seekers could be seen having a swell time at the serene environment, where the club is located, gulping exotic wines as the disc jockey blared hip hop music to complement the flavour. The time was around 1.30a.m.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, the spokesman of the club, Mr Sola Ross, said “it takes a great deal of commitment, resources and managerial skill to run a club like this in Ibadan. Here, we offer our clientele the best service in the city with state of the art facilities which would make their stay memorable”.

According to him, “finding time to unwind in this kind of lovely environment is a good and efficient therapy, capable of reducing stress of a hectic day and lowers the risk of high blood pressure among the people. A night out, filled with moderate fun, can go a long way to ward off hypertension and other stress related diseases that can cut one’s lifespan short”.

Describing Wednesdays to the weekends as their peak days, Mr Ross identified epileptic electricity supply as one of the challenges facing the hospitality industry in particular and Nigeria as a whole, adding that “government should address the issue of poor electricity in this country squarely.

“The running cost of the diesel we use to power our generator in two days is N42, 000. You can imagine how much it would cost in a month to buy diesel. Invariably, large chunk of the profit will have to be expended on the running cost and overhead. This is quite uneconomical and government should do something positive and drastic on the power generation sector to make life more meaningful for Nigerians”, the Club 0305 spokesman remarked.

Baring his mind to the reporter, Johnson Sekoni, who is a regular customer at the club, stated that a night out in a decent environment was worth it, taking into consideration the need to refresh, unwind and catch some fun after a day’s job.

He continued, “It is crucial for any hardworking guy to find time and enjoy himself because he deserves it. Doing otherwise is a great disservice to oneself. You have only one life to live and there is nothing bad if you maximise all the opportunities to enjoy it to the fullest, provided the means are there”.

Also sharing her experience, Miss Janet Adewoyin, an undergraduate in the University of Ibadan, Ibadan contended that “having fun out here is not a big deal and I see nothing bad in it. You have got to enjoy some pleasures of life. Mind you, I am not here to do ‘runs’ or get hooked to any man. I just came to spoil myself a little because I need it”.

At the 411 Club, which is close to Club 0305 in the same Bodija axis, situation was the same. Fun seekers, lovers and other categories of people milled around the place to groove till day break. With flood lights and other decorative attachments, sweet fragrance of delicious foods filled the air.

Meanwhile, a curious look at the streets that lead to these club houses and other adjacent roads revealed the presence of high class commercial sex workers, posing strategically to showcase their offerings to interested night crawlers.

Contrarily, a visit to the famous Premier Hotel, on top of Mokola Hill, Ibadan presented a sharp difference to the sight and sound of other fun spots in the ancient city of Ibadan, except for the “queens of the night” who dotted the road, which leads to the hotel, waiting anxiously for their potential clients. The hotel’s environment is serene and splendid, devoid of rowdy crowd of fun seekers that besieged other spots in Mokola area.

Similarly, there was a beehive of socio-economic activities at Ekotedo and Queen Cinema area, Ibadan, where the popular Central and Bola Hotels are situated. As of 11.30pm, young commercial sex workers, in their twenties were sighted in skimpy and provocative dresses, in a desperate attempt to lure men passing through the area.

A mild drama ensued when a young man, who walked through the frontage of the ‘red light zones’ of  the Central Hotel Ekotedo, Ibadan, was dragged to the passage of the brothel by one of the prostitutes, compelling him to enter her room, with a promise of a rollicking sexual satisfaction. The unwilling young man refused to yield to the advances of the prostitute, a development which made other prostitutes to make mockery of him.

In an interactive session with the reporter, one of the prostitutes, identified as Blessing Ukoma, from Anambra State, said she ventured into prostitution to raise needed capital, with which she could start a dress boutique.

When asked how many men she could entertain in a day, she replied thus, “It all depends on the business trend. Sometimes, many men will come to this place to have sex and we are many here. Therefore, you have to struggle in a bid to get some of them to come to your room, with a view to having a nice time. But, averagely, I can sleep with about 20 men in a day before I could get tired. It is not an easy thing my brother. Come inside now, let me rock you body and soul.

“To survive in this business is not a child’s play. First, you have to pay a sum of N1, 700 every week for the room you are using and also pay some amount of money to the big Aunty that brings you here on a monthly basis, including the money for security. So, it is very hard here, but we are managing to keep it rolling”, Ukoma asserted.

The Bar Manager at Bola Hotel, Queen Cinema, Mr. Femi Akande, lamented that low patronage had really affected nightlife business, saying that “ sales of beer and other non-alcoholic drinks have dropped in recent times, but we are still trying to stay afloat in the business despite the situation.”

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Hardly could one get to a household at Igbo Ora, Oyo State, without seeing a set of twins. The indigenes believe that a kind of okra leaves, locally known as ewe ilasa, is capable of making women who use it give birth to twins. Taiwo Abiodun who visited the town writes on this phenomenon

Welcome to Igbo Ora, The Nation’s Home of Twins 

At the mere mentioning of Taiye or Kehinde in the public place could trigger a simultaneous response from more than four people. In other words, the names, being what twins are called (the former for the one who came first and the latter for the one who followed) in Yoruba land, unusually have more than one claimant in this land.

“If you gather about 200 people, 70 per cent of them is likely to be twins,” Taiwo, twin, told The Nation. “I am a twin and my twin brother’s wife is also a twin and she has a set of twins. My younger sister, Idowu, has two set of twins too but I don’t have twins yet. I believe that my new wife will deliver twins by God’s grace,” he said as he thumped his chest.

Chief Isaac Olurinmade Olapegba [JP],73, described the town as a unique town where God blessed the people with twins and triplets, saying “every time our women deliver babies they always give birth to twins and at times triplets. You can go and ask the medical doctors as the record is there for everyone to see. In fact, people from all walks of life do come here for research.”

Elated, the septuagenarian further told The Nation that the signs that the town is blessed with twins are everywhere. “Go to the entrance of the town and to the roundabout where we have the statue of the mother of twins and her babies on her chest and her back. Delivering twin babies is our industry here. We are the ones producing more twins than any other towns in Nigeria, and that is what our study reveals because of the symbolic reason that we prepare okra leaves as soup more than any other soup,” he said.

He noted further that: “There is no man or woman in this town who does not know how to eat okra soup. We cook the leaves called ewe ilasa (ilasa leaves) more of which we consume than any other soup. If you go to the market on market days, you will see how twins’ mothers carry their twin babies and dance around demanding for money. Hardly will you go to any house without seeing at least a set of twins. In fact, you could see three sets of twins in a house. Therefore, if you are calling Taiye, you need to be specific so that we can know whether it is the senior or junior one, or else all of the twins could rush to you to answer. It is a funny thing and we shall soon have twins fill the town. It is God’s gift; it is just blessing we cannot explain. It is incredible.”

In order to convince this reporter of his claim, the old man took him round the town, visiting about 20 houses where they have a set of twins, triplets, or two sets of twins of different age, similar and different sexes. Again, it is not uncommon to hear that a Taiye or a Kehinde is away to Lagos to buy clothes when asked about their whereabouts. The import of this metaphoric journey is simply that the person in question is dead. In some of the houses visited, such euphemistic rendition was not wanting.

A mother of twins simply called Iya Ibeji (a mother of twins) observed that the nursing of twins is quite hectic, especially at infancy. She said, “Feeding the twins and taking care of them is not easy at infancy, but it only gets better when they are growing up. When they become big men and women, say medical doctors or engineers, one can now be proud of them because they have become big men and women – important personalities in the society. Then you will appreciate them as people will envy them and you would have forgotten the stress you have gone through.”

She spoke on the idiosyncrasies of twins: “Their best foods are beans and corn meal. While growing up, they wear the same clothes and put on the same shoes. The fact is that some mothers die while taking care of them because of the rigour of stress and many other things they undergo while the children are very young. Breast-feeding them is a very tasking for the mother. Hardly does the mother have time for herself. Twins always cry at the same time and fall sick again at the same time, or one after another. And the mother has no choice but to take care of them sometimes to the detriment of her health.”

Similarly, Olapegba revealed that twins, according to the town’s traditional belief, are regarded as special creatures and therefore should be treated like gods. Hear him: “We have our own traditional way of taking care of twins. We buy them the same clothes, shoes, bangles, and do same hairstyles for them. We equally treat them like gods and therefore build a shrine for them in the corner of the living room where we use the items like palm oil, tubers of yam, and dry beans (ekuru) for ritual everyday, especially when one of them is sick or dead. When one of the twins dies, an effigy which will serve as a replacement of the deceased is carved and placed in a corner where some rituals are carried out on it everyday so that the living one is not dragged along to the grave.” According to the town’s spokesperson, this is compulsory, for many twins had been snatched by death just because the rituals were neglected.

In the words of Mrs. Kehinde Sakiratu Kehinde, her mother had three sets of twins and also built shrines for them when they were young. However, her twin brother, Taiwo, died recently and she feels his absence daily. In a quavering voice, she said: “Despite the fact we are not identical and of different sex, I still miss him.” Asked whether she has an effigy of her twin brother on which she pours libation or palm oil on so as to prevent him from taking her away to himself, the woman replied to the contrary, saying, “it was practised in the olden days but things have changed now. It is still practised by the illiterates. Not only this, Christianity has taken away all these things and education has changed many things too. But that does not mean some people are not doing it as some still believe in it. It has become personal belief for many. I cannot blame them over this.”

On why some of the twins’ mothers dance round the town, Kehinde said the mothers of these twins should not be blamed, for many are given the conditions by soothsayers or diviners called babalawo. According to her, twins are considered to be strange people who came to the world of their own and it is believed that they have different spirit that goes with them and that is why they cannot be harmed. She added, “Some of these mothers were informed before the children grow up that they must take them out and must dance round the town or market places or else they would die. I know a wealthy woman who is a trader and sells clothing materials in Lagos. But when her baby twins were falling sick everyday, she was instructed by the oracle to go and dance in the market places before they could recover. She refused and was ashamed to go so low and out of shame did not do it. But she would later regret that as one of the living twins fell sick again and was dying. She later went to the market place to dance.”

Mrs Kafaya Olawale, another mother of twins, was met breastfeeding her baby twins. Her twins, she said, are one year and two months old. She equally agreed breastfeeding a set of twins is a hard work to do. “It is not easy my brother,” she moaned pointing to them and adding, “You can imagine how they both cry for breast at the same time. Besides, they cry a lot if they find out that they are wearing different clothes. It’s like they are spirits, for one would cry if she sees her twin sister wearing clothes different from hers. So, you must wear the same clothes for them or else they will keep on crying and this could lead to sickness for them.”

To Kafaya, the claim that the eating of some special okra leaves also aide the birthing of twins in this town is not a myth. “Yes, it is true. If you want to have baby twins, just go for ilasa leaves. That is the way one can have twins. The leaves are cooked as soup and before you know it you will be pregnant with twins.”

When this reporter got to the market and requested ilasa leaves, the sellers all laughed and asked him whether his wife is aiming to have twins. The surprising thing is that most of the sellers are called Iya Ibeji. Displaying the leaves, one of the women, a mother of twins, declared: “I have three sets of twin and this ilasa leaf is the secret behind it here in this town, nothing else. That is our own industry here and people come here to ask for it even from overseas they do demand for it and take it out.”

Apart from being known for having twins, Igbo Ora is also known to be the sixth largest charcoal-producing town in Oyo State. Igbo Ora derived its name, according to an octogenarian, from verbal challenge posed to a friend. According to him, there were two friends; one lived in the town while the other lived in the forest. The latter occasionally did come to town to pass time there with his friend. He got so used to this that sometime he would not feel like going home. One day, his town-dweller friend asked him to go to the forest he bought (igbo o ra). Ever since, the saying became a household name with which the town is identified.. Those are the boldly written words that a first time visitor to the ancient town of Igbo Ora is bound to see as they course through its main entrance. A little further into the town at the roundabout is a sculpture of a woman, a mother of twins with a baby strapped to her back and another on her chest with a girdle, while the twins raised up their hands in an ecstasy of jubilation.

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written by Pelu Awofeso

“All in all, our costumes are top of the range,” says Yemi Sule, a project consultant for the Lagos Carnival, speaking about the processes and the people that make this carnival the ‘ultimate’ in Nigeria. Sule works with about 250 tailors and embellishers who must produce costumes for at least 10,000 participants who will take part in the carnival on Easter Monday.
“It’s been a nightmare meeting these targets but it’s also been a lot of fun, because on that day when the clothes are worn you’ll see that all the hard work and dedication to duty has paid off in the end. It’s something that one will be proud of,” she says in a room full of young artisans working on multicoloured dresses.

The theme for the carnival this year is ‘Bright and Beautiful’, and a peep into the different working areas inside the Skills Acquisition Centre shows that much. The whole place is stacked with bales of chiffon, taffeta, organza, china, satin, wax print and lace fabrics in various colours.
“What we did go for are bright and striking colours that people would appreciate on the carnival day,” says Sule, who was contracted to do the same job last year. “I’ve seen quite a few costumes that have been used at other carnivals here in Nigeria and abroad; they are nice but I will stand by our own costumes, because they do stand out, in terms of concept and in terms of the quality.”
As of mid-March, 60 percent of the costume work had been done and Sule is optimistic that everything necessary for the carnival will be ready for carnival day on April 30. “I would say that people should come out and have fun. This is a once-in-a-year thing. It’s good to appreciate the beauty around us.”

Carnival buzz
Just a block away, Oji Thomas is busy co-ordinating the production of the headgears, backpacks and sails that will complement the costumes. His target: to produce 2,000 backpacks and 150 huge sails, any of which takes days to make, depending on how simple or elaborate it is. Oji’s work area is packed with carnival photographs, fibre rods and other odds and ends needed for the job.
The previous day, he presented a complete set of backpacks and sails to the organising committee; he got a green light and that means he and his team can go ahead and mass produce for the 80 or so carnival groups ready to feature in this year’s event.
“So far, working on them has been a bit stressful, going by the fact that we have a set time to build everything; but this year, I can say the work is much easier to tackle because we’re making them much lighter, using aluminium pipes and sheets and fibre rods, unlike last year when we used metal pipes which were heavy,” he says.
This new approach to the job is the result of a two-week working visit Oji and seven others paid to Flamboyan, one of the prize-winning groups at the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival, in late 2010. “They practically showed us all their secrets: how to set up the sails, how to balance them, how to do the wings,” Oji recalls. “All of that knowledge we have incorporated into our own stuff here to make them better.”
Nigeria now has four major carnivals, three of which – namely, the Abuja Carnival, CARNIRIV and Calabar Carnival – hold in November and December. The Lagos Carnival stands apart, being hosted in the Easter period. “There is a carnival buzz sweeping the entire world,” Oji says. “Almost everywhere around the globe there is a carnival of one sort or the other at certain times in the year. It is just that Nigeria is picking on it a bit late.”

Engaging local talents
Elsewhere on the premises, another group of young Lagosians are constructing the floats, some to be mounted on tricycles, others on bicycles. Framework for seahorses, butterflies, fish, tortoises, sunflowers, boats and many more litter the place. As in last year’s outing, six puppets (representing individuals who have affected Lagos positively) will be part of this year’s parade, including one for Obafemi Awolowo, Fela and M.K.O. Abiola; and to create the much needed awareness for the event there will be several effigies placed around well-appointed highways in Lagos in the weeks preceding the carnival day.
On the whole, it takes at least six months of sweat and hard work to get the carnival ready for the public but just a few hours in one day to showcase everything. Isn’t that discouraging? “Everything that is good comes to an end at one point or the other,” Oji says, “The joy is that many people will see it and enjoy it. Besides, this is like art, which is meant to be seen; it is absolutely worthless if you hold on to it.”
One person who likes to work with the endpoint in view is Disun Holloway, the organising chairman of the Lagos Carnival. He supervises all carnival activity, committee by committee and from start to end. According to Holloway, reviving the Lagos Carnival in 2011 was the idea of the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who believes some of the state’s cultural events can be better packaged and marketed to the international community and by so doing attract tourists.
“There is also the economic benefit to the local residents who are directly impacted by this event,” Holloway explains. “We have employed more than 7,000 artisans. You would be pleasantly amazed as to the pool of talents in Lagos.”
And it is that talent that will be on show at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) on 30 April.

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The art of travelling has been made easy for those travelling to Africa. Booking an accommodation is no longer a problem, thanks to the power of the internet which enables tour operators bring their services closer to globetrotters. The Protea Hospitality Group has signed agreements with three global travel agencies in the past four months, partnering with Agoda.com, Expedia and Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA).

The agreements mean that Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels will be listed on the agencies’ associated websites, thereby gaining worldwide exposure for all of their establishments across the African continent.

The websites will allow customers to book accommodation with any of Protea’s hotels online. They will also be able to access information related to the hotel chain.

According to Nicholas Barenblatt, group marketing and advertising manager for Protea, the agreements will bode well for the company’s plan to expand further into Africa. “Africa is our stronghold and so expansion has to be done on the continent,“ he said.

Protea already has a presence in eight African countries including Nigeria, Zambia, Namibia and Uganda and is looking to add Angola, Botswana and Mozambique to that list.

Barenblatt further stated the agreements will provide the group with the opportunity to observe how customers engage with the Protea brand in an online environment. Since consumers are more trusting of online portals these days, their task has been made a little easier.

“The agreements we have reached with such diverse global partners are a clear indication that the local hospitality market is both realising its potential and competing equitably on the world stage alongside more established markets,” said Protea sales director Danny Bryer.

Extending Expedia relationship
The first and biggest agreement of the three took place in November 2010 with Expedia, the world’s largest online travel trade company. Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels are now listed on more than 90 Expedia travel sites.

According to Protea, the group has achieved 100% growth year-on-year with the previous arrangement, and the benefits of the expended deal are apparent after just three months.

Expedia’s global lodging strategic accounts director Christopher Michau said that the agency is pleased to extend its relationship with the South African hotel group.

“Protea Hotels’ footprint in Africa, coupled with their leadership position in the local hospitality industry, makes them a highly desirable partner for Expedia,”

More than 60-million potential travellers visit Expedia’s websites, which are accessible in more than 60 countries and 33 different languages.

Protea will also benefit from Expedia’s experts who can advise the group on online distribution strategies, merchandising and promotions.

Exposure to leisure and business travellers
The most recent agreement – with GTA – will allow tourists to book accommodation with Protea through GTA travel sites worldwide, which will feature more than 120 of the South African hotel group’s properties across the African continent and offer the agency’s global network of leisure and business travellers a range of hotels in Africa to choose from at competitive prices.

GTA has been providing ground travel products and services to role players in the tourism industry for over 30 years. Over 21 000 bookings are made each day for the agency’s 35 000 listed hotels in more than 130 countries. 

Luring Asian travellers
Protea looked to tap into the Asian market by partnering with Asian giants, Agoda.com, in December last year, and now 20 of Protea’s properties are listed on the website. This has also given the company access to Agoda.com’s yield control system propriety software, which allows management to control room inventory, prices, content and promotions.

“This partnership will create more opportunities for Agoda customers to enjoy these popular and unique travel experiences,” said Agoda president Robert Rosenstein.

Some of Protea’s establishments now listed on Agoda include safari lodges at the Kruger National Transfrontier Park and a number of the chic African Pride Hotels in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Steady growth
Now almost 20 years old, the Protea Hotel Group was founded in 1984 with just four properties – two in Cape Town and one each in Johannesburg and on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal – in its portfolio. It didn’t take long before the group was able to offer accommodation for budgets ranging from three to five stars.

Protea is today the largest African hospitality group in terms of numbers of hotels, and operates in eight countries as Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels, the luxury division of Protea established in 2001. Travellers in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda are able to choose from over 100 facilities in major cities, game viewing areas, and the countryside.

Besides offering a home away from home, the company is also involved with the community and has made it compulsory for every hotel as well as head and regional offices to have social investment projects. These include a partnership as sponsor with the Reach for a Dream foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses to fulfil special dreams while there’s still time.

Protea also helps in-service trainees with full tuition fees and, said the company, has managed to retain 90% of graduates to date. Protea’s bursary fund is aimed at trainees at other hotel schools around South Africa, and has contributed nearly R2-million (US$290 000) to the cause.

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It is the tale of two beaches from Emmanuel Onyeche who visited Kuramo and Oniru Private Beach. He writes that though they are just metres apart, their vision and mode of operation place them in two different worlds.

The echo of a loud shout from Oniru Private Beach would be heard at Kuramo Beach. These

two beaches, located along the shore line of the Atlantic Ocean in high brow Victoria Island, promise lots of fun and entertainment to their visitors.

But that is where the comparison ends. Oniru – very private and exclusive – offers serenity and protection to its upper class visitors while Kuramo – chaotic, untidy and unsafe – continues to wallow in the notoriety it created for itself with its swarming presence of cheap prostitutes and criminals.

To cross over to Oniru from Kuramo, one would need to first scale the hurdle of money and security. Oniru collects a gate fee of a minimum of N1000 per person. This amount could be up to N4000 when a show is being hosted there like the one popular musicians, Tuface Idibia and MI the rapper participated in last Christmas Eve. Quite a number of security personnel and bouncers at Oniru are also ready to embarrass any intruder.

Even if the struggling average guy manages to sneak into Oniru from Kuramo, he would need to be careful as the charges could burst his pocket. Bottled beer is not allowed at Oniru and each can beer costs N300.

To sit under a canopy with four chairs and a table, one would need to pay N1,500 exclusive of the drinks and food. Also, the bottled spirits – wines, whisky and champagne – are quite expensive and they are even much more so depending on the exclusivity and popularity of the bar where you drink them.

At G12 – a popular and highly patronized bar – you would need as much as N11,000 for a bottle of Moet Chandon – a popular champagne. VSOP brand of Hennesy costs N10,000 while the ‘Ox‘ brand can go for as much as N50,000. G12 is so popular that it was declared the best youth hang out in 2010 at Dynamix awards. Dynamix organization publishes a youth magazine. Mr. Daniel Ekaragha who works at Oniru says a group at a table in G12 can sometimes spend hundreds of thousands of naira in a few hours. Dagrin, a popular musician who is now late is said to have cut his musical teeth at G12

But it is a bar called D-Block, owned by one of the princes of Oniru, that is the most exclusive. Mr Ayo Alele who also works at Oniru says you can have your pockets bursting with money and still be refused entry at D-Block. Other notable bars are The Royale, Hi, Arisco, Handyz, Tommy and Ekaabo.

Food at Oniru is also different from what obtains at Kuramo where several local restaurants offer local varieties from N50 and above depending on what one can afford. At Oniru, Lolac restaurant, said to be owned by an unnamed wife of a celebrity, handles the popular local varieties like pounded yam, ‘fufu‘, ‘amala‘ with assorted meat and soup and you need a minimum of N700 to eat there. Lolac is said to operate a branch in the United Kingdom.

Different Babacue fish stands at the different bars also cost between N1,300 and N3000. Shawama hot dog costs N800 for the single and as much as N1,200 for the double. The fish is exclusively croaker and it is grilled and garnished.

There are also lots of summer huts owned by the same people who own the bars and they are rented out to people.

For all these, a clean and tidy beach front awaits the visitor at Oniru which is quite a big contrast to what happens when Kuramo where cheap prostitutes rent a space that is the size of a dining table‘s top for N500 a day and ask for as low as N300 for few minutes of sex.

A source who did not want his name mentioned says that many of these prostitutes are under age girls who are regularly made pregnant by men old enough to be their daddies and uncles.

At Kuramo, the beach front is an eyesore and it is nothing to be shocked about to see people defecating openly there. To lie down on the beach sand at Kuramo is akin to a big risk. Kuramo is also home to lots of homeless Lagosians whose kids are seen running over the entire beach and getting enmeshed in the quagmire.

Kuramo is also said to be the hideout of criminals who are always close to where there are prostitutes.

Pastor Adamson Orioye who operates a church said he had been at Kuramo for over a year and his regular members were not yet 10. He said his possible converts at Kuramo preferred a church where they could go and worship and still have the freedom to engage in their wrong doings.

He nevertheless said he would not relent in his effort to win souls at Kuramo as he had been called to do so.

Business goes on all day at Kuramo but at Oniru, if you are not in by 12 pm, entry is restricted but once you are in, you can leave when you like.

“The special thing about Oniru is that you enjoy the regular services of a night club but this time at the beach,” says Ekaragha.

Women of easy virtue are also found at Oniru but they are said to be the ones in a special class that can pay the gate fee and buy the expensive items on their own while waiting to catch the man of their dream.

At Kuramo and Oniru however, smoking Indian hemp seemed to be a common occurrence as it is done openly with no one bothered about it.

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From HENRY CHUKWURAH

There was pandemonium on Wednesday at a section of Mile 4 axis of Port Harcourt, as a housewife gave birth to two padlocks. The strange twin objects were delivered in the early hours of the day.

Although facts of the unusual delivery remained sketchy as at press time, it was gathered that the ‘mother’ and the padlocks had been taken to an undisclosed church for prayers.

Sources told the reporter that the expected joy of a mother and her husband turned to overwhelming pain and embarrassment when after a protracted labour, the woman delivered the two strange objects. After the initial shock and confusion, the husband of the woman (name withheld) was said to have contacted the leadership of his Pentecostal church for spiritual advice.

Consequently, the housewife and the strange objects were later taken to the church where the general overseer was said to be praying for her. When contacted, at their Chief Amadi Street, Mile 4 residence, the woman’s husband who identified himself simply as (name withheld) confirmed the incident. He told Daily Sun that his wife had been taken to the church and declined further comments, promising to give details later.

Expectedly, curious visitors had besieged the home of the couple. It was gathered that the woman had been pregnant for 15 years. Family source told the reporter that her problem started after the woman, a graduate of Geography, gave money to a close relation who was in dire need of help.

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Written By Henry Kester Ewruje

Apostle Peter Oboh is the founder of Jesus Loves You Ministry in Lagos. The cleric, who hails from Edo State, relocated back to Lagos, in November 2008, after 18 years in Europe as an amateur and professional boxer. His adventure in Italy and the United Kingdom fetched him three boxing championship belts in the light heavy weight division. He presently runs an outreach ministry and preaches salvation in different Churches where he is invited.

Recently, he held a crusade in Lagos. The venue was the popular Comfort Hotel, Km 21 Apapa / Oshodi Expressway, Lagos. The man of God preached and prayed. Then he made an altar call for people to come out and give their lives to Jesus Christ. Things began to happen. Most of the people he touched and prayed for, fell down. The others he threw a white handkerchief at, also fell down. Raymond Lasisi, who recorded and edited the event on video CD, said the people fell down due to the Holy Spirit touch because they were filled with anointing.

Later in an interview, Apostle Peter Oboh told this writer that miracles are real. In his words, “miracles started from the beginning and miracles still exist and they will occur in future. Miracles bring the power of God with signs and wonders and they announce the power of God because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Signs, wonders and miracles do not guarantee the truth. Those who fail to look unto Jesus Christ but look unto Pastors and Prophets will be deceived. Jesus will not fail you but men will fail you”.

According to him, “I was born again in 1990 and it was the joy of knowing Jesus Christ that made me to handle challenges and adventures as tests of faith. Whenever I come across challenges, I prepare my mind that I will come out victorious. At one stage in my life in 1998, as a professional boxer, God spoke to me that I could destroy lack with sowing a seed. I woke up and went to sow a seed in my Church in South East London. After that, my boxing career changed”.

Apostle Oboh left Lagos, on March 14, 1990 for Italy. He was in Napoli and fought as amateur boxer for 5years winning all his fights. He began his professional career in May 1993 in Cassino, Italy by successfully stopping Italian Antonio Russo in the fifth round to win his first Pro bout. His first three professional fights were in Italy. He left for London, the United Kingdom in 1994.

He fought in three different weight classes in the United Kingdom, light heavy, cruiser and heavyweight because he had to make a living. All his fights were on a few days notice until the elimination bout against Chris Davies on January 29, 2001 at Peterborough, United Kingdom, which he won in round 8 to emerge the No 1 mandatory contender for the Commonwealth light heavyweight title. It was the first time he was given 8 weeks notice to prepare for a fight. “They’ve always given me 2 days notice, their regular method and I took the fights to pay my bills. They don’t believe it when I knockout my opponents. And I had a new manager, Dean Powell who had the same idea and goals, which is to become a world champion”.

On September 6, 2002, Oboh won his first title by knocking out Kenyan, George Adipo in the first round in Bethnal Green, London to grab the Commonwealth British light heavyweight championship. His next fight came in Coventry, United Kingdom on March 8, 2003 when he knocked out former British and Commonwealth Champion, Neil Simpson in round 11 to win the vacant British light heavy weight belt. He won the WBA International light heavy weight belt on November 14, 2003 by 11th round knock out over previously unbeaten Elvis Michailenko in Bethnal Green, London.

His camp went into negotiations with WBA world light heavy weight champion, Silvio Branco to defend his title in London or Italy. “I was ready to take on any light heavy weight world champion including former undisputed light heavy weight Roy Jones Jnr. There are too many games in boxing especially if you are an African. With all their tricks, I had conquered the domestic scene in the UK. They couldn’t stop me by robbing me of victory because I knocked everybody out. Then they frustrated me by not letting me get a shot at any of the world titles”.

With all the three belts, he still felt empty and he became morose and dispirited. He was not new to Christianity. He decided to be a full time minister of God. His last fight was 12 May 2004 against Andrew Lowe in Reading, United Kingdom, which he won by knock out in round 10. He retired from boxing as the British, Commonwealth and the WBA International light heavy weight-boxing champion.

This is what his manager, Dean Powell had to say, “… his boxing abilities and determination was not in doubt. He was a formidable opponent. He was a southpaw who lashed out with a devastating ware of combination punches. His gloves moved so fast with power that he would continue punching by reflex as his opponent was on his way down. He couldn’t stop himself. His mastery of the ring was great. But he went crazy and quite on me. He told me he saw God. I didn’t know what he was talking about”.

Apostle Oboh says he does not miss boxing although he still watches the sport on television. “People should come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and get convinced that they really need the saviour in their lives”.

He says Nigerians in Diaspora wishing to come back home should come with lots of money because only money can make them settle down in the country comfortably. He advises that they should also have their return tickets so that they can go back to where they came from if things don’t work out as they planned before they turn liabilities here in the country.

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Written By Henry Kester Ewruje

History was made recently in the United States of America, when a 15 year old Nigerian Girl, Kimberly Anyadike broke aviation records to be the first African-American of her age to pilot an aircraft from coast to coast.
She accomplished the feat by flying an aircraft across the US and set a new record by becoming the youngest black female after she landed a Cessna C172 aircraft in Compton, California.

For 13 days, she was on a 2,342 miles flying spree from California on the west coast to Virginia on the east coast and was greeted with fanfare in all the 13 cities she landed. She has by this feat joined the club of women making great strides in the United States.

Since she landed the plane, the American news media like Cable News Network (CNN), Los Angeles Times, CBS and New York Daily News among others have published captivating news stories about her adventure without a mention of her Nigerian background. Kimberly Anyadike is truly a Nigerian from the south eastern part of the country.

Nigerians all over the world are impressed with her uncommon feat. The government of Nigeria should accord her due recognition as a way of encouraging our youths as well as Nigerians in diaspora whose efforts help to promote the country positively.

She began flying at the age of 12, after her parents, Charles and Pamela Anyadike enrolled her at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, a flying school and youth mentoring centre in Compton, California. Before than, she had always wanted to fly. The passion remained with her until she joined the school where she received training under an intervention and mentoring programme. There, she had the opportunity to fully realize herself. This opened the way for her to accomplish her life long ambition.

After receiving her flight instructions, she took the challenge to fly an aircraft across the US. She was able to actualize her dream because she found herself in an environment where opportunities abound and personal dreams are allowed to flourish. If she had been in Nigeria, definitely her story could have been different. Most Nigerian youths at home are angry and frustrated, and prepared to emigrate because they find the situation at home too daunting.

Kimberly Anyadike, received inspiration and support from her introduction and study of the rich history of the Tuskegee airmen, a group of black US military pilots who were discriminated against by the US armed forces during World War II on racial grounds. Interestingly, Moor Levi H. Thornhill, aged 87, flew with her across the US. She was also accompanied by Ronnell Norman, a certified commercial pilot.

Prior to the Tuskegee Airmen, there were no US military pilots who were black due to the extreme racism and prejudice that permeated all aspects of society. During several stops on her flight, Kimberly met the surviving members of the elite class of black servicemen and several autographed the airplane.

There are many Kimberly Anyadike in Nigeria who do not have the opportunity to express their potentials to the fullest. In Nigeria, creativity is rarely recognized or supported. But Kimberly’s accomplishment is a challenge to Nigeria’s most unconducive environment for youth development.

Nigeria must strive to provide opportunities for the country’s youths for without such investment and commitment, the country’s future is compromised. The youths must be included in the national planning and development agenda.

Kimberly Anyadike wants to continue flying as a private pilot. She loves science and one day hopes to become a cardiovascular surgeon.

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One tittle-tattle is ubiquitous in Lagos that black human parts are the culinary delights of Asians in Thailand.
Can you believe this? Who can blame anyone for this horrifying news about this Asian cuisine that is spreading like wild fire in harmattan.

Only last month, there was disturbing and gruesome news and pictures on the internet of Asians eating black human parts in Thailand. It was like a scene from Hammer House of Horror – that flesh-creeping, blood-curdling Television series in the 1970”s and early 1980”s.

On Tuesday, October 21, 2009, the whole world woke up in the morning and had their hearts in their mouths when they saw on the internet, horrific scenes of Thai delicatessen that you would ever have thought could only be possible in the never, never world of fiction. Never mind the menu in that part of the world that consists of cats, dogs, lizards and snakes.

The pictures showed a group of people in Thailand butchering a black man to pieces before cooking and feasting on his parts.

Presently, newspaper vendors in Lagos are doing a brisk trade selling Magazines for one hundred Naira each with barbaric and gruesome pictures and stories of Asians butchering, eating and trading in black human parts. These magazines are everywhere in Lagos.

Nigerians and other Africans are already fleeing Asia as black human parts are the delicatessen particularly in Thailand. Blacks are on the run. All roads lead out of that country. Nigerians at home are making calls to their friends and relations in Bangkok, Thailand to ascertain their safety.

Why do Nigerians venture abroad with all the risks simply to eke out a living for themselves and their dependants and eventually find themselves on the menu of Asians? With all these pictures on the internet and in magazines, we can see the pasture abroad is not greener as it is being painted. There is nowhere in the world where the streets are paved with gold. And it is not true that success awaits those that travel abroad. Nigerians should stay at home and find something worth doing. The government should make conditions at home conducive enough to make our citizens willing to stay at home.

Meanwhile, an official of the Thai embassy in Abuja, who wishes to remain anonymous, says the pictures and stories on the internet will be investigated.

I say there is fire on the mountain…RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN……………

Written by Henry Kester Ewruje a freelance writer from Lagos

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