Mark, Enweremadu Lead Senate

By Gbade Ogunwale, The Nation

The Senate yesterday rubber-stamped the candidature of Senators David Mark (Benue South) and Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West) as Senate President and Deputy Senate President.

Their candidature was ratified by the body of senators without any opposition. Immediate past Deputy Majority Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River Central) moved the motion nominating Mark for the office. It was seconded by Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West).

Ekweremadu was nominated by Senator Zaynab Kure (Niger South). Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) seconded the motion.

Ndoma-Egba described Mark as "a social pragmatist, a magnet that moves both friends and foes into his enchanting orbit, a man whose flame and fame continues to illuminate, a patriot, a true nationalist, a detribalised Nigerian, a social and political strategist of no means standing".

He went on: "His socio political charismatic personality ripples through the entire length and breadth of this great nation and beyond. He is a lover of democracy and the rule of law and, above all, a man of immense political sagacity."

Ndoma-Egba said Mark has "all his life displayed vigour without vanity, strength without insolence and courage without ferocity and all the virtues of a natural commander without his vices".

Mark said he was humbled by the confidence unanimously reposed in him by his colleagues, describing the gesture as a new Nigerian spirit, "birth of new National Assembly and increasing maturity in the democratic system".

He added: "As a mark of appreciation and reciprocation for the honour you have done to me, I promise that I will be honest, transparent, fair and will ensure that there is equity and justice. Above all, I will preside with the fear of God."

He described the mandate as a sacred trust, which he promised to hold in trust for the body of senators, and "to work for you, to work with you, and together, we shall all work for a greater Nigeria".

Recognising his position as first among equals, Mark urged collaboration, team spirit, networking and consensus building through dialogue and consultation.

"To accomplish more, we would have to listen and consult more with the civil society, the organised private sector and other major stakeholders," he said, adding:

"Our budgeting system needs radical change. We, as representatives of the people, must initiate legislations that will reduce cost of governance at all levels, thereby freeing resources to attend to the basic needs of the people."

"We would also seek to strengthen the analytical capacity of the National Assembly as it relates to budgeting and oversight functions," he said.

Mark continued: "Our target is that hopefully, this session of the National Assembly shall set a historic record by passing very critical legislations that would propel Nigeria to the 20 most advanced economies."

The National Assembly complex and environs started brimming with human and vehicular traffic as early as 7 am, with dozens of security agents searching incoming vehicles and frisking visitors to the complex.

Many of the lawmakers were accompanied by their wives or husbands and other relatives. They were accommodated in two sections within the Senate chambers.

Hundreds of visitors who came to witness the inauguration could not enter the complex. Many were seated at the Assembly’s main car park. Cars were not allowed in the main park.

Apparently to ease traffic congestion, the lawmakers were brought to the complex in buses and were taken away the same way.

The inauguration began at 10.05 am with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Abubakar Salisu Maikasuwa, presiding. He was assisted by his deputy, Olumuyiwa Omojokun.

Clerk of the Senate Mr. Benedict Efeturei and his Deputy, Duduyemi Lawal, were there. Efeturei took the roll call.

Dignitaries at the ceremony included Secretary to the Government of the Federation Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Haliru Mohammed and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, among others.

Finland cautions on Chinese market dominance in Nigeria

By Ameto Akpe, Abuja/Business Day

Mikko Kosonen, president, Finland Innovation Fund – SITRA, has cautioned Nigeria on the extensive presence and dominance of the Chinese in the country, saying “dominance of the Chinese needs to be dealt with in a smart way.”

Notably, the EU late last year warned Nigeria on China’s increasing interests in the country, when Belen Uyarra head, political and economic unit of the EU delegation in Nigeria at a media chat in Abuja, noted that the “Nigerian businesses should be the ones worried about the Chinese because they are both looking at the same niche.”

Speaking at the Nigeria-Finnish Business Forum in Abuja, Kosonen noted that it was important Nigerians learnt quickly from this foreign presence and acquire the skill to manage these projects and handle the technologies independently.

The Nigeria-Finnish Business Forum is designed to deepen awareness on the business and investment opportunities between both countries within the context of the existing comparative and competitive advantages, and the development histories of both nations.

Kosonen noted further that Nigeria needed to invest in research and education if it hoped to become competitive and attain its developmental aspirations, adding that “there is no short cut to success.”

Meanwhile, also speaking at the same forum, Arete-Zoe Amana, executive director of the Nigeria-Finnish Business Group, said in order to enhance the competitive index of the nation, Nigeria must leverage on its bilateral and multilateral relations through a more strategic approach to trade and investment promotion.

Amana stated that this was in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s inaugural speech where he emphasised the need for the formation of technical financial partnerships with global businesses and organisations.

She said: “Recognising the pivotal role in economic development, government needs to pay more than lip service to the objective of enhancing FDIs inflow by strengthening NIPC’s institutional capacity through adequate funding of it operations so that it can achieve its raison d’être and remain the regional beacon of excellence.

The Nigerian Finnish Business Group, which is the business networking platform of the Nigerian-Finnish Business Association, is poised to provide unparalleled membership services to enable members achieve their strategic objective in a professional and purposeful manner employing global best practices in its operations.

“We will continue to collaborate actively and then with the embassy of Finland and forge beneficial alliance with relevant local and international ministries, department and agencies to enable us serve our stakeholder public,” Amana said.

Nigeria Police Raid Stops 32 Pregnant Teens From Selling Their Babies

By Uri Friedman, The Atlantic Wire
Image: Reuters
Nigerian police are informing journalists that they've raided a "baby farm" in the southern city of Aba, rescuing four babies and arresting a doctor who authorities believe buys babies for $160 to $190 (males command higher prices) and illegally sells them to childless couples for up to $6,400, according to the AP. Reuters adds that the babies may also be sold to witch doctors who use the body parts of infants in rituals or sent to Europe--especially the U.K.--where they are used in welfare fraud schemes. The doctor claims he was simply placing unwanted babies in orphanages.

The news outlets reporting the raid aren't in agreement about the role played by the 32 pregnant teenage girls--some as young as 15--who were at the Heda clinic when police arrived. The AP, for example, notes that the girls were "arrested" and may face charges for "planning to sell their babies," and Reuters adds that some girls said they were directed to the clinic by friends who had been there before. But the BBC (and other outlets), citing a Nigerian police chief, claims the girls were "rescued" after being locked up at the clinic and forced to produce babies, noting that "desperate teenagers with unplanned pregnancies are sometimes lured to clinics." The BBC also provides some context for the raid. In Nigeria, where UNICEF estimates at least 10 children are sold daily, baby-trafficking is illegal, but it's very rare for traffickers to be caught and prosecuted.

New Book by Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, Readings from Reading: Essays on African Politics, Genocide, Literature (Dakar & Reading: African Renaissance, 2011), ISBN 9780955205019, paperback, 236pp., £19.95/US$29.95


The essays here in Readings from Reading underscore Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe’s continuing optimism about the possibilities of Africans constructing post-“Berlin-states” as the launch pad to transform the topography of the African renaissance. Readings from Reading is a timely publication, coming on the eve of the historic January 2011 referendum in south Sudan in which the people of the region will choose to vote to restore their national independence or get stuck hopelessly in the Sudan, the first of the “Berlin-states” that Africans tragically “inherited” in January 1956. Ekwe-Ekwe insists that the contemporary Africa state, imposed on Africans by a band of European conqueror-states and currently run by what the author describes as a “shard of disreputable African regimes to exploit and despoil the continent’s human and material resources”, cannot serve African interests. The legacy, as this study demonstrates, has indeed been catastrophic: “The [African] overseers pushed the states into even deeper depths of genocidal and kakistocratic notoriety in the past 54 years as the grim examples of particularly Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Sudan ... depressingly underscore. 15 million Africans have been murdered by African-led regimes in these states and elsewhere in Africa since the Igbo genocide of 1966-1970”.

This is an engaging, incisive, wide-ranging and multidisciplinary discourse, salient features that have come to define Ekwe-Ekwe’s groundbreaking scholarship of the past three decades. The author covers an assemblage of diverse topics and themes which include the Igbo genocide, the Jos massacres in central Nigeria, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab’s failed attempt to blow up an incoming aircraft over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009, African presence in Britain, Robert Mugabe, Muammar Gaddafi, Obafemi Awolowo, Omar al-Bashir, Yoweri Museveni, Charles Taylor, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ali Mazrui, Andrew Young, the G8 and Africa, Africa “debt”, African émigrés’ remittances to Africa, “sub-Sahara Africa”, reparations to Africans, African representation on the UN Security Council, African choices for the Nobel Peace Prize, Africa and the International Criminal Court, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, the Sudan and the Congo, arms to Africa, arms-ban on Africa. Finally, on the subject of the restoration-of-independence, the key connecting thread that links all the visitations, Ekwe-Ekwe critically examines the contributions made variously on this cord by an impressive line up of some of the very best and brightest of African intellectuals: Achebe, Adichie, Césaire, Damas, Coltrane, Diop, Equiano, Ngũgĩ, Okigbo, Senghor.


Worldwide sales and distribution
African Books Collective
P O Box 721
Oxford OX1 9EN
England
Tel/Fax: 44 (0) 1869 349110
orders@africanbookscollective.com

Readings from Reading is also available from

1. Amazon UK

2. Amazon

Rochas Okorocha and the New Dawn

Rochas Okorocha and Solomon Egbuho at The World Igbo Congress Convention in Los Angeles, 2005

I wish to draw everybody's attention to what has been going around as the new democratic fabric seems to be in what the pundits now call 'the progressives' and how it has helped effect change as the Fourth Republic enters its 4th Term, and by the time the 4th term will be over or should be over, we'll be talking about sixteen years of a fledgling democracy. I have always emphasized on situations like this when I say 'it's not yet uhuru' and there's no need to be bumping fists in a political environment that is still full of uncertainties.

In the past, I have predicted with near certainty in elections of this nature, with regards to the Igbo-related states, and particularly my home state of Imo, from around which a better election was held, this time around, and that the people of Imo State spoke overwhelmingly on the ground destiny was in their own hands. This may be because not that Ohakim was that evil as we all may have thought; it's because we have been learning how other states in the federation have been gradually doing well as time went by and as they kept learning from the nation's neo-democratic dispensation of the Fourth Republic; by correcting its ills as it came along.

As it has now happened, and applying other better performing states as model, we hope, we will not be seeing again Imo Diaspora endorsing a 4th Republic first 'elected' Imo governor in Achike Udenwa who nobody questioned his code of conduct through a second term without investigating a ridiculously managed regime in Imo. So, too, hopefully, we will not be seeing Imo Diaspora endorsing and applauding a fraudulently 'elected' Ikedi Ohakim's proposed visit to the shores of the United States by a confused Los Angeles area organizing committees.

And hopefully, we will not be seeing where backlog of teachers salaries are left unpaid as in Udenwa's regime. And, again, hopefully, we will not be seeing a Diaspora that will abandon its responsibilities, sit and do nothing about the affairs of state, by way of proffering thoughtful ideas based on its Diaspora grounds to help its home state grow through series of development programs typical of all organized societies. And too, for sure, we will not be seeing where Igbo-related states, especially Imo, in which that part of Ala-Igbo was deliberately turned into a state of empire and anarchy while kidnapping became the order of the day and we all sat idly watch it unfold.

We have arrived to the 'New Dawn,' and evidently Rochas Okorocha cleared the hurdle giving Nd'Imo a sigh of relief, and that, never again would people like Ohakim be given the opportunity to destroy the state in its entirety; and that, never again would such be accepted in any civil society if we really want democracy to prevail.

Okorocha, I would assume saw how Imo deteriorated by way of social programs and basic infrastructures he quickly dabbled himself to opposition to fight and have Ohakim removed. Okorocha did not all of a sudden pop up to an out of nowhere politician. During the World Igbo Congress held September 2-4, 2005 (Labor Day Weekend), at the Los Angeles Airport Hotel, while I reported for BNW News, I met and spoke with Okorocha when he told me he had intentions to run for president of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The keynote speakers included Senator Ken Nnamani, President of Ohan'Eze Nd'Igbo Prof. Joe Irukwu, Orji Uzor Kalu, Okorocha, among others. Despite the fact that, Nnamani, not impressed with the convention on a variety of reasons World Igbo Congress had not accomplished in its twelve years of gathering asking where Nd'Igbo were heading to as a result of a Los Angeles bad organizing committee that invited him to be a keynote speaker, Okorocha did not waist time in announcing his bid for the presidency noting Nd'Igbo must engage Nigeria and get what they want; and put the marginalization theory behind them.

But now, the question here is: How Would Imo Diaspora influence decisions in a changing Imo State as Okorocha declares free education in the state on the day of inauguration? Is free education what Imo State desperately need right now or is it by creating jobs which would gradually alleviate crime? Would free education do any good without equipping the schools? Would free education without equipping the schools by any standard bring about better scholars?

Free education for all, no question, is a good way to start. But let's not start celebrating. It's not yet Uhuru!

Farhud Memories: Baghdad's 1941 Slaughter of the Jews

Steve Acre witnessed the bravery of his Muslim landlord from a palm tree.

By Sarah Ehrlich, Reporter, Witness/BBC News

1 June 1941, a Nazi-inspired pogrom erupted in Baghdad, bringing to an end more than two millennia of peaceful existence for the city's Jewish minority. Some Jewish children witnessed the bloodshed, and retain vivid memories 70 years later. Heskel Haddad, an 11-year-old boy was finishing a festive meal and preparing to celebrate the Jewish festival of Shavuot, oblivious to the angry mob that was about to take over the city.

READ FULL STORY

Q & A Interview With Elemi J. E. Agbomi

Born to ElderEmin Agbomi Ekoro and Mae Jane Ipam Agbomi Ekoro, practicing physician Elemi John E. Agbomi sits in his studio making beats with Reason and I had to catch up with him at the DEJEA Music Production while he was checking out series of his unpublished songs.

Excerpt:


You were trained in the medical field and some other areas in academia. How about some history regarding your background?

My name is Elemi John Emin Agbomi, also known as Dr. Jeeb Fabro. I was born in Adadama, Cross River State, Nigeria. I received my bachelor's degrees - BA in Physics, and BS in Biology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; my master's degree, MS in Operations Management from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and my doctorate degree in Medicine, MD, from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I did my residency at Westside Family Practice and clinical practice at Akron General Medical Center. I have for over 10 years also been involved with teaching in colleges and universities in the areas of medical sciences - Medical Terminology, Human Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, - and Management Studies in Ohio and California. I have also offered Management Consulting services to area businesses.

Any community service since you moved to California?

Yes. I have been involved in health awareness preventive workshops and educational seminars in the wake of the AIDS epidemic. I also served as a California Precinct Captain in the Barack Obama Campaign for president of the United States of America in 2008.

I'm quite sure, one day you got up and made up your mind to start recording and producing music. How did it all began?

Hailing from a family of musically talented parents and siblings, and in the past serving as a chorister in church choirs, I became a prolific producer, singer/songwriter with an extensive repertoire of yet unpublished songs. I am versed in the “sentimental songs” of the 80's and 90's or earlier era which have reinforced my love for diverse music and my talent as a producer, singer/songwriter. I hope to harness my various expertise in the furtherance of the mission of my foundation, in order to foster the empowerment of the less privileged, and ensure their achievement of self-subsistence; also in advancing an Entertainment Group which will be producing music that captivate the emotion, stimulate the intellect, entertain and heal.

What is your foundation?

My foundation is called DEJEA Foundation USA, Inc. It is a non-profit organization with a mission geared toward development of impoverished rural communities, especially in Nigeria.

Why are you making music just now?

I am a "young" or "new" artist; young only in the music industry sense that I'm just starting out and such is the proper address to neophytes of the trade. However, my passion for making good music isn't. It is almost as a birthright, which is only now surfacing! Also, I am a medical doctor whose passion for making good music is as intense as good medicine, if not over-riding! My present thrust is thus, the making of good soul-searching music that will hopefully, heal the "broken hearted".

How about the song book?

I have for over five years (since 2003) amassed over two hundred (and growing!) thought-provoking, mind-soothing songs - a repertoire that will undoubtedly placate even the traditionally hard-to-please audiophile! The work will be copyrighted in a song book titled: The Elemi Song Book" (I will keep you informed in my newsletter page when the book is completed). The book will not include the tunes; that is reserved for the yet unpublished CDs, which I hope to release periodically depending on the response I get from you, indicating your level of satisfaction. My approach is a bit different. These songs will be organized into need-specific album categories ranging from inspirational/contemplative to endearment/infatuation romance. So that when you are in a certain state of emotional need, you could find an album that will contain only hit songs which would satiate your immediate cravings!

Let's talk about your new CD "Take The First Step".

The album is really making a buzz as a motivational, soulful contemporary R&B album featuring up-tempo celebratory tracks such as "Celebrate The Passing Of Freedom Torch (to President Barrack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden); Celebrating the Legacy Of A King (a tribute to the Dr. Martin Luther King's dream); "Let's Take Time Off To Celebrate," among others. The ten track, 70-minute album with songs written, composed and produced by me, is replete with lyrics that are quite thought-provokingly soulful and reminiscent of sentimental songs of the 80s and 90s or earlier, with soothing contemporary beats that lend themselves to easy listening ballroom dancing and nightclub grooving. The themes of these songs are based on contemporary events with an artistry that seamlessly blends the tracks into a coherent album, much akin to a good story or play with suspense, scenes and plots.

Any favorite of the tracks?

I would say all the tracks are favorites but to answer your question "Take The First Step," would be the one to pick.

And what does the lyrics say?

It's a treatise applauding and motivating anyone who is looked upon with hope, for some kind of redemption or rescue in tough times, and portrays such a character as a "Hope Superstar of Change" or a "Superhero." In the context of gloomy economy, it seemed codign for people to anticipate a panacea as characterized by the tone, response and outcome of the 2008 U.S presidential elections. The public generally want to confide in a superhero, whom in fictions, is seen as being able to afford a solution to their predicament.

Obama's Legacy Rocks!

Grandfather Onyango never knew what begun
Son Barack Sr. thought of a profound national state
Mau Mau; uprising
Gaol, turmoil and civil unrest
The status quo and cultural heritage
Academia and thoroughness
Ann Dunham, Ruth Nudesand,
Luthuanian-Jewish ancestry
Homeward bound and colony
Jomo Kenyatta; Tom Mboye
Radicalism bonded and Barack Jr.
Hard work and faith; perseverance
Series of continental expedition
Life, stranded and born again
Hardcore robust Chicago politics
Challenges ahead
Internet and a changing world
Revolution in the Arab world
The world we live in;
Just like that
And change came
But it's not yet Uhuru
Uwa Chineke;
Omenala, Agwuisi na Amadioha;
Jesus is Lord; Alaahu Akbar

2011 Time's 100 Most Influential People

Well, here we go again! Time Magazine's most influential peopleis out with some interesting stuff that seems to be changing the world. This year's list has Google executive, Wael Chomim, the spokesman for the revolution in Egypt.

Full List - 2011 Time 100


MOHAMED ELBARADEI ON WAEL CHOMIN

APRIL CAPONE ON MARK ZUKERBERG

BELINDA LUSCOMBE ON ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

RAHM EMMANUEL ON JOE BIDEN


ESPERANZA SPALDING ON STING

JOSEPH S. NYE JR. ON HILLARY CLINTON

KRISTA MAR ON TAKESHI KANNO

JAMIE OLIVER ON MICHELLE OBAMA

ALEX PERRY ON LAMIDO SANUSI

MO IBRAHIM ON BINETA DIOP

Interview with Ngozi Achebe

Ngozi Achebe was born in England by Augustine Ndubuisi Achebe and Matilda Chikodili Achebe. She was raised in Nigeria and also spent time in England, her place of birth. She picked up interest in 15th and 16th Century West African history in which she was inspired for writing Onaedo - The Blacksmith's Daughter, her debut novel. In this interview published exclusively at Life & Time Magazine, she talks about her debut novel and other challenging issues.

Excerpt:

Before we proceed in this interview, we would like to know who you are.

I was born in London to an engineer Augustine Achebe and his wife a Matilda, a nurse. I was raised in Nigeria and later when I became a medical doctor I did go back to England to do further training. Then I came over to the USA to be close to my sisters who had come over earlier. I still have a full time medical practice. I also have two children Jennifer and Nnamdi who are always my first priority in all I do.


The moment you created in your thoughts penning “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter,” what went through your mind, and the environment in which this compelling novel began?

I have always been fascinated by fifteenth and sixteenth century West Africa, the period just around the Portuguese arrival; a period that is unfortunately not taught very well in Nigeria. I imagine what one group must have thought of the other without looking only through the prism of slavery. It all came from this curiosity to know more and share my findings in a dramatic way. Hence Onaedo.

You are in the medical arts, and one would expect you should be writing on the profession you were trained. How and why did you pick up the idea to write about a world of strong women and culture conflicts which the novel depicts?

When I started researching the story I felt I had to create characters that everybody could identify with. Even if you were not African you knew this father, this brother, this aunt this young woman. An ancient story with a modern dimension. We are not so different after all.


Let’s talk about “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter,” from Chapter 1 through 8 and a 16th Century West Africa explored by the Portuguese. First, why 16th Century West Africa, tracing back to the Portuguese exploration and the slave trade?

The Portuguese age of exploration and its impact on the African continent, is a poorly told story in Nigeria, at least in the schools I went to. I wanted to tell this story from a view point that is not often heard. I really wanted people to see how fascinating that whole period was, to see that everything was not all black and white, but was also in varying shades of gray.

The characters are amazing and very familiar with ones upbringing, How did you come up with all these characters like Amechi, Udemezue, Adanma, Dualo, Oguebie, Eneda, Ugodi and the rest in a storytelling typical of growing up in the woods, and a story that had the same resemblance of a commune and a normal village life from around how one grew up?

I did grow up in the woods! During the Nigerian/Biafran civil war we all escaped into the interior, and there my siblings and I experienced village life first hand. It was fascinating and I’m thankful I had that opportunity for this total immersion in this culture even though I could have done without the war part! All those characters are familiar - they are our everyday friends, relatives and acquaintances.

Now that your juiced novel “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter” has done pretty much well as I can tell, coupled with the reviews which is still overwhelmingly pouring in, what should we be looking for in your next project? A storytelling-fictional characters, or something of a non-fictional characters like the pogrom, life events, and, or biography, or maybe some unpublished works, sort of?

My next project, now in later stages of completion, is a coming of age novel, about a girl growing up in the midst of a war. It is purely fictional but is based on some experiences of mine and others during the period of the civil war that engulfed Nigeria in the 60’s leading to the creation of the short-lived republic of Biafra which was in south eastern Nigeria. I’m excited about it, because it has been a labor of love. I was writing it before I diverted into ‘Onaedo’. I also have other works in progress but will not talk about them yet.



We discussed in several occasions about the pogrom and civil war in your native land, and how vile that was while back from London which I’m still sure you remember what it looked like. Besides the novel “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter”, could you tell us a little bit about your experience as a child and why horrors of war especially the most blood soaked event in Africa, the anti-Igbo pogrom, must not cease to be told?

War is never good and a fratricidal one such as the Nigerian/Biafran war is even worse. It was a sad time. A government should protect its own citizens from atrocity otherwise it is not really a government at all. The Nigerian government then failed to do so for one section of its population and failed to stop the genocide that took place. I was a child at the time but I remember the anguish of it all. We should tell these stories so that never, never again. Evil pervades when good men do nothing. I want to believe we have come a long way from that.


Besides your profession as a medical doctor and your passion to pen down your thoughts as in “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter,” what else fascinates you as in passion and things like that?

I love to hike and explore especially with family. I try to be as physical as possible, and as a medical doctor, I try to lead a healthy life so I’m an example to my patients. I’m also an avid reader. I used to draw and paint at one time but I wasn’t that good at it, so I gave it up. My sisters loved them though and a few hang still in their homes and offices.

Did your Uncle Chinua Achebe’s works inspire you to follow the literary giant’s footsteps?

I have been asked that question often and the answer has to be yes .Growing up in his shadow has been a great influence in my life. My one regret is not starting early to get my work published but my people have a saying that whatever time in the day you wake up, becomes your own morning.

I read your uncle Chinua Achebe’s piece “Nigeria’s Promise, Africa’s Hope” for the New York Times and he seems to be still angry regarding the state of affairs in a African national state. Uncle Chinua Achebe writes:

“In my mind, there are two parts to the story of the African peoples ... the rain beating us obviously goes back at least half a millennium. And what is happening in Africa today is a result of what has been going on for 400 or 500 years, from the “discovery” of Africa by Europe, through the period of darkness that engulfed the continent during the trans-Atlantic slave trade and through the Berlin Conference of 1885. That controversial gathering of the leading European powers, which precipitated the “scramble for Africa,” we all know, took place without African consultation or representation. It created new boundaries in ancient kingdoms, and nation-states resulting in disjointed, inexplicable, tension-prone countries today.”

What’s your take on Uncle Chinua Achebe’s comment? Are his comments still relevant today and how the flow has changed over time?

I agree that European colonialism did not augur well for Africans, however I also believe that despite all those early missteps that we should have fashioned our own path by now. A country like Nigeria blessed with rich resources and people should have done better at fifty years of independence. Some of our wounds I’m afraid are self-inflicted. Uncle Chinua speaks passionately for Nigeria at all times and his disappointment is palpable. He is of a generation that dreamed big dreams for us and most of it has remained unrealized.

What do you think Uncle Chinua Achebe’s talking about here, and why is he still angry despite the novel “Things Fall Apart,” over fifty years ago that had foretold the social problems in such a society?

I think his novel ‘A Man of The People’ is even more relevant in speaking to how far or not we have traveled. I read that book again recently and it was difficult for me to believe that that book was written in 1966. It’s like Nigeria hasn’t moved, hasn’t made significant progress in social and economic justice for the average Nigerian in over 40 years. It’s even worse today because there has been a systematic wipe out of the middle class which was not the case in 1966. It’s really a crying shame.

Did you see yourself putting up characters in the novel “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter?

I did try to dissociate myself from the characters but as a writer there’s always a part of you in one or two of your characters. I don’t fight it; I just go with the flow of whatever works to bring a character to life.


What do people around you tell you about the novel “Onaedo: The Blacksmith’s Daughter”?

Most say they love it, a few tell me what I should remedy or what I didn’t get right, how I should have made this person do this or that person do the other. I take it all in good humor. I appreciate each reader and each critic or critique no matter how outlandish - and I have had a few of those! It makes me all around, a better writer.

How about a movie deal on “Onaedo”?

I’m all ears! If it comes, I will be ready.

Laurent Gbagbo bunkers down as assault steps up

Men captured by forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara are detained at a checkpoint in Abidjan yesterday. Picture: AP Source: AP

FORCES allied with Ivory Coast's internationally recognised President Alassane Ouattara vowed to launch new attacks overnight on the underground bunker where strongman Laurent Gbagbo remains holed up and refusing to surrender.

Already, airstrikes have pounded holes in his garden and destroyed his weapons depots, and fighters have encircled his home and stormed the gates.

But forces allied to Mr Ouattara, the recognised winner of last November's presidential election, fear killing Mr Gbagbo and stoking the rage of his supporters. About 46 per cent of Ivorians voted for him in the ballot that unleashed chaos.

Mr Gbagbo, 65, who has made an art of staying in power years past the end of his legal mandate, is now fighting for each day, even each hour. "He will not surrender," said Meite Sindou, a defence spokesman for Mr Ouattara. "We will have to take him."

Fighters loyal to Mr Ouattara have made it as far as the gate of the presidential mansion Mr Gbagbo has occupied for the past decade. They attacked it with a barrage of fire, and residents reported concussive blasts. They breached the perimeter only to be forced to retreat in the face of the heavy artillery unleashed by the ruler's inner circle of guards.

Mr Ouattara has pleaded with the international community for months to intervene and remove Mr Gbagbo by force, arguing it was the only way he would leave.

Mr Gbagbo still controls the Ivorian army and has repeatedly used its arsenal of heavy artillery to attack areas of Abidjan where people voted for his opponent. Security forces are accused of turning a machine gun on a group of unarmed women and lobbing mortars into a market.

UN attack helicopters, acting on a Security Council resolution, this week bombarded six arms depots in Abidjan, including a cache inside the presidential compound. "Obviously they didn't get all of it," said a senior diplomat. "When they came after him, he pulled out more stuff.

"Remember, he has had a long time to prepare for this."

Among the preparations was the choice of where Mr Gbagbo would make his last stand. He is said to be holed up in a tunnel originally built to link the president's home and the adjacent residence of the French ambassador.

Ivory Coast's first president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, built the tunnel so he could take refuge inside the ambassador's residence in the event of a coup, said Ivory Coast expert Christian Bouquet, a professor of political geography.