The Kola Nut As An Igbo Cultural And Social Symbol

BY FADA JON OFOEGBU UKAEGBU, Ph.D

Preface

On account of the multi-referential nature of Igbo cultural symbols, a number of the earlier scholars on Igbo culture confused the sacred and profane, the religious, social and political. Bishop A.K. Obiefuna testifies to this by saying that "In traditional Igbo life no distinctions were made between the sacred and profane, fact and fiction, history and poetry, all served the same purpose in a world where the natural and the supernatural interchanged hands..."[1] It is an exaggeration to say that there was no distinction between fact and fiction in traditional lgbo society. Nevertheless, there is a natural union or marriage between the natural and supernatural in the Igbo society; and this phenomenon confirms the truth that religion is natural to man. The fact that most social symbols are associated with religion does not ritualize them or make them become religious symbols. This aspect of the union between the religious and profane makes our work a little more difficult. In some cases there can be distinction between the religious and profane without possible separation of the two. In such cases, any separation does violence to the harmony and tranquility in the people's culture. We feel the absence of the plates and images in the extract and this marks a notable difference between the excerpt and the main work.

Ọjị – The Kola Nut: Origin

There is no Igbo cultural symbol that has received an equal attention as the kola nut. Ọjị Igbo, - cola acuminata, has more than two cotyledons or seed leaves which is the material that is chewed. Ọjị Awụsa or gworo, - cola nitida, has only two cotyledons. In Igbo traditional rituals and ceremonies, the gworo is not a valid matter: only the Igbo kola, cola acuminata is acceptable. The reason for this distinction will be made clear when we treat the ọjị symbolism.

There is a popular but cheap etymology of the kola nut, Ọjị: Ọ = Omenala (custom); J – Jikọtara that unites); Ị Igbo. Thus ọjị means “Omenala jikọtara Igbo", that is, “Custom that unites the lgbo". Cola acuminata and cola nitida are both regarded as having the same symbolism in general and private cases except on occasions like serious traditional ceremonies like marriage and sacrifices where only the Igbo Kola is used.

Eze Silver Nnanyere Ugo Ibeme Ugbala, Eze Ugo III of Okporo in Ọlụ made a revealing research on some aspects of lgbo culture, and ọjị symbolism featured prominently in his exercise. The Kola nut and the tree are regarded as the first tree and fruit on earth. The sacredness of the kola is by nature, for example, the dry wood of the tree is not used as fire wood.

The kola is a symbol of life, and for this reason, many profound and mysterious interpretations and formalities are accorded it. The Igbo kola is always accompanied by wine or drink because the Igbo say that “Onye nyere agbara ọjị ga enye ya mmiri ọ ga eji elofe ya" -“One who gives a deity kola has to give him water with which to assist him swallow it".

Igbo Interpretation of the Kola Nut.

Kola with one cotyledon is a dumb kola or Ọjị ogbu. It is called ọjị mmụọ, that is, kola of the spirits. It is not eaten. Kola with two cotyledons is equally a dumb kola and it is not eaten. This is the main reason why the Igbo do not use the gworo or cola nitida for rituals or in serious traditional celebrations. Kola with three cotyledons is called ọjị ike, ọjị ikenga, that is, kola of the valiant. Only warriors or brave men and consecrated or ordained persons are permitted to eat this kola, as a matter of principle.

Kola with four cotyledons is called "ọjị udo na ngọzi", that is, "kola of peace and blessing”. It is the normal kola. Igbo symbolism of the number four will be well treated in chapter four. The number four is very sacred among the lgbo. Kola with five cotyledons is "ọjị ụbara mmadụ, ọmụmụ na ụkwụọma that symbolizes increase in procreation, protection and good luck.

Kola with six cotyledons indicates communion with our ancestors, that is, "ọjị ndi mmụo na ndi mmadụ jiri gbaa ndụ". The smallest part or cotyledon is not eaten but is thrown away for the ancestors to eat. In like manner, kola with one cotyledon is not eaten by man, that means that it is not broken during ceremonies because it belongs to the ancestors, an attitude reminiscent of the direct link between the living and the dead in Igboland.

Presentation of the Kola Nut:

Eze Ugo III of Okporo says that "The kola nut is the 'bread' of Igbo Sacramental communion, and must therefore be specially presented, broken, shared and partaken by all the parties and families in every marriage ceremony as the final consummation and blessing."

The reference to the bread of Igbo sacramental communion reminds us of the fact that in Igbo Traditional Religion, everyone pre-sent at a sacrifice participates in the consumption of the sacrificial meal, and the children are not left out. The importance of the people’s communion in Igbo native rites is analogous to the priest's communion in the Catholic Church in the sense that every priest who celebrates is bound to partake of the communion. No other symbol represents Igbo communal spirit more than the kola nut.

The Eze goes on to talk of kola presentation. "Ọjị is the first thing served in every function or ceremony, personal or communal agreements, welcoming of a visitor to an Igbo home, and settlement of family disputes."[4] G.T. Basden records that Igbo welcome is not complete without the sharing of the kola nut. 1mmediately after the prolonged greetings in the traditional manner, "...the kola nut is brought forth on a dish or saucer or, what is more correct, on a wooden platter (really a small box fitted with a vocer) prepared and kept for the sole purpose of presenting kola nut.”[5] He goes deeper in the description of the kola presentation. "In the dish are one or more nuts. The owner first receives it from the slave attendant or one of his wives. He takes a nut and puts it to his lips, thus signifying that it is about to be offered in good faith. This symbolic action proves him to be free from malice. The dish is, thereupon, passed to the visitor."[6] The kola presentation is not essentially descriptive; rather it is at the same time a symbolic action.

The symbolism in the kola presentation comes out clearly when many people are in attendance. The social aspect is clearly brought out because the ọjị is carried from one person to another according to a trace of kinship relationship starting from the home of the host, spreads out in the direction of left to right movement and comes back to the host. This symbolic action is a manner of headcount or a way of checking the identity of all the people in attendance in any gathering before any type of discussion could be had. The kola presentation symbolizes peace and welcome; and if one makes a mistake while carrying the kola round, 'ịpa ọjị or ịre ọjị ', he is traditionally dealt with according to norms in different communities. Such an error is considered as very grave and indicates that the offender is not so responsible and may not be a reliable person.

Blessing of Kola:

The blessing of kola, ịgọ ọjị, is the right of the eldest person in any gathering or it may be that of the Eze (king) as the case may be. However, the oldest person is preferred in most cases because he is the custodian of truth and closer to the ancestors. In the evolutionary trend of the tradition, an ordained minister or one consecrated to God now takes precedence in the blessing of the kola; but the eldest per-son or the Eze who has this right will give or transfer it to minister as a privilege, not as a right.

The Ndi Ichie Akwa Mythology gives an account of the blessing of the ọjị in Igboland. “The principle behind this Igbo kola culture is that the nut cannot be broken without saying of prayers or incantations by the eldest in the gathering. This gave rise to the proverb ‘He who brings kola 5rings life', because in the kola nut prayers, the elder in addition to his wise sayings normally requested for peace prosperity, long life, happiness and protection from all ill fortunes."[7] Not only do the Igbo say prayers before the breaking of the kola nut, no traditional Igbo would drink or eat without sharing at least, with the ancestors. Thus writes E. Elochukwu Uzukwu that "The kola nut, a symbol of life and commensality which is never omitted in the morning cult, is broken. The traditional part for the spirits (the radix) is given to them, and those present share the rest."

The kola libation or blessing is employed in all occasions, formal and informal. Thus we now present a case of an old man who called his sons to give them his final blessings before he would join the ancestors. The man in question is Akpụobi, the father and founder of the town of Enyiogwugwu in Mbaise. The meeting opened with the normal blessing of kola when they were all seated. He took one kola nut and said to his dead father: "These are the sons, the sons EKE KEREỤWA gave me, and to whom I am now giving my blessings as you my father once gave to me". He raised the kola and said:

"Eke kereụwa, this is kola;

my father and the ancients, this is kola;

lyiafọ, this is kola;

four days that make eight, this is kola.
Eke kereụwa is one of the lgbo names for God; in this case it means "the One who made the world". lyiafọ is a local deity to whom the town's market, Afọ Enyiogwugwu is dedicated. A brief analysis of this kola-prayer shows that all beings, spiritual and human are invited to partake of the kola and therefore ac-company this family meeting. But ultimately the blessings to the sons come from Eke kereụwa (God) through the deities and the ancestors. This cosmic meeting is made possible, thanks to the kola symbolism of commensality. Here the kola symbolism unites man, the ancestors, cosmic forces, the deities and God. As a symbol of life, the kola libation makes clear this truth when ever it is celebrated.

Why the Kola is Always Broken with a Knife:

Why is the kola preferably broken by knife rather than by hand? Many of the answers received from the questionnaire indicate that it is due to health reasons, that is, for hygienic reasons as the immediate motive. Some people say it is because the kola is sacred, and as much should be treated in a sacred way – "Sanctae sanctae tractata sunt".

The popular reason is that ' the kola is broken with a knife as a mark of honour to it because it is not up to the size of a piece of yam which people bite and chew'. The remote reason is essentially religious, for people who have shed blood develop a "strong hand" -"aka ike" and may not break the Sacred Kola for others using the soiled or profaned hand or bloody hand. The sacredness of the ọjị stems from the fact that ọjị is Igbo symbol of life.


Right of Breaking the Kola:

Another consideration that brings out the kola symbolism is the question of the rightful person to break it. Is it the youngest or eldest in any given gathering? There are two major traditions: In the south of Igboland, the youngest in any group breaks the kola, while in the north-west and northern parts of Igboland the eldest person breaks the kola. In both cases, the breaking of kola helps in the tracing of seniority. The young-man tradition says that the young is preferred because he is presumed to be innocent, and his hands are not polluted by blood-shed in battle. This tradition has a loop-hole because at times there are gatherings where no one is really young, or where the youngest in the group is also elderly. This tradition is nurtured by the philosophy of Igbo ethical puritanism. The puritan ethics or mentality is strongly founded in Igboland.

The old-man tradition is preferred because the eldest man blesses the kola, holds the Ọfọ, and represents the authority of the ancestors. One of the strongest reasons for religious activities like blessings by the eldest person is that in Igbo traditional society, the first born or eldest man in a family or ụmụnna (kindred) assumes some priestly functions ipso facto. It is more by reason of his priesthood and not necessarily because of his age that the eldest man is preferred; and this is why today, the eldest man gives an ordained minister the kola to bless as a privilege. However, the most probable solution is that the eldest man blesses and breaks the ọjị and gives it to the youngest in the group to share and distribute. Another probable solution is that the eldest man blesses the kola and gives it to the youngest to break and share. This second alternative will eliminate monopoly of function by the eldest man.

Why Women do not Break Ceremonial Kola:

Eze Ugbala of Okporo says that “The high degree of sanctity ac-corded the Kola nut throughout lgboland is likened to that of the biblical ‘forbidden fruit of Par8dise’ in that women are forbidden from either planting, climbing, plucking or breaking the Kola nut."[11] This does not mean that men are holier than women in Igbo society. It is just a question of a mentality similar to the biblical regard for women.

The denial of women's right to break Igbo ceremonial Kola is more of social character and organization and does not imply a let down or inferiority. Women do break the Igbo kola when they gather in their usual cultural groupings of ụmụada or ụmụọkpụ or ụmụmgbọtọ; and also in the Ọha Ndom, that is council of women where no man has a saying. On the contrary, Igbo women have their cultural organizations which are completely independent of men. Igbo women have many customary rights and privileges in the society so that they may not complain over the kola nut tradition which is a matter of division of labour or function.

Coming near to the kola symbolism, we note that kola is also used as a symbol of reconciliation and to effect a covenant between two or more persons. A case between two brothers, Ezeakam and Igwe was settled by their eldest brother Elem, who "... brought a piece of kola nut and divided it into two and gave one half to each."[12] When settling murder case in an Abịrịba traditional way, kola is normally used.

In a general sense, the kola nut in Igboland constitutes a remarkable social symbol of hospitality, life, peace, kindness, good-will, commensality, fraternity, reconciliation and integrity. The kola is a typical multi-referential social symbol. While the eldest and youngest persons may break and share kola in social gatherings, it is the exclusive right of the priest to break kola during Igbo rituals to juju, as is made evident in Abịrịiba. "The kola nut and palm wine are jointly used in the Igbo Sacrament of Igbandụ – final reconciliation of man with God in all disputes or misunderstandings."[14] The unconditional attention given to ọjị symbolism reveals much of the Igbo cultural identity.

Culled from Igbo Identity and Personality vis-à-vis Igbo Cultural Symbols, being the thesis presented for the doctorate degree by Rev. Fada Jọn Ọfọegbu Ụkaegbu.

Cite this document:

OBIEFUNA, A.K., Some Aspects of Traditional Moral Heritage with Particular Reference to the Igbo People of Nigeria, art. in Lucerna, Enugwu, Bigard Memorial Seminary n.1. vol. 1, 1978 p. 25.

Ekwueme At 80: Jonathan, Lar, Fashola Debate Nigeria’s Structure

Alex Ekwueme and Yakubu Gowon.

The issue of Nigeria reverting to regionalism resonated again yesterday in Abuja, but President Goodluck Jonathan called on Nigerians to be committed to their country in the face of threats to its national integration.

Speaking at the 80th birthday celebration of former vice president Dr Alex Ekwueme, which also served as an international colloquium that touched on the theme “Nigerian Federalism: Building on the Ekwueme Legacy”, other notable speakers harped on the essence of restructuring the polity along the six geopolitical zones as propounded by Ekwueme. Yet some others insisted that what is required is good governance and not constitution amendment.

The president, who was represented by the Secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, emphasised the importance of national integration for the survival of the country, describing it as “the foundation in which federalism can stand”.

According to him, “without national integration, there is mutual distrust and when there is mutual distrust, nothing will work”. He reiterated his determination to pursue policies which would focus on national integration and encouraged Nigerians to remain patriotic and renew their commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria.

However, the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, said constitution amendment is not necessary and instead advocated the need for Nigerians to restore their values and improve on the current structure of governance before taking on constitution amendment.

Fashola, who likened the current process of constitution amendment to “putting the cart before the horse”, said the need to salvage our diminishing value system and governance surpasses that of amending our constitution.

He pointed out, “If we were to continue at the rate that we are going, our constitution would be no better than the minutes of a village town hall meeting where every opinion and point of order is well documented in it.”

Fashola further argued that the efficacy of the constitution is not determined by the paper on which it is written or how long it is debated, adding that it is defined by the willingness of the parties to the agreement to adopt the agreement – “the people behind the agreement rather than the agreement in itself”.

“So our hope to ensure a better union will not be solved by changing any document; it will be solved by changing ourselves,” he said.

Also speaking on the occasion, former Plateau State governor Solomon Lar said the decision to adopt the federal system of government was born out of the enormous powers at the regions, but now it has been realized that too much power was concentrated at the centre.

“Why we decided to adopt federalism was because the regions had enormous powers, and we overdid it by giving too much powers to the federal government. That is why the states look like local governments. Nigerians should be patriotic, because we are sectional at the moment. We want the six geopolitical-zone structure to be strengthened and improved upon,” Lar said.

For Senator Ahmadu Ali, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the need for the restoration of good governance in Nigeria remains paramount.

Ali, who was arguing on the same point as Governor Fashola, stressed the need for the country to amend itself rather than amend the constitution.

Nonetheless, the moderator of the event and chairman of ThisDay newspaper, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, immediately questioned Senator Ali’s statement: “The former chairman of PDP saying there is no good governance?” Ali responded in the affirmative, arguing that if there was good governance Boko Haram would not exist and the students of the University of Port Harcourt and College of Health Technology, Mubi, would not have been slain.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, who also spoke at the birthday celebration, stressed the need for constitution amendment in order for every component entity in the country to be treated in fairness and equally. Governor Obi made reference to the current structure of the six geopolitical zones, where some zones have up to seven states while others have only five as an example of how the current constitution arrangement is in favour of some geopolitical zones and not others.

First Republic minister of information Chief Edwin Clark called for the abolition of the existing 36 states and their replacement with the six geopolitical-zone structure as the country gears up for another constitution amendment.

Clark said the states have failed to deliver the expected development and that has made governors solely depend on the federal government.

“Looking at our national anthem, which reads, ’The labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain’, I remember, in 1994, Dr Alex Ekwueme proposed at the constitutional conference six geopolitical zones for the country. A situation where one zone having seven states, the others five states; it is unacceptable. Let us restructure them based on experts’ advice, and not on land mass or population.

“A situation where governors will come to Abuja at the end of the month to collect what belongs to them according to the section that provides for federation account indicates that the states are too small, and some cannot generate revenue in their states. They think the federation account can solve their problems. The six geopolitical zones should be the federating units of this country, and let the 36 states be abolished. A federation where each region develops at its own pace -- if your region is weak you don’t trouble others.”

Clark also opposed the view of Gov. Fashola that there is no need for constitution amendment but good governance. He said every country needs a working document to develop based on the agreements reached by the people.

The elder statesman stressed the need for a constitutional conference where Nigerians would meet and discuss on how best to solve the problems on ground. On the issue of state police, Clark said it is too early for Nigeria to have it in place. He made this assertion when Governor Obi of Anambra State said that states in the south-east were working out ways to tackle insecurity -- having vigilante groups to address security challenges.

According to Clark, the governors will abuse it, as they are already operating in such a way that they do not have regard for the country, whereby they use their Governors’ Forum to intimidate policies of the government. He added that the governors in the present democratic system are worse than the military governors.

In attendance were former head of state General Yakubu Gowon, who was also the chairman of the event, PDP national chairman Bamanga Tukur, speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, deputy speaker Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha, deputy governor of Kano State Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (who represented Kano State governor Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso), deputy governor of Niger State Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto, former PDP Board of Trustees chairman Chief Tony Anenih, former minister of transportation Alhaji Umaru Dikko, former minister of information Professor Jerry Gana, and PDP national publicity secretary Olisa Metu, among others.

...... GABRIEL EWEPU AND SA’ADATU SHUIBU/LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPERS

Man pushes wife into pit latrine

Ogun police command also arrests 80-year old man and wife for illegal possession of arms

A 46-year old man who allegedly killed his wife by pushing her into a deep pit latrine has been arrested by the police.

The accused was paraded on Tuesday in Abeokuta by the Ogun Police Command.

Speaking to journalists during the parade, Ikemefuna Okoye, the state’s Commissioner of Police, said the 46-year-old unemployed man committed the act on October 7 at Agbado area of the state, after a misunderstanding with his late wife.

"The Agbado Division had a distress call that a man had pushed his wife into a deep pit; we quickly rushed to the scene where the victim was met dead in the pit.

"The suspect was immediately apprehended and we are still interrogating him. He will be charged to court as soon as we are done with our investigations," Okoye said.

The command also paraded an 80-year-old man and his 64-year wife over an allegation of illegal possession of firearms.

Okoye said the couple was arrested on October 13, after the police conducted a search on their house at No. 21 Obarinwa street, Aiyegbami, Ago-Iwoye.

"The DPO of Ago-Iwoye, Stephen Iriavbijeh, got information that the couple’s son is a notorious robber and he led a team to conduct the search," he said.

"On getting there, the suspect was not seen but while executing the search warrant, one cut-to-size gun, two locally made pistols and 16 live cartridges were recovered in his mother’s wardrobe.

"Thus, we arrested the two of them in whose possession we found the firearms for thorough interrogation."

Okoye appealed to members of the public to assist the police with useful information that could lead to the arrest of criminals in the state.

The commissioner assured them that their identity would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

According to him, the police are working round the clock to ensure the safety of lives and property. Adebola Rayo


.......FUNSO AJEWOLE/DAILY TIMES NIGERIA

Los Angeles takes next step toward ID cards for undocumented immigrants

A Los Angeles city panel on Tuesday asked for a request for proposals on the next steps needed by the city to create a city Services Card, a photo identification card to be issued by the Library Department that could also serve as debit card.

"The federal government has failed on immigration and we hundreds of thousands of people living in the shadows," said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who authored the proposal with support form Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee asked the Library Department be authorized by the City Council to report back on firms that could help develop the City Services Card.

Alarcon aides said a full report will be sent to the City Council within the next three weeks on the program designed to help provide local identity cards to illegal immigrants, the elderly students and the transgender.

In addition, Alarcon said, the Library Department was asked to develop a financial literacy program to try to help the 12 percent of the population that does not use banks or other financial institutions.

Deputy Mayor Larry Frank said the mayor is in agreement with Alarcon on the need for the program.

"We believe this car will address the 200,000 people who are unbanked in the city and will help lead to a financial empowerment for these people," Frank said.

Alarcon said he hopes to have the program started within six months.

There was no opposition voiced during the committee hearing, but Councilman Mitch Englander said he has some concerns about it.

"I think there are security concerns that have to be addressed before we go ahead with this," Englander said. "I also have questions about whether this is creating another bureaucracy within the city at a time when we are unable to pave our streets or trim our trees."

......Rick Orlov/Daily News

Fela Kuti Museum Opening In Lagos (Photo Essay)

Seun Kuti (L) and Femi Kuti, sons of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti, share jokes at the opening ceremony of a museum in honour of their father in Lagos, October 15, 2012. Kuti, a human rights activist and Afrobeat music pioneer, died of AIDS related complications in 1997. Image: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

A cameraman shoots framed photographs of Afro Beat King, Fela Kuti, during the opening ceremony of the legend's museum, at the start of a week-long annual "FELABRATION" to mark Kuti's seventy fourth birthday in Lagos. Image: Akintunde Adeleye/Reuters

A man stands near a mural on a wall of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti during the opening ceremony of a museum in his honour in Lagos. Image: Akintunde Akinleye.

The front view of a museum opened in honour of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti in Lagos October 15, 2012. Kuti, a human rights activist and Afrobeat music pioneer, died of AIDS related complications in 1997. Image: Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters

he daughter of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti, Yeni, attends the opening ceremony of a museum in honour of her father. Image: Akintunde Akinyele

Nigeria opens museum to "Afrobeat King" Fela Kuti

When he was alive, Fela Kuti electrified Nigerians and many music lovers the world over with his hip-shaking and strangely hypnotic blend of jazz, funk and West African folk rhythms.

BY SHARON ATSEYINKUN AND DAVID SANI/REUTERS

Seun Kuti (L) and Femi Kuti, sons of Nigeria's music legend Fela Kuti, share jokes at the opening ceremony of a museum in honour of their father in Lagos, October 15, 2012. Kuti, a human rights activist and Afrobeat music pioneer, died of AIDS related complications in 1997. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

His legendary sexual exploits with dozens of women, marijuana smoking and fearless critiques of Nigeria's then corrupt and oppressive military regime only served to heighten the mystique.

This week Nigeria opened a new museum to the King of Afrobeat, at the start of a week-long annual "Felabration" to mark his 74th birthday on Monday, in the commercial hub Lagos.

"Everybody has a piece of Fela in him. He touched everybody," said the Theo Lawson, the architect who converted Fela's old family house into the government-funded museum.

The house is also a boutique hotel, with a bar and stage.

"We didn't want a museum that closes at night and the life source leaves the building," Lawson explained.

Inside, decorations include brightly coloured murals, chic African art, photos from his life and performances, and a wall devoted to the different flamboyant shoes he wore.

His bedroom remains as has been since he died of HIV/AIDS in 1997: a bed, clothes, more shoes, colourful underpants -- often they were all he wore. His electric keyboard has been mounted.

The 'Afrobeat' sound that Fela Kuti concocted in the 1960s mixes bass groves with jazz organ and traditional West African drumming, punctuated by a cacophony of horns and shrill backing vocals by gyrating women in colourful beads.

It still resonates across Lagos from nightclubs, bars and roadside eateries selling grilled meat.

In the late 1970s Fela became a symbol of the struggle against successive military dictators.

"Fela was frustrated. He came back from America full of ideas of Africanism and African unity, but he was talking to a bunch of military despots who just didn't listen," Lawson said.

In 1977 his smash hit "Zombie" infuriated the military by accusing soldiers of being violent, brainless automata. In the same year, around 1,000 soldiers descended on his commune in a rampage in which they burned down the house, cracked his skull and threw his septuagenarian mother out of a window.

Fela's fondness for smoking massive, cone-shaped marijuana "spliffs" on stage and his rejection of Nigeria's two monotheistic religions -- Christianity and Islam -- in favour of traditional Yoruba gods did not endear him to its conservative elites. Neither did the stories of Fela's 27 wives and his free love sex commune.

Even today, "The Shrine", a nightclub where his sons Femi and Seun carry on the tradition of working up eclectic crowds into fits of dancing, are considered risqué by many.

"This (museum) is a chance for everyone to see for themselves, not follow the myths that being in Fela's house meant you're a hooligan, or a prostitute or all we do is smoke weed," Seun told Reuters in an interview before the opening.

"I grew up here. This house was a house of education."

Fela's sons believe his message -- a call to peaceful rebellion against corrupt elites -- still resonates.

"Corruption is now like a cancer in our society," his eldest son Femi said from the museum's rooftop bar. "Everything will take time. The youth will see this is not the way to go."

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and daughter, Chelsea Meet President Goodluck Jonathan

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Tuesday, October 16, 2012, on mainly health-related issues - alleviating child mortality in the poverty-stricken nation. The trip is organized and sponsored by former President Bill Clinton's The Clinton Access Health Initiative which estimates providing access and "making the tablets available to children could help prevent as many as 220,000 child deaths a year in Nigeria."

Integrated Energy Takes Big Share In Split For Power Supply In Nigeria

Former military dictator Abdulsalami Abubakar (NAN File Photo)

In what has been hovering over the years and speculations about privatizing power supply long run by the state, former military junta, Abduksalami Abubakar, who is chairman of Integrated Energy, was on Tuesday, October 16, 2012, allocated four out of the ten power distribution companies Nigeria Privatization Council offered for sale to the highest bidder for 197.25 billion naira as part of plan to reform the country's collapsed power generating sector.

Integrated Energy is partnered with Manila Electric, the Philippines biggest power distribution company.

Following Abubakar's Integrated Energy is billionaire Emeka Offor's chaired Chrome Energy for power distributions in Abuja and Enugu. Others included: Aura Energy, Port Harcourt; and Sahelian Energy, Kano.

Abubakar's Integrated energy will be supplying power to Yola, Ibadan, Lagos (Eko) and Ikeja. The distribution companies will be responsible for delivering power to consumers to be regulated by government agencies.

Two Americans Win Nobel Econ Prize for Work on Match-Making in Health Care, Education

BY KARL RITTER & PAUL WISEMAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this photo combination, UCLA professor emeritus Lloyd Shapley, left, is seen at his home Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, and Harvard professor Alvin E. Roth is seen in a 2008 photo provided by Harvard University. Shapley and Roth were awarded the Nobel economics prize Monday for studies on the match-making that takes place when doctors are coupled up with hospitals, students with schools and human organs with transplant recipients. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, Harvard University)

STOCKHOLM | Two American scholars won the Nobel economics prize Monday for work on match-making — how to pair doctors with hospitals, students with schools, kidneys with transplant recipients and even men with women in marriage.

Lloyd Shapley of UCLA and Alvin Roth, a Harvard University professor currently visiting at Stanford University, found ways to make markets work when traditional economic tools fail.

Shapley, 89, came up with the formulas to match supply and demand in markets where prices don't do the job; the 60-year-old Roth put Shapley's math to work in the real world.

Unlike some recent Nobel prizes — such as the Peace Prize that went to the embattled European Union last week — this year's economics award did not seem to send a political message.

"It's all about down-to-earth, highly useful stuff," said Robert Aumann, a professor at Jerusalem's Hebrew University who won the 2005 economics Nobel. "We're talking about the nitty-gritty of health care and education — which medical students are assigned to which hospitals. We're talking about how to arrange donors of kidneys."

Shapley made early theoretical inroads into the subject, using game theory to analyze different matching methods in the 1950s and '60s.

In a groundbreaking 1962 paper, Shapley and the late David Gale looked at how to match 10 men and 10 women in perfectly stable marriages. They created a model in which no two people liked anyone else better than each other.

While that may have had little impact on marriages and divorces, the elegant algorithm they developed has been used to better understand many different markets.

Building on Shapley's work, Roth applied it decades later to the market for allocating doctors, creating an algorithm that led to the redesign of the National Resident Matching Program that pairs fourth-year medical students with hospitals.

"Before Roth, it was not unusual to not get any of your first three or four choices," said David Warsh, who follows university economists in his Economic Principals blog. "After Roth hooked up this new algorithm, almost everyone got what they wanted."

Roth also successfully applied the formula to New York City's public schools, ensuring that fewer students ended up in schools that were not among their top choices. Now, noted Susan Athey, a Stanford University economist, "there are school districts all over the country that are considering these matching procedures."

The algorithm has also been used to match kidneys with patients who need transplants.

Before Roth, "there were no economists in that business at all," Warsh says. "He's really changed it and saved a lot of lives."

Roth looks at cases where prices can't be used to match supply and demand. In some markets — such as organ transplants — society recoils at the notion of a product or service going to whoever can pay the highest price.

"Al has spent a lot of time studying markets where things don't work out," says Roth's former student, Parag Pathak, now an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"It's not like we could just buy and sell kidneys, and people can't buy their way into public schools. So standard economic models don't apply."

"Al Roth richly deserves this prize," agreed Daniel McFadden, a professor of health economics at the University of California, Berkeley. "He is an imaginative inventor and doer, who has solved concrete, important resource-allocation problems."

Prize committee member Peter Gardenfors said the winners' work could also be applied to other areas, such as allocating housing to students or refugees.

"There are economic problems that can't be solved with normal market mechanisms," Gardenfors said. "With these matchings, there is no money involved so the main thing is to follow what kind of preferences people have — who wants to be matched with whom — and find a good solution to that."

Shapley learned that he and Roth had won the $1.2 million award from an Associated Press photographer and another journalist who went to his home in Los Angeles early Monday.

"I consider myself a mathematician, and the award is for economics," Shapley told AP. "I never, never in my life took a course in economics."

The son of renowned astronomer Harlow Shapley, who helped estimate the true size of the Milky Way galaxy, Shapely noted: "Now, I'm ahead of my father. He got other prizes. ... But he did not get a Nobel Prize."

Roth said he and his wife were asleep when the phone rang at 3:30 a.m.

"We missed the first call because we were asleep, but we had time to wake up and think that might be what it was," he said. "My wife is going to go out and get us some coffee, and maybe we'll absorb it."

He said the award "casts a light on the work. It makes it more visible. And it's an exciting area of economics, so that's a good thing. ... We're not macroeconomists who think about the whole economy. We think about particular markets and marketplaces and how to make them work better."

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences was the last of the 2012 Nobel awards to be announced.

It's not technically a Nobel Prize: Unlike the five other awards, it wasn't established in the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite. The economics prize was created by the Swedish central bank in Nobel's memory in 1968, and has been handed out with the other prizes ever since.

Americans have dominated the economics award: 15 of the last 17 winners have come from the United States.

The 2012 Nobel Prizes in medicine, physics chemistry and literature and the Nobel Peace Prize were announced last week. All awards will be handed out on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.

Wiseman reported from Washington. AP writers Louise Nordstrom in Stockholm, Lauren E. Bohn In Jerusalem, Jay Lindsay in Boston and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles, and AP photographer Reed Saxon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Zumba Sex Case: Police Release 21 Names In Alexis Wright Investigation

Alexis Wright, A Fitness Instructor In Kennebuk, Has Been Charged With Running a Prostitution Business Out Of Her Zumba Dance Studio And Secretly Videotaping Her Encounters., Maine, Crime News

BY CLARK CANFIELD

KENNEBUNK, MAINE (AP) — Police on Monday released the first round of names of more than 100 men accused of paying for sex with a Zumba instructor who's charged with turning her dance studio into a brothel in this seaside community.

The release of 21 names followed 11th-hour legal wrangling, and some residents watched the news flash on their local evening TV news.

Kim Ackley, a local real estate agent, said that disclosure of the names will cause temporary pain for families but it's only fair because others who are accused of embarrassing crimes don't get breaks.

"What's fair for one has to be fair for the other," said Ackley, who believes she knows several people on the list. "The door can't swing just one way."

Residents had been anxiously awaiting the release of names since 29-year-old Alexis Wright was charged this month with engaging in prostitution in her dance studio and in an office she rented across the street. Police said she kept meticulous records suggesting the sex acts generated $150,000 over 18 months.

Wright, from nearby Wells, has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, invasion of privacy and other charges. Her business partner, 57-year-old insurance agent and private investigator Mark Strong Sr., from Thomaston, has pleaded not guilty to 59 misdemeanor charges.

Police said more than 150 people are suspected of being clients and many of them were videotaped without their knowledge. A judge ordered the release of names without ages or addresses to protect those who might have been secretly recorded, so their occupations and roles in the community, if any, couldn't immediately be determined.

In town, residents heard the list could include lawyers, law enforcement officers and well-known people, heightening their curiosity.

The prostitution charges and ensuing publicity, which reached across the country and beyond, came as a shock in the small town of about 10,000 residents, which is well-known for its ocean beaches, old sea captains' mansions and the neighboring town of Kennebunkport, home to the Bush family's Walker's Point summer compound.

The list of names was delayed Friday by legal action by an attorney representing two of the people accused of being johns. The lawyer, Stephen Schwartz, said releasing the names will ruin people's lives, even if they're acquitted of the misdemeanor charges against them.

Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren on Monday denied a motion seeking to block disclosure of the names. The Associated Press reached out Monday evening to men on the list, but it was difficult to confirm their identities without knowing their addresses.

Some town residents said they had suspicions about Wright, but others were in the dark about the life of the bubbly dance instructor who introduced many local women to the Latin-flavored dance and fitness program.

Ackley's daughter, Alison Ackley, who participated in Wright's class four or five times, said she had no inkling of any illegal activity.

"She was so young," Alison Ackley said. "She had a lot going for her. It's a shame she was hanging out with these older men and getting money from them."

Resident Leonid Temkin said he had mixed feelings about publicizing the names because it could cause marriages to dissolve and men to lose their jobs.

"I think it'll cause a lot of hardship," he said.

But Kim Ackley said she believes interest will die down once all the names become public in the coming weeks.

"A year from now it won't even be talked about, once it goes through the courts," she said.

Associated Press reporter David Sharp in Portland contributed to this report.

No African leader deemed worthy of leadership award

By Eoghan Macguire and Catriona Davies, CNN African Voices

Mo Ibrahim, Sudanese billionaire and founder of Mo Ibrahim Foundation.

(CNN) -- No-one has been awarded the world's most valuable prize, the $5 million Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, which was due to be announced Monday.

For the third time in six years, no African leader has been deemed worthy of the prize, awarded by Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim's foundation.

"The Prize Committee reviewed a number of eligible candidates but none met the criteria needed to win this Award. The Award is about excellence in leadership." the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Prize Committee said in a press release.

The prize is a $5 million award paid over 10 years and $200,000 annually for life after that.

It is awarded to democratically elected leaders who have stepped down in the past three years after serving their constitutionally mandated term, and have demonstrated "excellence in office."

Ibrahim, chairman and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said: "Since we launched the Prize six years ago, we have had three winners, and three years without." The Prize Committee reviewed a number of candidates but none met the criteria needed to win the prize.

Mo Ibrahim Foundation Prize Committee

Last year's winner was President Pedro Verona Pires of Cape Verde for his "vision in transforming Cape Verde into a model of democracy, stability and increased prosperity."

Other previous winners have been Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique in 2007 and Festus Mogae of Botswana in 2008. Nelson Mandela was made the honorary inaugural Laureate in 2006.

In 2009 and 2010 there was no winner.

In a report on African governance released by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Monday to coincide with the prize, Nigeria moved into the bottom 10 countries on the continent for governance for the first time. It was ranked 43rd out of 54 countries based on 88 indicators taking in factors such as human rights, rule of law, development, personal safety, participation in the political process, infrastructure, welfare, health and education.

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) -- an annual study measuring accountability and good governance in 52 out of 54 African nations -- found four of the continent's powerhouses, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa, have declined in quality of governance since 2006.

Abdoulie Janneh, former Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa and Board Member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said in a press release: "Given the vast natural and human resources of these four regional powers, these governance results are a concern.

"Each of these countries plays a key role in the economic and political landscape of the continent. To continue to optimally play this role requires a sustained commitment to balanced and equitable governance."

Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa were all deemed to have deteriorated in their safety, rule of law, participation for citizens and human rights.

Claims of corruption in Nigeria and Kenya have been common in recent years, with Transparency International ranking the two countries 143 and 154 respectively out of 183 nations for corruption.

South Africa and Kenya meanwhile also registered a drop in sustainable economic opportunity.

The report uses data from 2000 to 2011 and does not take into account changes in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia since the Arab Spring. The report's authors used data from hundreds of sources but said a lack of data had hindered it.

Ibrahim said in a press release: "Good governance is about harnessing a country's resources to achieve the results any citizen living in the 21st century has a right to expect. One of Africa's biggest leadership and governance challenges going forward is to master its own robust statistical system. Political sovereignty begins with data autonomy."

The report said there was an overarching trend towards more inclusive and representative leadership since 2000, with improvements in 11 out of 14 of its subcategories.

Significant improvements in the rule of law were registered in the formerly war-torn nations of Liberia and Sierra Leone, while Angola, Guinea and Liberia made major strides in human rights.

Other countries to record strong performances in areas such as human development and sustainable economic performance included Rwanda, Mauritius and Zambia. Tanzania has climbed the IIAG's rankings over the past six years, making it into the top 10 for the first time.

Across the continent the study noted particularly high improvements in gender equality in all regions bar west Africa.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and Board Member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation said, "Africa's women have the capacity to bring about remarkable change and therefore equity and equality between men and women is in the strategic interests of African leaders and governments."

Earlier this month, the foundation awarded Archbishop Desmond Tutu a one-off $1 million special prize for his lifelong commitment towards "speaking truth to power," -- a trait emphasized throughout South African apartheid and more recently in his call for Tony Blair and George W. Bush to "made to answer" at the International Criminal Court for their role in the Iraq war.