Jonathan, IBB, Mark others shun Yar’Adua memorial lecture

President Goodluck Jonathan, former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, and the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, were among dignitaries who snubbed the first Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Memorial Lecture organized in honour of the late president.
The lecture, which was organised by the Chemical Society of Nigeria at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Thursday witnessed a low turnout.
The organizer appointed Babangida to serve as the Chairman of the occasion, President Jonathan as the distinguished guest of honour, while Shema was to be the chief Host, but they all shunned the event.
All the 36 states governors, Senate President, David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were also among the invited guests of honour who did not show up.
Apart from the guest lecturer, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who sent his Commissioner for Education, none of the them showed up or was dully represented.
Secretary to the Katsina State Government, Muntari Ibrahim, told the gathering he was standing in for IBB and Shema, Kastina State governor.
He said, “I am representing His Excellency, the executive Governor of Katsina State, Dr. Ibrahim Shema, and General Babangida who is our leader and former Head of States.”
Ibrahim, in his remarks on behalf of the State Governor said Chemistry was central to industrial transformation of any society.
He disclosed that the knowledge of chemistry served the late Umaru Yar’Adua well as he made judicious use of his academic background to offer solutions to Nigeria’s problems while alive.
In his own remarks, the Kwara State Governor eulogized the late President Yar’Adua for a distinct leadership lifestyle to the nation.
He said, “As a nation builder, Yar’Adua sought to run an inclusive government, one which accommodated all relevant geo-political interests and prioritised equity as opposed to sectional interests.
“For example, only an ardent believer in justice, rule of law and the state of equilibrium such as Yar’Adua could have engaged Niger Delta activists who were then involved in a violent campaign for resource control, and restored peace to a region which had known none for years.”
The late president was conferred with a posthumous Fellowship Award.
While receiving the award on behalf of his late brother, Colonel Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, thanked the society for the Honour bestowed on the late President.
DailyPost

Bayo Olupohunda: Oritsejafor’s God is not poor

When in 2010, the founding and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church Warri, Delta State, Ayodele Joseph Oritsejafor, was elected the President of the 36-year-old Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the umbrella body of the Christian faith in the country, I was genuinely apprehensive and worried. His emergence to that exalted position marked the first time a pastor of the Pentecostal bend will head an organization whose leadership over the years have become a rallying point for not only Christians but as the voice of the voiceless and a thorn in the flesh of corrupt and oppressive leaders in the country.
Oritsejafor succeeded John Onaiyekan, a Catholic who had himself succeeded Jasper Akinnola, an Anglican in 2007. The Christian body which was founded in 1976 had had the luck of being led by men who had used their positions as Christian leaders to unwaveringly speak truth to power; Olubunmi Okogie, Sam Mbang, Bolanle Gbonigi were also noted for the Spartan lifestyles they lived as clergies- a virtue they also encouraged among the faith and Nigerians. But it was the Okogie years that significantly defined the role of the church and church leaders as agents of change in a society bogged down by the crises of leadership. Olubunmi Okogie was your quintessential pulpit activist. He unpretentiously used his leadership to speak truth to power at every given opportunity.
Usually seen in his white cassock; he was fearless and abhors the ostentatious lifestyles of leaders and the corrupt. Even when the risk to his life became dangerously evident during the military years, Okogie rejected the suggestion of extra security details. His ubiquitous official car, a Peugeot 404 and later 504, could be seen in traffic crawling along with the rest of the masses. He lived the life he preached. He shunned all pretences of the affected. Olubunmi Okogie fought for the interest of Nigerians no matter their religion or ethnicity. Even in retirement, he has not wavered. He still lends his voice to the unending follies of our leaders. He and other CAN leaders of their era represent the role of Christianity and its leadership as the conscience of the nation. Can the same be said of today’s Christian leaders especially in this age of unbridled flamboyant living by so-called pastors and one-man churches that have turned Christianity into a joke?
How can we reconcile the paradox of vice and the unrestrained religiosity of Nigerians of all faiths? You can imagine my concern when Oritsejafor emerged the leader of the influential CAN. Do not get me wrong. I do not have anything against the “man of God” (if indeed he is). I know it is a fad to be referred to as the man of God these days.
A friend made a point recently about how easy it is to claim to be an “anointed man of God or being called by Him”. I do not doubt Oritsejafor’s ability to lead Nigerian Christians. After all, he has led his church. Never mind that the church is founded by him as the overall CEO. But that was also a source of worry. How can a man not used to leadership structure as a leader of a “one-man show church” emerge to lead an umbrella organization of all Christians where he will have to consult widely among Christian leaders before taking decisions? Did he for example consult widely before accepting the gift of a private jet from his church bearing in mind the position he occupies as not only the leader of his Warri church but that of millions of Christians all over the country; those whose sensibilities have now been hurt by his indiscretion? Perhaps if he had, he would have known that the acceptance of the jet will bring his leadership of the respected organization into disrepute.
In defense, he claims the jet is for evangelization! Really? Why not wait for the entire Christian body to buy a private jet for the CAN leadership? How can a private jet purportedly bought to mark his birthday now become the property of CAN for the purpose of evangelization? Or will he donate the jet to CAN when his tenure expires? One question has become relevant here; how did Ortisejafor’s predecessors evangelize while they presided over CAN? His excuse of “jet for evangelization” is shameful at best.
As expected, the jet issue is being sadly debated among Christians and Nigerians. While some are condemning it; others see it as a “testimony” to the lifestyle an average Christian should aspire to because as they say, the Christian God is not poor. So, instead of the CAN leader uniting the Christian Faith, he has succeeded in dividing it with this endless and unnecessary debate fuelled by his flamboyant lifestyle. This is dangerous. The division will serve to further energize the corrupt political class to strengthen their divisive agenda which will drive a nail into the coffin of a critical part of the civil society capable of providing the checks needed for good governance to thrive in our country.
Oritsejafor’s ostentatious lifestyle and his new dalliance with the occupier of Aso Rock Villa are an affront to the position he holds. The picture of the CAN president flying around in an expensive private jet, while the laity wallows in abject poverty and die on neglected roads is far removed from reality. But the Oritsejafor tragedy is a metaphor of the Nigerian situation. Yet we cannot despair. It is a passing phase.
The modern church is in great need of prophets of old who had led CAN on the part of respectability. Not the self-appointed and wild eyed fanatics’ clan of three-piece suit, jewelry wearing, and jerry curled pretenders “men of God” seen on religious broadcasts who add their delusions to the revelation of Scripture. Those who equate sweating and laughter with anointing leading millions further down a road of deception and delusion. Instead, we need men in Christian leadership who will stand on the side of the masses and speak truth to power. Our country needs men of vision who are not selling out the church so they can become a celebrity in the ‘religious conference tour in the guise of evangelization. We need men of proven integrity; not the ones who brazenly tell us to pray for our leaders to steal us blind.
The current crises of leadership in CAN have left me wondering lately; where are the prophets? Are there any real prophets cut from the same cloth of an Elijah who confounded the evil King Ahab or a John the Baptist who called out the sins of Herod? Are there any among our Christian leaders who are willing to break political ranks and speak truth to power?
At this critical point in our nation’s history, the next generation will not forgive those Christian leaders who look the other way while the country heads to the abyss. Solutions to complex issues like corruption, poverty, healthcare and growing insecurity will require greater vision than what is currently possessed by those in power and those seeking to replace them. Our nation stands in great need of the truly prophetic.
DailyPost

2015: Jonathan’s body language and the opposition

President Goodluck Jonathan

Kunle Oderemi writes on some emerging intrigues over the 2015 presidency Last Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan was literarily on the spot as the nation’s chief steward. For two hours, a panel of interviewers grilled him on the state of the nation. In giving account of his stewardship, the president touched on different sectors, policies and programmes of his administration as well as some challenges confronting his government.
The president spoke on the build-up to the planned constitution review, six-year single term proposal, 2015 presidency, the Rivers/Bayelsa states brouhaha over some oil wells, Boko Haram  conundrum, corruption, 2013 federal budget,  and other crucial national issues. But one of the items appears to have elicited more interest, which is his cautious statement on the 2015 presidency. He  deliberately made an open-ended statement on the subject matter concerning his person.
“If the president tells you he is contesting in 2015, it will generate issues. Before you ask whether the president will contest or not, wait till 2014. Give us time to know whether Mr. President will contest in 2015 or not. I don’t want to distract my government. If you want to hear from me, wait till 2014,” he told Nigerians.
Since then, he has kept all guessing about what is actually on his mind; whether he would seek a renewal of his mandate for another four years at the end of his current tenure. There are claims and counter-claims that what the Otuoke, Bayelsa State-born politician meant was that he had made up his mind to run, but believed the time to make an open declaration was not now. To the opposition, there was no ambiguity in Jonathan’s statement and only the uncanny would contest that Jonathan has technically confirmed his ambition for second term. In their opinion, he is only being tactical about it in order to keep his adversaries in suspense. To them, his body language has consistently underscored the inference in the statement that his running for another term in office in 2015 is a foregone conclusion. And as far as they are concerned, Jonathan’s foot soldiers, tacticians/strategists and campaigners have already hit the ground running in grand but in subtle style to smoothen all edges.
Some pundits have also interpreted the utterances and activities of close confidants of the president, certain prominent individuals and groups as pointers that he might run again in 2015. One of such leading figures is the leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark, who has consistently declared that the president can seek another four-year term. He anchors his views on the provision on the 1999 Constitution, coupled with the fact that former President Olusegun Obasanjo served for two terms of eight years. Other pro-Jonathan campaigners insist the South-South zone, which is the main constituency of the president, deserves to fill the presidential slot again based on the zoning policy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has dominated the presidency since the country returned to civil rule in 1999.
Not quite long, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, explained that his principal had every right under the constitution to aspire.  He warned, “Nobody can abridge Jonathan’s constitutional rights to aspire to that office” but with a caveat that the fate of every human being who aspires to be president is in the hands of God.”

Kalu

However, a Second Republic politician, Dr Muhammed Junaid, said the president could create a crisis for the country if he decided to re-contest in 2015. He advised him to first seek the Supreme Court interpretation of his eligibility, having taken the oath of office in his present capacity. Junaid said, “If Mr. President is a true Nigerian leader, he should decide now so that those who have issues with him will go to court and get redress. The issue is not about him but 160 million Nigerians whose faith is to the presidency of Nigeria. Jonathan has no right to dilly dally with the destiny of Nigerians.” Two Igbo politicians, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, viewed the race for the 2015 from a different perspective. It is their belief that the 2015 presidency is crucial in the life of the country and noted that it would be an opportunity for the country to strike a balance through power shift among the component of the federation. Ezeife contended, “The South-East deserves to produce the next president in the interest of equity and fairness. Is it a time bomb waiting to explode? Or will it strengthen the nation or mar it? Obviously, whichever way it is viewed, 2015 is a year with so much uncertainty, just as it is very critical to the future of Nigeria.”
He had a companion in the former Abia State governor, Kalu, who asserted that the Igbo must have their turn in 2015 to lead the country “almost about 48 years after the civil war.” Kalu, who has remained consistent in his crusade for the Igbo to produce the president, said it was hogwash for any Igbo man to be against the Igbo presidency project. “Anybody who wants to run for the presidency should prepare. Why should they wait for anybody to tell them whether he would run or not? That is part of the things that are not right in our democracy. South-East has not been fairly treated. That is why when I see some people say they are waiting for Jonathan to decide whether he would run or not, I look at them as very stupid. Nobody should decide for anybody. As far as I m concerned, it is either you give the Igbo the presidency or nothing,” he said.
A PDP leader from the South-East, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, had proposed the inclusion of zoning in the constitution. He said the success of the power rotation and zoning so far makes it imperative to enshrine them in the constitution of the country. But the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) kicked against the call on the ground that the principle of zoning was unwittingly killed and buried by the 2011 elections. ACF National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, said, “By voting a Southerner in the 2011 presidential poll, Nigerians overwhelmingly voted against zoning and rotational presidency. So, everybody bringing up the issue of zoning is trying to draw us backwards.” Similarly, Ezeife expressed reservation on it but with a measure of caution. He said, “I don’t know what Iwuanyawu’s line of thought was when he said that, ‘but I say Igbo presidency is possible and we will get it.’”
Whether the president declares his intention in earnest or not, the tempo of politicking for the 2015 is beginning to rise. The actors are beginning to raise the bar on the inherent salient issues and in no distant time, various political alliances are expected to emerge as further response to the current coded body language of the president.
In the meantime, issues like the acrimony that surrounded the emergence of PDP presidential ticket, zoning and rotational system, the then Yar’Adua/Jonathan presidency will remain top on the agenda of major political discourse in the country.
SaturdayTribune

Jaji, Abuja Terror Attacks: Army, police arrest 22 officers

by Niyi Odebode, Fidelis Soriwei and Adelani Adepegba

The police and army authorities have separately begun investigations into the twin bombings at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, and the attack on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad headquarters in Abuja.

Saturday PUNCH’s investigations showed that the army authorities had arrested 10 soldiers, including men and officers on duty when the incident occurred on Sunday.

It was also learnt that 12 policemen were currently being detained over the terror attack on the SARS headquarters on Monday.  

It was reliably gathered that both agencies – the military and the police – suspected that the attacks were carried out with the assistance of internal collaborators.

There are also indications that the Jaji attacks might affect several military personnel as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, had condemned the laxity that led to the incident, thereby giving a strong indication that “heads may roll.”

This, investigations showed, might lead to the sack of some soldiers, who would also be court-marshalled.

Ihejirika had said during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Asaba, Delta State, that the blasts, which he described as saddening, could have been prevented.

He had stated, “The event of yesterday is certainly a very sad one. A board of inquiry is already instituted to unravel what happened, which we believe could have been prevented.”

It was learnt that the military high command was embittered by the fact that the second vehicle, which exploded and killed several people including the two suicide bombers and injured many, was packed within the premises of the strategic military formation in Jaji.

Saturday PUNCH reliably gathered that the military authorities were of the view that it would be difficult for such an operation to have been executed without the collaboration of insiders.

Investigators, it was learnt, were working on a theory that the second vehicle came into the premises through a route at the back of the college.  

Apart from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, which is in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, the formation is host to four other strategic military institutions.

They are the Warrant Officers Academy, Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre, Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Infantry Corps Headquarters.

It was gathered that the military high command is not leaving anything to chance about the ongoing investigations into the Jaji blasts, which sent jitters across the country.

Although the COAS said on Sunday that the army had set up a board of inquiry to look into the terror attacks, the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, has also set up another board of inquiry to ensure that the explosions that rocked the prestigious military formation are not repeated.

The enquiry into the bomb blasts began on Wednesday.

Investigations showed that security at the strategic military formation in Jaji was not very tight as the vast settlement has no perimeter fence thereby making it possible for the facility to be accessed from other outlets.

It was further learnt that there are several civilian settlements within the military formation in Jaji, which complicate the problem of a watertight security observance in the area.

More so, the manpower for an effective security maintenance in the facility could not be said to be adequate.

It was learnt that the manpower capability of the ‘4 Demo Battalion’ entrusted with the responsibility of security maintenance in the area is seriously affected because of its involvement in internal security operations in other parts of the North.

It was further gathered that many of the officers of the 4 Demo Battalion are on deployment to flashpoints like Jos and Kafachan for internal security operations.

When our correspondent contacted the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Bola Koleosho, he said he was not aware of the issue of insiders’ collaboration as the COAS had already said that  two boards of inquiry had been set up to look into the issue.

He said, “As we are talking now, you are the first person to tell me that some soldiers have been arrested. I have not got any official position from Jaji. After the initial response, we have allowed Jaji to carry on with a news briefing.

“What I know is that investigation has started. What the investigation team is doing, I have not been briefed. There is no way I can tell the Jaji story like those on the ground. There is no way I can be commenting on that. I have been here since (this programme) Chief of Army Staff Conference started.”

However, Ihejirika said at the end of the annual conference that the military high command would be very decisive in dealing with security issues even as he charged commanders of the various units to rise to their responsibilities.

The army chief challenged all commanders to seek ways of ensuring effective security maintenance in all military formations, stressing that the absence of a fence shouldn’t be an excuse for any commander to allow what happened in Jaji to take place.

He said that fencing of the barracks could only aid security but was not the only means of ensuring tight security maintenance.

He insisted that without adequate security, a fence could be scaled and even houses broken into to commit acts of criminality.

“Well, several of our barracks have not been fenced and in the last two years; we must have fenced maybe two or three, at most four. But we are talking about almost 80 barracks that are not fenced.

“So, doing that will entail a lot of resources, a lot of support which the current budget may not contain. But again, whether barracks are fenced or not, it does not serve as an excuse for any commander to allow what happened to happen.

“But one thing I would say is that the lack of fence compounds the challenge. So, every commander must think of ways of putting in his best to ensure that what happened in Jaji does not happen again.

“What is important is that you put in your best in terms of planning, in terms of security measures, in terms of intelligence. Even when barracks are fenced, fences could be climbed, houses could be broken up, and we are not going to fence cities. So, what it means is that fencing of barracks would not be the only solution but it would aid security,” Ihejirika said.

On the attack on SARS, investigations showed that contrary to the claim by the police, five Boko Haram members escaped during the incident.

It was also gathered that some of the attackers wore military and police uniforms. 

When contacted and asked about the arrest of policemen, the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, a chief superintendent of police, said he was not aware of any arrest.

“I don’t know whether some policemen were arrested in connection with the attack on SARS,” he said over the telephone on Thursday.

Punch

AMCON urges Court to okay sale of Capital Oil assets

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Abuja
Travails of the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, Mr Ifeanyi Uba, took a fresh dimension yesterday, as the Asset Management Corporation ofNigeria, AMCON, sought leave of a Federal High Court sitting inAbuja to sell all the petroleum products within the disposal of the embattled firm.
AMCON, through its lead counsel, Mr Kemi Balogun, made the oral application on a day the Managing Director of Capital Oil, Uba, also pleaded with the high court to go ahead and vacate the forfeiture order it earlier issued against the company.

Ifeanyi Uba

It would be recalled that the high court presided over by Justice Abdul Kafarati, had on November 13, ordered AMCON to take immediate possession of properties and assets of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, following allegation that the oil firm is indebted to AMCON to the tune of N48.014 billion.
Nevertheless, in a bid to reclaim possession of its assets, Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, re-approached the high court on November 22, begging it to vacate the interim order, even as it urged the court to grant it access to 50 percent of the credit balance in some of its accounts with the United Bank of Africa, UBA, to enable the company to pay salaries and attend to personal needs of its staff.
Despite vehement opposition that was raised against that application by AMCON, however, Justice Kafarati, said the defendants could withdraw 25 percent of the amount disclosed by UBA in an affidavit it tendered before the court, just as it slated yesterday to hear the application seeking to set aside the interim order that was issued against the company ab-initio.
Specifically, Uba and his distressed company sought an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the plaintiff from disposing, selling or leasing its properties, pending the determination of the suit.
An affidavit in support of the motion said both parties had agreed on modalities for re-payment of the loans and rescheduled payment to be spread over a period of eight years from 2013.
Aside the defendants, AMCON had also listed 21 banks with which the defendants operate different accounts.
It would be recalled that Uba and Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited, were among the 113 companies and 419 directors/shareholders that the Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, listed as AMCON debtors.
The banks have since been barred from extending further credit to the debtor companies and their directors until they repay their loans.
Meantime, at the resumed sitting on the matter yesterday, a team of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, comprising Chief Wole Olanipekun and  Lawal Rabana, begged the presiding judge to vacate the interim order that was made against the company, insisting that doing so will be in the interest of the general public.
It was their contention that the seizure of assets of the company had already manifested in scarcity of petroleum products across the federation, stressing that Capital Oil is the second largest supplier of fuel in Nigeria.
Moreover, Olanipekun, SAN, argued that AMCON was yet to commence the debt recovery action which he said was meant to be carried out within 14 days from the date the interim order was granted.
While opposing the application, AMCON, urged the court to okay sale of all the petroleum products within the disposal of the company, saying it intend to keep proceeds of the sale in an interest yielding account to be opened in the name of the Chief Registrar of the High Court.
Noting that the petroleum product has continued to evaporate, AMCON described Uba’s application as frivolous; stressing that the report of an inspection agency jointly set up by parties in the suit showed that the defendant had only 21 million liters of fuel in its tank, which he said was just enough to lastLagosStatefor only one day.
After listening to arguments from all the parties, Justice Kafarati adjourned the case till December 11 for ruling.
Vanguard

Uche Jombo drops wedding ring?

By Iyabo Aina

Six months after her secret wedding, one of Nollywood’s diva, Uche Jumbo, was spotted at a celebrity event recently without her wedding ring. She was caught in the cameras without her twain wedding bands at Ozone Cinemas, Yaba, Lagos.

Uche Jombo

Wearing a glowing red gown, Uche, who was looking respledent as usual, replaced her wedding ring with a fashion ring, which left many in the audience wondering whether her marriage has crashed or not.
The same way, Jackie Appiah’s marriage almost hit the rock, when rumours started flying  around after she was  spotted without her wedding ring at an event.
Vanguard

My mother-in-law crashed my first marriage – Mercy Aigbe

By OPEOLUWANI OGUNJIMI Mercy Aigbe needs no formal introduction as one of the most-sought- after actresses in Nollywood. She’s one of the top rated actresses who has paid her dues in the industry. In this interview with Showtime Celebrity,  Mercy opens up on many issues, including her marriage to her ex-husband, her recent marriage, career, challenges and others. Excerpt:
What’s been happening?
I have been busy working and some of my movies have been released in the market.  I just completed my most recent movie titled, Suru Lere(Patience Has Gain). I  also traveled to shoot the concluding part of my movie, Osas, and by December, we’re going to round everything up.
You started as an actress and now, you’re a producer, how has it been?
It hasn’t been easy because it involves more responsibilities.  As an established actress and now a producer, you want to give what people will see and respect. Producing movies that are not up to standard will affect the way people look at me. So, it’s double work because I also play lead roles in my movies.
How  much do you spend producing a movie?
Like I said, as a producer, I love to give out my best on a project. But with the kind of environment  we have here, one of my challenges is piracy. Sometimes, when you have a project and you’re to spend like N10m, you’ll always want to cut cost because you’re not sure pirates will allow you recoup your money. But at the same time, because of my status and the kind of person I am, I always want to do what I want to do.
You being a Benin woman, why did you choose to act in Yoruba movies?
I’ll say it’s providence because it’s not by choice. I didn’t know I would be more prominent in the Yoruba movie genre. But  I’m a professional- I studied Theater Arts at the University of Lagos. So maybe this is where God wants me to be for now.
Actually, I started off acting in soaps. I did a couple of soaps before going into Yoruba movies. And it was after I featured in few Yoruba movies that I started getting more scripts from Yoruba movie producers. It’s not as if I don’t get called up by non-Yoruba movie producers and it’s not as if I don’t want to diversify to feature in English movies or even produce mine, but for now, I’m okay with where I am .

*Mercy

You’re so fluent in Yoruba. Did you grow up in the West?
Yes, I grew up in Lagos but I would say I learnt the language on the job because before I started acting in Yoruba movies, I wasn’t fluent in the language. My father was the type who didn’t want us to lose our root so, most of the times, we speak Benin and English at home. It was because we lived in Lagos that I started picking up a bit of Yoruba. When I started, my scripts were written in Yoruba and I would pronounce words just anyhow. But because I love my job, I had to learn and as I continued acting, I got better with it.
So you knew you were going to be an actress?
Yes. That was why I went to study Theater Arts. I first went to Polytechnic, Ibadan where I had my OND in Financial Studies and Instead of  continuing with my HND,  I went to the University of Lagos for my degree in Theater Arts.
So what happened after the degree?
It wasn’t easy because I had to battle my dad  who never supported my decision to go into acting.  He didn’t believe I could earn a living with it. So it was hell until he consoled himself, in Nigeria, you don’t necessarily have to work with the certificate you have.
How much were you paid when you just started?
We were not paid at all. When I started, it wasn’t easy finding people who believed in me and take the risk to feature me in their movies especially to play lead because most producers wouldn’t be sure if one is capable of playing a character for a long time even after auditioning. So when I get opportunities to express myself as an upcoming, I was grateful even when I didn’t get paid. I wasn’t paid in most of the movies, and if I got paid at all, it was peanut.
Like How much?
I had been on the set of a movie for three weeks and at the end, I was paid N2000. And I remember on my way back home, I was crying because before I came into the industry, I already had a car and I was okay. So it was like leaving a lucrative job  for an unknown place where I wasn’t even sure I would be accepted. I think my passion for the job kept me on  until things became better.
What determines the kind of script you accept?
The number one thing is the script- it has to be well dialogued and has to make sense. I love to play a character that someone can learn from. Then comes the director, the casts and crew which matters a lot because it’s one thing to have a good script and another to bring it to life.
You said you don’t belong to any caucus. But actresses like Funke Akindele, Eniola Badmus, Bimbo Thomas and others belong to one. Are you a loner?
I’m not a loner o. I didn’t just have to join any caucus because after the movie, Ara, everybody just started giving me scripts. So, there was no need for it. But maybe I should say that I belong to all caucus because I have a good working relationship with everybody, whether it’s the Odunfas, Akos and others. Yinka Quadri, Oga Bello are my fathers and I work with them a lot.
And you didn’t get harassed by producers?
I wouldn’t call it harassment. Yes, men make passes at me because I’m very beautiful. It happens everywhere. I’m an adult and if I wanted to date someone, I would have but I didn’t date anyone.
Why?
Because I just believe that relationships in such industry doesn’t work.
You don’t trust anybody?
Exactly. I just have that thing at the back of my mind that such relationship won’t last long.
Was that what determined you choice of a husband?
Probably, but the thing is that I knew I wasn’t going to date anybody in the industry. So, I wasn’t attracted to anyone and didn’t allow any feeling to develop inside me for anyone. When I’m on set, I just do my job. But I can’t say it influenced my choice of husband. Fine, my husband isn’t in the industry. I didn’t know I would get married to a hotelier and a car dealer. I didn’t have a particular picture in mind. I just met him, fell in love with him because he was very kind, matured and understanding.
One hopes he doesn’t get jealous whenever you go to location for weeks?
It’s a lot of  hard work being a mother, wife and a professional and still be on top of my game. Sometimes, the whole thing just gets to me and I feel exhausted. But I have an understanding husband who loves my job and supports me. He knows I love my job, he knows I’m an independent woman and I love to work for my money. I love his money too o but there’s this pride that comes with me spending my money. So he supports me because he knows my job makes me happy and he doesn’t want to have an unhappy and unproductive wife at home.

Mercy Aigbe

Whenever I’m away on location, I make his food and keep in the freezer. I also have domestic staff who help me out . My mother also help me with the kids whenever I’m away.
Doesn’t he suspect you having an affair whenever you are away on set?
The reason he doesn’t doubt is because when we were dating, I didn’t give him any cause to doubt me. According to him, he has tested me and he trusts me.
So how do you cope being the second wife. Don’t you and the first wife have clashes?
Laughs. This question is very funny and I’m going to deal with this now. What happened is that when I met him, he was already separated from his first wife. Although, they were still married,  but  no longer together. She lives abroad with the children. So, they were already separated when we started dating.
They weren’t divorced?
They weren’t divorced as at the time when I met him but now, they’ve finalized their divorce and I’m the only wife. They were separated for like five years before I came into the picture and their divorce case was in court. They were divorced before we got married. A lot of people don’t know the real gist- now I’m not the second wife but the only wife.
So now you’re happy?
Yes because even when I started dating him, I just allowed people to say whatever they wanted to say. They were still in court then, I didn’t want to say anything and just kept quiet and the town went agog. They finalized their divorce before our wedding and even before I had my son.
You’re a very beautiful woman, how do you cope with male advances?
I get a lot of that because people tell me I don’t look my age. I get a lot of male advances and it makes me feel good because I get reassured of my beauty even after two kids. So I tease my husband about it. A times I even let him know whenever someone makes passes at me so he can know I’m still hot. But jokes apart, I’m a married woman and I don’t want anything that will stain my name. I love my home and I pray to remain married for the rest of my life.  I always know how to draw the line.
So how does he handle it whenever you get advances from men?
He just squeezes his face and asks me if I don’t know that I’m old and I just tease him back that it’s only to him that I’m old, the other guys don’t know that and we just laugh it off. But I think he likes the fact that men make passes at me- I think you should ask him that. But to me, we just joke about it.
Aren’t you due for another baby because your boy is two years old now(laughs)
Yes, I want to have another one by the special grace of God.
So what are you waiting for?
It’s God that gives and I know he’ll do it very soon.
Does your ex husband still bother you?
No, he doesn’t
Did he let you be just like that?
Of course.
Has he moved on like you?
I don’t know anything about him.
Both of you don’t care?
Why would I care? I’m married now and I care only about my husband and my kids.
Are you not bothered about the negative gist in town concerning it?
I don’t have any business with him again. That’s my past. My husband and my children are my present and future.
Divorce cases are many now. How do you hope to remain married again?
It’s not me and I don’t have the power to keep my home. All I’m  determined to do is my best in the relationship. What I’ve done as a woman is to take my marriage to God because the divorce cases are scary. It’s everywhere. Ladies of nowadays are independent and don’t care about marriage.
In the past, single mothers used to lie about their status but today, ladies flaunt it, the world is changing. I’m going to sound a bit spiritual here- the devil is against marriage because it was instituted by God. And anything that has been done by God, he wants to make sure he pulls it down.
Marriage is meant to be sacred but it is no longer like that anymore. A lot of things have changed, even men don’t care what broken home can do to their kids. I feel our spiritual leaders should address it and make people start thinking of the vision God had about marriage.
I’ve been a victim of divorce once and I know what my daughter went through because I had an issue from that marriage. I don’t want to see any of my children go through that again, and that’s why I’ve taken my marriage to God.
So what were those mistakes you made in the last one that you wouldn’t want to repeat in this one?
It’s not like I’m  trying to sound holy but, I didn’t make any mistake. I just feel it was meant to be like that. I had a mother-in-law who didn’t like where I come from. She didn’t like the fact that her son didn’t marry a lady from their village. She made me go through hell. At a point when I couldn’t take it any more, I left the marriage.
So you wouldn’t blame those ladies who wish their mother-in-laws were dead before they got married?
I swear I wouldn’t blame them. If I think back to what I went through, I wouldn’t pray for anyone to go through such because I went through hell in the hands of that woman. And for me to have woken up one day and decided to leave, it wasn’t easy because I was young and tried my best to please her. But she wasn’t pleased. I went out of my way to learn their language, learn how to cook different dishes just to please her but she didn’t bulge.
So what did your ex-husband do about it?
At first, he actually fought it but some women have a strong hold on their sons. In the end, he obeyed her. He didn’t like it that I was leaving but he couldn’t hold me back at the same time because he wanted to please his mum. We had fought the battle for a long time and it wasn’t as if it would come to an end, I had to leave.
Have you ever been broke in your entire adult life so far?
Of course, I had when I left my job for acting. But it wasn’t as if it was that bad because before I left my job, I already made a provision. I had a cosmetic and fashion accessories shop. I knew I would face financial challenges as an upcoming actress. It wasn’t that bad, I ‘ve just been blessed.
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