ANAMBRA CHURCH STAMPEDE: WHAT WAS GOD'S ROLE?

Comrade Enabulele Enabulele

The death of over 28 people in a 'church' stampede at Ukeh during what was supposed to be a 'healing' crusade is not only sad and tragic, but shameful and irritating.
Firstly, I commiserate with the families that lost their kins and kits there including those of us - like myself that were emotionally affected by the tragedy.

I initially wanted to 'sit and watch' and not 'blow the whistle' on the accident but realising that my silence places me in same bracket as the four idiots responsible for this. So I must 'blow my whistle.'

If you must know, this is not the first, second, third or fourth and fifth time we are losing people to inane church stampede and from the look of things, it will not be the last.
The first question that comes to mind after the stampede is: what was the cause? The answer depends on who is answering. To an Ngige fanatic, the answer is Obi and APGA. And to an Obi-APGA fanatic, it would be Ngige and APC. To the adoration fanatic, it was the devil's work and dont be surprised that the rascal who runs the adoration ground will tell us that it was an act of God. To those who didn't support both, it was jointly caused by Obi and Ngige with a question tag: why did they take their politics to the church?

Yes, I like the question and we are coming to it later. Why did they take their politics to the church? The causes of the stampede are numerous and that does not include God nor Devil. Four parties were involved: the #Rev. Father, #Obi, #Ngige nd the #school system.

Let us start with the Rev. Father. What was he actually doing that night? What had he made himself to the people? More than 100,000 people were said to be gathered at the venue of the incident, with facilities that can hardly take 5,000 people, when the stampede occurred. 100,000 minus 5000 is 95,000. 100,000 over 5000 in simplification is simply 100/5 which is crazy. Now we can see our first cause. So why did 100,000 people gather at a facility for 5000 people? It is simple: the Reverend father had tricked his way to stardom and thus convinced a good number of the gullible masses into believing - without evidence that he is a superhuman who does miracles. These gullible masses had made him a hero. They do want to do what he wants them to do, make friends with whom he made friends with, like whoever he likes, hate whoever he hates and as well become enemies to his enemies. Now are you still asking the question: why did they take their politics to the church? I think you've figured that out by yourself. If am a politician, It will be unwise to distance myself from these nutters that run adoration ministries and loose the zombies under their control. A hundred thousand vote is worth getting in an election.

Obi nd Ngige can be blamed because they both had been governors who did nothing in their tenures to curb the insanity and fraud perpetuated by these adoration fraudsters.
The school system is as well responsible for the stupid curriculum used in teaching God in our schools. Using radical prayer-warrior teachers in teaching our kids at schools is uncalled for.
God as person does not exist. And therefore not responsible for this. That a loving existing God will allow a disaster as sinister as this to befall his people who came to praise him did not make a sense to me and will never make. We should better understand this singular bitter truth and take responsibility for our lives. Those of us who thank same imaginary God for sparing them in the accident should quickly answer these few questions.

What was God's role in the stampede?
(A) God was not aware it will happen.

(B) God was aware it will happen, he then tried to stop it but wasn't able.

(C) God was aware it will happen and allowed it to happen because he wanted it to happen.

PHOTONEWS: Abuja Police DPO Holds G7 Governors Hostage At Kano Government Lodge In Asokoro

DPO of Asokor police division, CSP Nnanna Ama, invading the meeting of G7 governors

By SaharaReporters, New York

DPO of Asokoro Police division,  CSP Nnanna Ama, in orange polo shirt barges into G7 governors meeting with a retinue of officers. He is enraged after the governors dare him to do his worst. Seen here telling the governors to remain on their seats.
Saharareporters can confirm that the siege is over as the governors are dispersed.

“He Was The Weakest Man I’ve Ever Had S*x With”- Female TV Presenter Reveals All About Having S*x With England Football Manager [PHOTOS]

Making love with Sven-Goran Eriksson was as dull as putting together Ikea flat-pack furniture, TV presenter Ulrika Jonsson claimed yesterday.

Miss Jonsson, 46, said the former England manager was: ‘Devoid of passion. He had all this power and money yet he was the weakest man I have ever met.
s*x with Sven was as ordered and functional as an Ikea instruction manual. Putting together a Billy bookcase would have probably left me more satisfied.’
Miss Jonsson said her fellow Swede loved to ‘talk dirty’ in broken English when they were in bed together.
‘It was strange, she said. ‘He didn’t speak English well at all so we always spoke Swedish to each other.
‘But when we were in the bedroom he always talked dirty in this singy-songy broken English. I tried to ignore it.
‘It would have been better if he hadn’t spoken at all. I had to do all the work and the s*x was always over very quickly.’
Miss Jonsson said Eriksson lived in fear of his ‘feisty fruitcake’ girlfriend Nancy Dell’olio who slapped him when their four-month secret affair was exposed.
But she claimed the Italian should be grateful for the scandal because it made her famous.
Speaking in response to Mr Eriksson’s tell-all book, serialised in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, Miss Jonsson said: ‘From what he told me, Nancy was handy with her fists.
‘There was one time after our relationship became public that he had a cut on his nose and he told people he had tripped on some stairs.
‘I asked him on the phone if he was OK when Nancy found out and he replied: “Well I’m still alive.” She was aggressive with him and he told me that many times.’
Miss Jonsson said Eriksson, 65, and Miss Dell’Olio, 52, were not suited.
She said in an interview with The Sun: ‘Sven studied philosophy, he is a calm and logical man. She is a fiesty fruitcake.
‘She was with him for money and he was with her because he was scared of what she’d do if he wasn’t.
‘When I asked him why he didn’t leave her he said it would cost him too much. But I could tell it was more that he was scared of her.’
Miss Jonsson’s affair with Eriksson  began in January 2002 a month after they first met at a party.

She said: ‘I never took a penny from Sven during our time together — I even insisted on buying my own plane ticket when we went to Portugal together. Yet Nancy has accepted money from Sven throughout their entire relationship.
‘She should be thanking me. Before news of our affair broke she was just the Italian girlfriend of Sven.
‘When it hit the headlines, Nancy was suddenly famous. And she used that to her advantage. She’d have never been on Strictly Come Dancing if it wasn’t for me.’
Eriksson acknowledged his affair with Miss Jonsson for the first time in our excerpts from his autobiography.
He revealed that it started when they met for the second time at a function in Manchester.
He wrote: ‘I was there with some people from the FA. For some reason, Ulrika was also invited. We met at the hotel the evening before and ended up spending the night together.
‘After that, Ulrika and I met when we could. Not daily, but now and then. It got to be more and more serious.
‘Nancy did not suspect anything. She was travelling to Italy a lot during that time. Once, Ulrika and I went to Portugal for a few days. Mostly we met at her house outside London.’
He said Miss Dell’Olio was livid when she found out about the secret relationship when it was revealed by a Sunday newspaper.

‘To Nancy, Ulrika was little more than a prostitute who was not worthy of being on the same planet as Miss Dell’Olio,’ he wrote.
‘Nancy’s mother called from Italy. She had read the story online — Italy was an hour ahead of England.
‘Nancy was livid, she said: “Was it true?” I said it was nothing to worry or get upset about, or something to that effect.’
Mr Eriksson, now a football coach in China, said he did not feel he had anything to apologise for and claimed he received a positive reaction from the public.
‘I got a lot of “thumbs up” from young men who laughed and said they wished it had been them getting together with a beautiful woman like Ulrika.’
Source: Dailymail

SHEKARAU - THE FIRST STEP OF A MACABRE DANCE

In what appears to be a desperate attempt by former governor of Kano state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau to remain the leading light in the new and promising APC in Kano state, there are indications of a showdown in the ancient city. Apparently disturbed by the dangers posed to his political career alongside his alpha status in APC by the possibility of Governor Rabi'u Kwankwaso's return to the fold of the APC, Shekarau is in desperate mode.

Ordinarily a politician of Shekarau's status should know where his influence starts and where it ends. Without this ability, hardly could a politician knows when to swim or float in the turbulent waters of politics. Not even a novice should exhibit such political illiteracy especially when faced with threats of extinction. Mallam need not be an "Albert Einstein" to see the hollowness of his threat.

One may like to know the source of Mallam Shekarau's authority as to who or who should not be accommodated by the APC. Was it political desperation or a more serious case of poor self worth evaluation process that sent the former governor into "attack mode" simply to preempt and avert the looming tragedy posed to his exhausted political career by the sudden turn of political events in Nigeria.

Incidentally, if people should be denied their constitutionally guaranteed right to belong to any political party of their choice based on real or concocted history of past political misbehavior, Mallam Shekarau will be nowhere near the APC for the role he played in narrowing the chances of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in winning the 2011 presidential elections by further polarising and splitting the votes of "Arewa" with his "arranged" presidential ambition.

I don't believe Mallam Shekarau is still under the impression that Nigerians couldn't see through the intricate game of deceits he played with his funny ambition since exposed as a plan to give an edge to President Jonathan by weakening the strongest base of Gen. Buhari. Unless our collective intelligence means nothing to Mallam, he should accord us minimum level intellectual capacity to know that Buhari and Kwankwaso are only joining forces to clear the mess Shekarau and his partners created in Nigeria by their covert and overt activities to install President Jonathan against the wishes of majority Nigerians - a plan that succeeded and which we are all paying for.

Funny enough, Mallam Shekarau, good a teacher and orator as he is, he could not offer good reasons for which Kwankwaso should be denied entry into APC. The uncoordinated verbal assault on which he rested his argument shouldn't have come from a "roadside politician". He alleged that "Kwankwaso is a man of violence and did not live in peace with Abubakar Rimi, he had a running battle with Aminu Wali and failed to live in peace with a party that brought him to power." So what!

First let me ask, how does late Abubakar Rimi (may he rest in peace) and Aminu Wali became "Nigeria" that past issues between them and other Nigerians could be used as a measure to determine who is good for Nigeria and who is not? Rimi had a running battle with Mallam Aminu Kano yet, he died still being respected in Kano and even beyond. Beside, if it was such a political blasphemy to have feuds with respected and accepted leaders, where would Shekarau be after what he did to Gen. Muhammad Buhari from whom he benefited more than Kwankwaso benefited (assuming he did) from Abubakar Rimi? Even an elementary level politician should know that such feuds are part of any democratic process.

I don't want to dabble into Shekarau's allegation of violence against Kwankwaso but, one thing I'm certain, Kano is now a lot more peaceful and secure than Mallam Shekarau left it few years ago. This he may confirm from the army of "kauraye" he left behind, particularly those Kwankwaso re-oriented, rehabilitated and re-integrate into the mainstream society. The only "violence" noticeable in Kano today is from the ferocious growls of heavy plants and machineries giving Kano a new face lift having suffered unnecessarily for long from leaders with skewed intentions and ambitions. Mallam Shekarau should have attempted tackling Kwankwaso from the angle of productivityand service to the public for him to know how low his political worth has sunk. Perhaps, he wouldn't have attempted riding his "holier than thou" horse of political desperation.

It was funny to accuse Kwankwaso (or anybody at that) for refusing to live in peace with PDP when it was evidently clear PDP lack the capacity to live in peace with itself. I challenge Shekarau to mention one person in the PDP fold (including secret operatives like him) of Kwankwaso's social and political standing living in peace with PDP unless they subscribe to the idea of "Jonathan, only Jonathan and nothing but Jonathan." In any case, is it not delusional for Shekarau to even imagine he have the clout to prevent an idea that is ripe from becoming a reality? Perhaps he didn't notice, but it was Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Bisi Akande, Tinubu leading all the APC juggernauts down to Kano to invite Kwankwaso to APC. Even late Umar Ta'ambo couldn't have failed to see the value attached to Kwankwaso by APC for anybody to imagine he could easily be harassed in or out of any political congregation.

Interestingly, nobody can attest to the humane disposition of Governor Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso better than Mallam Shekarau. Conceding defeat to Mallam Shekarau when he lost the 2003 gubernatorial elections, was a clear indication that Kwankwaso intended to support the new regime in moving Kano forward. He could have done it the usual PDP way. However, Shekarau chose to see it as a weakness to be exploited and send Kwankwaso into political irrelevance and wilderness. Consumed by his new found power and surrounded by people desperate to have a taste of the pudding, Shekarau misjudged the Buhari goowill he enjoyed to became governor for his real political worth.

To consolidate this imaginary "worth" Shekarau embarked on a massive campaign to smear Kwankwaso. His first term was spent instituting numerous probe panels manned by certified haters of Kwankwaso for the purpose of nailing him using spurious allegations backed by doctored documents. The only white paper they could manage to get from the kangaroo panels on Kwankwaso was thrown into the garbage bin by a competent court of law. Should Kwakwaso decide to be as vindictive, Shekarau may be enjoying the same kind of retirement with his former collegue, James Ibori.

No matter how desperate Mallam Shekarau may be, he should know, Nigerians are equally desperate and more enlightened than they were in 2003. The political hooliganism of characters like Shekarau within the corresponding has cured Nigerians of their "acute docility syndrome" which they exploited to their selfish advantage while using religion and ethnicity as a mask. The task of pulling Nigeria out of the current political and economic mess is a non negotiable responsibility of patriotic Nigerians that cannot be compromised by moles of whatever social or political status. The earlier this sink in the better.

Maiwada Dammallam

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UKE ADORATION TRAGEDY: ANAMBRA PEOPLE SHOULD HOLD GOVERNOR PETER OBI RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE AVOIDABLE DEATHS

The attention of the Ngige Campaign
Organization has been drawn to the Press
Briefing by the Anambra State Governor
Mr. Peter Obi and the National Chairman
of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),
Chief Vicotr Umeh in which both men
blamed the APGA Midnight Church
Campaign Stampede at Ukc that killed
about 50 innocent people on Senator Chris
Ngige supporters. APGA National Chairman
Chief Victor Umeh further recklessly called
for the arrest of the All Progressive
Congress Candidate, Senator Dr. Chris
Nwabueze Ngige.
It is rather unfortunate that the State
Governor and APGA factional National
Chairman chose to play politics with such a
national tragedy in which they were both
principal actors.
To put the records straight and help these
men regain perspective, the Holy Ghost
(Ebube Muo Nso) Adoration Ground is
purely a House of Prayers where
traumatized Anambra people go to
reconcile themselves with God and seek
succor from pains inflicted on them by the
poor governance in Anambra State. But
Governor Peter Obi, APGA National
Chairman Chief Victor Umeh took their
candidate in the Anambra Governorship
Election Willie Obiano with their entire
campaign in full campaign uniforms to the
Prayer Ground to campaign.
Governor Obi in his Statement
inadvertently admitted that the
Worshippers openly protested the attempt
by Governor Peter Obi and the APGA
Campaign Train to turn the prayer meeting
into a campaign rally and there is no doubt
it was the same protests by the
Congregants that eventually culminated in
this avoidable deaths caused by stampede.
The statement credited to the Anambra
State Government that the stampede
which killed over 30 people was caused by
the supporters of Senator Chris Ngige
should therefore be disregarded as a tissue
of lies that it is by the good people of
Anambra State and Nigerians in general.
One thing stands out clearly which can
never be dimmed by any desperate
campaign: this tragedy could have been
avoided if the APGA campaign train did not
visit the Adoration Ground at such ungodly
hour to campaign for votes. Better still, if
the Governor had heeded the protests of
the congregants not to turn their prayer
ground to a campaign rally.
We gathered that it was the booing of
Governor Peter Obi that angered the
security personnel of the Governor to
charge at the crowd when the Governor
made his way out of the Prayer Ground.
The Governor should not hold Senator
Ngige responsible for his growing
unpopularity and how the people choose
to react to him whenever he appears in
the Public.
The Adoration Ground will not be the first
place that Governor Obi would be booed
by the people of Anambra, neither will it
be last. He was booed at Onitsha Main
Market when he ordered the closure of the
Main Market to campaign for Chief Obiano.
He was again booed at Awka Market and at
many other places. We can also recall that
on the Channels Television, the Governor
had promised that something would be
done soon to end booing by the people
and we can now see the result of that
promise with the Uke Adoration Campaign
tragedy.
We therefore condemn the attempt by
Anambra State Government to shift the
blame to the “So called Ngige supporters”
as another cheap and desperate effort to
cover up the heinous crime committed
against fellow Anambrarians. We see this
as part of the orchestrated desperate
campaigns to drag the reputation of the
candidate of the All Progressive Congress
Senator Chris Ngige in the mud. This
brazen attempt but Governor Obi has
failed and will continue to fail.
You will recall the same Government of
Mr. Peter Obi claimed that Senator Chris
Ngige slapped a Reverend Father. The
same Priest that APGA Government, in
bared-faced lie, claimed was slapped told
the world that he was never attacked by
Senator Ngige or his aides. We urge
Governor Peter Obi to accept full
responsibility for his callous actions and
insensitivity and cease to indulge in an
infantile blame game. More importantly,
he should pray for God’s forgiveness and
allow the Almighty to have His way in the
forthcoming Governorship election.
The Campaign Organization also
understands that the Governor plans to
institute an inquiry into the incident. This
we also see as exercise in deception since
evidence all gleaned from the Thousands of
the Worshipers and the Host Priest are
enough and the people already know what
happened. If there must be an enquiry,
credible human right Organizations should
be allowed to do that. The desperation so
far exhibited by the Governor calls to
question, his sincerity in this regard. We
urge Anambrarians not to be demoralized
or intimidated by such desperate actions of
the APGA.
Senator Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige has
since condoled the metropolitan
archbishop of the Onitsha Catholic
Archdiocese Most Rev. Dr. Valerian Okeke
and Adoration Ministries Rev Father-in-
charge and Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma
over this most avoidable tragedy. He has
equally paid a visit to the injured to wish
them quick recovery and pledged to pick
their medical bills.
Finally the Senator Ngige Campaign
Organization prays for the repose of the
souls of these martyred victims of
executive rascality and pray the Almighty
God to grant the families the fortitude to
bear the irreparable loss.
SIGNED: CHIEF DR. GEORGE MOGHALU
DIRECTOR GENERAL

Benin City's Ritual Market

Relics of normal life in time past are much sought after in sacrificial preparations. Some of these objects and materials, to the uninitiated, are very hard to come by.
To the uninitiated, seeing a tortoise could probably be at the zoo, but for those who indulge in sacrificial practices, they know where exactly to go, they know the right market and they know the right people to call on. The traditional Oliha and Ekiosa markets in Benin City are the right places to go if one needs those rare animals, native chalks, coins and several other materials which have spent over two hundred years.
Feathers of rare birds like ostrich, sparrow and even vulture, all of which have different connotations, as investigations revealed, you can get in these markets also. Things that were hitherto used as means of exchange in the days of old including cowries have now become ingredients of sacrificial preparations. Invariably, earthen pots serve as vessel for the preparations.
Earthen pots are still very popular in Benin because they keep food steamy. Local restaurants serve delicacies like black soup, banga soup or even pepper soup in earthen pots. Whereas earthen pots play major role in the preparation of several sacrifices performed by traditionalists, these sacrifices are kept mainly in junctions because they believe that many legs cross such places.
The practice continues among Binis, according to a resident. "The practice is still very relevant here, basically, because we love our tradition which includes sacrifices", he boasted. There was a time Bishop Margaret Idahosa of Church of God Mission was asked to comment on the proliferation of churches in Benin City, and she said, "Is it not better we have that than the usual sacrifices we see in the streets?"
Investigations revealed some of the reasons people resort to the agelong practice of sacrifice include protection, search for luck, down turn in circumstance. Others do it to seek the face of the gods against conditions such as bareness, stagnation or to even ward off evil or unpalatable situations. On a collective note, individuals or groups gather to make sacrifice like in cases of annual festivals such as the Igue festival in Benin Kingdom or other customary or periodic ones.
Some of these sacrifices are believed to be capable of appeasing the ancestors or the gods of the land. In other instances, sacrifices have been made to bring or stop rain depending on the situation. Situations have been seen in the past where celebrants who have invested heavily in coming ceremonies including burial, birthday parties, call traditionalists to offer sacrifice to avert rain during the occasions.
In such instances, curious observers can see at a corner of a big party or event people making wood fire and pouring palm oil and local gin to seek the face of the gods and avert rain. We have the Osun Oshogbo festival in Osun State, the Olokun festival in the South-west and even in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, which all serve as pointer that people are still enmeshed in sacrificial offerings, if not obligations.
Elsewhere people sacrifice to deities which they connect to, including Ogun, Olokun,Yemoja, all of which investigations showed still have active priests watching as gatemen in their (the gods) continuous existence. To further buttress the import of these deities and sacrifices in Benin Kingdom and even other parts of the country, the people of Ikhuenebo in Uhumwonde Local Government Area of Edo State, recently, vowed never to cede any of their shrines to the people of Iguomo.
Iguomo had claimed that the land, where over twenty shrines are located in Ikhuenebo community, belongs to them. The chief priest of Ikhuenobo, Chief Enawakponmwhem Aighobahi, who took Sunday Vanguard round the shrines, said they will rather die than give up the shrines. He narrated, "Our shrines were founded by Oba Ewuare the Great who led Benin Kingdom from 1440-1473. Where I am standing now, Oba Ewuare is the founder of this Okwuainebenaka shrine. This shrine is number two in the hierarchy of all Okwaihe in Ikwe.
We have been here since over one thousand years ago, we are not strangers. You can see the structure of the shrine. I am the Ohen; among the top 16 Ohen chief priests, I am the second in hierarchy. The senior one is at Ewiekoyu. I am a descendant of Ohiobonikwe on that lineage because the title is hereditary. So it came to us as a shock that Iguomo community said that the whole of Ikhuobo land belongs to them". One could see that the community had not relented in their efforts to give the gods what belongs to them through daily sacrifices.
This observation led Sunday Vanguard to Kemwinkemwin market, as the line where the sacrificial materials is called in Oliha and Ekiosa markets. The visit was quite revealing. Sunday Vanguard went with a Bini interpreter, Ogieva Oyemwenosa, because those who deal in these materials are elderly women who are traditionalists and don't speak English. It was learnt that the materials are used for sacrifices both for good and evil, while those who deal in them are also pure traditionalists who worship different gods.
Walking round Kémwinkémwin could be scary because you see the skulls of monkey, owl, pigeon, sparrow, hyena, live tortoise and their skulls too. Any customer around the line definitely came to buy one sacrificial object or another. Foreigners also come from Europe and America to purchase these things because Sunday Vanguard was informed that some white people also worship Olokun (river goddess). At the Kemwinkemwin line of Oliha market, 76-year-old Madam Christianah Oliha explained some of the materials to Sunday Vanguard: "What I am holding now are the Azáolokun, Adá and the Ebèn, used for worshipping Olokun.
This one is Uleko, someone that has had his bath with juju is the one that wears it. I have taken that bath, so I am free to wear it. What about native chalk. What is it used for? "Native chalk (Orhue) is used for juju dance; it can be ground and eaten. When you grind it, you put it in your hand and use it to praise God. Whether you go to church or you serve juju, when you pour it out in your hand, you add salt to it and you use it to praise God to guide you and your family. What about cowries? "Ikpigho (cowries) are used to worship Olokun.
We use them for good things, we don't throw them away. You can use them for Orunmila (god served with white clothes), you can use it for Sángo, and you can also use it to plant evil. How long have these things been in existence? "It has been long, over two hundred years. I grew up to meet them. When I was growing up, Anini (Benin coin used those days for transactions) was used to buy things. Initially, cowries were being used for transaction. From the cowries, we started using Anini.
It was the Anini that I grew up to meet. From Anini, we moved to Ekpini. All of them are here. From Ekpini, we started using Kobo. Cowries were used for transaction during the time of my forefathers. Alligator pepper "It is used when one wants to perform a juju ceremony. Alligator pepper mixed with Afòr, native chalk (Òrhue) and ash (Emuè) is used to clean abomination. With native pepper, you use it to cleanse yourself before you start the juju ceremony. This is what was applicable in the days of old.
You grind the native chalk, put your leg on it and count six, take it round your neck which signifies cleansing before entering inside for the main juju ceremony". Asked when she started the business, Madam Oliha explained that she was into yam and goat business before she "entered the juju properties (Kèmwinkèmwin) business and so far it has favoured me and my family".
She continued: "This business has been good for me. It has improved the life of my children, it has given me all I require in life. People started the business before most of us, our mothers were in this market before they died but today it is our turn. I have spent over 15 years in the business". Explaining some of the materials in her shop, she said: "This is the head of a goat used for sacrifice. This is the head of a bush meat (Akwághá), it can cure epilepsy. This is called Akwá.
This one is medicinal; it can be used to cure people suffering from pile and cough when burnt". Asked what the clothes in her shop represent, she said: "The red is for worshipping Satan or Olokun. If you want to worship Olokun, it is the dark red that you will use to sew a very big skirt and shirt (Bulukú). For Sango (god of thunder), you take both the red and white. For Ogun, you add the red; black and white together in sewing the skirt and shirt. The broken eggs are used for child bearing while the native pot is used for bathing when performing juju, you can also use it for cooking medicine".
When Sunday Vanguard tried to find out whether she goes to church, she asserted: "I am not a Christian. I am a juju worshipper. Not that I don't believe in God, I do. A clean mind serves God. My intentions are good toward men and women; I don't feel hatred for anybody. I will not see a rich man and be angry with him. I feel the pains of others and I will always beg God to assist them. I am not a devil, I worship juju. My mind is even cleaner than the so-called Christians who attend church every Sunday.
Juju worshipping is our tradition and you are punished when you do evil to an innocent person". God's market... God's market… Jehovah's Witnesses At Ekiosa market, Kèmwinkèmwin blossoms too. Madam Rose Omorodion, who declared that she was a juju priestess, started by narrating the history of the market.
According to her: "Ekiosa market started with the Jehovah's Witnesses; this was where they built their church when they came to Benin and that is why it is called Ekiosa meaning God's market. When they left, we came here and started selling provisions, yam, plantain, beans, rice and this our business also started. The market started like that before government came to build it for us; then it caught fire. We did not know what caused the fire but this is the second time they are building the market.
This is the Kémwinkémwin line of Ekiosa market; it is a place where you can find the things of the old including the native pot (Ákhá). The native pot can be used to worship Olokun which we serve in the river. This one is the statue of the Olokun (displaying it to Sunday Vanguard), called Aza. This one is the white man's money while the other one is the cowrie used for business transaction in the days of old. After the cowrie, we had the coin. So we said the cowrie cannot be destroyed because of its importance and we decided to keep it.
This one is Unién. You can use it to cook and it is also medicinal. This one is the statue of Sángo (Ukiisángo). The other one here is Ekò. It is chewed when a man or woman's stomach is hot, especially pregnant women. We have the olden days knife used in the shrine of Orumila. We use the tortoise to prepare serious juju medicine". Asked why she took to this trade which is against the Christian faith, Madam Omorodion declared she had no apologies being a juju priestess. "I am a real juju woman, a river goddess.
So I can be called upon at any time if Sango is troubling someone. I can heal the person. I can also deal with people that are being troubled by the river, I can bath the person and it will stop. Traditional healing of river spirit which is called Ogbanje by others is better than what they do in churches. If we traditionalists want to bath a child from the river, we fetch some leaves, squeeze them together and use it to bath the child. When I was a child, I used to die every day due to spirit.
But when an old man from Kokori was invited, he bathed me and showed me how to deal with the river goddess after he said I am a goddess from the river. I became okay and since that time I have never been sick and I am over 60 years now. I have the powers today and that is why I help people with similar problem. Some people come from abroad for help, I bath them and when they go back they are never sick again."
Asked to react to the comment that the tortoise is a powerful animal for rituals, she stated: "Yes. Even when a person is cursed by Ogun to die, the tortoise can be used to relieve the person from that curse because, since the tortoise is a tricky animal, the curse on that person is averted by the tortoise". On her part, Madam Mary Erhese told Sunday Vanguard that that the materials they sell also help in preparing rituals for Benin sons and daughters who travel abroad.
Her words: "There are mothers who come to us for help for their children who travelled and have not reached their destination. They will come to us to give them materials and, when we do, before one month, that child will get to where he or she is going"..

Naij.com

Being A Broadcaster Ain't Easy – Becky Madojemu

Becky Madojemu is a seasoned broadcaster with Nigerian Television Authority(NTA). She has been a broadcaster for over a decade and still counting. She anchors the network news-line on Sunday from 9-10:30pm.
Her story is that broadcasting discovered her rather than the other way round. In this interview, she talks about how she landed the job as a broadcaster without actually preparing for it; her style and other things that make her tick.
How would you describe yourself?
I am a nice person, but I am nobody's fool. I am the girl next door. I can be complicated just as I can be down-to-earth. I can be an introvert or an extrovert. It depends on my mood, time and place.
What do you do for a living?
I am a broadcaster. I have been a broadcaster since 1997, after my Youth Service. I started with ITV, Benin, where I worked for five years before I relocated to Lagos in 2002. I am an Assistant Manager, News, with Lagos Network centre of Nigerian Television Authority.
How did you get into broadcasting?
It can be said that broadcasting discovered me because I read Economics in the university. And most times, it's out of place to come across someone who read Economics and ends up pursuing a career in broadcasting. I walked into a television house in Benin, Edo State after my Youth Service in 1997, to attend an interview for a position of a marketing officer but I found myself being shortlisted for a broadcasting job. While I was waiting to be summoned for the marketing interview it turned out that it was the broadcasting interview I was called for. I was just instructed to read a script and that was all. That was how I ended up with a broadcasting job.
But how did that happen?
I do not know what happened. Perhaps, I must have impressed them. Of course, I used to mimic newscasters while I was growing up as a child. Maybe, I subconsciously worked on myself without even knowing it. I also used to read things to my mother and siblings while we were growing up.
So, you got the job on a platter of gold?
I got the job two months after I graduated from the university and after my Youth Service. I was very young and I was in dire need of a job. Perhaps, that was what made me to hold on to the job instead of sticking to what I have always wanted to do, which was marketing or working in the banking sector. I always felt like a fraudster among my colleagues because majority of them read either English language or Mass Communications. I was the only person that read Economics. But today, I cannot see myself doing something else other than what I am doing presently. I feel fulfilled.
What was it like learning the art of broadcasting and blending it with what you already knew?
You know in our kind of work; you learn on the job. We were all so young in the newsroom. So, we learnt on the job. They don't teach you everything in school. Ironically, I observed that those of us who didn't major in English language or Mass Communications were far better than those who studied these courses. There's nothing wrong in studying these courses. though they were better than us literally. In practical terms, we were doing better. We learnt the ropes while on the job and that helped us.
Were there moments you regretted why you didn't study Mass Communications or any other related course?
I never had moments like that. I learnt on the job. I guess, it was like that because I had good mentors on the job. I learnt very fast. I had a boss, Abidjan Ejayekre of blessed memory and other tested hands. I am sure that helped me.
At what point, did you resolve not to dump broadcasting anymore?
I think that point was when I was doing CNN Live reports. I was seeing myself in CNN promotions and all that. I knew right then that l didn't belong anywhere else.
What does it take to become a broadcaster?
First and foremost; you have to be very intelligent. You cannot afford to make any mistake because if you do then it's already on air. It is easier to make a mistake when you are behind the pen. But if you are broadcasting, you may be done with your job for the slightest of mistakes. Secondly, you must have the flair, you must have that charisma to captivate your audience. There are many Television stations out there and the viewers have three seconds with a remote control; so if there's nothing catchy about you they tune to the next channel within the twinkling of an eye. It takes more than a pretty face to be a broadcaster. You must know what you are doing; you must be intelligent, you must know a little about everything because the viewers are informed. The television is all about glamour and you are not missing in action.
Don't you think that was part of the reason you were considered for the job in the first place?
I don't think so; as there were many beautiful ladies that came for the interview on that day. I do not think looking glamorous was part of the reason I got the job. I think what played a major role for me on that day was fate and destiny, not glamour at all. Perhaps, my interviewers liked the way I sounded.
Do you think your looks played a role too?
I don't know, perhaps in some other stations, but not in Nigerian Television Authority. They have seasoned professionals behind the cameras. So, if you sound somehow; no matter how pretty you are, they send you out permanently.
Have you ever goofed on air?
Wow! Several times. The worst one was when I was in Benin. Usually, when I am about going on air, I asked the camera man to connect the camera to the monitor; so I can see myself and fix myself up. So this fateful day; I saw myself on the monitor as usual, about five minutes before going on air, and I whispered 'thank you' to him, but he was staring at me. So, I started adjusting myself; my hair, my face and did all that. I did my make-up, coughed, but all the while, I didn't know that people were watching me at home, right on air! Later, my mum told me she saw me on air adjusting my hair. In fact, the whole town went mad and my mum screamed. It was horrible, I do not wish it on my enemy. There are awkward moments as a broadcaster, but if you are smart and good, you would smile your way through.
What has been your most fascinating moment as a broadcaster?
There are many,but I do not want to discuss any here. You are a very beautiful woman.
Are you married?
I am not married. Is that shocking?
Why aren't you married?
I am waiting for him to find me.
If there is a man wanting to find you.What would you be looking for?
I want a credible man, an ambitious person. Not one who builds castles in the air. I need godliness; we have enough godliness around us.
Can you share any romantic experience with us?
Someone came to my house on St. Valentine's day and brought a present for me. I thought that was romantic. It was romantic because I wasn't expecting anything from anyone that Valentine's day and it came so early.
Are you a stylish person?
I dress for comfort; not style. Something could be beautiful, but if I am not going to be comfortable in it; then I won't wear it. As for perfumes, I love designers' perfumes. I know my clothes when I see them; my friends also know my clothes when they see it.
You are mentoring younger people now, what else do you wish to do after this?
I have a lot of younger colleagues looking up to me like I looked up to my mentors. But I haven't gotten to that stage of doing something different from what I am doing today. At the moment, I am climbing the Civil Service's ladder, but if I am ever chanced I wish to go into politics. I may not go into the campaign and stuff like that, but if I am voted for, I will gladly grab the opportunity.

Naij.com