The Nigerian House of Representatives on Tuesday directed its committee on Justice and Aviation to probe the circumstances surrounding the grounding of a BD Bombardier 700 Aircraft allegedly owned by the Rivers State government. The committee has 14 days to carry out the probe and report back to the house.
This resolution was sequel to a motion moved by Ahmed Idris (ACN-Plateau), which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.
The motion is entitled: “Urgent need to investigate the justification for and circumstances surrounding the controversial grounding of Rivers State Government Bombardier B700 Global Express”.
My concern over this motion is the manner the Nigerian National Assembly responds to issues. What is the need for setting up a committee to probe a matter that happened between two government agencies for which those concerned can be questioned on oath during the sitting of the house. All those involved in this incident are resident in Nigeria.
It is also sad that legislators at all levels use language unbecoming of their status when contributing to debates and moving of motions in the house.
How do you label actions of an arm of government that have not being properly investigated as taken with impunity, and political vendetta.
Aircraft’s belonging to other airlines have had cause to be grounded without these theatrics from the house.
The Presidency is seen as the jewel in the crown of power in the Nigerian political space and Nigerian politicians normally go to any length to achieve their aim of acquiring this Jewel. This has included massive rigging, inviting the military to overthrow democratically elected governments, attempts at buying power by becoming the chief financiers of political parties, identification with a particular religion/tribe, zone as a tool to manipulate the people to achieve power and even in a case full with comedy an appeal to gender etc.
Adopting the Machiavellian principle of the end justifies the means which has since been localised by our own Gen Ibrahim Babangida (MARADONA) to mean every man has a price, the Nigerian politician seems to want to gain political mileage out of every incident no matter if he is right/wrong or if people live or die.
The above scenario is playing itself out in the political journey of the Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi . We will for now be concerned with his journey to Akure in a state government aircraft and the dust raised on his return journey, an event we would want to refer to as the “Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Saga”.
The “Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi saga”. It should have been a simple matter, if communication between all parties was open and honest. After all these kind of issues are governed by procedures and due process. Were they followed or breached?
The Story as told by certain sections of the media goes thus: “The private jet belonging to the Rivers State governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was not allowed to take off at the Akure international airport. The governor who attended the funeral service of the deputy governor of Ekiti state Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, landed at Akure airport around 4pm and then moved on to Ekiti state for the funeral. On his return he was delayed for one hour before he was eventually cleared by Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, NAMA” Read Full report here.
Another report states: “The Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation on Media, Mr. Joe Obi, who spoke with our correspondent last night, said: “The Rivers State aircraft was not grounded at the airport in Akure as being insinuated. What happened was not supposed to be an issue at all. “As part of new aviation regulations, any aircraft taking off is supposed to make its manifest available to the aviation authorities for the purpose of record keeping. “We have had incidents in the past where it was difficult to know the people on board a particular aircraft. The rule now is that you must present the manifest before you take off, whether it is a private or commercial aircraft. “So, in Akure, they demanded for the manifest of the aircraft carrying Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and in the typical Nigerian system or attitude, they started asking why they must make the manifest available. “At the time this thing happened, they had not even asked for start up. That is, they had not got in touch with the Control Tower for take- off. “When the manifest was produced, the aircraft was cleared accordingly. We could not have delayed or grounded the aircraft, having noticed that there is no heavy lighting at Akure Airport for night traffic. “We did not have issues. It was just normal operational procedure.” Read Full report here.
The important point to note here is that the governor’s aircraft did not leave at the time he signaled his preparedness to depart Akure through the airport. So, what went wrong?
This can only be answered by asking some questions.
1) The aircraft involved is managed by staff ‘both flying and ground staff’ who are supposed to be conversant with the current rules guiding the aviation industry. If we are to believe their claim, all the rules were compiled with hence they were given permission to land. If so fine. Did these same staff also take into cognisance the conditions that must be met before take off and did they meet them? Do they have duplicate copies showing time of submission of documentation.
2) At what time was the request for the manifest made, to whom and by whom?
3) If truly provision for night flights is not available at the Akure airport, how did the governors flight depart at 8pm? Is there a breach of any other safety regulation.
4) Was the speaker of the National Assembly Aminu Tambuwal truly at that Airport and did he intervene in the matter under discourse? If he did, was it an intervention on the side of a ‘manifest must be produced’ or that the ‘aircraft was unjustifiably grounded’?
5) Would it not have been better for the governor to immediately issue an official statement on what transpired at the airport so as douse tension and speculation.
6) Is the governor trying to present himself as a persecuted lamb for whatever reason or purpose?
7) Considering the gravity of the dent on the image of the country and the security implication for the nation should this incident be allowed to fly away in the sky as a non-issue or be properly investigated and the truth unearthed for Nigerians to know with whom honour lies. With the government(FAAN) or the governor(vice-presidential candidate in-waiting)?
The most Nigerian people have spoken about this president, is that he governs the country as someone who has no clue on what to do with the power in his hands. And this is shouted to the roof tops by the ‘opposition’ , we the people applaud them, not minding that they too are as clueless about the leadership Nigeria needs as the man they mock.
We the people must stop listening to the noise of our politicians, both the politicians who claim to be ‘in power’ and those seeking to ‘grab power’, and start making them hear our own demands.
We the people must give clues to our politicians about the type of president Nigeria needs in 2015 and the first clue is this: 1) Nigeria needs a president who is not a DRAFTEE. [OBASANJO DRAFTED YAR 'ADUA/JONATHAN, TINUBU DRAFTED RIBADU etc] Source: http://www.sayit247.com/2013/04/jonathans-clueless-leadership-and-we-the-people/
The auto technology is on the fast lane as indication has emerged that many cars coming to the market from 2014 will be fully connected to internet.
Car owners/drivers will thus be saved the trouble of fumbling with their telephones to make/receive calls or send/read text messages, considered a traffic offence in many countries.
A connected car, according to an online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is a car that is equipped with internet access, with the aid of a wireless local area network.
The car will increasingly rely on voice command, and drivers can dictate emails or communicate with people outside their cars.
It allows required information to arrive without too much searching or button pushing.
A multinational firm, Intel, says the connected car is now the third fastest growing technological device, after phones and tablets.
Little wonder that the firm is investing $100m in the next five years in companies that can quicken the adoption of connected cars.
By the end of 2014, every big vehicle brand will offer some sort of connectivity, says a report by BBC.
The report published on Monday quoted Mr. Jack Bergquist of information company IHS as saying, “Over 50 per cent of consumers (car buyers) would be swayed by the presence of an internet-capable device.”
“Infotainment” is the phrase currently being used by most auto companies to describe the connected material in a car.
Many vehicles currently available in the market, including Nigeria, perform a number of amazing functions such as giving direction through GPS; tuning to a radio station or playing music of choice by voice command; locating parking space automatically and warning of closeness to vehicle vehicles in front to avert accidents.
The BBC report also recalls how science fiction has regularly shown examples of what an intelligent car can accomplish.
For instance, it says there are already apps that can show local petrol stations and their prices; allowing drivers to keep going for a few more miles to save some money on each litre of fuel when filling up the tank.
It says, “There is also an app to find a car parking space in some major cities, using electronic sensors, or analysing an aerial view of local street spaces.
“Perhaps more interesting are the things you never knew you could find out. When stopped at a traffic light, trials have shown a system where a time can pop up on the dashboard letting drivers know how long until it changes.”
Experts say the connected car will do much more; it is not just about bringing music, GPS and mobile connectivity to cars.
“Eventually connected cars will evolve into something more complex than channeling music from your smartphone to your car’s dashboard,” says Bergquist.
Connected cars are taking advantage of the rise of Smartphones to offer apps to interact with the car from any distance, says smartplanet.com.
Some auto companies have developed a number of car systems in partnership with technology firms. The efforts have giving rise to Toyota Monet; Toyota G-Book and G-Book Mx. Others are Lexus Enform, Chrysler UConnect, Ford Sync, Ford Myford Touch, Audi MMI, BMW Connected and MINI Connected.
There are also other car manufacturers that have their own connected car systems. These include Honda, Nissan, Mercedes, Renault and Fiat.
The European Union has started the Cooperative Vehicle Infrastructure Systems project to ensure that car manufacturers cooperate with one another.
“By the end of 2014, for some of the bigger brands, every vehicle they sell will offer some sort of connectivity,” says Bergquist.
“If you look at a cost to design a completely new car model, some companies are spending around a third of the budget just on the in-vehicle infotainment and the in-car technology around the system.”
But safety concerns are being raised around the connected car.
Some critics of the new device say it will be a major source of distraction, especially with driving currently taking every bit of the driver’s attention.
A global technologist for connected services for Ford, Mr. John Ellis, says, “The danger is safety.
Another report, however, says the fears are being addressed with a mandatory sensor, which calls emergency services in the event of an accident.
Titled eCall, under EU plans, all new cars will be fitted with it by 2015, according to the report.
But it is not just on-road safety that is causing headaches; “People being able to hack into the car is a big issue,” says Bergquist.
“If there’s a data system in a car, technically, someone could hack into it,” he noted.
In this interview with Pastor Ibikunle, he disclosed that his share of the loot was N500,000. But investigation carried out by Crime Guard, showed that he might have got more than that. A suspected member of the gang confirmed Crime Guard’s claim. A further attestation to this claim, was the discovery that Pastor Ibikunle bought two cars apparently from his share of the loot, two weekes later.
During Crime Guard’s visit to The Way of Joy Church, located on Alliu Street, Egbe, Thursday, it was discovered that the church was built with planks. And locating the church was a difficult task, as there was no sign board. It took Crime Guard about an hour search to locate it .
On closer look , it was discovered that the church had been sealed. Although, no one agreed to talk about Pastor Ibikunle and the church when approached, apparently for fear of being arrested .
Finally, a man who pleaded anonymity opened up and asked :“Are you a member of the church”? The reporters shook their heads.
He further said, “ if you know what is good for you, better leave there before you will get yourself into trouble. The white garment church was sealed last week after the arrest of the Pastor.. Some policemen came last week and arrested him and before we knew it, we started hearing he was a member of a robbery gang. Even , the whole newspapers in Nigeria carried the news two days ago”
Before his arrest, Pastor Ibikunle was said to have dedicated two vehicles ,during which he hosted members of his church and friends to a buffet.
“Although he is an easy- going fellow who by every dint of appearance never exhibited any character of a robber. We usually saw people coming in and out of the church on daily. And on Sundays, there were usually church services.
Towards the end of the month, he treated his members and friends who came in posh cars to a party, in celebration of his newly purchased cars. It was not long that we heard he bought them with the proceeds from the robbery operation at the airport. It was after his arrest that I believed the popular saying that facial appearance is indeed deceptive”, another resident who earlier declined to speak on the issue said.
Wife absconded with children From Crime Guard’s findings, it was discovered also that when operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad stormed the clergy’s one-room apartment located on the same building with the church, to effect his arrest, his wife was not at home.
On arrival, she was said to have visited Ikotun, Ejigbo and Idimu police stations in search for her husband. She was said to have also raised alarm that he could have been abducted by men in police uniform.
But when news of her husband’s alleged indulgence in criminal activities reached her, she was said to have been spelled bound.
A family friend to the Ibikunles told Crime Guard that, “ she came crying to us that some men in plain clothes came to pick her husband. But when she discovered the truth at SARSs where we eventually found him, she broke down. At first she did not believe the claim, as she thought it could have been cooked up. But when her husband confessed to her, she said that was the height she could take from him.
“More painful according to her, is the fact that she said she asked her husband where he got the money with which he bought the cars , only for him to tell her it was given to him by someone who got healed of a terminal disease after a deliverance section with him.”
As at the time Crime Guard visited, Mrs Ibikunle was nowhere around the church’s premises. But a neigbour later revealed that she was seen packing her belongings out of the house, with her children. The resident could however, not say her whereabouts. Since the arrest, no church member had reportedly come to worship there.
Asked if he informed his wife about his mission, he replied, “ No, I did not. I only told her when leaving that I was going to pray over night for a ‘big man’ who would not like to come to our area. And when I came back, I told her the money was given to me by the ‘big man’”.
I regret my involvement In an emotional laden voice, Pastor Ibikunle looked at Crime Guard , battling hard not to betray his emotion, “ Am I going to die? He asked with a tear filled eyes. Ah! he exclaimed. I would have remained in my cubicle as a poor man than heeding the advice of the gang. Now, I am left without nothing! My condition is even worse.
The accident occurred yesterday afternoon at Ugbogui village on the outskirts of Benin and involved three heavy duty vehicles; a Young Shall Grow Motors luxury bus, a fuel tanker with registration number GA 71 XA, and a Dangote truck carrying cement.
Over 100 people were burnt to death when the fuel tanker exploded following the accident. The fire spread to surrounding shops and burnt several cars packed nearby. Survivors were rushed to the hospital while rescue efforts by the Federal Road Safety Corps & Civil Defence Corps was in full gear as press time. The FRSC has promised to publish a list of casualties.http://gistlane.com/disaster-over-100-lives-lost-in-single-accident-on-benin-ore-road/
A teaser for the movie-Number 1 Fan has been released by Actress-Juliet Ibrahim. It is her first self produced movie.
In order to get maximum attention and make things fun, Juliet Ibrahim managed to pull into the movie dozen of familiar faces such as her model sister-Sonia, Big Brother StarGame’s housemates Zainab Sherif and Keitta Osei, Majid Michel, Eddie Nartey, Prince David Osei, Deborah Vanessa , Swag Kid, Big Chris, Chichi Neblet, Sandra Ankobiah of ‘Fashion 101’, Nigeria’s Yemi Blaq, AY, KC Ejelonu and several others.
Many of these named persons are playing themselves in the movie (cameo) whiles others are playing characters… Check out the teaser below
Telecoms firm and official sponsor of the Nigerian national football teams, Globacom is ready to present two automobiles to Stephen Keshi, the coach of the Nigerian senior football team, the Super Eagles.
The exotic cars, which includes the latest models of the Range Rover Sports and Toyota Camry saloon car, are already on display at the Mike Adenuga Towers, Corporate Headquarters of Globacom in Lagos. The cars will be presented to Keshi on Monday.
Chairman of the company, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. had pledged the two vehicles to Keshi when the Eagles won the Africa Nations Cup for the first time in 19 years at the competition in South Africa earlier in February. http://gistlane.com/afcon-2013-glo-set-to-present-coach-keshi-cars/
CHUX OHAI takes a look at some wave-making music artistes that are less visible on the entertainment scene
Mo’Cheddah
Modupe Oyeyemi, aka Mo’Cheddah, has won some awards and proved herself a worthy artiste. Since scandals are also part of the game, this pretty singer has had her fair share of darkish tales.
In one of such scandals, a nakéd photograph of the singer suddenly popped up on Twitter. She was said to have mistakenly tweeted the picture while trying to send it to another artiste named ElDee da Don.
As expected, the picture, which showed Mo’Cheddah in her natural ‘swim suit’ posing before a mirror in her bedroom, and an accompanying message to ElDee urging him to pretend that it was sent by one of his pals, went viral on social media and attracted shocking reactions from her followers and fans.
Embarassed, Mo’Cheddah had tried in vain to deny the tweet. But the damage had been done. The tweet subsequently fuelled the rumour that she was actually neck-deep in a sizzling romance with ElDee. Some followers of both artistes were further convinced that the photograph was a clear evidence that she was in love with him.
More important, however, is the fact that the singer, who arrived the music scene at the same time as Wizkid is far from being active in recent times. Indeed, while Wizkid and her other contemporaries including Davido and Tiwa Savage, seem to be everywhere, many fans are simply asking, “Where is Mo’cheddah?”
Ruggedman
Rapper Micheal Stephens, aka Ruggedman, was recently the special guest of V-Channel, an entertainment cable TV channel on Startimes at its weekly ‘Celebrity Night Out’ party at Troy Lounge in Ogba, Lagos.
The event had fellow music stars, such as Kenny Saint Brown and Essence in attendance. Many music fans turned out to express their love to the rapper and Ruggedy Baba, as he is fondly called, partied the night away with attention-grabbing dance moves, amidst cheers from gathering.
It was Ruggedman’s first real public appearance in a long while. The last time he had a real outing was in 2012 when he performed alongside other artistes in a concert in Asaba. The show was hosted by the Delta State Government to celebrate its success at the last National Sports Festival.
Always controversial, the rapper was said to have almost started another controversy after he goofed during a recent appearance on TV continental. The subject was his much-publicised breakup with erstwhile pal, 9ice.
Paul ‘Play’ Dairo
Not long ago, Paul Dairo reportedly sued MTN Nigeria and Ultima Limited for allegedly infringing on his copyright. Both companies were said to have used his song ‘Angel of my life’ for the MTN-sponsored reality TV music talent hunt show, Project Fame without his permission.
The development implied that Paul, who was in the USA, had finally recovered from a spell of ill-health that kept him away from the music scene and the limelight for a while.
The singer has been reportedly struck by a strange illness that almost ended his career. Last year, after leaving his hospital bed, he had promised to head straight to the recording studio and out with two new albums at once. But so far, his fans are still waiting for the fulfilment of that promise.
Tony Tetuila
Tony Tetuila was one of the groomsmen of Tuface Idibia during the latter’s recent wedding to actress Annie Macaulay in Dubai. It was an indication that both artistes had remained close friends despite the challenges that they had to face these past years.
But, while Tuface’s career appears to be constantly on the rise, it seems that Tetuila’s quiet struggle to regain relevance is yet to yield positive results.
Meanwhile, the singer, whose last successful album was recorded a couple of years ago, has been spotted in some fun spots in Lagos simply idling away. Last year, he was rumoured to have impregnated a young lady living in the United Kingdom.
Olu Maintain
After recording ‘Nawti’, his last album that enjoyed tremendous reception from music fans here in Nigeria, Olu Maintain sort of faded out of the entertainment scene. Lately it was rumoured that he had dumped his American girlfriend, Natalie Nunn, for a Nigerian female artiste.
If that story is anything to go by, it is possible that the singer, who rose to fame with the success of the hit-song, ‘Yahoozee’, is too absorbed in his new relationship to realize how much music fans yearn for his return to the scene.
Bouqui
Fans of self-styled rapvangelist Bouqui (real name is Bukola Folayan) were pleasantly surprised when she brokered a new deal with the American records label known as Xist Music, which is guaranteed to launch her career to greater heights. Even they felt better when it was announced that the award-winning rapper planned to release a double CD album titled ‘Marks of a General and Eve of Independence’. But that was where the excitement ended.
The truth is that Bouqui has been ‘missing in action’. Many fans think she has skipped too many A-list concerts in town and she has been lying too low for comfort. Although she released a single album early this year, it was hardly noticed.
Faze
Having joined his pal, Tuface Idibia, at Musiz Records, one would have expected Chibuzo Orji, aka Faze, to have upped his game. But the R&B singer and ex Plantashun boy appears to be having a tough time turning his career around. Not even the arrival of his fourth and most recent album, ‘Refazed’, in which he tries to reassert his relevance on the music scene, has made a difference.
Eedris AbdulKarim
Ex-Remedies star, Eedris AdulKarim, can be seen here and there. But his efforts to reclaim his former position as a foremost rapper has not yielded results. Beyond his last single CD, in which he carried on his private ‘conversation’ with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, it is certain that Mr Lecturer ought to prepare more punchy handouts for his fans. http://gistlane.com/mocheddah-joins-other-missing-in-action-artistes-after-naked-photo-popped-on-twitter/
Ever noticed someone (a lady) whose posterior used to be flat, eventually becomes bigger like Kim K’s over night? Well, if you have, don’t trip, she just got this figure change from the market! it’s foam in there! Check your GF next time you notice her…http://gistlane.com/funny-what-many-ladies-wear-to-confuse-men/
D’banj was mentioned on Live with Kelly and Michael, a top syndicated morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. The male host, Michael, read out the top five songs for working out at the gym and D’banj’s Oliver Twist was mentioned at number 3 after Psy’s Gangnam Style (5) and Keisha’s Die Young (4). Michael then said he’s never heard of D’banj. Watch the video here:http://gistlane.com/kokomaster-dbanj-gets-mentioned-on-daytime-tv-in-the-us/
The Saudi government is sentencing a 24-year-old man to paralysis as retribution for stabbing his friend when the two were teens.
Ali al-Khawahir reportedly stabbed his friend in the back when he was 14-years-old, paralyzing the teen from the waist down. In return, his victim wants one million Saudi riyals, the equivalent of $270,000, or retribution.
Amnesty International is outraged by the sentence: ”Paralyzing someone as punishment for a crime would be torture,” said Ann Harrison, Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director at Amnesty International.
“That such a punishment might be implemented is utterly shocking, even in a context where flogging is frequently imposed as a punishment for some offences, as happens in Saudi Arabia.” Although al-Khawahir’s mother says she feels sorry for the victim and that he deserves millions in compensation, it is not something they can afford.
“Ten years have passed with hundreds of sleepless nights. My hair has become grey at a young age because of my son’s problem,” she told the Saudi Gazette. “I have been frightened to death whenever I think about my son’s fate and that he will have to be paralyzed.”
Retribution sentences have included eye-gouging, tooth extraction and death for murder, according to Amnesty. If the paralysis sentencing is carried through, it would go against the UN Convention against Torture, which Saudi Arabia is a part of. http://gistlane.com/sad-saudi-man-sentenced-to-paralysis-for-decade-old-crime/
Reports reaching us show that a 2.4 Billion monthly contract has been awarded by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to the Dr Frederick Fasehun faction of the Oodua People’s Congress, to “police and protect oil pipelines in South West Nigeria against vandalism”.
In his reaction the Head of Afenifere Renewal Group. Hon Wale Osun describes the contract as “a gift by Jonathan to Fasehun and others so as to break the rank of the Yoruba in 2015″ Wale Osun condemned the resort to bribing militant groups rather than empowering security agencies established by law.
Italian police on Thursday arrested a priest accused of defrauding a Vatican-linked hospital in Rome that he managed of four million euros ($5.1 million), part of which he used to buy an 18-room villa in Tuscany set on 23 hectares of land.
Father Franco Decaminada, a friar who took vows of poverty, has been placed under house arrest.
He headed the prestigious Immaculate Institute of Dermopathology between 2004 and 2011.
The specialist hospital has been placed under administration after it registered losses of 600 million euros and pope Benedict XVI in one of his last acts as pontiff last month appointed a cardinal to resolve its economic woes.
The tax police said in a statement that Decaminada bought his villa in Tuscany for a million euros — “essentially with the proceeds of his crime”.
“The investigation traced fraud for a total of 14 million euros,” the police said.
Italian media said police linked four million euros of that total directly to Decaminada.
Two businessmen are also under investigation and have also been placed under house arrest.
hospital belongs to the “Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception”, which was set up in the 19th century and became well-known for producing creams to treat ringworm.
The congregation manages two other hospitals.
The police said it had found daily operations in which the priest took money from the hospital as “reimbursement of costs” without justification.
Shock and outrage have greeted Tuesday's accidental airing of the death hoax of revered South African former president, Nelson Mandela, fondly called Madiba.
The Universal Channel (shown on DStv channel 117) had aired a programme 'Remembering Nelson Mandela', apparently from an already prepared file on the global icon.
The channel on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV cable network platform had accidentally aired the obituary to its millions of viewers who took to the social networks to express their shock and grief. Mandela's health had relapsed last week following infection of his lung. But latest reports from the hospital indicates that his condition is improving.
But realising its gaffe, the cable network has expressed its dismay at the technical error, noting that it was a glitch and not intentional as claimed in some quarters. It tendered apology.
The statement released by the Universal Networks International which programmes the Universal Channel on DStv reads in part: "Like any international broadcaster, Universal Networks holds obituaries ready for every major statesman in the world.
"Universal Networks wishes to offer a sincere and heartfelt apology for the airing of such an announcement for Nelson Mandela which was broadcast last night on the Universal Channel due to a technical error by our team.
"We unreservedly apologise to the Mandela family, to Universal Channel viewers and to DStv subscribers for the alarm and offence caused by this error. Our thoughts and best wishes are with Madiba and his family for a speedy and full recovery." http://gistlane.com/nelson-mandela-dead-obituary-announced-on-tv-station/
Happy April fool’s day- 1.4.2013- but we are think Richard Branson will not be cranking the v*rgin brand with this out of the world news as his airline stated that V*rgin launched a glass floor plane which allows passengers to see the world from more than 1000 feet in the air.
According to company’s website, “In 1984 we started the wonderful airline that is V*rgin Atlantic. I am incredibly proud of yet another aviation breakthrough which has been years in the making. I can’t wait to experience the first flight for myself with my family and other natural born explorers,” Sir Richard Branson said on the website.
The plane is identical to the standard Airbus A320, apart from a special strip of aviation-grade glass in the underbelly, with baggage stored either side.
“We hope to trial the glass bottom technology with other V*rgin airlines in time and have asked other V*rgin companies to support this innovative trial and launch our new domestic Scottish route. This really is a team effort from all corners of V*rgin,” he added. http://gistlane.com/vrgin-airline-launch-new-jet-with-see-through-floor/
Fela Anikulapo’s son, Femi, opens up on what people didn’t know about the late Afrobeat musician and the father/son relationship that existed between them.
Why did your father choose a controversial lifestyle?
It was because he was too honest about his way of life. He liked women and he did not hide it. He liked to smoke marijuana and he did it in the open. Many people like women but they do it secretly. There are so many brothels all around the world but Fela never patronised them, many people go there to pay for s**x.
You will be shocked to know the number of people that smoke marijuana in Nigeria and all over the world. I hope you know that some countries are legalising the smoking of marijuana now. He was truthful about his way of life while many of us are hypocritical about ours. Many people were envious that he was too honest and bold and that was why there were so many controversies about his life.
Most of his friends who are highly-placed admire women even girls young enough to be their daughters. They leave their matrimonial homes to meet them secretly. Some of them hide in hotels to do what they cannot do in the open. Many of them smoke but they are not brave enough to say they smoke. All the call girls you see on Allen Avenue, who picks them? Fela never did.
How was he able to manage his many wives?
It was very stressful for him. Do not forget that he divorced all of them. They were not faithful to him. When he decided to marry them, he did so for a reason. He said they had been with him in difficult times. They endured police harassment and beating. But they never left. Though they were very loyal to him, they still had a bad image in the public because people were calling them prostitutes.
He felt that the best way to protect them was to marry them. They became Fela’s queens, so the society had to respect them. I believe he loved them and he was already sleeping with them before he married them. It was not really a big deal to anybody that knew them. For instance, my mother knew this was happening so it was not a hidden thing. The big deal was how he was able to convince the 27 of them to marry him same day.
Did Fela talk you into music?
He did not influence me as such. I always knew I would go into music. It was just a question of how and when. He was however a big motivation in my life because every child wants to be like his or her father. The son of a plumber will want to be like his father, especially if he is learning the trade early. If the son loves the father, he will want to emulate him. I am not a different son. I love my father and wanted to do what he was doing. The only question hanging over that ambition was whether I could fulfil that ambition perfectly.
How did he punish any of his children who misbehaved?
He beat us. In fact, I was the one who got the most beating in the house when we were young.
Can you remember things you did that made him beat you?
I stole my mother’s £1 to buy chewing gum one day. You can imagine how many wraps of chewing gum that money would buy. They were not less than 100. My friend convinced me to go and steal the money but we were caught while chewing the gum. When my father asked me where I got the money from, I was speechless. I was still thinking of what to say when he started beating me with his hand. He then warned me never to steal again.
He also beat me when he caught me with cigarette in 1969. My mother used to smoke and he saw me put the cigarette in my mouth. I did not really smoke the cigarette because it was not lit, I only put it in my mouth but it angered him when he saw what I did. He beat me again and warned me not to touch cigarette again.
Why do you think it has been difficult to replicate Fela’s style of music?
It is so because the foundation of the band was truthful. He was not pretentious. He really believed in what he was saying. Despite all the police harassment, he was not moved. Many people would have gone to seek political asylum in another country but Fela did not do that. He had so many opportunities outside Nigeria and he would have taken advantage of them to run away from his enemies. These are the things that every generation admires in him.
What are those things you imbibed from your father?
I may not be able to mention them. In the way I deal with people, I am very truthful. If I say I am going to do something, I would do it. But I am more of my mother than my father. My elder sister has more of my father than I do. I am more of a practical person. If I plan to do something, I will think of the consequences. My father would never weigh any decision before executing it. If he planned to go to Dodan Barracks, he would just go there. As for me, I make plans before I do anything. My father would not write a Will. But because I know that I could get killed, I had written my Will a long ago.
I know that in a divorce case, my wife could claim one third of my property, so I would not go into wedlock. The most important thing to me right now are my children. Now, I will not play to the gallery. I will not say because people love me, they must come first before my family. Who are my family? My children of course. So, whether you love me or not, I will let you know that my children come before you, take it or leave it. I live this way because I learnt from my father’s life, the decisions he took and the consequences. When you learn from someone, you don’t have to do what he did. Fela did what he did for his own reasons. I cannot criticise why he did what he did.
Also, we must remember the stardom. Nobody was as big as my father. He had over 100 people around him daily when he became a star. I cannot live like that because I don’t want too many people around me. I saw what people did to him. It was too much. I can keep the Afrika Shrine open to everybody but not my house.
If you come to my home, you will only see me, my kids and may be my girlfriend. Sometimes, my friends visit but I don’t keep a crowd around for any reason, my father did. I like women but I saw the harassment he went through with 27 wives. It is not that I don’t want 27 wives but I know what will happen because of what happened to my father. I can’t tell a woman that I will be faithful in our relationship. That was part of the problem of my marriage. I cannot be faithful. I will not lie about that. It is not that I cannot be faithful, but I cannot start my relationship by saying I am going to be faithful till death do us part. There are possibilities that if another woman comes and I like her, I cannot give the assurance that I will not have an affair with her. I have no intention whatsoever to bring all of them under one roof. My intention now is to cater for my children and do my job to the best of my ability.
Did Fela have any special food?
He ate any food. He liked cakes and ice cream too. I don’t like cakes. I can eat ice cream and chocolate once in a while but my father loved them all. If somebody is celebrating and there is a cake, I can take a little piece not to offend my host. My father could die for cakes. If you visited him and looked inside his refrigerator, you would see lots of cake in it.
Your father did not hide his hatred for western medicine. Is it the same with you?
I grew up not liking tablets too. I grew up to be a traditionalist like my dad. But I later realised that there are too many fake traditional medicine in our society. The government must understand that many of these herbs are claiming the lives of our people. We must ask ourselves which of the herbs has been scientifically proven to cure malaria and the ailment they claim to cure. I once had malaria and I drank herbs but I was not cured. I felt very uncomfortable. I will not say that herb does not work because Africa believes in it. It is a fact that we did survive before orthodox medicine came.
There was African traditional medicine, but where is it today? Everywhere, you will see people hawking herbs, saying it work for this and that. People buy them and mix with hot drinks. Really, when you are mixing alcohol with herbs, you are damaging your liver. While you think you are curing one thing, if it does work, you are damaging another thing in your body. Until we have concrete fact to say something works for the body, we will be deceiving ourselves.
Why do you think Fela hated former President Olusegun Obasanjo?
Olusegun Obasanjo was a bad leader. He did not do well for Nigeria. He ruled this country three times but has nothing to show for it. They called the soldiers that burnt Kalakuta Republic and killed my grandmother unknown soldiers. The Federal Government is yet to apologise for their action against the Kuti family. Whether they like it or not, Fela was one of the biggest stars from Africa. As the days go by, people are beginning to understand the importance of his music. The Lagos State Government is building a museum in his honour. The family does not have that kind of money to build a museum. It is not the governor’s money but the state government money. But the governor took the decision on behalf of the people.
Another museum is also being built Ogun State. Governors are beginning to understand that Kuti’s name cannot be swept under the carpet. The family has done so much for Nigeria and the world. Many people are playing afrobeat style of music today because Fela invented it. Some people are saying he did not start it. But the question is: Who started it and stood firm using the music creatively? Fela stood for many great things and his contribution to the society cannot be pushed aside.
Did he have time to take the family out for leisure?
In 1967, I remember that he took us to Onikan swimming pool and also Federal Palace Hotel. That was the first and last outing for fun with us. He always made it clear that he was not a conventional father. He did not want us to go to school not because he did not like education, but because he believed that education was colonial. He believed that it was structured to show that Europe is supreme and Africa is not good. Even when he took me out of school in my fourth year in secondary school, I had acquired vast knowledge about the outside world through the books I read at home. I was known as a professor in the Kalakuta Republic. I read books such as Blackman and Walter Rodney’s How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. I read so much that I even found there was a Pharaoh Kuti in Egypt. I wondered if this Egyptian Pharaoh Kuti was in any way related to the Kuti family in Nigeria. My father said we are probably related.
Which school were you attending before Fela made that decision?
I was studying at Baptist Academy and he withdrew me from there when Obasanjo deployed soldiers to the school. I later went to Igbobi College and spent a year. He advised me to leave the school in form four. Many believed I would become a nonentity because of his action. There was disagreement within the family, my mother was against it, but my dad stood his ground. She wondered why my dad took me out of school when he went to one of the best schools in the UK.
She also said since he did not teach me music how then would I be great in life? My father told her not to worry that I would be great. I was not happy too and did not speak to him for six years. He told me that he was confident that I would be great. I did not know what he saw in me. The day my album, Wonder Wonder, became popular and I was becoming a household name in Nigeria, he called our family members and told them that the same boy he withdrew from school had become a successful musician.
At that time, it was only my father and King Sunny Ade that were travelling abroad frequently for musical concerts. But I suddenly started travelling abroad more than the two of them because I was becoming known more outside the country.
Will I do the same for my son? No. He will get a good education. I will let him understand street life which I grew up to know so that he will have a feel of it, but he must be formally educated.
Where were you when soldiers invaded Kalakuta Republic?
I was coming back from the school when I saw the soldiers. They wanted to arrest me. But I managed to escape through a place called Alagbole behind Kalakuta. I ran and went to pick my younger sister at Mary Magdalene Primary School. We then crossed over the railway and went home.
Is there anything you miss about Fela?
I miss his being a grandfather. I think he would have been a fantastic grandfather. He had already been showing the signs with my sister’s daughter and my son. He died in 1997 and my son was born in 1995. I know that what he was not able to do for us, he would have done for our children if he were still alive. http://gistlane.com/reason-i-did-not-talk-to-fela-for-six-years-femi-kuti/
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