₦airaland Forum

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS
POTTERY IN NIGERIA
POTTERY CAREER
AWARDS, HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
DEATH & LEGACY


Please, do you have N20 note with you? Abeg, check your pocket. E suppose remain small sheinj na...lol! Okay. Turn it over and take a look at the back. Yes, the woman you are looking at is Ladi. Ladi Kwali, Nigeria's most famous potter (or ceramist in modern parlance). Dr. Hajia HADIZA LADI KWALI, MBE, D.Litt (ABU) is the only woman to grace any Nigerian note. But wait a minute, why is she the only woman, and why is she gracing the back of one out of the eight naira notes we've got? In a nation where women make up about half of the population, I am not too sure if we have been fair enough with their representations as our monetary symbols. And why does she even have to be at the back gan sef? Why not in front? Or what do you think? Na so so guys full front. And please, don't even talk about the N5,000 note, ok? Abeg. Lmao!

Well, that's not the topic for today. We'll focus on Ladi Kwali for now. When I was in JSS2 or so and our Fine Arts teacher mentioned her name, I was actually thinking the person was a 'male' because in my area, 'Ladi' is the shortened form of Oladimeji, a name normally reserved for males. I got the shock of my life when I checked the text book (I can't remember if it was Emu Ogumor now) and saw a veiled woman cuddling pots with every bit of mastery on display...lol!

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS
Ladi Kwali was born in 1925 (some records like the 1984 Nigeria Year Book indicate 1920) in the village of Kwali, Abuja to a family of potters. In her family, the women were renowned for making outstandingly beautiful pots which were not just very impressive in terms of aesthetics but also had great functional value. These pots were used for ornamental purposes in the residences of the aristocrats while they found general use in storing water and in the kitchen to cook. Her first name 'Ladi' means 'born on Sunday' while the Kwali is the name of her Gwari town.


[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/15-LADI-KWALI-NIGERIA-MOST-FAMOUS-POTTER.jpg[/img]
POTTERY IN NIGERIA

For centuries, the art of pottery has been the exclusive reserve of women in various cultures of Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Apart from the fact that these pots found a lot of uses, they were also (and still remain) veritable sources of income. And seriously, they've got wonderful items! Watch a video of Ushafa women potters here and make sure you patronise our local craftsmen and women. That way, you support their families, boost the economy and keep the money in local circulation (no mind the big thieves dem, thunder faya all of them!):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpQeJRFJdk4

POTTERY CAREER
It was while growing up as a child that she learnt the traditional art of pottery using a method referred to as 'coiling and pinching'. She served as an apprentice under an aunt (her own mother was also a potter). You know small children pick up things very fast, especially in their surroundings watching adults doing it. With time, Ladi Kwali would become even much better and renowned than those she learnt the art from. The coiling method involved shaping slabs and coils of clay with the aid of a paddle with flattened surfaces made from wood. After getting the desired shape, she then goes ahead to make very impressive designs and dazzling geometric patterns on them. Her designs were truly very beautiful and a sight to behold. Once these designs are done, the next thing is to collect them and put in a blazing flame fuelled with dry grass. That was the tradition for thousands of years in Kwali and the women potter stuck to their age-long tradition.

Unlike some others, Ladi Kwali took time to make her designs and they stood out with their extreme beauty and exquisite charm. The Emir of Abuja, Alhaji Suleiman Barau was so enchanted that he bought many for his collection (how I wish Nigerian leaders today will keep patronizing the local artisans and manufacturers instead of shamelessly running abroad and engaging in annoying consumerist stupidities that belittle the effort of every hardworking Nigerian).

It was at the palace of the Emir of Abuja that the famed English studio potter, Michael Cardew, OBE, saw her pots on a visit in 1950. Cardew was also astonished at the level of detail and skill that must have gone into the making of those pots. Michael Cardew (who later stayed behind working in West Africa for good 20 years) took it upon himself to proclaim the talents of the legendary potter to the whole world. Ladi Kwali's trip to fame was initiated and till date, her works remain legendary and remains an icon of modern art in Nigeria.

In 1951, the British colonial government (via the Northern Regional Government), Cardew was appointed as the Pottery Officer at the Department of Commerce and Industry. His job was simple: build a rural industry that would serve as a replace the factory-made tableware imported for European meals. It was then he built a very successful pottery training center in Abuja and recruited Hausa and Gwari men whom he trained. But when he spotted the works of Ladi Kwali, he knew that was the real stuff and she became the very first woman potter to be enrolled at the Abuja Pottery Center in 1954. He managed to convince her to come over to Abuja and from then on, her spot in fame was assured.

At the center, she was exposed to modern methods which she adopted. For the first time, she started using the potter's wheel (they did not use that in her village) and with time, her skills even became much more refined. In addition to making pots, she also made eating bowls, dishes and beakers with outstanding sgraffito designs. Sgrafitto is a type of technique in which layers of contrasting colours are applied to the surface of an unfired ceramic then scraped or scratched to produce a drawing in the outline. Artists in the house will tell us more about that joor!

But there is one thing I must tell you about her. Even though she came to learn and adopt modern techniques such as throwing, decorating and glazing, she never abandoned her old traditional methods of making and decorating the pots with bare hands. All she did was to perfectly blend the two together or use whichever one suited her purpose. And her blending of traditional African pottery with Western studio pottery (using high-temperature kilns) to create a unique Anglo-Nigerian style was nothing short of pure genius! And another thing: Kwali was clearly recognized as a potter of outstanding craftsmanship within the Gwari community before joining the center. So, she had already made a name for herself before joining the center, her joining the center only amplified what was on ground.

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2-LADI-KWALI-NIGERIA-MOST-FAMOUS-POTTER.jpg[/img]

AWARDS, HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
-On October 1, 1960, her works were displayed at the Nigerian Independence Day Celebrations.

-In 1963, after one of her superb demonstrations (she toured England in 1962), she was honoured with the award of the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) (see pictures). She was an easy-going woman , very easy to communicate with and had a cheerful disposition. These features made her indispensable on her overseas tours where she eagerly demonstrated her techniques to wide-eyed whites….lol! Upon coming back from the United Kingdom after the award, she was so excited and narrated all her experiences so much so that staff at the center sarcastically nicknamed her ‘Radio London’…lol!

-She had workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions all over the globe: American cities: Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago, Italy, Geneva (Switzerland), Canada, Germany, London (United Kingdom) and others. She was more of an artist and designer than a technician.

-Later on, the Abuja Pottery Center was renamed Ladi Kwali Pottery Center in her honour after her death in the 1984 and same goes for the Ladi Kwali Way in Maitama, Abuja which bears her name today. She is also, as you know, featured on the reverse of the N20 note.

-Although she never went to school, could neither read nor write, she was honoured with a doctorate degree by the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Kaduna State in 1977. She was actually a part-time lecturer and demonstrator at the university. One of her students is Professor Abbas Ahuwan, now a ceramist and lecturer at ABU. He would later introduce the ‘udu’ drum to his American student, Frank Giorgini. Today, the udu drum has now been adopted in the United States as percussion instrument.

-In 1980, the Nigerian Government (from the Cabinet Office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) invested on her with the insignia of the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA), the highest national honour for academic achievement. This award in itself turned her into ‘an institution of Art’.

-She also received the national honour of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 1981. If there is anything you are good at, I tell you, keep doing it irrespective of the obstacles of life or the sneers and jeers of the enemies.

Silver Award for Excellence, Tenth International Exhibition for Ceramic Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC.

-Then there is also the Ladi Kwali Convention Center, one of the largest conference facilities in Abuja. The center is located at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel and has a total of 10 meeting rooms and four ball rooms

-The Dr.Ladi Kwali Road near NITEL Office in Minna, Niger State is named for her.

-Nigerian sculptor, Ambrose Diala is almost done with a sculpture of Ladi Kwali to be erected in from of the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.

Before I forget, Ladi Kwali is of the same ethnicity with Nigeria’s former Head of State and military dictator, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. They are both Gwaris (also called Gwarin Yamma, Gbagyis or Gbaris and are found mainly in the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi and Niger States)

DEATH & LEGACY
She died on the 12th of August 1984 at the age of 59 in Minna, shortly after Cardew’s death the previous year. Upon her death, many of her students of pottery took over and continued the art at the Abuja Pottery Training Center. Although married, she did not have any child making me disagree with the Yoruba notion that it is only your progeny that can sustain your legacy. It is better not to have any kids at all than have some arungun and akotileta children who will just laze away and destroy all you have laboured for all your life. Ki Olohun showa lowo awon omo kpao! bi canned beer. That said, I’ve got nothing against procreating just that it does not necessarily guarantee your name being sustained in history. Afterall, many of the world’s greatest figures that we remember today actually had no children or the much-hyped sons. Yes, you guessed right! I was thinking of him too! LOL!

MORE PICTURES HERE>>>>http://.com/ladi-kwali-nigerias-most-famous-potter/

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS
POTTERY IN NIGERIA
POTTERY CAREER
AWARDS, HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
DEATH & LEGACY


Please, do you have N20 note with you? Abeg, check your pocket. E suppose remain small sheinj na...lol! Okay. Turn it over and take a look at the back. Yes, the woman you are looking at is Ladi. Ladi Kwali, Nigeria's most famous potter (or ceramist in modern parlance). Dr. Hajia HADIZA LADI KWALI, MBE, D.Litt (ABU) is the only woman to grace any Nigerian note. But wait a minute, why is she the only woman, and why is she gracing the back of one out of the eight naira notes we've got? In a nation where women make up about half of the population, I am not too sure if we have been fair enough with their representations as our monetary symbols. And why does she even have to be at the back gan sef? Why not in front? Or what do you think? Na so so guys full front. And please, don't even talk about the N5,000 note, ok? Abeg. Lmao!

Well, that's not the topic for today. We'll focus on Ladi Kwali for now. When I was in JSS2 or so and our Fine Arts teacher mentioned her name, I was actually thinking the person was a 'male' because in my area, 'Ladi' is the shortened form of Oladimeji, a name normally reserved for males. I got the shock of my life when I checked the text book (I can't remember if it was Emu Ogumor now) and saw a veiled woman cuddling pots with every bit of mastery on display...lol!

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS
Ladi Kwali was born in 1925 (some records like the 1984 Nigeria Year Book indicate 1920) in the village of Kwali, Abuja to a family of potters. In her family, the women were renowned for making outstandingly beautiful pots which were not just very impressive in terms of aesthetics but also had great functional value. These pots were used for ornamental purposes in the residences of the aristocrats while they found general use in storing water and in the kitchen to cook. Her first name 'Ladi' means 'born on Sunday' while the Kwali is the name of her Gwari town.


[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/15-LADI-KWALI-NIGERIA-MOST-FAMOUS-POTTER.jpg[/img]
POTTERY IN NIGERIA

For centuries, the art of pottery has been the exclusive reserve of women in various cultures of Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Apart from the fact that these pots found a lot of uses, they were also (and still remain) veritable sources of income. And seriously, they've got wonderful items! Watch a video of Ushafa women potters here and make sure you patronise our local craftsmen and women. That way, you support their families, boost the economy and keep the money in local circulation (no mind the big thieves dem, thunder faya all of them!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpQeJRFJdk4

POTTERY CAREER
t was while growing up as a child that she learnt the traditional art of pottery using a method referred to as 'coiling and pinching'. She served as an apprentice under an aunt (her own mother was also a potter). You know small children pick up things very fast, especially in their surroundings watching adults doing it. With time, Ladi Kwali would become even much better and renowned than those she learnt the art from. The coiling method involved shaping slabs and coils of clay with the aid of a paddle with flattened surfaces made from wood. After getting the desired shape, she then goes ahead to make very impressive designs and dazzling geometric patterns on them. Her designs were truly very beautiful and a sight to behold. Once these designs are done, the next thing is to collect them and put in a blazing flame fuelled with dry grass. That was the tradition for thousands of years in Kwali and the women potter stuck to their age-long tradition.

Unlike some others, Ladi Kwali took time to make her designs and they stood out with their extreme beauty and exquisite charm. The Emir of Abuja, Alhaji Suleiman Barau was so enchanted that he bought many for his collection (how I wish Nigerian leaders today will keep patronizing the local artisans and manufacturers instead of shamelessly running abroad and engaging in annoying consumerist stupidities that belittle the effort of every hardworking Nigerian).

It was at the palace of the Emir of Abuja that the famed English studio potter, Michael Cardew, OBE, saw her pots on a visit in 1950. Cardew was also astonished at the level of detail and skill that must have gone into the making of those pots. Michael Cardew (who later stayed behind working in West Africa for good 20 years) took it upon himself to proclaim the talents of the legendary potter to the whole world. Ladi Kwali's trip to fame was initiated and till date, her works remain legendary and remains an icon of modern art in Nigeria.

In 1951, the British colonial government (via the Northern Regional Government), Cardew was appointed as the Pottery Officer at the Department of Commerce and Industry. His job was simple: build a rural industry that would serve as a replace the factory-made tableware imported for European meals. It was then he built a very successful pottery training center in Abuja and recruited Hausa and Gwari men whom he trained. But when he spotted the works of Ladi Kwali, he knew that was the real stuff and she became the very first woman potter to be enrolled at the Abuja Pottery Center in 1954. He managed to convince her to come over to Abuja and from then on, her spot in fame was assured.

At the center, she was exposed to modern methods which she adopted. For the first time, she started using the potter's wheel (they did not use that in her village) and with time, her skills even became much more refined. In addition to making pots, she also made eating bowls, dishes and beakers with outstanding sgraffito designs. Sgrafitto is a type of technique in which layers of contrasting colours are applied to the surface of an unfired ceramic then scraped or scratched to produce a drawing in the outline. Artists in the house will tell us more about that joor!

But there is one thing I must tell you about her. Even though she came to learn and adopt modern techniques such as throwing, decorating and glazing, she never abandoned her old traditional methods of making and decorating the pots with bare hands. All she did was to perfectly blend the two together or use whichever one suited her purpose. And her blending of traditional African pottery with Western studio pottery (using high-temperature kilns) to create a unique Anglo-Nigerian style was nothing short of pure genius! And another thing: Kwali was clearly recognized as a potter of outstanding craftsmanship within the Gwari community before joining the center. So, she had already made a name for herself before joining the center, her joining the center only amplified what was on ground.

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2-LADI-KWALI-NIGERIA-MOST-FAMOUS-POTTER.jpg[/img]

AWARDS, HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
-On October 1, 1960, her works were displayed at the Nigerian Independence Day Celebrations.

-In 1963, after one of her superb demonstrations (she toured England in 1962), she was honoured with the award of the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) (see pictures). She was an easy-going woman , very easy to communicate with and had a cheerful disposition. These features made her indispensable on her overseas tours where she eagerly demonstrated her techniques to wide-eyed whites….lol! Upon coming back from the United Kingdom after the award, she was so excited and narrated all her experiences so much so that staff at the center sarcastically nicknamed her ‘Radio London’…lol!

-She had workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions all over the globe: American cities: Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago, Italy, Geneva (Switzerland), Canada, Germany, London (United Kingdom) and others. She was more of an artist and designer than a technician.

-Later on, the Abuja Pottery Center was renamed Ladi Kwali Pottery Center in her honour after her death in the 1984 and same goes for the Ladi Kwali Way in Maitama, Abuja which bears her name today. She is also, as you know, featured on the reverse of the N20 note.

-Although she never went to school, could neither read nor write, she was honoured with a doctorate degree by the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Kaduna State in 1977. She was actually a part-time lecturer and demonstrator at the university. One of her students is Professor Abbas Ahuwan, now a ceramist and lecturer at ABU. He would later introduce the ‘udu’ drum to his American student, Frank Giorgini. Today, the udu drum has now been adopted in the United States as percussion instrument.

-In 1980, the Nigerian Government (from the Cabinet Office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) invested on her with the insignia of the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA), the highest national honour for academic achievement. This award in itself turned her into ‘an institution of Art’.

-She also received the national honour of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 1981. If there is anything you are good at, I tell you, keep doing it irrespective of the obstacles of life or the sneers and jeers of the enemies.

Silver Award for Excellence, Tenth International Exhibition for Ceramic Art, Smithsonian Institute, Washington DC.

-Then there is also the Ladi Kwali Convention Center, one of the largest conference facilities in Abuja. The center is located at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel and has a total of 10 meeting rooms and four ball rooms

-The Dr.Ladi Kwali Road near NITEL Office in Minna, Niger State is named for her.

-Nigerian sculptor, Ambrose Diala is almost done with a sculpture of Ladi Kwali to be erected in from of the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.

Before I forget, Ladi Kwali is of the same ethnicity with Nigeria’s former Head of State and military dictator, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. They are both Gwaris (also called Gwarin Yamma, Gbagyis or Gbaris and are found mainly in the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi and Niger States)

DEATH & LEGACY
She died on the 12th of August 1984 at the age of 59 in Minna, shortly after Cardew’s death the previous year. Upon her death, many of her students of pottery took over and continued the art at the Abuja Pottery Training Center. Although married, she did not have any child making me disagree with the Yoruba notion that it is only your progeny that can sustain your legacy. It is better not to have any kids at all than have some arungun and akotileta children who will just laze away and destroy all you have laboured for all your life. Ki Olohun showa lowo awon omo kpao! bi canned beer. That said, I’ve got nothing against procreating just that it does not necessarily guarantee your name being sustained in history. Afterall, many of the world’s greatest figures that we remember today actually had no children or the much-hyped sons. Yes, you guessed right! I was thinking of him too! LOL!

http://.com/ladi-kwali-nigerias-most-famous-potter/

Sir, I was thinking the name is smarter and has less syllables, better for optimization on the web (most big brands have names with very few syllables e.g Time, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Google and the rest, the shorter the better), and easier for people, especially non-Yorubas to remember. That's why I made the switch, Sir. Thanks for your constant support and compliments. You are always appreciated.

OAM4J: lol.

He is one matured, de-tribalized Nigerian is all I know. I look forward to having him as moderator of this section in the nearest future.


@OP

Good job!

Why did you change from Iyaniwura to ?

Keep laughing. That does not change the fact. It is not the best navy on earth but it is surely a force to reckon with on the continent. And as I've said, keep laughing, it's good for the body.

julioralph: Did the writer of the article just describe the Nigerian Navy as one of the most sophisticated in Africa?
We love deceiving ourselves in Naija!
Hehehe. I still dey laugh.

naptu2, thank you very much! Superb contribution!

naptu2: Brigadier General, Commodore, Air Commodore = 1 star

Major General, Rear Admiral, Air Vice Marshal = 2 star

Lieutenant General, Vice Admiral, Air Marshal = 3 star

General, Admiral, Air Chief Marshal = 4 star

Field Marshal, Admiral of The Fleet, Marshal of The Air Force = 5 star

Amen! And you too Ma, may God bless you for supporting ~!

LADY OF RAGE: Nice thread ! May God continue to bless you for your efforts to educate us on some Nigerian heroes we never heard about.

None, Boss! None!

Afam4eva: I was expecting to see a picture of the 60s or something until i saw JOnathan's face. Do you mean to tell me that there hasn't been any female rear admirals before now? Congrats to her.

Now I love you calling me an artist! As for my translation, don't mind me, I'm just being casual about it, I get your point perfectly! Thank you very much and keep supporting because it means a lot! Eshe pupo.

YorubaNegro: I am one of your fans and your symbol of Iyaniwura was a very beautiful piece, in form and concept. You are also very creative and insightful; leading me to call you an artist. All artists have a sense of balance, yours is evident to see.

I like your stance on culture and history. On culture, we must be precise....there must not be room for individually defined meanings. So I always stay ground until my position can no longer stand on its own merit, then I yield. On the meaning of , culturally, all married women in Yorubaland are mothers to their communities but not all these women are "". is an attribute to the birthing of a child. Child birthing is the differentiator between mother and motherhood, in substantive term. Example, Mrs Awolowo is revered as the mother of Yorubas. She followed in lines of Moremi, Efunsetan, Tinubu, Kuti and so on. None of them can be called "" unless they have been through motherhood and given birth.

Thinking of mothers, it would be nice to learn from you about Great Women of West Africa. Perhaps after your series on the Great Women of Nigeria.

Same thoughts here...lol!

shymexx: She definitely got it from her ancestors, The Amazon Warriors of Dahomey.

It's in their genes.

Thank you very much Sir, in my own context is simply 'mother', as in ' tooto, rere tabi gidi'. Yours is also correct. Yes, Iyaniwura was my former name but artist ke? LOL! Thanks for your support Sir!

YorubaNegro: - Motherhood

Iya/Yeye - Mother


, are you the artist formerly known as Iyaniwura? Regardless, thanks for your educative threads.

Thank you so much Sir, means 'Mother' in Yoruba language. Thanks for your support, Sir.

shymexx: Interesting read...and I'm also a big fan of your threads.

Btw, what does "" mean, ma'am?

ITUNU HOTONU, Nigeria's First Female Rear Admiral

She is smart, well-dressed and very articulate. And yes, she is so neat that you do not have to wonder why many fall in love with the navy because of their spotlessly clean uniforms. Enter REAR ADMIRAL ITUNU HOTONU, the first female to attain the rank of a Rear Admiral in the Nigerian Navy, one of Africa's most sophisticated navies. That makes her the highest-ranking female officer in the Nigerian Armed Forces as her rank is equivalent to a two-star-general in the Nigerian Army. Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu is the second female two-star general produced in the Nigerian Armed Forces. The first was Major-General Aderonke Kale who retired in 1997.

ALL STORY FROM: http://.com/itunu-hotonu-nigerias-first-female-rear-admiral/

While Kale was with the medical corps of the Nigerian Army and rose through the ranks, Hotonu, a trained architect, became an expert in naval logistics. Her expertise and skills cover a wide area: military, strategic planning and communications, crisis management and communications, command and international relations.

The name Hotonu is of the Fon tribe and Fon people are also found in Benin Republic where they founded the Kingdom of Dahomey around 1600. The kingdom was famous for the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female military regiment of the kingdom.

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS

Born 54 years ago in Badagry, Lagos State (18th January, 1959), she is the first child in a family of four girls. She stated that her father raised her as a boy, and even at a tender age, she was already doing all the 'manly' chores in the house, such as repairing sockets and driving vehicles. She also talked of a superb childhood where everyone encouraged her to aim for the highest goals and achievements.

EDUCATION AND NAVAL TRAINING

In 1985, she graduated from the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Enugu State where she read architecture, after which she worked for two years as an architect after which she went for her professional exams. After that, she made attempts to join the army but she was rejected as they told her there was no place for ladies in its engineering corps. Disappointed and feeling dejected, it was until someone hinted her to try the Navy, where recruitment take place irregardless of the gender. Then she tried, got enlisted in 1985 and today, she is a Rear Admiral. She said in an interview with the Sun of the tough training:

t was tough training in the Navy
Training was tough and the best way I can describe it to you is to multiply what they put you through during National Youth Service Corps by 20 times and then you get an idea of what the training was like. I enjoyed it but wao, it was tough. But the good thing was that at the end of it all you come out fitter than you have ever been in your life.

You come out more disciplined and you come out with a commitment to keep fit.

So in all, life was very interesting while I was undergoing my training as a naval officer. First of all, you know I had done NYSC so I had the creamy taste of military training. But the real Navy basic training was much more than that, and the thing is that at the end of it all you know it taught me a lot of discipline and it gave me strength that I didn't know I had, physical strength; so it was very good. Even though the training was not easy, the truth is that after surviving the first few days when you are acheing all over, you actually get used to it. I mean the human body is very resilient and at the same time interesting and you can actually train yourself to get used to it.

If somebody offends in a squadron they will punish the whole squadron, I couldn't understand it. I was like if somebody offends and the person owns up why should you punish all of us? But one of the instructors told me that look, if you are in a hostile situation may be in a war situation you have to look out for everybody and that the mistake of one person can cause everybody's life because your survival depends on you as a group.

MILITARY POSITIONS
-Director of Projects, Naval Headquarters
-Commander, Lagos Logistics Depot
-Command Logistics Officer, Headquarters, Eastern Naval Command, Calabar
-Managing Director, Nigerian Navy Post Service Housing Scheme (NNPSHS), Karshi, Nassarawa State where she was able to build and complete over 1,000 houses, with the first 460 completed within a year. Under her administration, water reserve capacity of the estate was increased from 60,000 litres to a whopping 600,000 litres.

BECOMING NIGERIA'S FIRST FEMALE REAR ADMIRAL

In December 2012, she was decorated by President Goodluck Jonathan and Mrs. Josephine Anenih as the very first female Rear Admiral in the history of the Nigerian Navy. She was one of the eleven Navy Commodores promoted to the rank of a Rear Admiral. She is the very first female Rear Admiral not only in Nigeria but in the entire West African sub-region. She was promoted alongside 22 other officers from the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force to the ranks of Rear Admirals and Air Vice Marshals respectively. The venue was the Nigerian Army Headquarters Officers' Mess in Abuja.

A delighted President Jonathan would later comment about the females making waves in the Nigerian Armed Forces. He said: “So, when will I see Nigerian women flying jets? We will want to start training women at the NDA to become regular combatant officers, those who are strong enough to face the rigours, in some years to come, maybe the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) can be a woman.”

Actually, I think it will be very cool if a woman commandeers the President's Air Fleet. As in!

She says: Well, I am happy about my promotion to the rank of a rear admiral in the Nigerian Navy and the fact that it is during my life time that females are now been recruited into the Nigerian Defence Academy to train as Regular Combatant Officers. And it is very good for women, young girls coming after me came out of my promotion to the rank of a Rear Admiral, I can only say I thank God. I feel humbled. I never for once in my life thought my name would be linked to the first set of female regular combatant cadets. I am just so thankful, I'm just so overwhelmed and I'm so humbled.

ACHIEVEMENTS
It will interest you to know that her becoming a female Rear Admiral is actually one of many firsts. Right from primary school, she was always leading her class and when she joined the military, she continued to shine and recorded the following achievements:

-First female military officer to attend the National Defence College (formerly National War College). Owing to her outstanding performance, she became the first female officer to be recommended as a Directing Staff (Instructor) at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna. She was also the very first female architect in all the arms of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

-When the Nigerian Navy was celebrating its 54th anniversary, Rear Admiral Hotonu won the Most Outstanding Performance Award as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Navy Post Service Housing Scheme (NNPSHS).

-Best Overall Graduating Student in a class of 73 students at the National Defence College, Abuja (2003-2004) as a member of Course 12. She received the Commander-in-Chief’s Prize and the Commandant’s Prize for the Best Research. Great things happen when women have focus!

She also completed the NOWA Educational Centre complete with a creche, nursery, primary and junior secondary school (with boarding facilities).

OTHER APPOINTMENTS AND HONOURS

-In May 2011, she was appointed as a Member of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into election violence in Akwa Ibom State and the civil unrest in some Northern states.

-In 2011, she was invited by the Liberian Government as a Special Guest to mentor females in the Liberian Armed Forces.

-In January 2012, she was honoured at the 17th THISDAY Annual Awards for Excellence.

Affectionately called Mama in the office, she is happily married.

HER WORDS
While delivering her speech at the Sixth Bowen University Convocation Lecture, she complained about the dilapidated state of infrastructure in Nigeria:

“My journey from United Kingdom to Lagos, took only 6:20hours. The journey was 3000 kilometers to Nigeria. It is a pity that my trip to Iwo from Lagos, a journey of 200 kilometers took six hours”. This was the condition of our infrastructure in Nigeria.
“We need to pray for the development of Nigeria. Cursing and criticizing the country would not help matter. It would only worsen it. Criticism will only bring the country down. Nigerians should not look down on the country. We are the changes and we are part of the changes we want in Nigeria”.

-"Women who want to be up there must work for it.  It is not a joke, you must show that you can do it. -At the 100 Years of the Nigerian Woman -Achieving 50/50 by 2020, Lagos, April 2013.

-I had a dream to get to the top of my career and nothing was going to let me go off that dream. Sometimes it looked like a distant dream, sometime it would even fade to a dot in the horizon, sometime I would want to give up but the good thing was that I had a lot of supportive people who believed in me, people who, when the going got really rough, said to me, no, you cannot give up.

-The major challenge, I must be very honest with you, is the fact that you know you meet a lot of men who wonder what you are doing in their territory and you have to spend everyday of your life proving that you should be here. For me there is nothing in this constitution that says I am not a full fledged citizen of this country. I don't see it anywhere, but you see, there are still people who still have issues with that, and such people vent their frustration on you. But you have to be resilient enough and claim your place because nobody is going to give it to you.

OH, HER HAIR?
Yes na, you kuku trust ladies na. Here is what she has to say about her hair:

As a matter of fact I don't have anything against making my hair. It's just that I had very long hair and I will just cut it when I want to and grow it back when I want to. Then one of the times when I cut it, my husband to be then said ha, I like this hair and he never let me grow it back and I got use to it and apparently it's different and people tell me they like it so I kept it that way and it has automatically become my trademark.

CONCLUSION
Appointed the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Navy Holdings Limited, which included all the commercial ventures of the Navy, such as the Post Service Housing Scheme, hotels, suites, marine services, microcredit finance scheme and so on (January 2011-January 2013) and without any iota of doubt, her achievements will surely spur on many young Nigerians who also have lofty dreams in the face of countless obstacles. For the young and ambitious females, she has this to tell you: They must have faith in themselves and they must have self-discipline. They must have strength of character. They must never allow themselves to be intimidated by anybody because believe me people will try but it depends on how they handle it. They must never, ever compromise themselves. That is the advice I have for them.


“Your parents have invested well in you. How wisely you protect that investment is up to you. You must be humble to believe that others know what you do not know. Avoid short cuts and slothfulness. Focus on what you want to do and pursue it. Never abandon your dream no matter how tough.  Learn to rise up each time you fall because falling is real. Hard work is the key you need to unlock success....stand your ground and never let go your dream. ”

BLESSING LIMAN, Nigeria's First Female Military Pilot

In June 2010, Shamsudeen Usman, then the Nigerian Minister for National Planning dropped a bombshell during a presentation: Northern Nigeria has the highest level of illiteracy on earth. Although I wouldn't know how the World Bank came about its figures which the minister quoted, I will be deceiving myself to say that all is well with education in the north. That explains why it calls for celebration when a young lady from the same northern region becomes the first female combatant pilot not only in Nigeria, but in the entire West African subregion. I present to you the amazing story of Nigeria's winged eagle, BLESSING LIMAN.

MORE PICTURES HERE>>>::: http://.com/blessing-liman-nigerias-first-female-military-pilot/


Intelligent, witty and yeah, beautiful, Blessing Liman is the first female military pilot of the Nigerian Air Force. In other words, while some Banana Island girls will be shakaraing the entire neighborhood with their Infiniti FX 37, Blessing plays with jet fighters and bombers. Can you beat that? Try again.

BIRTH, EARLY DAYS & SCHOOLING

Born 29 years ago (13th March, 1984), Blessing Liman hails from Kaduna State (kai! Those KD gals! Lol!) and is an indigene of Zangon Kataf Local Government Area. She later attended the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna State. She was of the SP-24A set of pilots and they were referred to as the Knights of the Air. Cool nickname, I'd say!

BECOMING NAF'S FIRST FEMALE COMBATANT PILOT

She was commissioned as a Combat Flying Officer alongside 126 others who finished the Direct Short Service Course 2010/2011 Cadets of the 325 Ground Training Group at the Nigerian Air Force Base, Kaduna. Present at the winging ceremony (badge decoration) was the then Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Mohammad Dikko Umar who described her training as a 'very laudable achievement'. I very much agree with the former CAS.

Before her winging on Friday, 27th of April, 2012, she and other pilot officers (she was the only female) went for 12 months intensive flight training in various nations of the world -United States, Greece, Belarus, United Kingdom, Pakistan and Egypt. The Federal Government spent billions of naira on the training as $650,000 was spent on each trainee. The team came up with 14, well-trained fighter jet pilots. She enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force in July 2011 and was commissioned on the 9th of December, 2011. After her commissioning, she was nominated for the 2012 THISDAY Award for Excellence.

HER WORDS
She was quite excited and proud to have made history and said: "It is very uplifting and I feel very proud of myself though it has been very challenging. Coming from the civil war and the civil mentality, the Air Force has done a great job because it has changed our orientation. I believe that all females have equal opportunity to dignify their rights in whatever adventure they choose they can do."

“I am going to work, with prayers, dedication and hard work, I know I will succeed.”

'As a first female pilot I would want to make a mark that would encourage other females to join the military because I believe that all females have equal opportunity to exercise their rights in whatever they choose to do, I believe that all female Nigerians who choose to become pilots can do it since I have done it.'

Go, Girl!

SEE ALL ABOUT GENERAL ABACHA HERE>>> https://www.nairaland.com/1267060/sani-abacha-things-never-knew

jamp: Nigeria was better under these men

Once again, thank you very much, correction has been made. #Very grateful.

blanco56: @OP get your facts right jooor! The then NFA chairman Group Captain John Obakpolor is still alive, hail and hearty yet you referred to him several times in your writeup as late...Na u kill am? Abi U get plans?

What plans? Kill who? Learn how to make corrections and not throw abuses. Obakpolor is alive, HALE (note that) & hearty, it was an error and it will be corrected. Thank you.

blanco56: @OP get your facts right jooor! The then NFA chairman Group Captain John Obakpolor is still alive, hail and hearty yet you referred to him several times in your writeup as late...Na u kill am? Abi U get plans?

Okay, please send your blank email to info@.com and I get back to you.

alpha conde: @ can u help me find anything about peter esele, the TUC president. Anything @all

What story?

Dextra: So the story is actually true. I thought it was a folklore!

Tolexander: it was india that defeated nigeria 99-0 and on the verge of scoring 100.
But still trying to get the origin of the story and the originator. And the interesting things is the younger generation are still being told that same story and they discuss it among themselves as if it is real.

SAMUEL OKWARAJI, Nigeria's Most Legendary Footballer

As I am writing this, I am struggling to plug a wall of emotions with a stoic face. General Kollington Ayinla's Late Okwaraji which has filled my room with its sober and somber lines is not helping matters. Hmmm....there is no way one will tell the story of SAMUEL SOCHUKWUMA OKWARAJI without feeling the pain of the loss gnawing at your heart, and as your head swells with patriotic pride, your lacrimal glands conspire to betray you. For millions of Nigerians, the most fabled soccer player is none other than this gentleman. Many grew up listening to incredibly woven and mesmerizing story of how he gave up the ghost while Nigeria was playing against India.

READ ALL AND SEE MORE PICTURES HERE: http://.com/samuel-okwaraji-nigerias-most-legendary-footballer/

After Nigeria had defeated India by a world-record-breaking 99-0, and were on the verge of making it 100-0 and completing the humiliating defeat of the Hindus, they decided to summon their magical powers. Then the horror started. Within a matter of seconds, the Indian goalkeeper transformed into a lion and the football turned into a rock-hard stone, both of which were visible only to Okwaraji.

But Okwaraji was unrelenting, he wanted to score. Then he kicked the ball of stone. Well, you know the rest of the fantastic lore. Whoever came up with such a brutally false but imaginative story deserves more than 99 knocks. On the other hand, the story and the circumstances of his death turned Samuel Okwaraji into the most fabled footballer in Nigerian history. It's been almost 24 years now since he slumped and died while proudly representing our dear nation. I am sure I am not the only one missing the footballing genius from Umudioka community. This piece is in his honour and memory. For the labours of our heroes past shall not be in vain...

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS
Sam was born on the 19th of May, 1964 in Umudioka Orlu, Orlu Local Government Area, Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria. His father, Mr. David Okwaraji worked with the defunct Nigeria Airways as a Duty Officer with the mother, Lady Janet Okwaraji being a retired school headmistress. Both met at Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he was working as a Produce Examiner at the Produce Board and courted for about 3 or 4 years before marriage in 1950 and had seven kids. They lived together for just nine years before the Nigerian Civil War broke out during which he died, five boys, two girls. Sam was second to the last.

According to his mother, Sam had a very active childhood and played various games while growing up. Football was one of them while table tennis was another. However, he seemed to enjoy football more. His mum stated that he was quite hardworking right from primary school and because he was quite intelligent, he was jumping classes, and according to her, he was the most intelligent of all her children. But unfortunately, he lost his father at a young age, even before he was admitted into secondary school.

SCHOOLING
-He attended WTC Practicing School, Enugu for his primary education then proceeded to Ezeachi Secondary School, Orlu, Imo State. Later, he went to Federal Government College, Orlu where he was with the very first set admitted and had a brilliant academic performance there. A serious-minded chap, he bagged both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in International Law, and yes, he could speak five languages -English, German, Italian, Spanish and of course, his native Igbo. Give it to him, he was an intellectual giant -flawlessly combining academic rigours with footballing talents. According to his mother, Sam could be a lawyer and a footballer at the same time but he believed playing was a better career path for him. Sorry, lawyers...lol

FOOTBALL CAREER
A talented midfielder wearing the Number 6 jersey for Nigeria, Okwaraji had an eventful soccer career albeit a very short one. During the 1988 Nations Cup in Morocco, he blasted one of the fastest goals past the Cameroonian goalkeeper -all within 60 seconds! He was later named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) -twice.

His mother narrated how he got to start his footballing career: I was lucky to meet a friend of mine whose son was going to Europe. But I knew it would cost a lot of money to send children to Europe so I went to her and made enquiries after which she told me everything about it. I gathered the little money with me and asked if my son could also follow hers to Europe. I felt that he was so brilliant that letting him stay here was a waste of time. So I had to send him. (, o ku oro omo o...Olohun a je ki gbogbo ikunle jere wahala won o, a de nu omije Mama Samuel Okwaraji nu).

He passed his West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations with flying colours and got admission to the Sapienza University of Rome (Sapienza – Università di Roma) which is the largest European University by enrollment, is regularly ranked the best of universities in Italy and remains among the top 3% of universities in the world. Samuel Okwaraji studied law at this great citadel. Upon getting to Europe, it did not take a long time before he started displaying his soccer skills and was soon sported by football scouts and was promptly signed up in 1984 at the age of 20 by Associazione Sportiva Roma (AS Roma) a professional Italian football club in Rome, Italy. Over time, he would play for the following clubs too:

-NK Dinamo (Građanski Nogometni Klub Dinamo Zagreb), Zagreb, Croatia. Here, he scored a hat trick in one of his matches with NK Budućnost Hodošan (now NK Hodosan) on the 30th of April, 1986. Dinamo actually won the match 12-0!
-VfB Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.
-SSV-ULM 184
6: His last match for the club was on the 29th of May, 1988 under Klaus Toppmoller. The match was against FC St. Pauli.

Later, he would be recommended to play for the national team by the former chairman of the Nigerian Football Association, Group Captain John Obakpolor (rtd). His very good friend and footballer, David Ngodigha said of his late friend in an interview with SuperSports.com:

“When Sam was in Rome studying and playing for AS Roma, I knew him well. Also there was another friend of ours, Bismarck, who was in Italy playing football too though he didn’t make the headlines like Sam did.”


The Nigerian Football Association requested his release from SSV-ULM 1846, his club, so he could come and represent Nigeria in the match but his club refused demanding that NFA pay a sum of $45,000 in gating fees which they’d lose if Sam did not play for them. Group Captain John Obakpolor, then the NFA Chairman decided to broker a deal for $15,000.

When Sam heard that the club was charging his country, he was very angry and charged at his manager for making such demands. Then he left these indelible words in the ears of his manager:

‘I am a lawyer and you know and I signed to play football for certain conditions but I don’t think it included reselling my services to my country. You or your club cannot stop me from playing for my country. Let me tell you, I am going to represent my country whether you like it or not.‘

And with those words, he left for Nigeria, a land he loved so much and gave his all to. He was actually among the very first players to arrive Nigeria (not today that you will have to be begging some players with bloated egos, and I didn’t mention anyone’s name o so don’t quote ! LOL!)

Okwaraji’s mother was not too anxious knowing what he meant by ‘coming to play for his country.’ She said: ‘I wasn’t very anxious to know what it is playing for a country means. I was just hearing it for the first time as he told me, playing for your country, what does it breed. By then, he would have been qualified as a lawyer. But coming to play for his country, well I don’t know…He was very keen, very serious, very anxious to play for his country. He said that Nigeria has never come into World Cup, world map, that he wanted to bring Nigeria to the world map and I said you yourself would bring Nigeria to the world map, I didn’t know what it meant then…..he wasn’t the only one invited, others were invited but didn’t go because they said Nigeria was not giving them anything, any money…but Sam uses his little money to come down to Nigeria, they don’t send them tickets….’ she said with obvious sadness written all over her motherly face, very close to tears. Watch the full interview with Chinelo Bob-Okagbue, CEO of DiscourseMultimedia here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfm3H7qOJjs

DEATH
On the 12th of August, 1989, while he was playing for Nigeria in a 2nd round World Cup Qualifier match (Group C, Italia World Cup) against Angola, Samuel Okwaraji slumped on the pitch and died immediately. It was 77 minutes into the match. Right there, in front of 20,000 Nigerians at the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, the Green Eagles were thrown into disarray while the Palancas Negras of Angola forgot the competition and joined in the futile attempts to revive him. His body was then taken to the National Stadium Clinic where he was covered up, and from there to the General Hospital.

The thousands of Nigerians who came to cheer him to glory left the stadium under a dark cloud of grief. Many would never forget that ominous day. It was just 10 minutes to the final whistle. Okwaraji was 25. Autopsy revealed he died from high blood pressure-induced congestive heart failure (which occurs when the heart is unable to provide sufficient pump action to ensure enough blood goes round the body). His heart was discovered to be enlarged -not a good sign in medicine. Okwaraji literally played his heart out for Nigeria. He had just signed a $500,000 contract with Berchem FC of Antwerp, Belgium.


BURIAL
Upon hearing the sad news on the 12th of August 1989, the entire Umudioka Community in Imo State was thrown into understandable sorrow and mourning. Umudioka had just lost one of its brightest stars. But you know, as the saying goes, there is no place like home. The saddened and bereaved people of the community came together and organized a most befitting burial for a true Nigerian hero. The Traditional Ruler of Umudioka, Igwe Solomon Nwafor Chukwunulu (Ezedioka I), now of blessed memory, co-ordinated a very impressive event which ensured that thousands of Umudioka children at home and abroad came home to honour one of their own. The Igwe was supported by other prominent figures in the community, like Chief A. N. Onyejegbu, the Ide of Umudioka, Chief Fidelis Ejiofor, the Ichie Ezeyim and many others.


LEGACY AND REMEMBRANCE
Millions of Nigerians mourned his passing with many musicians like General Kollington Ayinla and Oliver de Coque waxing songs in his honour. On the 12th of August, 2009, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State unveiled a concrete bust of Samuel Okwaraji in the Rededicated Memorial Garden in his honour in front of the same stadium where he died. The structure is about 7ft high and is placed on marble but as at September 2012, the whole place was already overgrown with weeds and trees which obscure the bust from sight of passersby Yes, you gerrit, no maintenance. It was to mark the 20th anniversary of his passing. Governor Fashola said of him:‘Literally, Sam was ready to die for his country and I believe he demonstrated that before he died and by the circumstances leading to his death.’

In 2012, In Sammy Boots, a sports movie was made in his honour by 360 Degree Entertainment. The movie was specially made for children. Former NFA Chairman, Captain Obakpolor was so moved and touched by Okwaraji’s patriotism that he proposed that the 12th of August on which he died be made a National Patriotic Day. His mother today expresses her pain and agony, almost 24 years after:

That has been my pain all these years…they did not do anything to immortalize that boy…he gave his life, gave his money, gave his education…everything…for his country….he slumped at the National Stadium…if you go there now, you will his skull on the gate (referring to the bust), is that the way to immortalize him? They should re-immortalize him because

He deserves it because he is a hero, he is a patriot. That is what I want….they should immortalize him, there are various ways they can do it..at least naming the National Stadium itself after him….he has done more than all of those big men…

B2-Spirit stealth bombers? Let's get 10...lol!

shymexx: It's a pity that a country as big as Nigeria is still using Alpha Jets(a training aircraft) as its main military aircraft. If manipads can hit your aircrafts, then, you shouldn't even be braggart about your military.

The whole thing is hysterical!!

I agree with you totally.

ril19: that thing is not a constitution. The military simply did a haphazard scribbling there just when they needed it. We need a world-class constitution pls

And who counted Abacha in the first place?

gRutiE: @operator, U SAID HE MUST BE A CITIZEN OF NIGERIA BT DO U KNW LAST PRESIDENT SANI ABACHA IS NOT A NIGERIAN, HE IS FROM NIGER CLAIMING KANO. So it does nt count

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/SUSANNE1.jpg[/img]

The first time I heard about her, I was confused. I cannot really recollect clearly now but I think it was in one of our many editions of either an Alaroye or Akede Agbaye. I just didn’t get it and I thought it was one huge joke. I kept asking myself: why will an oyinbo (white) woman leave her Obodo Oyibo (Jand na..lol!) and come to a frightening tropical rainforest in southwestern Nigeria and stay there for life, transforming herself into an Osun High priestess, privy to some of the deepest occultic (awo) rituals, metaphysical secrets and orphic traditions of one of the most revered cultures in African civilization?

READ FULL DETAILS AND SEE MORE PICTURES HERE>>>http://.com/susanne-wenger-nigerias-mystical-white-high-priestess/

Even as I am writing this, Suzanne Wenger (better known as Adunni Olorisha) leaves me dazed and dazzled. I asked my Mum about the baffling story I just read and drew her attention to Wenger’s scary eyes. My Mum, a repertoire of knowledge, tried her best to explain Suzanne Wenger’s story, but she succeeded in only leaving me even more confounded and astounded. I hope I won’t do the same to you…lol! Here is the story of Adunni Olorisha, Nigeria’s mystical white high priestess. An Austrian painter who decided to serve and devote her life to an African god.

Before we proceed further, please note that the name ‘Adunni’ is the oriki (traditional name) that the Yorubas have given her, and it means ‘Happy or glad to have you’. It can also be translated to mean ‘Someone who is cherished or treasured‘. On the other hand, Olorisha simply means someone who has deep relationships with the orishas, the deities of Yorubaland. Both names can be translated to mean ‘the loved one who worships or serves the deity.’ or “the cherished one who is deeply committed to the gods.” According to foremost Ifa priest, Chief Yemi Elebuibon, she was given the name Iwinfunmi Adunni Olorisha by the late Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Samuel Adeleye Adenle I (reigned from 1944-1975). Okay, let’s fire on!

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS IN EUROPE
Born in the middle of the First World War (4th July, 1915) in Graz, southern Austria to Christian Swiss-Austrian parents, she had always been strongly attracted to nature. Even as a child, she spent a great deal of time in the mountains and forests (she was particularly fond of trees) around the small town. She once suffered a serious fall inside a lift shaft in 1945 when the Second World War was about to end.

Thereafter, she went to Italy, touring Sicily and Rome in 1948. Thereafter, she proceeded to Zurich in Switzerland and finally to Paris where she fell in love with the high intellectual society and gladly started to really express herself with her paintbrush. Risking her life during the Second World War, she supported the masses and opposed the Nazis who had occupied her country of Austria and pounded her nation with bombs. She even went as far as hiding Jewish friends and others branded as enemies by the Nazis.

For four harrowing years and under constant Nazi threats, she was at the Academy of Art in Vienna. The Nazi regime banned her works, describing her art as ‘degenerate’ and she was forbidden to paint (what is it with dictators and expression of creative thinking gan sef?). Then, she turned to reading books about Oriental religions and faiths in other places of the world. Today, the works of art she made during those dark periods have been acclaimed as ‘the first surreal works of art by an Austrian painter.’ She started out as an artist at the College for Arts and Crafts in Graz, Austria.

It was there she learnt and practiced with pencil, ink and crayon drawing, alongside ceramics and clay sculptures. She was one of the artists who struggled against Hitler and his cohorts (never mind the fact that he himself was born in Austria…lol!) In 2001, she was specially honoured in Graz, Austria for her efforts during the war days with exhibitions titled Moderne in dunkler Zeit (Modern art in dark times).

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1C-ADUNNI-OLORISHA.jpg[/img]
COMING TO AFRICA AND DEVOTING HER LIFE TO THE DEITIES
In 1949, she came down to Africa with her then-husband, Ulli Beier. In 1950, they moved to Ede, now in Osun State to have a change from the ‘unnatural’ compound of the university. They wanted a more natural surrounding. While he continued as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, she proceeded as an artist. It was at Ede that she met the powerful Ajagemo, one of the very last priests of Obatala worship, an ancient orisha-based religion which had almost gone extinct. Then she became friends with him and took great interest in all the rituals and activities even though she understood not even a single word of Yoruba at that time. She said to a French documentary maker in 2005:“He took me by the hand and led me into the spirit world.. “I did not speak Yoruba and he did not speak English. Our only intercourse was the language of the trees.’
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/3-ADUNNI-OLORISHA-SUSANNE-WENGER.jpg[/img]

They later moved to Osogbo but over time, she and Beier would separate. While he left for Europe, she remained in Osogbo and while Beier was training a group of local artists (he also founded the Mbari Mbayo Cultural Movement which has been described as the precursor of modern Nigerian art and literature), Susanne got even deeper in her training as a priestess of an ancient religion. The real turning point came in 1950 when she was seriously ill with tuberculosis. As at that time, Nigeria was under British colonialism and there was no doctor on ground to help her from the disease that was slowly killing her from the inside. After various attempts to cure her tuberculosis, they gave up on her and expected her to die until help came from an unlikely source: from the Yorubas.

She was given herbal mixtures provided by Yoruba medicinemen and in no time, she was well. She recovered and decided to ‘give her life’ to the Yoruba orishas who saved her from the gripping jaws of death. And until she died, she never looked back. The only time she visited her country was for short visits, her real home was in the heart of southwestern Nigeria, surrounded by warm and hospitable Yorubas.

SUSANNE THE WRITER, ARTIST AND ENVIRONMENTALIST
While in Yorubaland, she also displayed her artistic skills, making countless murals and a series of sculptures and carvings. She took her time to understand the deepest mysteries of Yoruba traditional beliefs and tried to interpret them through art (see pictures below). From the mid-80s, her works were exhibited in Europe with the premiere in 1985 when she turned 70. That same year, she took her art to Vienna, Austria for the first time in 30 years. As an artist, she distinguished herself, making use of various media, such as oil painting on plywood panels from old tea chests.

It is important to mention that she was one of the most influential Austrian artists, with some of those inspired by her being an entire generation of Vienne artists like Bertoni, Brauer, Lehmden and Fuchs. Some of the themes of her artworks spanned various areas: global literature, Yoruba mythology, Christianity, history of man, nature and the rest. She described her artistic representations like cloth paintings (see picture below) of Yoruba mythologies as representing ‘a sort of metaphysical snapshot.’ An ingenious artist, she later created a method which fused wax batik, textile painting and indigo dye. With this style, she was able to make paintings of immense proportions, some measuring up to 7 by 3.5 metres.

In the period between 1952 and 1970, she made illustrations for and designed Yoruba books. She also wrote children books in Yoruba and English and was a regular contributor to the popular Black Orpheus founded by her then-husband, Ulli Beier. In addition to this, she also ensured that the pristine rainforest was preserved. She had to cross paths with loggers and farmers who wanted to cut down the trees for other uses and destroy the environment in the process. Over her over fifty years of living among the Yorubas, she also teamed up with the locals to restore numerous shrines, many of which were already falling into disuse and lack of repairs before she came.


LOVE, ROMANCE AND MARRIAGE
Her first husband was the world-renowned Ulli Beier, a German researcher and linguist whom she met in Paris while he was working with handicapped children in 1949. At that time, Beier had just accepted a post at the University of Ibadan to teach Phonetics. The pair got married using two curtain rings for wedding rings. While doing the wedding at a London registry office and presented the curtain rings, the registrar looked at them and said: ‘A wedding is not a silly joke.’ And they responded: ‘How do you know?’.

After the marriage (which was quickly done so she could follow him), they set off to Nigeria. No, wait. They did not fly to Nigeria. They actually drove all the way across North Africa, past the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, through the stifling heat and chilly cold of the Sahara Desert. Finally, they reached in early 1950.

After separating with Beier, she would later fall in love with a local drummer, the late Chief Ayansola Oniru Alarape and they got married in 1959. They would later separate when he was maltreating her and remained single for the rest of her life, married only to the deities. She says of the experience in the book, Susanne Wenger: Artist and Priestess by Paola Caboara Luzatto:

She adopted over 12 Yoruba kids and one of them is the well-known Yinka Davies-Okundaye, who is now one of the most renowned contemporary painters in Nigeria.She adopted Nike at the age of six when she became an orphan. Susanne Wenger then formed a cooperative society for the benefit of the community and to raise her many kids.

With time, she became an inspiration for an entire generation of artists and the focal point of the Osun Grove, especially when people congregate there every August for the annual Osun Osogbo festival.

RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION
It is imperative to clarify that Susanne Wenger (Adunni Olorisha) was a very religious and spiritual person. But talking of religion, she did not follow any specific doctrine or text. Rather, she accepted and tolerated the concept of a ‘different, mystical dimension that is inherent in all that exists.’ She said: ‘creative thinking and art are not measurable since they are testimony of the truth, and this truth, the only truth has many faces. Who can count the faces of truth? All religions are ultimately ”the religion of mankind”. Art is ritual.’ Based on that, I will regard her as a pantheist.

CRITICISM
As expected, Adunni Olorisha became the focus of criticism, with her most vociferous critics being some Christians and Muslims who felt all she was doing was reviving paganism, heathen faiths and idol worship. Well, she disagreed with her opponents and never wasted time in firing back her own salvos.She always rejected their arguments by insisting that there was a lot in common with all the religions, including Islam and Christianity, the two principal religions in Nigeria. She said: ‘Orisha (spirit or deity) is merely a name which represents the supernatural forces which are basic expressions of life. It does not matter what you call it. It is a sacred force that represents the experience of life that informs human beingness. As with all religions, there is no true way to explain it along rational lines without leeching it of its meaning and intensely personal quality. You are a part of it and it is a part of you. You may, as so many have done, push it aside, but it remains in you, in all of us.” ‘ Until she died, she tried her best to make people understand this.

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/49-ADUNNI-OLORISHA-SUSANNE-WENGER.jpg[/img]

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/23-ADUNNI-OLORISHA-SUSANNE-WENGER.jpg[/img]

HER LAST DAYS
Her last day on earth was a Monday. On the 12th of January, 2009, she died at the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital in Osogbo. On her deathbed, she was surrounded by some of the 15 children she adopted and asked them: ‘What day of the week is it.? What time of the day is it.?’ When they answered her, she said: ‘It is time to go. It is good. It is ok.’ And those were to be her very last words. By her side was her first adopted son, Chief Sangodare Gbadegesin Ajala and Chief Doyin Faniyi, an adopted daughter. After her demise, one of her fellow olorishas and artists, Chief Muraina Oyelami, released a statement saying: ‘Our beloved colleague, mentor and Adunni Olorisha, responded to the call of Olodumare (God) some hours ago’. One of her followers said: “She is not dead. She lives through her works. She only has become an Orisha. She only slept, she didn’t die.” Before her death, she left standing instructions to be buried the same day she died without being kept in the mortuary or any elaborate fanfare. According to her adopted daughter, no part of her body was removed and the burial rites were performed in one of the sacred shrines in the forest grove that night by worshippers of Oro and Osun.

Her adopted daughter would later add: ‘She doesn’t want any tomb to be erected for her. She doesn’t want anyone to know where she is buried (so that it will not be turned into a tourist site). She just wants to be buried without fanfare. But we are going on with all rites which will be in segments. We are starting with a seven-day ritual and this will be followed by a 16-day ritual and another 21-day ritual.’

You got my vote already!

donroxy: Wow .... I Think I gotta fulfil dis requirements .......
,LOL!!!

CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
If you stop any Nigerian mother on the street and you ask her this question: 'What do you want your child to become in the future?'. She will tell you without thinking: 'President of Nigeria.' Yes, every parent in Nigeria want their kids to become Presidents in the future even if the probability is almost zero and they have better chances becoming local government councillors. But no, everyone wants to live in Aso Rock and eat from the proverbial National Cake baked in the Garden of Eden....lol!

Well, for those who have got the guts, heart and money, the Constitution is very clear. You need to fulfill the following requirements before this writer can call you Mr. or Madam President. To be eligible for the Office of the President of Nigeria, these are the provisions (call ya pikins make dem cram am sharply!)

SEE FULL DETAILS HERE: http://.com/the-nigerian-presidency-things-you-must-know/

AGE: You must be at least 40 years old.
CITIZENSHIP: You must be a citizen of Nigeria (before nko?).
POLITICAL AFFILIATION: You have to be a member of a political party or being sponsored by one.
EDUCATION: The Constitution is also very clear on this. A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent. So if una be university drop-out, you still get hope. Seriously speaking. E mean say if una get PhD, you don dey overqualified...lol!

That said, a person shall not be qualified for election to the Office of the President of:

(a) subject to the provisions of section 28 of this Constitution, he has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such cases as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, he has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country; or
(b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections; or
(c) under the law in any part of Nigeria, he is adjudged to be a lunatic or otherwise declared to be of unsound mind;
or
(d) he is under a sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offence, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal; or
(e) within a period of less than ten years before the date of the election to the office of President he has been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty or he has been found guilty of the contravention of the Code of Conduct; or
(f) he is an undischarged bankrupt, having been adjudged or otherwise declared bankrupt under any law in force in Nigeria or any other country; or
(g) being a person employed in the civil or public service of the Federation or of any State, he has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from the employment at least thirty days before the date of the election; or
(h) he is a member of any secret society; or
(i) he has been indicted for embezzlement or fraud by a Judicial Commission of Inquiry or an Administrative Panel of Inquiry or a Tribunal set up under the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, a Tribunals of Inquiry Law or any other law by the Federal or State Government which indictment has been accepted by the Federal or State Government, respectively; or
(j) he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
-SECTION 137 of the Nigerian Constitution.

THE OATHS

The Seventh Schedule of the Nigerian Constitution makes provisions for the Oaths.

NB: The Oath of Office is not the same as the Oath of Allegiance.

OATH OF ALLEGIANCE:
I, ………. Do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So help me God.

OATH OF OFFICE OF PRESIDENT:
I, ………….. do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will strive to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions; that I will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will abide by the Code of Conduct contained in the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will; that I will not directly or indirectly communication or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President; and that I will devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So help me God.

SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL POWERS (as laid down in the Constitution)
-ISSUING A PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY


-NOMINATING AND APPOINTING A VICE PRESIDENT


-ACCEPTING OR REJECTING THE NATIONAL CENSUS
Section 157, Subsection 3 states that: All members of the National Population Commission shall cease to be members if the President declares a National Census Report as unreliable and the report is rejected in accordance with section 213 of this Constitution. Again, Section 213 is very lucid on this: 213. (1) Any report of the National Population Commission containing the population census after every census shall be delivered to the President by the Chairman of the commission .

(2) The President shall within a period of thirty days after receipts of the report lay copies of the report before the Council of State, which shall consider the report and advise the President whether to accept it or reject it. (3) Where the Council of State advises the President to accept the report, the President shall accept the same and shall then lay the report on the table of each House of the National Assembly.

(4) Where the President accept such report and has laid it on the table of each House of the National Assembly he shall publish it in the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation for public information.

(5) Where the Council of State advises the president to reject upon the ground-

(a) that the population census contained in the report is inaccurate; or

(b) that the report is perverse,

the President shall reject the report accordingly and no reliance shall be placed upon any such report by any authority or person or for any purpose what so ever.

-HEADING THE NATIONAL DEFENCE COUNCIL
-HEADING THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
-HEADING THE POLICE COUNCIL
-APPROVING CITIZENSHIPS AND CERTIFICATES OF NATURALIZATION
-REGISTERING CITIZENSHIP RENUNCIATION BY NIGERIAN CITIZENS
-GRANTING OR WITHHOLDING ASSENT TO BILLS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
-POWERS OF APPOINTMENT
-HEADING THE COUNCIL OF STATE


PECIAL PRIVILEDGES
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/7-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-GOODLUCK-JONATHAN-GCFR-SASH.jpg[/img]

[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/6-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-RIBBON-GCFR.jpg[/img]
-It is the custom and tradition to bestow on sitting or former Presidents with the nation’s highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR). The GCFR is the highest of the four grades of the Order of the Federal Republic (which is one of the two orders of merit of Nigeria, the second one being the Order of the Niger) with others being the Commander of the Order of the Federation (CFR), Officer of the Order of the Federation (OFR) and Member of the Order of the Federation (MFR). The Grand Cordon or Sash of the Grand Commander has four narrow golden stripes,

-When there is the launch of new currencies, the President gets to see the first copies first and he/she also gives approval for such currencies before it is then put into circulation.

-Only the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces and some others (Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation, State Governors, Deputy Governors and any other permitted by protocol) are allowed to mount and fly the National Flag on official vehicles.

-By virtue of being the Commander-in-Chief, the Nigerian Presidency can wear the highest ranks in the Nigerian Armed Forces which no military officer has attained in the history of the country. These ranks, all of which correspond to a five-star General are:

-Field Marshal of the Nigerian Army
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/16-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-NIGERIAN-ARMY.jpg[/img]

-Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/18-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-UNIFORM-AIR-FORCE2.jpg[/img]

Admiral of the Fleet of the Nigerian Navy
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/23-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-NAVY-UNIFORM.jpg[/img]

-The portrait of the Commander-in-Chief appears usually right to the Coat of Arms at government establishments like ministries, agencies, state government houses, national assemblies, state assemblies, parastatals and other similar bodies. As for other Principal Officers/Chief Executives are automatically placed on the left of the Coat of Arms. I am sure you must have noticed these portraits ast they are quite ubiquitous. The portraits also appear in some non-governmental institutions. Yeah, check out the banking hall the next time you go make some deposit. You will see GEJ on the wall, smiling at you in his fedora hat.

-Also note that when the President and Commander-in-Chief is addressing the nation, the Coat of Arms is usually encapsulated in the Seal of the Nation and placed just above the Seat of the Commander-in-Chief. It is in offence for these portraits to be absent in government institutions or placed improperly or desecrated.

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT
Assenting to and signing of Bills.
Referring a Bill back to the National Assembly (Legislative Arm of the Government) for the reconsideration of the Bill’s constitutionality.
Summoning the National Assembly, (or the Parliament) to an Extraordinary Sitting to conduct special business.
Making any appointments that the Constitution or legislation requires of the President, apart from those of being the Head of the National Executive.
Appointing Commissions of Inquiry.
Calling a National Referendum in terms of an Act of Parliament.
Receiving and recognizing foreign diplomatic and consular representatives.
Appointing Ambassadors, Plenipotentiaries, and Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.
Pardoning or reprieving offenders and remitting any fines, penalties or forfeitures.
Conferring honours.


AMAZING FACTS
-The President is chosen by a Direct Popular Election and the term length is limited to two of four years each, renewable only ONCE. Here, the Constitution voices out: A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected to such office where, being the only candidate nominated for the election -

(a) he has a majority of YES votes over NO votes cast at the election; and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

(1) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have be been duly elected, where, there being only two candidates for the election -

(a) he has the majority of votes cast at the election; and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

(2) A candidate for an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election-

(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election;

and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

-The Office of the President of Nigeria was created on the 1st of October, 1963 when the nation became a Republic, free from all political ties with Britain.

-The first Nigerian President to die in office was the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua who died on the 5th of May, 2010 at the Presidential Villa after a prolonged illness. He was also the first university-educated President of Nigeria.

-Section 138 states that: The President shall not, during his tenure of office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever. As for Section 140, we have this: 140. (1) A person elected to the office of President shall not begin to perform the functions of that office until he has declared his assets and liabilities as prescribed in this Constitution and he has taken and subscribed the Oath of Allegiance and the oath of office prescribed in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution.

(2) The oaths aforesaid shall be administered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria or the person for the time being appointed to exercise the functions of that office.

-Nigeria has had just SIX presidents (All Nigerian military rulers are referred to as Heads of State and Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces but not as Presidents

For instance, there has been four republics so far:

-NIGERIAN FIRST REPUBLIC (1963-1966): First republican government constitution.

-NIGERIAN SECOND REPUBLIC (1979-1983): 1979 Constitution used.

-NIGERIAN THIRD REPUBLIC (1993): 1989 Constitution used.

-NIGERIAN FOURTH REPUBLIC (1999-date) 1999 Constitution still in use.

Nigeria’s six presidents are:

Rt. Hon. Dr. BENJAMIN NNAMDI AZIKIWE, Owelle of Onitsha (1963-1966). In office in ceremonial capacity, real powers were vested in the Prime Minister. He was also Nigeria’s first and only indigenous Governor-General.
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-PRESIDENT-FIRST-NNAMDI-AZIKIWE.jpg[/img]

Alhaji SHEHU USMAN ALIYU SHAGARI, Turakin Sakkwato (1979-1983). Was Nigeria’s first substantive President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with real powers. He won on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

Chief ERNEST ADEGUNLE OLADEINDE SHONEKAN, Nigeria’s only Interim President (August 26, 1993- November 17, 1993).

Chief OLUSEGUN AREMU MATTHEW OBASANJO, Balogun of Owu (29th May,1999- 29th May, 2007). He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/20-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-NAVY-UNIFORM.jpg[/img]

Alhaji UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA, Mutawwalli (Custodian of the Treasury) Katsina, 29th May, 2007 -5th May, 2010. He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
[img]http://.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/28-NIGERIAN-PRESIDENCY-YARADUA-GEJ.jpg[/img]

Dr. GOODLUCK EBELE AZIKIWE JONATHAN, GCFR, GCON, Assumed office, 6th May, 2010 – till date. He became Nigeria’s first Acting President on the 9th of February, 2010 until he became substantive on the 6th of May, 2010. He won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

ROTFLMAO!!! 2 TRILLION!!! You don sell the whole country be that o

Raymondenyi: If a Nigerian president should try this now, I'll personally kidnap him and ask for a 2 trillion Niara ransome.(Kai I don hammer b dat oh!!!!!! )

Not to be rude or anything, but I really don't understand what you are saying or trying to say.

lordnammy: He might be good bt not as good as Ojukwu. @ op u didn't do ur research well he was I prison during the war for the counter coup but was release as the then head of state lack got to stare the affairs of war,he ve ran to his masters british lords. Without him(mutala) Ojukwu cloud ve shot gowon like bush meat. He did nt use only nigerian solder, he use student. I know he is good bt not as u r putting him. Even Obj is of better intelligent than him. He had got but no brain.

No Asorocker, they won't see that. Some of them are busy fighting a civil war in cyberspace.

asorocker: Did anyone notice the above quote , Igbos who are in a position to manage and pass across intelligence / know how, knowledge , wisdom , should exercise lots of restraints when it has to do with another tribe , if you dont you could just be digging your grave and that of your generations , the jews have learn from this lesson

Arysexy, why don't you read the article first before spewing your venom? Where did I leave out Murtala's Asaba massacre or portray him as a saint? Leave me out of whatever issue you've got with the man o.

Arysexy: you may continue to be an hausa a55 licker but not igbos, we are dealing with murtala muhamed who ur broda wrote his saintly version, leaving behind the devilish genocidal act committed by the bastard, and when historians pointed out the dark side of murtala, ur likes who r perpetual hausa a55 lickers will draw out ur daggers at ndigbo as usual. Can u deny d asaba genocide? if not why do u want to silence history? D merit of history is dat it helps prevent the occurence of its bad side, but from wot i av seen from majority of yorubas on this forum, u ppl hate hearing the truth, or rada would hide the truth as long as it does not benefit u ppl.

Its bc of ur likes dat i have stopped posting on NL, but i have to rebuff ur allegations nd put the fact straight, achebe did dat b4 his demise nd u ppl nearly killed him with ur mouth bombs. very pathetic.