₦airaland Forum

Caaz:
My kids came home for the midterm break....it has not been easy especially with my boys.

My first son .....let's call him abulum despite all the training I ve given to him has suddenly clocked himself out from doing chores.
What to do than to reset him with sound motherly mild mending .


My 2nd son likes working but has now started copying his elder bro.that one still dey collect mild motherly mending and I ve seen improvement in them handling chores.

My daughter is the only one that is perfect with house chores and I ve bn compensating her with accolades and gifts.


This noon I came back from work.only for my boys to present me with these canned ROBOTS.

THEY said when they ve gone back to school.these robots would take their place and do domestic chores for me....


I just weak.

You should be glad!

Enrol them in a robotics class as soon as possible.

That will spark and nurture the latent potential in them.

johnie:
BBC Africa Documentary on the civil war

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."— Dwight D. Eisenhower

"There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it."— Havelock Ellis

"When war breaks out people say: 'It won't last, it's too stupid.' And war is certainly too stupid, but that doesn't prevent it from lasting."— Albert Camus

"All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal."— John Steinbeck


https://youtube.com/xETIY9A4Vb4?si=lMjNNp9wy1Tkpedn

Note: Produced by Alabi Isama's grand child.

The elocution of some of the people interviewed shows how much we have degenerated in certain areas of our national life.

I find it intriguing that Isama and Obasanjo speak so much alike.

BBC Africa Documentary on the civil war

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."— Dwight D. Eisenhower

"There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it."— Havelock Ellis

"When war breaks out people say: 'It won't last, it's too stupid.' And war is certainly too stupid, but that doesn't prevent it from lasting."— Albert Camus

"All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal."— John Steinbeck



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xETIY9A4Vb4?si=lMjNNp9wy1Tkpedn

Note: Produced by Alabi Isama's grand child.

Omoluabi16:
I've been following this thing closely the zulus are the worst. They are the ones championing this xenophobia, while the vendas, xhosas and other tribes are being cautious about the whole thing. Phakela point blank called Mandela a sell out in an interview.

On a lighter note:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX-k7VXDPOc?si=ZX16RqLMk6oDc2wH

That DJ!

Axis313:
I wonder why our system can't accommodate weekdays polling anymore,I know polling is conducted in other countries during working days without affecting people's work.

I think the practice of conducting elections on Saturdays began in 1979.

One likely reason at the time could be logistical and security challenges.

We shouldn't have slid down that path at all.

It is a sign of an immature and fragile system.

Returning to the old way now seems impossible.

May God help us!

Axis313:
The only thing that catch my eyes this screenshot I made:"Polling in East and Lagos on Thursday".
So there's been a time in this country that polling was held during work days unlike nowadays that every elections are conducted on Saturdays.

Insightful!

Kudos to you for this keen observation.

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." — Robertson Davies

Titopeblog:
Dear parents, pay more attention to your male child” teacher warns as she shares incident at school that left her traumatised

https://www.titopeblog.com/2026/05/pay-attention-to-your-sons-teacher.html?m=1

Why the emphasis on sons?

Drug abuse is not limited to a gender.

Titopeblog:
Dear parents, pay more attention to your male child” teacher warns as she shares incident at school that left her traumatised

https://www.titopeblog.com/2026/05/pay-attention-to-your-sons-teacher.html?m=1

FG mandates drug tests for secondary school students
May 11, 2026 7:50 am

The Federal Government has introduced stringent new measures to combat drug and substance abuse in secondary schools, including mandatory drug testing for students and temporary suspension for those who repeatedly test positive after undergoing treatment and rehabilitation procedures.

Under the new policy, all newly admitted students in secondary schools will be subjected to compulsory drug integrity tests at the point of entry.

The measures are contained in the National Implementation Guidelines Against Drug and Substance Use in Schools in Nigeria for secondary schools, details of which were obtained by our correspondent.

The guideline outlines a comprehensive framework aimed at reducing the growing prevalence of substance abuse among students and creating safer learning environments across schools nationwide.

According to the document, the policy is designed to “create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the institutions by reducing the negative effect substance abuse has on the mental health and academic performance of students/learners.”

The guideline states that “all new students/learners shall be subjected to drug tests and other measures approved by the schools/learning centres at the point of entry,” adding that the process must be carried out “in collaboration with approved federal/state health facilities and procedures.”

In addition to entry-level screening, schools are expected to conduct periodic and impromptu drug tests for both new and returning students at least once every academic session.

The document further provides that “all students/learners shall undergo periodic drug tests as recommended by appropriate authorities.”

It prohibits students from using or possessing narcotic drugs, controlled substances or other drugs of abuse without authorisation from school authorities, stating that “all students/learners are prohibited from using or being in possession of narcotic drugs, controlled drugs or substances of abuse without approval from the school authority.”

However, it notes that students requiring controlled medication for medical conditions must declare such medications through their parents or guardians during admission.

The policy establishes a three-stage testing and intervention process for students who test positive.

According to the guideline, “the aim is to identify students who may need help and to promote a safe and healthy school environment.”

Students who fail the first test will undergo counselling and initial treatment as determined by school authorities.

The document explains that “persons found to be positive to drugs shall undergo the initial intervention and treatment, which shall include counselling as might be found appropriate by the school authority.”

Those who test positive a second time will be referred to professionals for further treatment and specialised attention.

The guideline further states that “if found positive again, such a student shall be referred to a professional by the school authority to take appropriate treatment and attention that might be required.”

For students who continue to test positive after a third round of testing and intervention, the policy provides that they may be temporarily suspended from the school environment.

It states that “if found to be positive again, such a student shall be temporarily suspended from the school environment to take treatment from a professional and undergo rehabilitation that might be found appropriate by the professional.”

The policy also introduces mandatory pre-test and post-test counselling for students undergoing screening.

According to the document, “pre-test counselling is the guidance given before a person undergoes a drug integrity test. It aims to prepare the individual, clarify expectations, reduce anxiety, encourage cooperation and build trust.”

It adds that “post-test counselling happens after results are available, regardless of whether the test is positive or negative. The goal is to support the individual to accept the result and link them to the right help.”

To enforce compliance, every school is expected to establish a disciplinary committee headed by the school administrator with clearly defined responsibilities.

The document further directs that violent incidents linked to substance abuse, including fighting or inflicting injuries, “shall be reported to the law enforcement agents.”

It also warns that students who refuse to comply with prescribed treatment or rehabilitation procedures will be temporarily separated from the school environment “until he/she is found to be stable.”

The development comes amid growing concerns over increasing cases of drug and substance abuse among adolescents in Nigeria, with education and health stakeholders warning about its impact on academic performance, discipline, mental health and security within schools.

While supporters argue that the measures could help curb substance abuse among students, critics are expected to raise concerns over implementation capacity, student welfare protections and the readiness of schools and health facilities to effectively implement the policy nationwide.

https://punchng.com/fg-mandates-drug-tests-for-secondary-school-students/

delpee:
I remember Agostinho Neto visiting Unilag with our military rulers then for an honorary award. We were all so thrilled. The war against apartheid was taken so seriously and Nigeria worked with every leader who was ready to fight the oppressors.

Do you remember the year of this visit?

naptu2:
That shows exactly what the problem is.

Some South Africans complain about crime, but if that's the case, then the police should arrest the criminals and prosecute them. The problem is that you have all kinds of mobs that invade people's premises and threaten them, including the premises of innocent people.

Again some South Africans say that the problem is the criminals and illegal aliens, but you can see this guy saying that he doesn't care if people have their papers or not.

Idah Peterside is a well known person, he played for clubs in the Nigerian and South African leagues, he settled in South Africa when he retired, he is an analyst on Supersport and a pastor who had his own church, everybody knows that he's not a criminal, yet the mob invaded his church and threatened him. It was so bad that he had to return to Nigeria. He now lives in Port-Harcourt. How is that justifiable?

South African Police And Vigilante Invade Peterside Idah's Church
https://www.nairaland.com/7123031/south-african-police-vigilante-invade

This report says that generally (I guess that includes xenophobic attacks), at least 2 people are killed per day though mob justice, on the average.

In a number of these cases, innocent people lose their lives.

The failure of the criminal justice system also fuels mob justice.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiQvbW_Xgkg?si=hJtgqGiC7aExzyQe

naptu2:
That shows exactly what the problem is.

Some South Africans complain about crime, but if that's the case, then the police should arrest the criminals and prosecute them. The problem is that you have all kinds of mobs that invade people's premises and threaten them, including the premises of innocent people.

Again some South Africans say that the problem is the criminals and illegal aliens, but you can see this guy saying that he doesn't care if people have their papers or not.

Idah Peterside is a well known person, he played for clubs in the Nigerian and South African leagues, he settled in South Africa when he retired, he is an analyst on Supersport and a pastor who had his own church, everybody knows that he's not a criminal, yet the mob invaded his church and threatened him. It was so bad that he had to return to Nigeria. He now lives in Port-Harcourt. How is that justifiable?

South African Police And Vigilante Invade Peterside Idah's Church
https://www.nairaland.com/7123031/south-african-police-vigilante-invade

You are spot on!

It is not justifiable.

Omoluabi16:
No sir. Phakela is not malema. The people spearheading this movement is Nzugwe, phakelablablawhatever and that jacinta***** . Malema is actually against the anti immigration movement.

Oh!

You mean this guy?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvNeXP53Z_4?si=4rVG8VCpi7LT0A3Y

https://youtube.com/shorts/HYUqqfSjkkU?si=QMwa6PKPCVC3CfVs

Only goes to prove my point!

naptu2:
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos and chairman of the reception organising committee, Professor Nurudeen Alao reads the welcome address (how many people remember Alao's speedboat?   ). Dr Mandela reads his response.

Photo 1) Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos and chairman of the organising committee for the visit, Professor Nurudeen Alao, reads his speech.

Photo 2) ANC Vice President, Dr. Nelson Mandela, reads his speech.

Images of Winnie in the background of these photos are intriguing.

Omoluabi16:
I've been following this thing closely the zulus are the worst. They are the ones championing this xenophobia, while the vendas, xhosas and other tribes are being cautious about the whole thing. Phakela point blank called Mandela a sell out in an interview.

BTW, by "Phakela" do you mean "Malema?"

Malema has denied calling Mandela a sell-out (2018):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0xzlTnLVdQ

Other Views (2019):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rCAgvvfuzk



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi1ZH3WwD_E

Omoluabi16:
I've been following this thing closely the zulus are the worst. They are the ones championing this xenophobia, while the vendas, xhosas and other tribes are being cautious about the whole thing. Phakela point blank called Mandela a sell out in an interview.

Historically, the Zulus have been known to be a strong war nation state.

Today, they are the largest ethnic group in SA.

As far back as the days of King Shaka, they have maintained a reputation for been deeply territorial.

Shaka aggressively conquered and annexed several neighbouring communities, uniting them into an empire using a well-organized military.

Today, you see "protesters" decked in traditional military attire and armed with traditional war implements which in my view instigates violence in what should ordinarily be peaceful protests.

naptu2:
1990

Fighting between Xhosas of the African National Congress (ANC) of Nelson Mandela and Zulus of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) of Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi (a prince and traditional prime minister of Zululand).

The fighting erupted quite often between 1990 and 1994.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbPIQaiu6Xk?si=qcXUEArLNVkYTseP

Thanks for this Naptu2!

Anyone who understood the level of Black on Black violence in the days of apartheid will not be surprised at all about the "xenophobic" attacks going on in SA today.

The urge has always been there.

Same violent tendencies, different victims!

Nollywood actor, Daniel Etim Effiong discusses his father, Lieutenant Colonel Moses Effiong (rtd), experience.

He was imprisoned for eight years before being released in 1993.

Watch from 27:53


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVBgsOj8sjE?si=RZXT-FOCaqODGMSc

Maybe we should also take this route regarding our own "nuisance" influencers who think the coolest way to make money is by ridiculing others.

They have no regard or respect for values, institutions, or people.

Unfortunately, the younger ones now look up to them as the epitome of success.

American livestreamer Johnny Somali, who caused outrage in South Korea by kissing a statue representing World War Two sex slaves, has been sentenced to six months in jail.

Seoul authorities charged him for public nuisance in November 2024 after he posted a clip of himself kissing and performing lap dances on the statue while visiting South Korea. He has been barred from leaving the country since then.

The 25-year-old, whose real name is Ismael Ramsey Khalid, is known for his provocative content which has led to him being banned from several streaming platforms.

He has also been accused of harassing people while travelling in Japan and Israel.

On Wednesday a South Korean court convicted Khalid of multiple charges, including for being a public nuisance and distributing sexual deepfakes.

"The defendant repeatedly committed crimes against unspecified members of the public to generate profit via YouTube and distributed the content in disregard of Korean law," the court said, according to South Korean media.

Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison term, but the judges handed down a lower sentence while noting the "absence of severe harm to victims", The Korea Herald reported.

Khalid has also been barred from working with organisations that serve minors and people with disabilities when he is eventually released.

During World War Two, an estimated 200,000 women around Asia were forced to be wartime sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. Many of them were Korean, while others came from China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.

There are several statues across South Korea, usually depicting a young woman seated in a chair, which have been installed by activists to remember these "comfort women". The statues have in the past caused diplomatic tensions, as South Korea has long called for reparations from Japan for these women.

Khalid, who has around 5,000 followers on YouTube, had apologised in November 2024 saying he "didn't understand the significance of the statue". But many users expressed scepticism of his sincerity.

While investigations were ongoing in South Korea, Khalid had challenged locals to fight him. Several videos on social media show him being punched and chased along the streets.

Earlier he had caused a scene on public transportation, vandalised a convenience store, and streamed obscene videos in public.

Earlier in 2024, Khalid was detained at a protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, for making inappropriate remarks towards a female police officer, but later released.

While in Japan in 2023, he taunted locals with, among other things, his comments on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the final days of World War Two.


He was later fined 200,000 yen ($1,400) after disrupting business in a restaurant by playing loud music.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj400lje9vxo

naptu2:
Godfrey Odu was the main foreign correspondent. Lola Ogunbambi also attended Opec and other meetings (she was always reporting from Geneva and Vienna. I was in a meeting with her years ago and she was talking about how Dubai was a sand covered country when she often reported from there in the 1980s.

Exactly!

Godfrey Odu and Lola Ogunbambi.

johnie:
Used to go to bookshops to leaf through books and get the smell of freshly painted texts!

Abiola Bookshops near Unilag, Unilag bookshop, Odusote bookshops, CSS bookshop, Exam Success at Palmgrove.

There was this one at Ilupeju with an American name I can't remember now.

I think the one at Ilupeju was Florida Bookshop

naptu2:
3)Time Magazine & Newsweek

These were the two main international (political and business) magazines at the time and we got them weekly. These magazines also featured other areas of human interest such as music, fashion, automobiles, movies, TV, etc. but their primary focus was on international politics and economics. They covered the Iran-Iraq War, the Lebanon Hostage crisis, the Challenger Shuttle disaster in 1986, the 1988 US presidential election, the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, the US Embassy bombing of 1983, etc.

I have a cousin who wanted to be a journalist at the time. He introduced me to Time and Newsweek.

This sparked my interest in foreign affairs.

and made me pay close attention to foreign news on NTA.

Chris Anyanwu and one gentleman whose name I can't recall now were NTA's foreign correspondents at various times.

They were usually in Geneva for OPEC meetings with Alhaji Rilwan Lukman.

Coverage of the Iran Contra crisis in which Col Oliver North was the main character.
Contra crisis by these internationals is quite memorable for me. I was shocked at the level of subterfuge.

Others were the assassination attempts on President Regan and Pope John Paul.

These events shocked me at the time even though I was conscious of the assassination of Gen Murtala much earlier

naptu2:
Aha! Thank you for reminding me of the cartoonists.

Komle mentioned David Lasekan and that name rings a bell, though I can't immediately remember that cartoons that he drew. I remember that Jossy Ajiboye was in thr Daily Times and I seem to associate Obe Ess with the cartoon page on Vanguard.

The two pictures of Sunmi Smart Cole's that pop into my head anytime someone mentions his name are the picture that he took of General Muhammadu Buhari (Buhari looked menacing in that picture) and the picture of Babangida and his little daughter Halima when she was a toddler (she put her finger in her father's mouth).

Many people have mentioned Classique and Tell, but I associate those magazines with the 1990s rather than the 1980s.

I remember that Babangida picture.

Obe Ess was with The Guardian.

There was a cartoonist with The Punch whose name I can't remember now. He was with them from the beginning and for many years. His style was refreshighly unique.

You are right about the time period for Tell and Classique.

ResearchHedge22:
Exactly. The days when libraries and bookshops were in vogue.

Used to go to bookshops to leaf through books and get the smell of freshly painted texts!

Abiola Bookshops near Unilag, Unilag bookshop, Odusote bookshops, CSS bookshop, Exam Success at Palmgrove.

There was this one at Ilupeju with an American name I can't remember now.

MEE, Dele Momodu and MKO

naptu2:
1) Daily Times, Vanguard, Punch, Concord

Old Man originally bought Daily Times Newspapers. It was a proper newspaper at that time and I remember the main cartoon in the paper. The star of the cartoon was an old man who smoked a pipe and who always eavesdropped on other people’s conversation and always made comments about what he had heard. In this way he provided commentary about political, social and economic issues in the society. His name was Pa Johnson and he got his own comicbook called Fun Times in the early or mid-1980s.

Video: Channels TV interviews Moses Osawe, the creator of Pa Johnson and Gabriel cartoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHIGLu9wrk?si=DA51H6kwMszFFJ9-

However we had stopped buying the Daily Times by then. Daily Times was bought over by the Federal Military Government which proceeded to run down the company. The paper was probably the oldest newspaper that was still being published at that time (it was founded in 1925). It was the largest newspaper company in Nigeria and it published many newspapers and magazines, had one of the largest printing presses. It owned the Times Leisure Services (guest houses, motels, entertainment promotions) and also owned the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant. The government destroyed all these businesses.

The newspaper became quite boring, did not actually report the news and was filled with obituaries (we called it Obituary Paper) and government propaganda and so we staged a revolt and convinced Old Man to switch to two similar, newer and more exciting newspapers, Vanguard and Punch.

Vanguard had one of the best sports pages of any newspaper in the early and mid-1980s and it had a “National Newsreel” and an “International Newsreel” on its second and third pages. The National Newsreel had pictures of events that had happened across the country, while the International Newsreel had pictures of events that occurred around the world in the previous 24 hours. I followed the 1987 Palestinian Intifada on Vanguard’s International Newsreel.


The paper also had a “Page 3 Girl” feature. These were pictures of girls in skimpy swimsuits and bikinis which were published on the third page of the newspaper. Several other papers also had the page 3 girl feature. The Buhari government forced the papers to stop the practice in 1984.

Vanguard had great journalists and columnists like Bisi Lawrence, Chris Okojie, etc. It also had a full page of cartoons and it had the famous Mr and Mrs cartoon on the front page.

The Mr and Mrs cartoon was started by a cartoonist called Lawrence Akapa. He was not satisfied with starting one of the most famous cartoon strips in the country, so he left the Vanguard and started a magazine called Top News. It was one of the worst magazines in the history of Nigeria. It was filled with fake news, doctored pictures and outright lies. I remember that it ran a crazy story about a Nigerian girl that it claimed was Michael Jackson’s girlfriend. It also claimed that Tosin Jegede had died during an attempted abortion. Lots of people petitioned the police and the NUJ about the activities of Akapa’s Top News and the NUJ was forced to launch an investigation and publicise its findings at a press conference. The NUJ’s press conference about the magazine was shown on the NTA Network News. Tosin Jegede was at that news conference with her parents (so that everybody could see that she was alive). Michael Jackson's supposed Nigerian girlfriend was also at the news conference. She said that she had never met Michael Jackson and that she didn't know how Lawrence Akapa superimposed her picture on a picture of Michael Jackson (remember that this was before Adobe Photoshop became popular). There were many other people at that news conference that complained that Akapa used their names or pictures to cook up false stories. He was also in the habit of stealing pictures from foreign magazines and concocting fake stories about the pictures.

The Punch had very interesting entertainment pages (especially the Saturday Punch) and the paper was far more interesting than the Daily Times. I think it also had the page 3 girl feature. The National Concord was the backup newspaper that was bought whenever the vendor did not have Vanguard or Punch.

Then, in the late 1980s, National Concord introduced Weekend Concord. This was a magazine within the Saturday Concord newspaper and its primary focus was entertainment. Weekend Concord had interesting interviews with music and TV stars, information about concerts and fashion shows, song lyrics, etc. Therefore, Saturday became a three paper day; a day when we bought Vanguard, Punch and Weekend Concord.

Photo of Weekend Concord

As usual, great job Naptu2!

The idea of an eavesdroppeing character for Pa Johnson was a brilliant one.

I think there was also a female cartoon character who used to eavesdrop. Maybe she was Pa Johnson's partner. Can't quite recall now.

I think the Daily Times also had a publication which appeared on Fridays called Weekend Times. It was light hearted, unlike Daily Times, which carried hard (political, economic, etc) news.

Dele Jegede and Jossy Ajiboye were popular cartoonists then.

I think one was with Daily Times and the other with Punch. I can't recall fully now.

There was Boye Gbenro as well.

Obe Ess also had a cartoons series in The Guardian called CON-versation.

There was an adventure comic strip that used to appear in the Daily Times in the 70s. I can't remember the name now. It was my interest in that comic strip in the Daily Times that got me introduced to comics proper later.

Peter Obe documented major events through photographs which featured in the Daily Times. I think he set up his own agency later and syndicated the photographs.

Of note, was his visible presence at the National Stadium whenever there were important sporting events, notably matches of the Greren Eagles.

Sunmi Smart Cole was another notable photographer associated with the newspapers. His photographs appeared on the Guardian on Sundays. Unlike Obe's, they took on the form of art rather than news.

I don't know yet if you listed Classique Magazine below. It was founded by May Elken Ezekiel (MEE) after she left MKO Abiola's Weekend Concord.

Technically, books may not qualify as publications in the context here. I would have added the Pacesetters Novel Series!

Thanks for the memories!

I'll go through other posts and see what I can add to this important documentation.

ResearchHedge22:
I was actually waiting for Drum. Didn't know you featured it already...the good old days!

I was searching for Drum too.

The list is very comprehensive.

naptu2:
16) Complete Football and National Sportslink


17) World Football, Shoot and the magazine whose name I can’t remember



18) Foreign comic books

I bought, exchanged and read innumerable foreign comic books. There were the strange and bewildering horror comic books like Uncanny Tales and Strange Tales, the football comic Roy of the Rovers, the war comic book Commando and its naval equivalent whose name I cannot remember, the hilarious British comics Beano and Dandy, the hilarious Franco-Belgian comics Astrix and Obelix and Tintin, the Marvel and DC universes (including their Nigerian counterparts), Dennis The Menace, Archie and Veronica, etc.

I don't know why, but the charater, Asterix comes to my mind whenever I see the Croatian football player Luka Modric.

I learnt the German words, Achtung, Blitzkrieg, Schnell and others from the WW2 war comics. Also about D-Day.

Uncanny Tales and Strange Tales had very strange themes. I still think about some of their stories and just wonder.

There was an edition in which the main character was a smooth talking man who could talk his way out of any tight situation he found himself.

He got into trouble quite often and when charged to court would prove his case eloqeuently.

Eventually he died and along with others appread before a throne to be judged. Turned out that in that realm, people dont speak!

The following are characters from British comics (I can’t remember the names of the publications):
Hotshot Hamish
Mighty Mouse
Billy (of Billy's boots)
Denis the Menace

There were a few VERY good Nigerian comics as well. Unfortunately, I can't remember their names right now.

naptu2:
Television

We had a huge black and white TV with retractable doors. I sometimes imagined that there was a city behind the screen and the retractable door was the railway.

The TV had VHF and UHF dials and a V-Hold to stabilise the picture. I was basically like my dad's tv operator and human remote control (can you imagine that my dad would sometimes call one of us from the rooms to come and change the channel for him? And he's sitting right in front of the TV!)

One Christmas, years later, we had damaged several colour TVs and my dad exclaimed, "Thank God"! when the last one got spoiled. He decided that we were going to spend the Christmas without TV. We had other ideas.

There were two things that we did, first, the big black and white TV still showed pictures, but the volume was very low. My dad ordered that we must not put it on because we would damage it even more. We put it on whenever he was in his room and someone would sit near the speaker and tell everybody what was happening. His door made a distinct sound, so we would switch off the TV when we heard it.

Secondly, we had a spare key to his room and he had a small TV in that room, so we would bring out the small TV whenever he was not at home. I would keep watch by the window to warn everybody when he was coming back.

The TV is similar to the TV in the picture below, but ours had UHF and VHF dials. I think it was a National TV, but I can't remember for sure.

I can relate with this totally.

One obvious give away when you watched TV after you had been instructed not to, was the heat that could be felt by touching the top of the TV.

The second and most interesting is when NEPA decides to strike while you are watching a video cassette. You are unable to remove the casette until light is restored, if a generator was not available for use.

God help you if your parents get to the VCR before you when light is restored, especially if you had been watching "contraband."

bfire:
Yea, they were bought in Germany by my older sister whose husband was posted to Germany for military courses, and gifted to me

I bought that AIWA double cassette in 1987 when the other one was stolen at my friend's party

I forgot to mention Kenwood!

How could I?

bfire:
Yea, 60 or above

I had my own apartment in 1985 ( the whole house because it was a newly built story building then at Ketu, Lagos). I still prefer the Lagos Island, and hardly stays there until one fine babe made me

I was giving a Rowenta pressing iron, a color, round, Sony TV, and a double cassette grudng (not sure of the name now).

Those were good old days. I was having my industrial attachments (that's after OND, in those days) then at one of this big company in Ikeja

Grundig and Rowenta!

That's solid German engineering!

Those were the days of "decks." See images.

Sony, SANYO,AIWA. Panasonic, Sharp, and JVC were major Japanese brands.

The Koreans were not really in the global picture at the time.

They came up with Lucky Goldstar which later became LG much much later.

Samsung, which is now a global name, was not in the picture of household electronics at all.

naptu2:
And the cassette surgeries, when you need to open the cassette to disentangle the tape.

Yes o!

With those small screwdrivers.

You needed a lot of patience and dexterity to perform those surgeries.


Remember the premium audio casettes brands and types?

Metal, chrome

Maxell, TDK