₦airaland Forum

sarrki:
How I wish our politician can help 10 downtrodden

Just ten every year

The country would have moved beyond this

itzjwizzy:
he said AGBO( herbs) not IGBO(weed)

cummando:
Dem no go put word for your mouth. Wetin you no do dem no go say you do



ARRGBOW. an in Jedi Jedi,opa eyin,awopa,mokole,iba.....alakoba

sexybbstar:
This interview is over 2yrs old. Haha!

cummando:
Mama resemble woman wey dey sell us agbo

oyikocho:
[color=goldenrod]for all the fine babes in 9ja..I can't read this thing from beginning to the end[/color]

Afro beat legend’s wives open up on…
—
FELA, SEX & WEED

By Tony Ogaga

Last weekend, all roads led to Terra Culture, Victoria Island, Lagos, for the screening of a new musical on late afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, entitled ‘Fela and The Kalakuta Queens’, a musical written, produced and directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters of Terra Culture. Indeed it was a gathering of the crème de la crème of the industry as captains of industry, politicians, high networking individuals and thespians graced the red carpet. And of course, also in the house were two of Fela’s wives, Bolanle Babayale and Omolara. The pair opened up to Entertainer on life with the late afro beat maestro, narrating their lives and times with him.

Fela did not die of HIV –Laide Babayale

What would you say was your happiest moment with Fela?

Every time with him was exciting. Fela was a nice person to be with. You just loved him. Fela is from a wealthy background and I am also from a wealthy background but I fell in love with him because Fela was fighting for others, yet today, people are still suffering. See what is happening to our people; there is so much poverty. A lot of people cannot afford three square meals. Our children are running away from the country everyday to go and meet their untimely deaths. It is so sad.

Twenty years after, are we doing enough to honour the man, Fela and the women who stood by him?

It is only Bolanle Austin Peters that is doing anything to honour him and his wives. Apart from her, there is no other person doing that. It is only the children that are doing Felabration and they are just doing it for their own pocket; it is not for us. Bolanle is honouring Fela today because she knows and appreciates what Fela stood for. I don’t know how old she was when Fela was alive, but she is still celebrating Fela after 20 years, a time when everybody has forgotten about us. When Bolanle called me and said she wanted to celebrate us, I was like ‘why, who are we?’ May God bless her soul for remembering the women that stood and fought with Fela? Since Fela died we have been completely forgotten. Bolanle really gave us honour.

How did you feel when Fela died in 1997?

I was at work that day and the news was a big shock to me. Because too many people were coming to Kalakuta then, the place became overcrowded so I had to go back to my parents’ house. It was from there that I started working as a working class woman. When he was sick I went to see him with the late Olikoye Ransome Kuti, Aunty Dolu and late Sola was also there. It was about two weeks after that he died. He always advised us to work hard. He never tolerated docile people and he always paid us well. When I saw him I knew he was going to die. I cried as I left his room that day. I cried because I never expected to see him in the condition that I saw him.

How did you meet Fela and how did you end up one of his Queens?

That was while I was in secondary school. My house was opposite the Shrine at Surulere Night Club. That was how I met him and became his dancer. I started with Fela as a girlfriend before he eventually married me.

You mean Fela asked you out?

No, he just saw me and said he liked me and I also liked him; it was a mutual feeling.

Here was the big artiste, Fela, and there you were a young girl in school. Were you not intimidated by his status?

I felt that way, but that was what I wanted; that was what I was looking for. I am a music lover. I was in love with Fela. It was the music that attracted me to him.

How did your parents take it that their daughter was in love with Fela?

They did not take it lightly at all. What we saw on stage today is exactly what happened, because I was taken out of Fela’s house more than 10 times and I always went back. There was no time I stayed away (laughter).

Did they ever come to terms with the fact that their daughter was head over heels for Fela?

They did not. Up till today they have not accepted it.

In 1977 he married 27 of you. What could have led to that?

Fela loved us and was not happy with the way people were treating his women. He married us because he wanted to make us proud; he did not want us to be disgraced. They used to call us prostitutes and Ashewo, Igbo (Indian hemp) smokers and this made us very unhappy. He knew how we had fought with him and suffered for him. We left everything, sacrificed everything just to be with him. We never abandoned him to surfer alone; anywhere they were taking him to we went with him. By marrying us he gave us honour and showed us appreciation. He wanted us to be respected as responsible and hard working wives.

Could you recount 1977 when Kalakuta Republic was burnt down?

I was with Mama. It was both of us that first saw the soldiers. I was so close to Fela, I was the one taking care of her. I took care of Mama till she died. I started taking care of her in 1974.

What kind of a woman was she?

Oh, it is thumbs up to her. Everybody knew who Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was. She was the woman that fought for Universal Adult Suffrage, she was the woman that sent an Alake away from the throne, and she was the first woman that drove a car in Nigeria. She was a pioneer and an inspiration to millions of Nigerian women.

Fela in a song said that she was thrown out of the window and that was what led to her death…

Of course, I was beside her when they came for her.

Can you recount that moment?

My brother, it is so long ago and painful. I don’t want to relive it again. I never had any premonition that anything untoward was going to happen that morning. I was in Mama’s room and I had just made food for her which she ate and we sat down and were chatting, while Fela was sleeping in his room. Suddenly, all hell broke loose; I was lucky to have escaped with my life.

You were her nurse. What were the last words she told you?

We were in the hospital together at LUTH and from there to General Hospital Lagos. Her condition was so bad she could not speak for a while because of her injuries. I was the one feeding her alongside her first daughter.

You were so many queens under one roof with Fela, how were you all able to live in peace under one roof?

There is no secret. We all had our own space. In a room we had like 16 of us and you must not violate your neighbour’s space.

A lot of times Fela was beaten up and arrested. Wasn’t there a time you felt he might not survive the beatings?

Lai lai! I always knew he was coming back to us and we waited for him. We knew that they could never kill Fela, because he never killed anybody. The only weapon he had was his music.

What was the greatest advice Fela gave you?

Fela asked me if I still wanted to go to school and study but I said no. He wanted me to go back to school but I told him that life had ‘entered’ my body and I did not want to go back. And so he said I must work, which was what I did throughout our years together.

How much was he paying you per show?

No, he never paid us for shows. We took our salary every Monday; we were his workers.

Twenty years after his death, are you still missing Fela?

Very much! That was why after Fela died I could not remarry or stay with any man, because I was so in love with Fela. His standard was too high. He was too generous. He was every woman’s dream; he was a disciplinarian who knew how to handle his women.

What year did you leave Fela?

I never left Fela. I was with him till the very end even after I moved back to my parent’s house, I still kept seeing him.



So, what do you do now?

I am a retiree; a pensioner to be precise.

After your experience with Fela, would you advise your children to go into music?

My children are doing their own-o. I don’t interfere with their dreams and they are successful businessmen and women.

Do you have any regrets meeting Fela?

I have none. He was the greatest thing that happened to me.

There was this report after Fela’s death that he died due to HIV. As a woman who knew him very well, what is your take?

I don’t believe that. Fela did not die of AIDS. I still wonder what gave them that impression. What killed Fela was the beating he received from soldiers for many years. He was always in pain because of the beatings and that affected his health seriously. I totally disagree that Fela died of AIDS.

I will miss Fela till I die- Omolara

20 years after Fela died, are you still missing him?

Fela is one man you can never forget. He was my boss and I worked for him. He was a very nice man. He let me to know the truth about life; he opened my eyes. I travelled to a lot of countries with him, beginning from Ghana, Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy, to mention a few; we went all over the world.

How did you meet Fela?

I met Fela at Moshalashi. I had known him for long and I loved his music. So I wanted to stay in his house and be one of his dancers and he welcomed me; I was very young then.

What was your happiest moment with him?

Every time with him was happy. There were no dull moments. Fela was running an empire. We were all working and Kalakuta was like a country. Fela never tolerated docility; if you must be with him you must work and earn money.

Fela was a perfectionist. As a dancer, how many hours did you rehearse with him weekly?

We did not play every day. We had a teacher then, Ajayi Ogunde, one of late Pa Ogunde’s sons. He came on Thursdays and Saturdays and we exercised a lot. On Sunday we had Sunday’s Jump and on Tuesdays we had Ladies Night where ladies don’t pay. We had shows on Tuesdays, Fridays Saturdays and Sundays and after they burnt Fela’s house, we moved to Cross Roads Hotel at Jibowu, Lagos. Fela took me all over the world for shows.

The day Fela’s house was raided in 1977, where were you?

They had raided before and packed all of us, but what happened that day was evil. I was in Kalakuta and those soldiers had no mercy. I had just woken up and I was upstairs when suddenly we heard shouting and screaming and that was it. We were on the balcony discussing, so we all ran inside and they came for us with their clubs, petrol, whips and matches. I was hospitalised for two weeks. Later they charged us to court, but the judge discharged us because we had no case to answer. They beat the hell out of me. It was a very bad experience which I will never forget. They beat us mercilessly. It was a terrible day. They beat us and raped some of us. I was stabbed in a very delicate part of my body. It was a day of sorrow, tears and blood.

How did you take the news of Fela’s death?

I was shocked that he was gone. However I left his house in 1984.

Why did you leave?

I must leave. I had to leave. Would I stay in Fela’s house for life?

He married all of you as his Queens in 1977, how did you feel?

I felt happy. The experience was great. I was not really expecting it, but when it happened I was very happy. He gave us honour and respect with that move. I left his house in 1984.

Was it when he divorced all of you in 1984 that you left?

Divorce? Fela never divorced any of us; not at all. I left his place and returned to my family house and today I am a caterer. After that I gave myself to Jesus and became born again. It is not that I hated Fela’s lifestyle, but I needed to have a religion. I belong to Christ now.

Today, Fela is a global brand and people talk about him. How do you feel being one of Fela’s Queens?

I feel great and I am very proud of him. That was why I said Bolanle is doing so much after 20 years. When I went to Fela’s house I had a mission. We are not prostitutes. Some of us are Magistrates’ daughters. We were from good homes. Fela happened to me for a purpose. Fela is part of my life and I have no regrets. Life is all about taking one step after the other towards self discovery and actualization. Fela was one of those steps I had to pass through to reach my destiny.

What lessons did you learn from Fela?

I learnt a lot to be honest and hard working. I am not ashamed to be one of Fela’s girls. I worked for him, I am not a prostitute. And my family never rejected me. Whenever I went home, they welcomed me. Even my mother knew I was staying in Fela’s house and it was not a big deal. Fela was grossly misunderstood.

Are any of your kids taking after you as a dancer today?

I don’t discuss my private life.

How do you feel about the musical Fela and his queens

Wow! God used Bolanle Austin-Peters to promote us as Fela’s girls and not as prostitutes. Fela was a nice man. He hated cheating. I thank God for Bolanle, God used her to help us. When we were in Kalakuta, Fela gave us so much respect. Laide was my senior in Fela’s house. People used to call us Igbo smokers and prostitutes but we were actually workers. We were working for Fela. I was a dancer and I travelled a lot with Fela. He took me all over the world. He fought for the rights of the down trodden. I will miss him forever.

As Fela’s Queens, how did you all live in peace?

The secret is that we all loved each other and had each other’s back.

Godsgal:
Half of a yellow sun, u mean.

If Nigerians fail to rise up against a proposed law to regulate activities of civil society organisations (CSOs), the effects will be devastating, Amnesty International has warned.

Amnesty said the bill is capable of “shrinking the freedom of Nigerians.”

Despite the opposition the bill has faced, the House of Representatives announced on Monday that it would push through with a public hearing, having passed Second Reading.

The public hearing on the bill is slated for December 13-14.

But, AI warned in a statement, yesterday, that government and “people in power are currently trying to rush this bill through, in order to quickly silence us. The Nigerian government has just announced a public vote on a designed bill, to take away the freedoms of the Nigerian people.

“And, if you don’t act now and vote against it before December 14, when the public hearing finishes, it could be too late.

“The bill will have devastating effects on Nigerians which is why they are trying to pass it as quickly as possible, before too many people take action to stop it.

“The so-called ‘NGO’ bill will keep Nigerians from freely sharing their opinions, holding open discussion forums or organising people to protest.”

Former Education minister, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu and Senator Shehu Sani are some of the high-profile proponents of the bill.

Sponsor of the bill and Deputy House Leader, Bala Jubril, in September, said there is no going back on the proposed legislation.

“Its passage will regulate registration, funding and use of foreign consultants by certain aid donors and organisations providing humanitarian services in the country.”
The bill, which has seven chapters and 58 clauses, states that “funds pledged by donors (to NGOs) must be disclosed before implementation of projects, including mode of disbursement and conditions attached to the funding by (the) donor,” among other highlights.

Shortly after the bill came to life, Odinkalu had released a video explaining its consequences and impact on religious bodies, humanitarian agencies and also, the traditional esusu system.

BabaRamota1980:
OP,
Let the cabal catch you talking this secret out in public like that. You go smell your yansh

• Osinbajo likely to retire to full ministry at Redeemed Church

By Ismail Omipidan

Fourteen months to the next presidential election, there are indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have President Muhammadu Buhari-Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ticket, as one of its jokers for the 2019 election.

Competent sources close to The Redeemed Church told Daily Sun that Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, may have indicated to the church authorities that he would not be averse to a return to pastoral life.

He is a senior pastor of the church conglomerate.

Although president Buhari is yet to officially declare his bid for re-election, apart from a recent declaration that he may seek Nigerians’ votes again, it was gathered that Osinbajo’s replacement with Tinubu is being mooted as a way to have a solid South West support for the APC, in the face of a South East-South-South alliance in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Competent sources said the APC and Buhari tendencies in the party, which want another victory in 2019, reasoned that it is important to rally the South West behind the president.

It was gathered that towards this end, the Buhari tendencies recommended that a more popular politician from the South West should pair with the president in 2019.

The name of Tinubu came up as it is believed that he is the only singular South West personality who could effectively mobilise support for Buhari and the APC in the zone.

Those pushing for this said with South South and South East strongly behind PDP, the APC needs the South West to counter-balance the structure in the South. Tinubu’s VP candidacy is believed to guarantee this.

Those in the know revealed that the recent rapprochement between Buhari and Tinubu was geared towards “concretising the arrangement” of having two of them as presidential and vice presidential candidates in 2019.

Daily Sun gathered that until recently, the relationship between Buhari and Tinubu was frosty. Afraid that this may jeopardise Buhari’s re-election, the president’s political strategists recommended the wooing of the former Lagos governor.

Sources revealed that the wedding of Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s daughter in Lagos, recently, paved the way for emissaries from the Buhari camp to meet with Tinubu.

After the Lagos meeting, during Saraki’s daughter’s wedding, Tinubu was invited by the Presidency to grace the public presentation of a book on Buhari’s achievements. Thereafter, Tinubu accompanied Buhari on a trip outside the country, where further meetings on 2019 elections were held.

Apparently, after weighing the options, the Buhari-Tinubu ticket came into consideration.

Meanwhile, Tinubu’s camp has denied the existence of any such arrangement.

Although efforts to get Tinubu’s media aide, Mr. Tunde Rahman, to speak on the development proved abortive, a senior member of Tinubu’s camp said: “we dont have anything to say on the matter now,” but added: “let’s talk more on this later in the day.” That was yesterday.

He, however, refused to get back to our reporter as promised. Several calls to his mobile line were not asnwered.

This is not the first time the APC would moot the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

In the run up to the 2015 election, Tinubu left no one in doubt that he was desirous of running with Buhari. It was gathered that Buhari, at the time, had also conceded to Tinubu before some party chieftains, but, some powerful forces in the party, including Saraki, frustrated the plot.



Saraki would later lend credence to this fact in April 2016, when he tried to explain why Tinubu was after him.

He said: “… I have also been accused of helping frustrate some people’s opportunity to emerge as president Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate. But, I have no problem with anybody. My concern was that it would not be politically smart of us to run with a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“I doubt if we would have won the election if we had done this, especially after the PDP had successfully framed us as a Muslim party. I felt we were no longer in 1993. Perhaps, more than ever before, Nigerians are more sensitive to issues of religious balancing. This, my brother, was my original sin. What they say to themselves, among other things, was that if he could conspire against our ambition, then, he must not realise his own ambition as well. For me, however, I have no regrets about this. I only stood for what I believed was in the best interest of the party and in the best interest of Nigeria.”

Later this year, Tinubu also confirmed what had long been dubbed mere speculation when he revealed that Saraki and the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, worked against Buhari’s plan to make him his running mate, in the run-up to the 2015 presidential contest.

Tinubu, in the book “Against the Run of Play,” written by the Chairman, Editorial Board of ThisDay, Olusegun Adeniyi, which was presented to the public this year, said Saraki, El-Rufai and other senior members of the PDP, who joined the APC, in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, were the ones who instigated Buhari and some APC chieftains not to pick him as running mate.

He said: “What they (Saraki and others from the PDP) did behind my back was wrong. We always do things as a group. By the time they joined, we were already too far ahead in our processes, but, we accommodated them.

“We agreed to take their state structures and subsume them into the party and they all had their opportunity to nominate the candidates of their choices for different political offices. But, they went behind to instigate Buhari and some other people in the party against me on the pretext of religion. That was not right. They were canvassing arguments that the Christians in the North would not vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Nasir el-Rufai was also selling the same argument within the CPC (the defunct Congress for Progressive Change) because, at that point, he still wanted to have Pastor (Tunde) Bakare brought in as Buhari’s running mate.”



Also, Osinbajo’s men refused to respond to calls and SMS sent to them for comments.

As at the time of going to press, Osinbajo’s spokesperson, Laolu Akande, had yet to respond to the SMS sent to him, including telephone calls.

But, a source close to Osinbajo’s camp told Daily Sun, “you guys are just underrating that man. Don’t underrate Osinbajo; he is capable of being his own man when it matters most.

“Are you aware that that period Buhari was sick, when many thought he won’t return, moves were on to make the VP run in 2019, with a northern candidate? So, how will you now conclude it will be easy to just shove such a man aside? Have you also thought of what the reaction from the Christian community would be? All these are things that will come into play, in taking this decision. Till then, let’s leave it at that for now,” the source said.

christejames:
We've been scammed by them right from the onset... All the promises from them is nothing but a mirage.
Watch out how Lai Mohammed will claim it was due to the just concluded PDP convention that the downstream sector is finding it difficult to supply Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

anigbajumo:
Da same boosting that sent GEJ back to his village...

konoplyanka:
But some iboe anylists on one thread are saying the south west vote is not needed in PDP to win. I wish PDP would have zero vote in the south west in 2019 and let's see the outcome of the election.

sokera:
you don't need to beg SW, let every individual do what he or she thinks is right , What I know is that anyone that underrate the SW get hurt and burnt badly ...

NgeneUkwenu:
PDP's Defeat in 2019 will be epic!

lawrykings:
I was pre selected but cant find my name in the LGA I Registered I have checked other LGA too still can't find what do I do Sir? I really need this as i am helpless at this point, help a brother out sir please!

reuben79:
don't disturb urself pdp as fail already in southwest..........and pdp will fail again 2019 ,i can bet it with everything