PATIENCE FAKA JONATHAN: AN UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY

Patience Faka Jonathan was born on 25th October, 1957,in Port Harcourt, present day Bayelsa state, Nigeria. She is married to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan , hence she is currently First lady of Nigeria.

According to Wikipedia, she earned her school certificate in 1976, and passed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 1980. In 1989, she obtained the National Certificate of Education (NCE) in Mathematics and Biology from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She then proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt and studied for a B.Ed in Biology and Psychology.

Patience Jonathan started her career as a teacher at the Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt and Sports Institute Isake. She then moved to the banking sector in 1997, where she established the first community bank in Port Harcourt called the Akpo Community Bank.

She served as Marketing Manager of Imiete Community Bank. She returned to the classroom briefly again as a teacher. Eventually she was transferred to the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, where she served until 29 May 1999 when her husband became the Deputy Governor of the state.

Patience Jonathan, in her capacity as  the first Lady of Bayelsa State between 2005 and 2007, when her husband Goodluck Jonathan served as Governor, she founded many philanthropic and women empowerment programs, among them are the A-Aruere Reachout Foundation (AARF), which she set up to improve the status and earning capacity of Nigerian women and youths. The foundation already has its focus on supporting and assisting children with heart-related problems.

On 12 July 2012, she was appointed as permanent secretary in Bayelsa state by a Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson

Patience Jonathan has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally for her philanthropic work and political pragmatism. She received the “Beyond The Tears” International Humanitarian Award New York, USA, in 2008, for her role in the global fight against HIV/AIDS; the African Goodwill Ambassador Award (Los Angeles, USA, 2008) and the recipient of the "Wind of Change" Award from the South/South Women’s Organization.

In recent past, Mrs Jonathan committed some grammatical blunders she was addressing her people thus:‘’  My Husband and Sambo is a good people . The President was once a Child and the Senators were once a Children. My Fellow Widows. A Good Mother takes care of his Children. The people sitting before you here were once a Children. Yes we are all happy for the effort,it is not easy to carry second in an international competition like this one – Addressing Press men after Female Under 19 Fifa World Cup. The Bombers who born them?wasn’t it not a woman? They were once a Children now a adult now they are bombing women and children making some children a widow. My Heart feels sorry for these Children who have become Widows by losing their Parents for one reason or another. We should have love for our fellow Nigerians irrespective of their NATIONALITY?. vote UMBLERRA and press your finger for UMBLERRA’’

The most recent is the controversy during the crisis over 230 girls abducted by Boko Haram.  First lady in her televised lamentation about the whole Chibok kidnapping drama when she said thus: ‘Do u come with 2teachers or u weren't informed too? Continuuu no Problem God will see us. There's God. There's God in everything we re doing. Those Bloods thatre sharing in Borno will answer. What of 2teachers Waec. Do u come with any? Plincipa notu u only u Waka come? Okay. Now d first Lady calling u,I want to help u. Come to find ur Paren ur Child dat missing child,will u keep quiet? No Cheii Cheii.There's Goduuuu oo. There's Goduuu oo. The Bloods we re sharing. There's Goduuuuu oooo. There's Goduuuuu’

According to  Wasiu Deji Sodeinde , in his write-up , he wrote ‘’After reading the many faux pas of the Nigerian first lady: Patience Jonathan, I became curious and wanted to know more about the educational background of the woman whose many utterances have become subject of ridicules on the social media. I was amazed by what I gathered from my search. .......If the above biography is true about Mrs. Jonathan, I think those criticizing the lady are very unfair to her. They are unfair because, they failed to see her special attributes. She appears to be a very slow learner and may have learning disability.

I have no doubt that in my mind that she is trying very hard to learn how to be a First Lady.
And if Patience' critics have been patient enough to go through her bio-data, they would have known that she didn't graduate from primary school until she was 19 and managed to pass her WASCE in 1980 (At the ripe age of 23 when people of her age were already leaving university. She also had her NCE nine years later (in 1989 at the motherly age of 32) ‘’

On this note, I am appealing on behalves of our dear first lady to please stop criticizing her...learning is a continuous process.

SIKIRU KAYODE ADETONA: AWUJALE OF IJEBULAND @80

Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR,(we always use name to address the King) Ogbagba  II is an Alaiyeluwa,  Awujale of Ijebuland .(Ti Gbogb Ijebu T’ile T’oko). Born to Anikilaya 1 Ogbagba Royal family of Ijebu-Ode ,to Prince Rufai Adetona, whilst his mother was Alhaja Ajibabi Adetona (née Onashile), on May, 10, 1934.  

He attended Baptist School, Ereko, Ijebu Ode; Ogbere United Primary School, Oke Agbo, Ijebu Igbo; and Ansar-Ud-Deen School, Ijebu Ode between 1943 and 1950. For his secondary education, he was at Olu-Iwa (now Adeola Odutola) College, Ijebu Ode from 1951 to 1956. Between 1957 and 1958 he took up appointment with the then Audit Department of the Western Region. Ibadan. He   resigned his appointment in 1958 to pursue further studies in accountancy in the United Kingdom.       

He was recalled back home in 1959 to become the next Awujale having been put forward by his father, who was next in line to the throne. On January 18, 1960, the Head of the Ijebu Ode Regency Council, the Ogbeni-Oja, Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola formally presented the new traditional ruler to the whole world .He became king on the 2nd day of April, 1960. Alaiyeluwa S.K.Adetona has three wives and nine (9) children and has ruled Ijebuland from 1960 till date.

He has several honorary degrees including the Doctor of Law (LL.D) from the University of Technology, Yola; Doctor of Civil Law (D.CL) from Ogun State University, now Olabisi Onabanjo University amongst other awards. He is an honest statesman, an astute businessman and a symbol of peace and unity.

The ‘Awujale served in the Western House of Obas, he has been Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Traditional Rulers, he has served as special envoy to South Africa, also as member of the Political Reform Assembly and as Chancellor of a Federal University, his book also shows that at many critical moments in Nigerian history he has been privileged to exercise influence, offer advice and guide the new leaders, but nonetheless, he laments the violation of the traditional institution by ambitious arrivistes as the root cause of the Nigerian crisis, even as he points out the opportunism of the traditional ruling elite.’

Ti omode o ba ba itan, a  ba aroba, In his biography titled  AWUJALE-The Autobiography of Alaiyeluwa Oba S.K Adetona, Ogbagba (II Pp. 50-52) Alayeluwa described the colonial experience of the Ijebus Thus:  “Then the White man came. They showed great curiosity about our land and wanted a foothold in Ijebu-Ode but we would not let them in. They wanted access to the land as shortcut to reach the hinterland. They wanted access to advance their religion. They wanted access to extend their domination. We rebuffed the first missionaries.

The consuls were rebuffed. Both the missionaries and the consuls were miffed by Ijebu’s intransigence in the protection of our land…

The final blow to attack us came in 1892 when, following a much doctored treaty, slanted totally in favour of the British, the Ijebus still resisted the entry of the consul’s representative and their religious counterparts. The British responded by unleashing their military might on us as a punishment for daring to protect our land and for our isolationist policy. We were no match for their superior firepower.

This was the Magbon expedition. It must be remembered that before the incursion of the Whites into our land, our institutional structure as outlined earlier, had held the community together. This was now violently dismantled. Having conquered the land, the

White man smashed our leadership and their spiritual hold. They took over our government, along with the control of the land and our religious establishment. This conquest whittled down the institutional forces that had long reigned before the advent of the Whites.

In replacement came their colonial government, the cross and much later the crescent. The effects of the Magbon war were devastating on Ijebu-Ode and the Awujale in particular. Soon after the British occupation, most of the subordinate chiefs in the outlying districts began to question, disown and abandon the authority of the Awujale in favour of the colonial administrative officer who took over the administration of the land.

Religious converts particularly, challenged the Awujale’s powers to adjudicate on conflicts… The colonialists initially found favour with the educated elite, and religious converts, favourable to displacement of the Chiefs. Language, religion and education were the connection cord between the elite and the colonialists. It is ironic that many of those favoured elites were the offspring’s of those who had been sold away as slaves.

The leadership ladder was turned upside down and the traditional chiefs were now at the mercy of the colonialists and their former slaves.

All the same from the early 1900s to 1960, it was the same educated elite who were in the vanguard of the nationalists’ movement leading to independence. They fought to replace the colonialists, although unfortunately without giving much thought to culture heritage and cultural modification to weld the old and the new. This displacement marks the beginning till today of a nation not at ease with its roots.

The advent of the Whites gave birth to two worlds in one society: that is, an ebbing traditional system and a flagging Western system. It is a muddle that we have not totally resolved such that the politicians took over from the colonialists and the military in similar vein, took over from the politicians, while sidelining the traditional rulers.

This background history was given to me and the unwritten lesson that could be drawn from it was that it was now up to me to raise the status of my forefather’s office that had been in decline to its old prestige, if not higher”

According to Alaiyeluwa Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, he put it on record that “prior to the advent of colonial rule, the administration of Ijebu, then known as the Ijebu ‘nation’, was firmly under the authority of the Awujale. By the time I got into office in 1960, there were only a few Obas in position in Ijebuland and the notable ones among them are the Dagburewe of Idowa, Ajalorun of Ijebu Ife, Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo, Lenuwa of Ode-Omi, Akija of Ikija, Onipe of Ibuarijan, Olowu of Owu-Ijebu, Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye and Oloko of Ijebu Mushin. THESE WERE THE SENIOR OBAS UNDER THE AWUJALE”. However, the above is now history as Awujale has elevated some chiefs to the position of Obaship.

Oba S K Adetona, an experience Oba, proffers three guidelines as to how a traditional ruler can maintain his integrity, namely: 'traditional ruler must have an independent means of livelihood, and not be vulnerable to the "caprice of the politicians in power." A traditional ruler must also be neutral in political matters and three; he must be "stubborn and unwavering in his refusal to compromise the truth or the integrity of the Obaship institution, whatever the occasion." 

Awujale, a down to earth personality said “Corruption has become part of our life in this country, from our leaders and even the Obas are not left out, there is corruption everywhere. It is the greatest problem facing us as a country, and we have to overcome it to move forward.”

 Oba S K Adetona The Awujale of Ijebuland ,wants the myths around the enthronement and burial of kings exposed, he insists on the modernization of the institution in relation to ancient practices. On this very idea, i disagree with Alaiyeluwa, because the myths around the enthronement and burial of kings is what we regards as sacred, hence the secrecy must go on.

Happy 80th Anniversary Bami.

STILL ON BOKO HARAM: 'IF WE REMAIN SILENT THIS WILL SPREAD'....MALALA

"If we remain silent this will spread" This is the words of Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani school girl who was shot sometime ago by an al-Qaeda terrorist group who were against girls education in Pakistan. Malala made this frantic call on behalves of the Chibok school girls that were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorit.

While Nigerian leaders were playing politics with the life of our future generations, concerned people all over the world were proffer suggestion and offer to help us, Former UN chief Kofi Annan says security forces should be used to free the kidnapped girls, the, US President Barack Obama described the abductions as heart-breaking” and “outrageous” and said he hoped the kidnapping might galvanise the international community to take action against Boko Haram.. The US has despatched a team of experts to Nigeria.On Thursday, the UK said it was also sending a small team to provide the government with planning and co-ordination advice. The team should be on the ground within days.

On the local scene, the Nigerian Police high command in their statement said that they ‘offered a $300,000 (£180,000) reward to anyone who can help locate and rescue more than 200 abducted schoolgirls.’ This statement is a salt upon injury! If police cannot use all the resources both personnel and arms at their possession to free our girls who will then do?

Boko Haram,loosely translated from the local Hausa language, Boko that is Western education, while haram means forbidden."Western education is forbidden" was formed in 2002, by Mohammed Yusuf, a Muslim cleric, they regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, even when the country had a Muslim president

According to first lady in her televised lamentation about the whole Chibok kidnapping drama when she said thus: ‘Do u come with 2teachers or u weren't informed too? Continuuu no Problem God will see us. There's God. There's God in everything we re doing. Those Bloods thatre sharing in Borno will answer. What of 2teachers Waec. Do u come with any? Plincipa notu u only u Waka come? Okay. Now d first Lady calling u,I want to help u. Come to find ur Paren ur Child dat missing child,will u keep quiet? No Cheii Cheii.There's Goduuuu oo. There's Goduuu oo. The Bloods we re sharing. There's Goduuuuu oooo. There's Goduuuuu’

God dey o.

ANNE KANSIIME: UNDISPUTED AFRICA'S QUEEN OF COMEDY

Anne Kansiime , beautiful, talented award winning comedienne, Actress, writer and a singer is our own made in Africa comedian, proud Mukiga from Mparo,Kabale, Uganda, 

A graduate of Social Sciences from Makerere University, an old girl of Kabale primary school and Bweranyangi Girls in Bushenyi, Anne owns/hosts the ‘Don’t Mess with Kansiime’ television show on Citizen TV in Kenya .

If you are from Africa continent, even anywhere in the world and you say that you have never come across one of the “Africa’s Queen of Comedy’s”, hilarious jokes either on Facebook or YouTube then you are not from this planet Earth!

Anne won: BEFFTA 2013 (Best Comedian) winner. Lagos International Festival 2013 (Best Actress) winner.  Social Media Awards   (Favourite Celebrity) winner.

Some of her memorable quotes that i like so much are: 'Never accept to be ignored by anyone even if you are applying for a job’. ‘Beauty is best from within but there is no problem trying to show some of it on the outside too.’ 'When u pray today, give thanks no matter the situation. He already knows our problems and loves the thankful heart’.

Have you watched her video clip : Is he cheating? If your answer is NO, try to watch it and if your answer is YES then answer her question: Are you sure he is cheating on u with her or he is cheating on her with u?  "Don't mess with Kansiime."  Proudly Ugandan, Proudly African.

Enjoy one of her jokes in London: Being here in London reminds me of one of the best jokes about this city that I have ever heard:

"A Ugandan lady sat next to two male Londoners at the counter of a London pub, waiting to be served.

The barman came over to take their orders. As you might have inferred by now, a number of wines and beverages in 'outside countries' are named after their founders.

The British guy made his order – "Johnnie Walker; Single."

The American guy said – "Jack Daniels; Single."

The barman finally turned to the Ugandan lady and asked, "…aaaand you ma'm?"

A little confused & not sure if the question called for one to introduce themselves, the lady replied – "Joan Ssendawula; I'm married."

FACT ABOUT SAMBISA FOREST: BOKO HARAM ABODE IN BORNO STATE''THE HOME OF PEACE''

Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State. The state is dominated by the Kanuri and Babur while few Shuwa Arab[citation needed]ethnic groups are found. According to historian, Shuwa Arabs are mainly the descendants of Arabized  Fulani people.

The state lying within latitude 100N to 130N and longitude 11.040E and 14.040E, has an area of 69,435 SQ KM and is the largest State in the Federation in terms of land mass. Located in the North Eastern corner of Nigeria, the State occupies the greatest part of the Chad Basin and shares borders with the Republics of Niger to the North, Chad to the North-East and Cameroun to the East.

Borno State is divided into 27 Local Government Areas, grouped into three Senatorial Districts:That is: Borno Central Senatorial District: is made up of the following Local Government Areas:- MMC, Ngala, Kala/Balge, Mafa, Konduga, Bama, Jere and DIkwa; Borno South Senatorial District: is made up of the following Local Government Areas Askira Uba, Bayo, Biu, Chibok, Damboa, Gwoza, Hawul, Kwaya Kusar and Shani and Borno North Senatorial District: is made up of the following Local Government Areas Abadam, Gubio, Guzamala, Kaga, Kukawa, Magumeri, MArte, Mobbar, Monguno and Nganzai

 In addition to the Senatorial structure above,there are 7 Emirate Councils in the State as follows:-1. Borno Emirate2. Dikwa Emirate3. Biu Emirate4. Askira Emirate
5. Gwoza Emirate 6. Shani Emirate 7. Ubar Emirate.

“The Home of Peace” the acronym of Borno State ,well as the State is known for its peaceful and hospitable in the past, what about  the existence of Boko Haram, linked with kidnapping, raping, killing, bombing and genocide perpetrated by this group doing in the state?

The Borno state Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Tourism, the Ministry saddle with responsibility to  formulate and implementation of commercial, industrial and tourism laws and policies, and programmes of the state Government never made mention of Sambisa Forest Game Reserve, which once used to be tourist attraction in Borno State in their web page, instead they are fooling themselves by saying ‘’  Borno State being a gateway to North and Central Africa has a lot of potentials for tourism and we have made effort to completely rehabilitate the Maiduguri State Hotel to complete favourably with other Hotels in the State.’’

Sambisa Forest Reserve .a game reserve in colonial era, are located is in the north-eastern states of Borno,Yobe,Gombe,Bauchi,Jigawa and parts of Kano state in the far north,  It covers an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometres.

However, with the change in events in Nigeria,as of 2014 till date, it is now a no go area because its considered  a refuge of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Sambisa Forest Game Reserve, which once used to be tourist attraction in Borno State,was a game reserve that dates back to colonial era.  In 1991, the then Borno State government incorporated it into the Chad Basin National Park with a total area of about 2,258 square kilometres. This Chad Basin National Park also included the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands in modern day Yobe State 

The Sambisa Game Reserve was in the past had leopards, lions, elephants, hyenas and huts built for tourists to stay in. All these are now things of the past. As one writer put it ‘’in typical Naija style, we allowed the place to fall into a state of disrepair as the animals died, the roofs leaked, weeds covered the roads, water stopped flowing, there was no power and the whole reserve became another derelict white elephant’’

The Sambisa Game Reserve as of today is now the abode, headquarters, and command post of the dreaded Boko Haram from where it carries out murderous attacks on the rest of Nigeria 

What I do not really understand is the fact that with lot of Cartographers, Geographers, and Military tacticians, at our disposal in this country, Sambisa Game reserve is now place that cannot be located?

The worrisome of it is that there is no military presence in the area; the closest military presence is the Seventh Mechanised Division of the Nigerian army based in Maiduguri with approximately 9,000 men

Since our Police cannot police Nigerian any longer, and the State Security Service can no longer gathered intelligence reports, then what information would our military work on? It is thus no surprise that the victims of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping were taken into this forest by Boko Haram members because it has all the facilities to accommodate them.

 Can someone please tell us what is going on here? Ok o

CHUKWUDIFU OPUTA JSC (ret) CFR: NIGERIA HAS LOST FOREMOST JURY OF EXCELLENCE

Chukwudifu Oputa JSC (ret) CFR, was a foremost jurist of highest standing. As an eminent scholar in the field of the law, he tried his best to ensure that that our society has proper accomplishment that is beneficial to everyone.

 He stressed that law should not be static and that it should not stand still while the rest of the Nigerian nation moves on in a society crying for. He used his opportunity of sitting in the highest bench of the land to stress what JUSTICE is.

 This cannot be better expressed than as presented in his dictum (which I have cited several times as sine non qua), in the society in dire need of justice. It was his dictum in the case of GODWIN JOSIAH V THE STATE (1985) 1 NWLR (Part 11) page 125 at 141 where he stated that JUSTICE;
"is not a one way traffic. It is not for the appellant alone
Justice is not even 2-way traffic. It is really three-way traffic-
justice for the appellant, accused for heinous crime of murder,
justice for the victim, the murdered man , the deceased, 
'whose blood is crying to heaven, for vengeance', and finally
justice for the society at large . The society whose 
social norms and values have been desecrated and 
broken by the criminal act complained of"

Oputa JSC captured this more aptly again, stressing 'equality before the law' in the case of KALU V THE STATE (1987) NWLR (Part 90) 503, where he stated that;
"It should be one and the same 
even-handed justice , blind to all
social distinctions and disparities
in Wealth and Status , 
and no respecter of any person "

Oputa JSC tongue-lashed people in power and authority for their executive recklessness and lawlessness, thinking that they are above the law , when he was emphatic that everyone is under the 'Rule of Law' .

This was his dictum in the locus classicus case of THE MILITARY GOVERNOR OF LAGOS STATE V ODUMEGWU OJUKWU (same late Ikemba) (1986) 11 NWLR (Part 18) Page 621 where he said;
"the rule of law presupposes 
i) the State is subject to the law 
ii) that the judiciary is the agency of the rule of law
iii) Government should respect the right of individual citizens under the rule of law; and
iv) that to the Judiciary is assigned both by the rule of law and the Constitution, the determination of all actions and proceedings relating to matters in dispute between persons or between persons , or between Government or an authority and any person in Nigeria "

His last most notable assignment even after his retirement was the Chairmanship of the 8-man Truth and Reconciliation Commission to which he was appointed along with others people like Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (Lord Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese). The proceeding was open, illuminating, educative and informative save the restraint of Government for issuance of White Paper on same pursuant to the order of Court at the instance of General Babangida who did not even appear before the Commission.

Oputa JSC was the father of a Lagos musician TV Producer and Presenter, Charlie Boy. The last I heard of Oputa JSC some 2 months ago was that he had stroke and was rushed to Owerri Fed Med Center . May his soul rest in perfect peace and may the Lord grant Charlie Boy and other siblings and relations left behind, fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

Adieu Justice Oputa CFR

Tribute by: Joseph Fagbola

SIR MIKE AGBOLADE OTEDOLA IS DEAD

Sir Michael  Agbolade Otedola, 87, an international journalist, PR consultant, member of corporate boards and philanthropist, is dead. The former Lagos state governor  is confirmed to have died today, Monday 5th of May2014.

Sir Otedola served under the Ibrahim Babangida administration as governor of Lagos state from 1992 to 1993; under the banner of National Republican Convention Party .He facilitated the establishment of the Epe campus of the Lagos state University, Lagos

He is the father of Femi Otedola, billionaire owner of Zenon Oil.

May his gentle soul rest in peace.