It was meant to be a low-key party, but the huge turnout of dignitaries at the 52nd birthday celebration of Taiwo Afolabi showed that the chief executive officer of Sifax Group is a gold fish which has no hiding place. It was another moment of jollity and conviviality at his Ikoyi home on Tuesday.
The soiree had old and new friends of the shipping magnate in attendance. From bankers to big players in the oil and gas industry, and from politicians to top players in the corporate world, the ceremony was a roll call of who is who, and for that, the SAHCOL boss was full of excitement.
Taiwo, no doubt, has done well for himself in the business world, even though some of his business moves had been dogged by controversy. For instance, the University of Jerusalem doctoral degree holder raised a lot of dust when he bought over SAHCOL sometime ago, following allegations from some quarters that the easy going socialite cum businessman was fronting for some top government functionaries. The allegation has since turned out to be unfounded.

THIS is a special appeal to the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and it is my belief that it will be of benefit to all the candidates who took the board’s examination this year.

According to the results recently released by the board, many candidates failed the examination. This is why it will be a wise decision to lower the cut-off marks for candidates seeking admissions to colleges of education, polytechnics and universities.

I am imploring the Registrar not to reject my wish which is not to benefit me alone. This is something that will benefit many Nigerians.

THE dust is yet to settle on the mysterious death of 34-year-old Victor Oguntibeju, who allegedly gave up the ghost while seeking spiritual consultation at the Christ Evangelical Power C&S Church in Akure, Ondo State.

Some unidentified persons were said to have set fire to the church in retaliation for the death of the deceased, who until his death was a popular welder in the community.

A community leader, Akin Akinnayajo, said the perpetrators were unknown, adding that they must have set ablaze the church building to avenge the death of Victor and the alleged complicity of the prophetess in charge of the church called Abiodun.

“No one knew when the church was set ablaze. From what I gathered, it must have been carried out late in the evening by aggrieved persons to punish Prophetess Abiodun for her complicity in the death of Victor.”

The Nation had reported last week how the late Victor Oguntibeju who, until his death resided at No 1, Ifelodun Street, Oke-Ijebu, Akure, allegedly visited the church located on Saka Ibrahim Street, Oke-Ukere,Akure, on Tuesday April 8, 2014 for a spiritual consultation..

The embattled Prophetess Abiodun was said to have given him a particular concoction known as agbo in local parlance to treat an undisclosed ailment. He allegedly developed complications after he took the concoction and died shortly after.

His distraught relations had been looking for him until the lid was blown on his whereabouts by a commercial motorcyclist popularly called Okada who took him to the church. The Okada rider had insisted that Prophetess Abiodun must know something about Victor’s whereabouts. She was subsequently arrested by the police and led detectives to a public morgue where she deposited Victor’s body as ‘Oluwaposi Mathew’

The late Victor got married to his wife, Toyin, about six months ago.His wife was said to have been delivered of a new baby on the day he died and the couple, according to sources, spoke on telephone shortly before the unfortunate incident.

“Victor did not live to see his new child and had barely enjoyed the bliss of his marriage which took place six months ago. He is also survived by aged parents. His mother is currently staying with his wife in Badagry, Lagos State.

“He never complained of battling with any ailment and I find it difficult to believe that he went to the church to take a concoction that could cure the undisclosed ailment. The prophetess should be held responsible and subsequently prosecuted for her complicity in the death of my good friend,” said one of Victor’s friends, who asked not to be named.

Apart from working as a welder, the deceased had just finished a degree programme at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Ogbomosho, Oyo State. He was to attend the convocation of the university before his unfortunate death about a month ago.

Our reporter gathered that Prophetess Abiodun is still being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Akure, at the time of filing this report.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr Wole Ogodo, had said last week that investigation was still ongoing.

AN Ota High Court has ruled that Ikoroko Ajangbo, Kaniwo Agbogbo Akindipe families, are the rightful owner of the vast land situated in Imojuba community in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The Fatusi Ogedengbe family had dragged the Akindipe family to court for trespassing over its land at Imojuba Town along Atan-Ota, Owode, Idiroko Road, Ogun State.

Giving his ruling, Justice Mobolaji  Ojo said the claimants could not prove their ownership of the land, noting that the counter-claim of the defendants succeeded.

He declared that the defendant-Ikoroko Ajangbo Kaniwo Agbobo Akindipe family, “is the one entitled to the grant of the statutory right of occupancy in respect of a vast area of land at Ajegunle, Onse Olose, Kajola, Iboro, Ajibawo, Oke-Ore, Maku, Olorunda villages in Ado-Odo/Ota local government of Ogun State which land is more particularly, delineated and verged red in plan No. MAG/LID 1/2013 drawn by M. A Laoye, registered surveyor, admitted as Exhibit 2 in there proceedings.”

He went further by granting a perpetual injunction restraining the Fatusi Ogedengbe family or its servants, privies or agents from committing any further acts of trespass on any portion of the land in dispute in the case.

The judgment handed down on April 10, 2014 also awarded a sum of N25, 000 to the defendant/counter-claimant as general damages for trespass committed by the claimant on various portions of the land particularly over Onse Olose and Kajola Iboro Villages/Area Verged Blue on the aforesaid plan.

The spokesman of the claimants, Chief Abiodun Fatusi, however, said that the family would soon file an appeal against the judgment.

“The judgment does not signify an end to the case because the law permits an appeal of judgment given by a lower court and we shall do that before too long.”

A 46-year- old trader, Olufunmilola Ogunmuyinwa, has been remanded in prison custody  for allegedly killing her 47-year-old ex -husband, Dare Ogunmuyinwa.

She was said to have stabbed him to death using a sharp object.

It was learnt that the duo had earlier gone their separate ways after they could not manage the altercation and quarrels that always occurred between them. They had a child before they separated.

The accused and her child were said to have subsequently moved into her father’s house at Olusoga Street Mushin, a suburb of Lagos State after the separation.

Fighting was said to have occurred between them on the January 12, 2014 when the deceased visited her at the father’s house.

She was alleged to have used a sharp glass to stab him on the neck in the course of the fight.  Efforts to rush him to the hospital yielded no fruits as he was said to have died on the way.

The defendant was thereafter arrested and arraigned before an Ebute Metta Magistrate’s Court for murder. The police prosecutor, Cousin Adams, applied that she should be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). He referred to Section 264 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

The presiding magistrate, K. O. Ogundare, admitted his plea.  He ordered the remand of the defendant pending legal advice from the DPP’s office. He later adjourned the matter to the June 9, 2014.

TWICE, a Lagos-based Pastor Gabriel Oyebode attempted suicide, twice he failed. He threw his congregants and family members into mourning when his third attempt succeeded on Saturday April 12, 2014.

The 49-year-old, a pastor of a popular Lagos pentecostal church in Ikorodu, according to sources, had been reported to the leadership of the church during his second attempt. He was said to have attempted to drown himself in a canal before bystanders prevented him.

One of his neigbours, who spoke in confidence, said: “But for his vigilant wife, who reported him to his family members, he would have killed himself last January. His second attempt also failed because those who saw him when he went to a nearby canal frustrated his attempt to drown in the canal.”

Our reporter gathered that he was making preparation to visit the  headquarters of the church in order to see the General Overseer when he hanged himself in a nearby bush.

A family friend, who asked for anonymity, said: “We heard that he was to visit the headquarters of the church before he went to a nearby bush in the neighbourhood and hanged himself. It was pathetic to see the dangling body of a church leader who should offer homilies to those contemplating suicide.”

Controversy, however, trailed his burial a few days later when traditionalists insisted he must be buried according to traditional rites since it was an abomination to commit suicide. His church member, however, disagreed arguing that Pastor Oyebode was a Christian till death and did not associate himself with traditional religion.

“The traditionalist insisted he committed abomination by killing himself and there was need to make propitiation and cleansing of the community before his remains can be buried in his house in order to avert the calamities that might trail his death.”

It was gathered that the remains of the cleric was later buried in his house on Ayorinde Kadejo Close, Owutu Ishawo, Ikorodu amid tears by members of his church, relatives and associates who described him as a very hard-working and zealous church cleric.

SUPER luxury brand, Silky Touch, is 30 in the luxury business.  Ever-exploring different frontiers 30 years ago, Silky Touch story has been defined “by a pioneering spirit” and one that has made its mark in the international fashion arena as a leading luxury brand of leather goods and apparel.

It is necessary to mention that Silky Touch has won several recognition awards such as the Business Development Initiative, BID, and International Award in the Gold category and Platinum category.

It sells the legendary Brioni suites which have been described as the Rolls Royce of men’s fashion.

The first Silky Touch store was opened in 1984, after which the brand began to slowly expand and open up branches in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

One who has gone ahead has gone far. That is one saying whose veracity has been reinforced by the life of the President of the Association of Indeginous Contractors, Otunba Lekan Osifeso. He was honoured last Saturday with the Special Recognition Awards by the Nigeria Union of Journalists on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.

The event, which was held at Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, saw the umbrella body of journalists acknowledging the contributions of the Otunba Adeshemowo of Ijebuland to the growth of the association. The Ijebu-born contractor, who has built a global brand in his company, Lekai Nigeria Limited, is a study in the power of determination.

Osifeso appears to have found early in life that diligence would take him to where luck would not. As such, he has been giving his all to his business. Lekai is one of the few indigenous companies that are leading the way in the construction sector. He has managed to become a major force in the effort to address unemployment and youth restiveness in Ogun State by taking many jobless youths off the streets.

Many are agreed that the allure of politics is strong. Whether for money or for power and influence, political office is a bride to court eternally, particularly for those who have tasted it. That is why the recent moves by Princess Oladunni Odu from her self-imposed exile would not come as a surprise to many observers.

The former top shot in the government of Ondo State is planning a comeback. This time, she wants to go to the Senate come 2015. How this would pan out in the long run remains to be seen, considering Odu’s withering political influence in the state.

Few years ago, her influence in the state was overwhelming as the Chairperson of Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB). That was during the administration of the late former Governor Olusegun Agagu. Nobody would have thought that any hurricane could sweep the lawyer-turned-politician off the state’s political space. But now, not a few fear that the former Commissioner of Education during military era in the state might have seen her best days in politics.

Before now, she had been courted by any government in power in the contemporary history of Ondo politics.

Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole will be 60 years on May 5, his reign in the premier university has largely been described as successful, but very little is known about his personal life and foray into the medical profession. Recently in his office, he had a chat with a group of journalists, he spoke extensively about his birth, adventures, and challenges as a Vice-Chancellor of Nigeria’s premier university. Tayo Johnson was there.

SIR, how has life been at 60?

I’m not yet 60 and I wouldn’t know how life is at 60. But you can say how has life been over the last 60 years? That will be a different story. It is a story of thanksgiving, appreciation simply because I was delivered inside a vehicle. So, by ordinary run of event maybe I shouldn’t be alive. For the fact that I’m alive is an evidence of God’s faithfulness, which is why I said thanksgiving.

It’s thanksgiving because I was born into a happy family. I’m a lucky son with lucky parents. I was all over the place travelling even with my uncles and so on. I enjoyed my youth. I started from Ilesa and came to Ibadan and then went to Akure. From Akure I then moved back to Ilesa and I was then lucky to have attended a good school – lucky because of the good teachers we had. International teachers I was taught Physics by a Canadian teacher, taught Chemistry by a Pakistani teacher, taught Biology by an Indian teacher and I’m not too sure anybody would have that privilege nowadays. And then, I was lucky to attend the University of Ibadan. And that is why I must thank God for where I am today. I do tell people that the Vice Chancellor is not the best, but one of the best. So, to be in this office is a privilege. At 60, I have to look back and thank God. And I will then make a conscious decision that henceforth I want to give back. I have taken enough from my parents and the country, and now I must give back give back to the society, give back to the nation and also of importance, the people.

You said you were born in a vehicle. Can you to shed light on that?

Well, my mother was a trader. So she ran into labour in her shop and all they could do was to quickly call Mr. Seun Abimbola, a prominent medicine vendor in Ilesa at that time, who had a vehicle. He took my mother to the hospital, but I was delivered inside the vehicle on the way to the hospital. We know that in this part of the world, one of the factors for death during labour is lack of supervision. Someone who delivered inside a vehicle obviously would not have supervision. So, I’m not a candidate ordinarily who should survive. That is why I said I’m lucky to be alive.

What impact does that have on you or what informed your choice of career?

To be honest it did not. I think what informed my choice of career is what I must say is divine. My father who was a trader had an usual relationship with some of the missionaries – doctors and laboratory scientists. And through that relationship, I paid regular visits to Wesley and I think I got drawn into the serene environment. Wesley was a top grade hospital in those days. The environment was classic green, the walls were white and neat, and everything was set. And anytime I visit Wesley I just wept, it was not the Wesley I knew in those days. But then I visited them. Back then, I used to come back to recreate the hospital environment. I will barricade myself and start calling some fictitious names asking them to come and take injection and then their medications. And an uncle of mine right there said: “This boy will be a doctor”. But then that I studied medicine is also divine. Let me state clearly that my original plan was to do Mathematics, Physics and Geography. I think I was designed by plan and I wanted to do Aeronautic Engineering. But then, I got attracted to two bright young graduates from the University of Ibadan, one taught Chemistry, the other taught Physics and I can tell you these bright doctors captivated me. And I think the other one also taught Biology. So, I became a follower or disciple of these bright teachers. And of course, it was not too difficult for the guidance counselor in the school. He advised me: “Oh you have to do this and that and you’ll end up being a doctor”.

Sir, talking about your background, you’ve been referring to your parents as traders, can you tell us more on that?

Well, my father was a trader and also a unionist to some extent before he became a trader and then a community person. My father owned a shop in Ilesa, Osun State. It used to be a big shop in those days, but when I visited the place a couple of weeks ago, it looks so small. My father happened to be an agent of UAC and GB Olivant, and I learnt quite a number of things from him. He was very meticulous. He believed in transparency and accountability. He would take stock every month and I was his accountant and auditor. And I carried that into administration. I know so much about accounting, about reconciliation and auditing and so, people are quite shocked that how come a medical doctor be talking about reconciliation, auditing and so on. But I grew up in such practice and it has become part of me.

Are from a rich background?

By any standard, I came from a modest background. But not too poor, because my father was able to afford school fees. And to me by any standard, if your father can pay your school fees… then, my father had a bicycle. In those days, we don’t have cars.

Do you have everything at your disposal to make life comfortable?

I wouldn’t say so. I think I and others had what we needed to survive and then, my father one way or the other believed in education. In our house, he created a reading room. It was the biggest room downstairs in the storey building that it was created. It had a long table and chairs. He encouraged all my colleagues, friends including those of my brothers and sisters to come into the house and read. And we had electricity in those days. Quite a number of my classmates would come home to read with us. Many of us in those days read over night. Reading over night was quite fascinating.

Sir, there are some life-changing adventures that you have experienced along the line.

Let me say I’ve been a VC of interaction with so many adventures. And at various levels, those adventures have largely contributed to who I am today. I joined Medical Politics by sheer accident. I was encouraged by Dr. Kayode Obembe, who just came to me and said: “Dr. Adewole, I want you to be a Secretary”. And I couldn’t explain till today. So, I just told him: “Why not”. And I became the Secretary of the Association of Resident Doctors in UCH at that early level and from there rose to become the President of the association.  We led the nation-wide strike and we were dismissed. That was the turning point and everything appeared bleak and blank at that point, because we were sacked. That was during the Buhari-Idiagbon regime. We were not only sacked, we were asked to be picked dead or alive. And so some us went to Georgia. And till today, I tell people: “I won’t disclose to you how I got out of Nigeria for obvious reasons”. You know people knock doors to move out and you don’t want to put them in trouble – you don’t want them to regret helping you to escape. I escaped and I was away for about 15 months. But the experience I had in London also influenced who I am today and helped me when I returned, because while I was in exile, I wrote four papers. And so, by the time I came for interview and we were victims of some internal and complex national politics and one way or the other, some of those processes also helped us to come back and the then president, General Babangida gave us pardon when he was launching the then Political Bureau. He said: “I’m granting pardon to all the dismissed doctors, so they can participate in the national political discourse”. So, that was how we came back. I think I must thank some of my teachers, who believed in me and I must thank one of my teachers, Prof. Oladipo who is still alive, who took avid interest in me and brought me up. He is from Ogbomoso. He was one of those who encouraged me to come back. I almost did not want to come back, but he said: “I think you should come back”. And coming back means I’m now in the academic line.

How did you meet your wife?

Well, let me state clearly that I have had two marriages. I had the first and then the second one and I think I’m at the bus stop, much more matured. Sometimes when you are not matured things you would do. There are things you would not do as a matured person. So I think now I’m at the bus stop. I met both of them, the first and second in the hospital environment. My first wife is a nurse, while my second wife is a doctor. So that would explain that this is not somebody who believes in adventure. So, I’ve been able to fish in my local surroundings. (laughs)

But what about the pressure around?

What do you mean by pressure? I decided to fish in my local waters and that is why I didn’t go far beyond my environment.

There would be other women that have had positive impact in your life. Can you just share?

Let me just say that what I am today apart from God and then Professor Oladipo, women generally have contributed to what I am. And maybe that’s why I’m an Obstetrician Gynecologist. Maybe that is why I now believed I need to promote women health. My mother is a great woman, quite unique and has been likely influential to what I am today. I had quite a number of fantastic female teachers. One of them an Indian, Mrs. Mathew, who was my Biology teacher. Mrs. Mathew would take you home and ask: “Did you understand the lecture today?” I will say no and she will open the textbook and say go and read. The philosophy of Mrs. Mathew is that it is only those who read that can understand. To her you must read. So she encouraged me in the art of reading. When I became a doctor, Mrs. Abiola Oshoti taught me about resilience. As a woman, she would operate from evening till the next morning. And growing up under such a fantastic lady means a lot. We never complain, we were never tired, and we did one operation after another. And when I became top professional, quite a number of my collaborators internationally are women.

At the beginning of this interview, you spoke about the job of a Vice Chancellor. Can you shed light on this?

I said being a Vice Chancellor in U.I doesn’t mean you are the best, but one of the best. In other words, you are not the only person that can do this job. That is what I told myself. So you consider yourself lucky to be on this seat. And don’t let it get into your head that others can’t do it. I think the mistake most people make is that they believe they are the only one, but I say no, you are not!

What came to your mind the day you were made Vice Chancellor?

Well, let me paint this scenario. I had a fine CV. So, that is why I’m a bit different. I competed in 2005 for VC and came second. So, in other words, when the announcement was made to congratulate the man who won, I took my laptop and looked at what I presented and I said: “I will build it up for the next time, so I had enough period to work. And when I became Vice Chancellor, fortunately the announcement was made in August, I had three months to prepare and I thought that one of the things that would stand you out is to be prepared for the office. So, I put up a committee, gave them a vision and asked them to work with me, because you can’t do it alone. So I developed the Vice Chancellor Strategy Plan for five years and that plan is still what I’m using till today as my compass. So, with everything I’m doing today, I have four pillars. I promised to develop the welfare of the people, because the human capital is the most important factor in production. When the people are motivated and can go to anywhere. A highly motivated army would win wars. An ill-motivated or unprepared army cannot even conquer a terrain. So, we would work on infrastructure and governance so that we can put in place a system. So I was prepared for it and when I started, I was ready to fly.

If you have that kind of a chance, what kind of successor will you desire?

Well, I will look for a successor who will build and amend. I will look for a successor, who can build on what I have done. I told somebody this morning that I’m already unwinding and preparing for it. Because you can’t finish this job. Let the next person come and finish it. And I’m also going to make sure that my successor has a three-month period to work with me. We would travel around. So all the decisions that I am going to take in my last three months will be taken in conjunction with my successor. I will take him round and introduce him, because anybody can occupy this seat. I will take him or her around and make sure I tell what I ought to have done, which I could not do. This is because I still have two items left that I have not been able to achieve. I still hope we’ll be able to do it, but for chance we could not do it. I will give him or her a robust hand over it.

The university has been transformed, how have you been able to achieve this with all the workload as a Vice Chancellor?

Well, I did mention that we had a plan and this was a product of what one would call serious interaction. We sold the plan to the Senate and to the Council. The Senate said this is the first time we are having a Vice Chancellor present a strategy plan. This is a plan we approved so go and implement it. The Council said the same thing. “If this is a thing from you, we wish you luck”. And then, I must commend the people I have around me. It is not a one-person show. The Principal officers have been fantastic, the Director of Works. I pushed them and they keep on moving, and we’ve been able to achieve a lot as a team. And I also believe that what of the thing that we’ve done: one, we were also fortunate there was an investigation panel right at the beginning of the tenure. And I had a discussion with the Chairman of the investigation panel who gave me lots of advice and I have put it into use. And I will also tell my successor some of those tricks.

Was one of it the seven-point agenda? And what has been your greatest challenge so far?

No, it was a four-point agenda. My greatest challenge so far is to convince people that it can be done. There is a wide spread pessimism. And to move people from pessimist to optimist is to me the greatest challenge. You go around and ask why this is like this and they tell you: “Oh, we can’t do it. It is because of money”. You then ask them how much do you need? They have no idea. So how can you say you need money when you don’t even have an idea? Even when we provided some of the resources, people can’t still believe it is like can it be true? Money is good, but I tell people it is not the only solution, it is won with the solution. And I won’t be the one to start shouting we need money. We need money, we need people, we need ideas and when we marry all together, we can move mountains.

Let’s look at the challenges you have so far. How would you describe the challenges that have affected the work or hinder what you have in mind for the school?

Well, let me situate ASUU strike in proper context. One, is to say that we stand to be very unfortunate. The strike was completely preventable and avoidable, but we mismanaged it. And this country would not take decisions as at when due and when necessary. That to me was the unfortunate side. Otherwise, government can sign an MoU with ASUU. ASUU needed to go on strike for government to wake up. And then, the strike lasted for months… A solution came when Vice Chancellors were involved. And all we did was to marry ASUU and government positions. After finding a way of marrying both, someone said why have we not thought of this before? But in terms of how it has affected us in terms of positive and negative sides – first thing is that it has made government to honour the agreement. So in terms of resources, we are optimistic that there will be more resource for revitalization. Negatively because we lost for six months and it will take us up to two or three years to recover that. We are trying to readjust the calendar back September/June or October/July calendar that we use to operate. When we get there it will take us another two or three years.

The issue of security challenges now, we are now witnessing a trend whereby schools are now been attacked. How prepared is the university in terms of this?

Nigerian universities are part of the society, so I do not see how Nigerian universities can pretend not to be part of Nigeria. I think my message is that all of us must be security conscious.

As a Vice Chancellor, what’s your position on ranking of universities in the world? U.I is number seven out of 100 universities in Africa.

Well, let me say that rankings have their shortcomings but they are still ranking. And we believe we must reposition ourselves. We need to take it seriously. And I am a university Vice Chancellor, who can give a marching order to the staff. The rankings essentially measure the website. But we must not complain. I’m not going to be a Vice Chancellor, who will be chasing rankings.

Sir, what is your happiest day and your saddest day?

The saddest day was when I lost my sister. My happiest day was the day I was made a professor. I was made a professor in 1999.

What would you want to do better if you have the chance?

Let me tell you one thing I did in 1984 and 85. I declared a nation-wide strike as a doctor and in 1988 and 90 I was in a meeting in Hungary. There was another strike. And so I told someone sitting next to me that all the hospitals in Nigeria will go on strike and he said:”Is your country at war? Because even in war time situations hospitals are never completely shut.” So I came back a changed person, and I told my colleagues we can go on strike, but let’s create an emergency, where there will be intensive care unit, labour room and children emergency room. Four places in the hospitals were not to be closed.

What will you do after your tenure as VC?

I’ll go back to my department and lecture.

Ace broadcaster and member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Media Committee, Aisha Falode, laments the murder of her only son, Oluwadamilola Oloruntoba Falode, in his Dubai apartment and a purported attempt at a cover-up by the police. She shares the emotional story with Gboyega Alaka

THERE were you when you got the call that something nasty might have happened to your son, Toba?

I was at home. It was between 3.05 and 3.07 in the morning, on a Saturday, February 15 (2014). I got the call from the security personnel at the apartments, where my son resided in Dubai that something nasty might have happened to my son, Toba. He was hysterical on the phone and disorientated. He just said “…your son’s friends… this is what I’ve been saying about his friends…” and then the line went dead. And then I was calling him back but he was no longer picking. And at a time, the phone was not ringing at all, and I was now calling my son’s phone, but it was also switched off. Then I remembered that during Christmas – we had spent Christmas with him in Dubai as a family; he had mentioned somebody that was very close to him, his friend, whose name is Peter (name has been changed to protect identity). I had spoken to him a couple of times and knew they were quite close. I also had his number and it was he that I finally called at that point. It was he who told me that my son had died. Just like that. Here was a boy I had spoken with hours earlier in the afternoon of Friday after church service (Friday is their equivalent of Sunday in Dubai) and full of life and cheery. I asked how  because by that time, questions were just rising in my head- and he said ‘He fell from the balcony!’ Now you can imagine my anguish. My own son falling from a 17 floor balcony! It was hard to believe.  I asked ‘Where is he now?’ and he said ‘He is here with me.’ I said ‘where?’ and he said ‘in his apartment’ and that he was waiting for the ambulance and police to arrive. I told him, ‘Please tell them not to move him in the next 30 minutes, because I was going to start calling pastors to start praying for him; my son cannot just die like that.’ I also said to him, ‘You too start praying for your friend’, to which he replied that that’s what he was doing. So that was how I got to know that my son had passed on. It took us another week and half to be able to bring his body back home for his final rites. The police report that came with the body was a preliminary police report that said that he had fallen from a height and that the impact of the fall was the cause of death. It also said that since everybody in the apartment at the time (they claimed there were five of them, plus my son, six) had given the same statement, which was that he was alone in the balcony, sitting and swinging on the railing, and that there were traces of alcohol in his system, therefore the cause of death would be as a result of that fall.

Would this be a school hostel accommodation?

No, it’s a private residence. Apartment 1703, Manchester Towers in Dubai Marina. The school, SAE Institute, does not have accommodation, so students have to secure accommodation for themselves. It is a 30-storey building and Toba was staying in one of the apartments on the 17th floor. Now when they said he was sitting on the balcony and fell, that kind of raised my suspicion because I know the balcony and I know the railing and knew that it was impossible for anyone to sit on the balcony, let alone swing back and forth. Even if he was drunk! But at that time, I was dealing with the grief, which I’m still dealing with now, coupled with the fact that we needed to bring him home and bury.

At what point did you begin to suspect a police cover-up?

At the point when they said that he was alone at the balcony; that there had been a guy with him, that he was sitting on the balcony, that he had been told to get down from the balcony and that he wouldn’t listen and that the guy had gone back into the living room, where others were staying and when he came back, he was no longer there and concluded that he had fallen. I just thought this story does not sound right. I also remember that one of the witnesses I called had told me that he fell from the balcony and that he was with him in the apartment, meaning he was with him in the room. And I thought if he fell from the balcony, why was he in the room, why were you in the room with him? It just probably meant that he was not alone.

Faisal Aldakmary Al-Naseer is obviously the chief suspect from the letter your lawyer, Festus Keyamo, wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Did you ever meet him as one of Toba’s friends?

The only person I knew was the friend I called; and we only spoke on the phone. So I’d become suspicious, but immediately after the burial, I also had to travel because the incident affected me very badly and I had to go and seek some help. It was while I was abroad that I had the time to reflect and came to a conclusion that I have to at least know how my son died. Maybe that will give me some peace and closure. The fact that I don’t know is putting a burden on me and I owe it to my son to find out what happened since he is not around to speak for himself. So I got in touch with some lawyers who told me that in Dubai private prosecution is not possible – because I had said that I wanted a reinvestigation of the whole thing and that if there was any culpability, then there should be a legal redress. They told me that only public prosecution is possible and that I as an individual cannot take anybody to court or say that I wanted a reinvestigation. Only the state, they told me, can do that. But now I have a problem with the police, which literally is the state because I don’t think they had done a thorough job in coming to their conclusion on my son’s death. You cannot say that since everybody gave the same account of the event that led to my son’s death, therefore it is true and requires no further investigation. So I came back to Nigeria, spoke to Festus Keyamo and he said he has some lawyer friends in Dubai whom we can speak with on the matter and find out what can be done. Of course they told him the same story that I already knew, that private prosecution is not possible. Meanwhile, when they went to bring my son home, I had requested for them to give me the full investigative file of the police and the medical report, forensic report, whatever report they could garner; and again they said this was not possible for me as an individual; and that I could only do it through the Nigerian embassy over there. Of course we did that and until this moment, almost three months after the incident, we still don’t have any reply. Although the embassy told me last week that they had something for me from the police and that they had put it in the post.  But I went to Dubai; I found that I needed to go and find out things for myself. I thought if I could get two out of the five witnesses to tell me what happened and compare their stories, then I would at least have an idea of what really happened and have a measure of rest. So I got in touch with one of the witnesses after some persuasions. Initially, he wasn’t picking, but I finally got through to his mother, who expressed her regrets at what happened and said she had been eager to meet with me. Eventually, we met physically and I had to tell them that the police had invited me because they had a new lead in the investigation. I figured that if I told them the truth that I was investigating Toba’s death, they would probably shut down. I requested to speak with her son, so as to be armed with some level of information before meeting the police. So we started with the incident of the altercation between Faisal and Toba, sometime in December, because of Olivia the British girl and how they had gone to a night club on the night of the incident, and that Faisal and Olivia had a heated argument at the club and that Tyler (Toba) was not in any way involved in the argument and that another boy, a friend who was at the club with them, was also involved in the argument in some way. The witness also told me that although he was not close enough to them to know what the argument was about, but he could see that it was not something good. At some point, Olivia and Faisal left the club and it was concluded that they had gone home. The rest of them: my son, three other guys left at the close of the club to go back to Toba’s apartment and they were all shocked to find Faisal and Olivia waiting by the door. Olivia, he said was obviously distressed and crying, and Faisal had this hard look about him. They actually thought that they had come over to sort everything out, so they all went into Toba’s apartment. Toba, Olivia and Faisal went into the bedroom, with Toba obviously trying to be the peacemaker. Later the three of them came out and went to the balcony. He also said that the rest of them were listening to music in the living room and wouldn’t know what was happening at the balcony or whether there was an argument. The next thing, they said, was Olivia rushing in from the balcony, followed by Faisal to announce that Toba had fallen from the balcony. He also said they noticed a splatter of blood on Faisal’s T-shirt, and that he also had cuts and bruises on his hands and was telling them all not to worry, that maximum he would do 25 years in prison. So they rushed out and found that he was indeed no longer on the balcony. They rushed to the ground floor and found him lying lifeless on the pavement.

Couldn’t it be that Toba was struggling to hold onto Faisal for survival?

Apparently that was his reply. They inquired about the bruises all over him and the blood and he said it happened while he was trying to hold on to him. But to me, it does not gel still. The apartment is a small one and they ought to have seen or heard what was going on there because the balcony is only separated by a glass door. They also claim that the glass was drawn and they didn’t see what was happening. Seeing that this testimony is different from the one the police had given me, I asked him, did you give the police this version? That Faisal, Olivia and Toba were on the balcony when the incident happened? And they said yes. The mother also confirmed his statement, saying she was there when he gave it. I then told them that the reason I was asking was because the report I got from the police was that he was alone on the balcony when he fell and that this was the account all the witnesses gave. So I asked if the young man could write down what he had told me and sign, because I needed to hold onto something while talking to the police, and he said yes. Even the mother said ‘why not?’ and that she could even accompany me to the station because she knew what her son told the police. They also said another of their friend and witness also gave the same statement. So that confirmed my suspicion that there is a conspiracy. So after this gentleman wrote the statement and signed it in the presence of his mother, they left.  It was now for me to meet another of his friend, an African. If anybody would tell me the truth, it had to be him, I thought to myself. I asked around and got his number and met him after some hitches. Incidentally, he attended the same church as my son, so the pastor was also trying to reach him for us. Between the time we were waiting for him, Festus (Keyamo) went to the apartment to assess the setting of the incident. So we spoke to this gentleman and he also gave the same account as the gentleman we had spoken to earlier, though with slight variations. At some point, he heard heated argument, lifted the curtain, saw Faisal throwing his arms up in anger and he just assumed it was a mere argument that would be sorted out and continued watching TV, only for Olivia and Faisal to walk in minutes later announcing that Toba had fallen from the balcony. He also confirmed the splatter of blood.

Having established that there are disparities in their accounts, why do you think the police would be attempting this cover-up?

According to our investigation, we learnt that Faisal’s father is a Saudi Arabian and that he is powerful and influential and has quite an appreciable investment in Dubai. I don’t want to come into conclusion, but if you have deliberately left out vital facts from witnesses’ statements or left out the facts completely, then it must be that some kind of hierarchy or compelling profit is making you do what you are doing as law officers. I also told our afternoon guest to write and signed his statement. Thereafter, he told us that he had remembered something that he thought is important, which was that the spot where Toba’s body was lying was too far from the building for somebody who had fallen. Festus also noticed this absurdity. He said it was like 18 to 20 metres from the building. It was even outside the perimeter fencing. So if the police saw this, even without the witnesses’ statements, one would expect them to become suspicious; that this was more than an ordinary fall. So everything reeks of conspiracy and it is really worrisome.

What do you think was the crux of the argument between Faisal, Olivia and Toba?

Toba was not involved in the argument that night, according to the story. But in December, there had been an altercation between Faisal and Toba, because he had accused Olivia of cheating on him, with Toba. So on this night, it’s either they were still arguing about the fact that she was still dating Toba. Well, we can only make assumptions now.

You have this letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs; what’s your prayer?

My prayer is that my son might be gone but if the life of a citizen is taken then there must be justice. We’re telling our government to tell the Dubai government to reopen investigations into my son’s death and get to the root of the matter. A life has been taken here, violently, in the most gruesome manner. This was his own apartment and there was a security post at the entrance. How come Faisal and Olivia were able to even get into the building and to Toba’s apartment entrance without signing in? Why did the police say they all gave the same statements? Why did the police not take the blood-stained T-shirt from Faisal and take the blood samples…? So many whys and you could only begin to overlook them all if you’re trying to cover up certain things or if you think it’s a non-issue. But taking a life is a big issue. We spoke to the Ambassador and he told us that in the month that my son died, there must have been at least five cases of Nigerian students’ death in Dubai in similar mysterious circumstances and that he could not understand why Nigerian parents keep sending their children to study in the country. And I told him that ‘Sir, with all due respect, did you share this information with anybody? If you’re not telling me now, then I wouldn’t know; so it is the responsibility of the Nigerian embassy, like they do in the United States and the UK, to inform and warn citizens of danger-prone zones. We need Nigerian government to start placing premium on every Nigerian life and stand up to their responsibilities. It is not my responsibility to go about asking questions about how my son died. Now this is not about my son alone anymore. Nigerians must get protection from our government anywhere, more-so where there has been injustice. With these compelling evidence, I am 100% sure that some people will be found guilty.

What kind of boy was Toba?

Toba was a gentle boy. He was loving; he was giving, he was respectful. I have never seen a boy with such humility. If you went to his condolence page that was created for him on facebook, you will know what I mean. Even his alma mater, Atlantic Hall, held a memorial for him and took newspaper advertorials for him. I will show you the testimonial from the school in Dubai. You know, they also held a memorial for him in the school in Dubai; and he only began schooling there last October. So he must have made quite an impression and his death is very devastating for me. Toba was very passionate about music. He wanted to be a musician; he wanted to be a promoter; he wanted to be the Don Jazzy of his generation and he was driven by that. And that was why he went to study Audio Production at the SAE Dubai.

Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has been particular about cases of Nigerians being killed, but it seems the problem is too overwhelming for her.

On the contrary, Hon Dabiri-Erewa has been very helpful and effective. You know anything we need to do in Dubai, we need to go through the embassy and she was constantly over the phone with the Ambassador over this matter. That was when it just happened. But I now have to get back to her with the information and document I now have. Do you know there was a story of another Nigerian student doing his Master’s degree, whom they said fell off a yacht? I’m sure if you look at it closely, there is a story behind it.

Can the world ever get to see the same old Aisha Falode?

No. Aisha Falode can never be the same again. You see I am only here talking to you by the grace of God. I have just two of them and he was my only son. But even if I have ten of them, what happened to me is the worst nightmare any mother can ever go through. To lose a child, and in that manner! I can never be the same. I can never be the same. It’s never going to be the same. My family has been destroyed for life, because we lost a part of us.

Nigerian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Ibrahim Auwalu, in a telephone interview sheds more light on the peculiar make up of the Arabian country and its legal system, pledging his willingness and support to help bring the late Toba’s killers to book.

WHAT are you doing to ensure that the culprits alleged to have murdered the late Toba Falode are brought to book, despite the perceived police cover up?

Maybe we need to go back a little to when the incident just happened. I received a call from a Nigerian pastor here in the UAE, who was also Toba’s guardian. We went through the matter together. I think it is important to know here that the capital of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi and not Dubai, so our office is located in Abu Dhabi, which is about one and half hours drive to Dubai. But that notwithstanding, my responsibility as Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates covers the whole country and we responded immediately. Due to the huge traffic of Nigerians that come to that country and especially Dubai, we recently set up a consulate there in October 2013, but at the time this incident happened, it was too young to handle such a matter, so my office in Abu Dhabi took responsibility of the case. I told the pastor that whatever he needed to get to the root of the matter, my office would provide. I also sent one of our staff and a car to assist them in whatever way we can. At about that time, one Dr. Falode, who is her relation, also came in from London as they prepared to take the body back to Nigeria.  Mrs. Falode also said she needed a police report and we liaised with the authority here to get the report for her last April. Let me also say here that she never intimated us of her suspicion of foul play on the police report at the initial stage. I only learnt that later through a television video someone sent to me and through a medium online. Even Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, sent us a letter requesting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to look into the matter. I remember that I was speaking with Mrs. Falode. She even called me from Ireland, where she had gone to recuperate and I further condoled with her. Only yesterday (Wednesday), I received a letter from her family lawyer, Festus Keyamo, addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which she also copied the president, Senate President, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, in which she is alleging a cover-up by the Dubai Police.

Maybe she wasn’t sure she could get help from you. What would you have done to help her?

If I had known that she was coming to Dubai to seek more information and action, I would have personally gone with her to the consulate and assist her in whatever way we can. You must, however, understand too that even as an Ambassador, we would still have to abide by the country’s law, because we have no power to change their constituted laws. As a matter of fact, it is only in Nigeria that individuals interact directly with the embassies. In other countries, you have to work through your embassies and the ministry of foreign affairs. But we would have introduced her to a local lawyer, who would have looked for a way out of the whole quagmire and given her an option.  Let me also say here that that the UAE is a confederation and the confederate emirates that make up the entire country have their individual police and individual legal systems that operate independently of each other. But I would have involved a local lawyer to first take up the matter with the central authority, which will now write a request to the government of Dubai to take action. Secondly, we would have secured the service of a reputable local lawyer, who would come up with an option and we would now inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria and her family. Depending on the advice of the lawyer, we would then introduce him (the Dubai lawyer) to the lawyer in Nigeria.

Mrs. Falode also spoke of how you revealed to her that about five Nigerians had also died at about the same period in the UAE, wondering why you, as an Ambassador, failed to warn Nigerians of this potent danger?

I never told her that five students were killed. What I did was condole with her and lament that if our educational system was normal, our children wouldn’t have to go about studying everywhere and getting exposed to all these dangers. I only told her that the same week that the incident happened, two other Nigerians also died but I did not tell her that they were killed or that they were students.  One of them, a businessman, died due to ill health, while the other brought something illegally into the country and was so depressed by his situation that he jumped from a storey building. He was involved in illicit transactions and his was clearly a case of suicide. Even his wife was around at the time and nobody complained of foul play. I told her these stories to let her know that we were paying close attention to her case and to console her because of her peculiar situation. Because of the UAE’s liberal visa process and because of the value our people add to their economy, about 2000 Nigerians come into the country on a daily basis, most of them on transit visas. It will also surprise you that they even allow Nigerians to get away with certain things, just because they appreciate what we bring to the table and don’t want to scare us away.

Any hope that the case will now be reopened based on the new evidences unearthed?

The way I know these people, they operate like Europeans and if they are convinced of the new evidences they will work hard to prosecute the suspects and bring them to book. Don’t forget that Dubai is now a brand, which they worked hard to build; and they would do anything to protect that status. With the right approach, if we give them new evidences, coupled with our government’s intervention, they would surely do something. There was a case of a Nigerian student who was killed sometime ago, before I became Ambassador. The government investigated it thoroughly and all the people found guilty were jailed. Their system, to the best of my knowledge, is no respecter of anybody. I recently visited a prison here in the UAE and lo and behold, I saw nationals from virtually all parts of the world, whether British, American, French or Saudi.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Ebony Life Television, Mo Abudu, is reputed as a brilliant manager of stress. And that much was evident in his appearance at the screening of Kunle Afolayan’s latest movie, October 1, in Lagos last week. The talk show host and corporate executive looked youthful.

Since Mo Abudu graced the nation’s social milieu with her TV talk show, Moments with Mo, she has not only continued to inspire her audience through the length and breadth of Africa, she has also set a high standard for that genre of media practice. She upped the ante about 10 months ago by venturing into ownership of a continental cable TV, thus opening a new vista in broadcasting on the African continent.

A two-man armed robbery gang who claimed that they specialize in vandalizing cars, Ifeanyi Nwaigwu aka Akunesi Obike, 32, and one Vincent Emeguem, 34, have been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) Lagos State Police Command.

Narrating his involvement in the armed robbery and vandalisation that brought about his arrest the leader of the gang Ifeanyi said, “I am a holder of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Business Administration from Nakede Polytechnic 2000-2001 session.

“After my OND my uncle (name withheld) took me to Aspanda Market in Trade Fair Complex Lagos, to start business. I later got married to one Angela and was doing well in business. To show that I was doing well my people, the Community Association of my town in Lagos gave me a title Akunesiobike.

“I owned a big shop in Aspanda and was selling motor gaskets, and other motor spare parts. I used to get N3,000 every day and with it I used to take good care of my wife.

“My trouble started when one Prince Martins became my friend at Aspanda. The way Martins get bundles of money and the way he spent money as if he was printing money or working in Mint of the Central Bank made me to beg him to teach me the way to get rich. He taught me how to vandalise cars but I never participated in any armed robbery because I swore not to use guns to fend for myself to avoid spilling blood accidentally.”

On how the gang vandalise cars he said, “we normally carry out vandalization operation at midnight when residents are deep asleep. We sneak into the compounds and go straight to where the car is parked. We use screw driver to open the door through the window glass. When we get enough motor parts from say three to four cars we package them and send to Ladipo Spare Parts market as fairly used motor parts (tokunbo parts).

“When I had problem in Aspand because my gang was wanted by police for an offence which I did not participate in (vandalization and armed robbery) I ran away into hiding. The police later locked up my shop in Aspanda. When I solved that problem and the police stopped looking for me I vowed not to join the gang or any gang again, my wife also begged me not to continue as she ashamed as people look at her as the wife of a criminal. I respected my wife’s wish but I lost control when I had no money to continue the gasket business in Aspanda.

“Even people who used to give me goods on credit started avoiding me fearing that I may not be able to give them their money after selling the gaskets I collected on credit. In that frustrated position I relocated to Ladipo market and started hustling (Ozo afia). It was this hustling that made me to know Vincent. I used to get enough money from the hustling like N4,000, N3,000 daily.

“Some of the hustlers who get more money were involved in one crime or the other. Some were into vandalization of cars while some steal goods from the owner when he brings out the goods for sale. For instance, when a container is opened they (hustlers) will follow traders who have money to go and buy spare parts. As they are pricing and buying we will be pricing and stealing some parts. Where the owner has many boys who check traders who steal parts, we avoid such places because we don’t want to be caught and sent out of the market by the market union who would not like to see a thief in the market.

“After the close of market I normally go to Vincent’s beer parlour to relax. It was in his beer parlour that he saw how I was spending money and he invited me to join to form a two man vandalization gang.

“We don’t use gun. We use taped pipe and it looks like gun. We use it to scare away intruders or intimidate whoever dared to confront us when we are in operation. We also use jack to create sound that look like gun shot by hitting the jark on the ground anytime we see intruder.

“In a week we operated once or twice at Bariga side along the road and Oju-Elega area. If there is alarm in the vehicle we leave it and run before the owner comes out. Where we decide to stay we use the taped pipe as gun to low the owner of the car and keep him quiet till we finish operation.

The second suspect Vincent said “I am from Ezinifite, Mbaise Imo State as Ifeanyi. Though I am a business man, I trade on anything that can give me daily bread. I am married with three children and my wife is presently heavy with pregnancy.

“I also operate a beer parlour at Iba junction in Lagos. I bought my private car Mercedes V-Boot N150,000. I used to get money from the selling of drinks, cigarette, pepper soup and hot drinks.

“It was Ifeanyi that lured me into car vandalization. Two of us used to go in the midnight to operate. We don’t use gun. We used only taped pipe and hammer, screw driver. It is because of the taped pipe we used as gun that police said we use arms. I am not an armed robber. I am car vandalizer. My wife also asked me to stop vandalization of cars but hardship and greed did not allow me. I was financially down that I could not afford N50,000 to take care of my family. Most of the drinks and food items are bought on credit. Both of us are from the same community, Mbaise in Imo State.

“If I am released I will go back to my beer parlour and will never do car vandalization again. I will also cut off all my friends that are criminals and declare openly that I want to be left alone to chart a new course for my life void of criminality.”

Since 2009 the corpse of Igbekele Oyeleye who was killed by unknown assassins has been in the mortuary while the father, Pa Lawson Oyeleye is demanding to be allowed to give his son proper burial. Taiwo Abiodun reports

AT the frontage of house number  D/9  Ogbonogodo Street, Arigidi, Akoko, Ondo State, is Pa Lawson Oyeleye, a farmer crying like a baby. The 75 year old man is crying over the gruesome murder of his son, Igbekele Oyeleye, five years ago. His body is still in the morgue. According to him, his late son is  not only crying for justice but he appears to him always in his dream  complaining that  he  has not rested and  begging to be committed to Mother Earth  for him  to rest.

According to him, “My slain son  has been appearing  to me in my dream, crying that his soul is roaming about and found no resting place.”

He continued, “Life has no  meaning  to me again as I count everyday as a bonus since my son had been killed five years ago.” The septuagenarian rhetorically asked “What am I still doing here on earth when my son was killed and everything is gone?”  However, the peasant farmer has vowed to allow God to judge and has therefore resigned to fate.

Each time he remembers the drama of how his son was forcefully taken away in his presence he is always full of tears. “I never  expected my son to be taken away in my presence and be killed. I never believed  life could be cruel to me like that and now it seems to me life  has  no meaning. Now I  am hopeless.” Amid sobs he added “If anybody could be killed like this that means we are living in a ruthless, unmerciful and unjust society. My heart has been wounded and my soul brutalized and it is only God that can heal my wounds.”

Narrating how his son was killed, the old man said his late son, Igbekele was  the Youth  leader in Arigidi, Akoko, Ondo State where there was  struggle  between two contestants over who should be installed as king  and he  (Igbekele) refused to support one of the contestants.

According to him, “it was during the age grade festival  (Igbogbe) when a factional leader of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) (names withheld) with the retinue of his supporters  invaded the small community and unleashed  terror wanting  to support a candidate. Since my son was the community’s Youth leader he was consulted on who to support between the two contestants, but my son said he preferred a literate person who could lead the community which did not go down well with the other group.”

Grieving father

According to Oyeleye, his son was whisked away on that fateful day  “it was on the 20th of August,  2009 when some suspected thugs  came to our house here when everybody  was seated outside here. My son was sitting with one of his brothers and before my very eyes, two of the thugs in the bus they brought pointed at my son as others were brandishing guns and ammunition. They asked him to follow them but he refused. In fact, it was in my presence that he was dragged and forced into their waiting vehicle and driven away to the palace from  there to where he was tortured. When they saw that he was dying he was taken to the Federal Medical Hospital, Owo but he could not talk or open his eyes again. For days he was like that, they had used all kinds of things to hit him until he later died. All I need now is his corpse to be released and buried.”

Speaking about his son, he said ” My son was a farmer and also a bricklayer, he was the community Youth leader and very active , his death is painful.”

What still baffles Pa Oyeleye  is the whereabouts of his Nissan car which was taken away by the thugs, “These  thugs  also came and took my Nissan Car  away  and  I have not seen the car up till  now. I later went to buy this Okada which I have been riding about. At 75 years of age where do I get money to buy a car again?”

In a few days time, Igbogbe, an age grade festival will be celebrated and he lamented “if my son were  here he could have joined in the celebration, he would have ascended another ladder of age grade. Now everybody is rejoicing and planning for the celebration which is every five years but I cannot. I am sad, that is the truth. The yam festival is around the corner in August but where is  my son to join them for the celebration?”

Asked whether he goes to see the body in the mortuary since it has been deposited there, he replied “No. I did not go there. In fact, they told me the two suspects were freed and exonerated from the case. Is this not injustice? I was never called to come to court, I’m only hearing this from the public.  While some said some newspapers carried the news that the suspects had been freed. Now, I am begging the government to release the corpse for me to go and bury him.”

On who is footing the mortuary bill, the man said “I don’t know who is footing the bill. I believe the police would be going there and I don’t want the corpse to be given a mass burial.”

The old man said he wonders why one of the suspects is allowed to be going about with thugs whenever he visits the town.

Reminded that an Ondo State DPP had exonerated the three suspects, according to a legal advice signed on behalf of the state Attorney-General by a senior legal officer in the ministry, J.M Itiola, and authenticated by the director of DPP, Mrs. A.O Adeyemi-Tuki to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ‘D’ Department (CID), Ondo State police command and dated August 23, 2013; the petitioner has no credible evidence linking the suspects to the alleged killing in 2009.

The legal advice conclude thus; “In view of the above, I have so many unresolved doubts in my minds considering the gap in the period of years between the incidences and the fact that several other names were mentioned in connection with the incidence, who were never arrested or interrogated.”

Pa Oyeleye said ” I heard so. But my concern is the corpse of my son for burial. I have left everything to God.” He alleged that a member of the family was used as an instrument to get his son.

He said his son’s three wives have since left adding “You know women, they have gone to remarry, and whenever I  see his children I always feel sad. But what still bothers me is that I am surprised that one could snuff life out of another man and be moving freely.”

He said the blood of his son is crying for justice.

Nigerian Hotel and Catering Institute (NHCI) has elected Mr. Gabriel Adebayo Ayodele  the new President. He is a fellow of the institute and Controller, Marketing and Sales of Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.

Ayodele is saddled with the responsibility of running the organization for the next one year at an election held during the 13th annual general meeting of  NHCI in Lagos last week.

Ayodele’s predecessor and immediate past president, Mr Bola Jaiyeola, General manager, Business Development, Odua Investment Limited, now represents the institute at the National Council of Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN).

Other fellows of NHCI elected into the new council include Mallam Aminu Kabo, First Vice – President; Mrs. Bola Dada, Second Vice – President and Alhaji Gbenga Dau’ud Sunmonu as Third Vice-President.

To further strengthen the foremost hospitality institute, about six notable professionals representing vast interests in the hotel and tourism Industry were appointed. They are Mr. Kazeem Durosomo, a fellow of NHCI and the Institute of Hospitality, United Kingdom, representing the hotel sector; Mrs. Angella Kachukwu representing hospitality and welfare sector; Col Beatrice Echenzu (rtd), representing institutional sector.

Tantalizer Plc. Nigerian leading quick servicerestaurant chain and official food partner of the ongoing Season 4 Nigerian Idol project, interacted with the final three contstants at its Adetokunbo Ademola, Victoria Island, Lagos outlet on Sunday May 25.

The final three contestants, which are Evelle, Eye D and Elvis Jay with the crew of the OMG/ Idol team, created time out of their busy schedule to parley with Tantalizers management and staff and their ever-ecstatic fans. It was indeed a bubbling and excited group knowing full well that the final coveted prizes are only a few days away. They are geared to put in more effort in the final stages to impress fans and thereby garner more votes.

At the event, the Managing Director/CEO of Tantalizers Plc, Mrs Bose Ayeni, who was very happy to be in attendance, lauded the OMG/Idol team for bringing the franchise to Nigeria. The bold initiative will assist in projecting the talents of the Nigerian youths and keep them off the streets. She further stated that Tantalizer decided to partner the OMG group because of its belief in Nigerian youths and the enormous capability inherent in them as leaders of tomorrow. She used the opportunity to mention some of the company’s give-back activities all centred around youths.

The three contestants were treated to lots of exciting activities which included meeting with fans, dancing, musical entertainment, photographic session, signing of autographs, and they shared their idol experiences. The contestants were also treated to sumptuous Tantalizers meal leaning on the newly introduced ten combo meals which are fast becoming special value treats with consumers.

The Managing Director/CEO used the occasion to reiterate the future plan of the brand in the area of franchising and youth empowerment.

The Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria [FTAN] in collaboration with the Federal Capital Territory Administration [FCTA] has announced that the second edition of their Tourism Investment Forum will hold next month.

The event slated for June 10-11, 2014 will be held at the prestigious Ladi Kwali Hall of Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

According to Chief Tomi Akingbogun, President of FTAN, the objectives of the program are to among others enable stakeholders to discuss and address some vital element towards the development and maintenance of tourism products and destinations that can induce creation of new tourism frontiers.

Other reasons according to Akingbogun for the forum are, to showcase the potentials of the tourism sector to the economic development of Nigeria; to organize as well as to promote local tourism products and destinations to Nigerians before taking the same to the international market; and to strengthen relationship between the tourism investors and their services/product providers.

The two-day event will include seminar and exhibition and are expected to give a new direction for the tourism industry; with participants expected from federal agencies, states, airlines, hotels, travel agents, and tour operators among others.

Meanwhile, this year’s edition presentations will include; Developing Nigeria’s Travel and Tourism: The Kenyan Experience by the Managing Director of Kenyan Tourism Board, Travel and Tourism Contribution To Nigeria Gross Domestic Products [GDP] by the Director General of Federal Office of Statistics [FOS], Identifying Nigeria’s Tourism Products by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and Medical Tourism: Prospect in Ondo State.

For Nigerian travellers and the travellers all over the world that patronize the German airline, Lufthansa, a chapter in their travel experience will be opened as the airline starts receiving bookings for its latest product. The product is the newly developed Premium Economy Class.

However, even though bookings have begun, travellers would have to wait until November to experience the new product. For Nigerian travellers, it might not be long before they will experience the new products being part of the long haul routes the new products will be deployed to.

The new premium class has comfortable new seats and up to 50 per cent more room than the economy class seats.

Premium Economy Class was presented to the public in March during the 2014 ITB-Berlin, and many travellers are looking forward to the new product. The Premium Economy Class would initially be fitted on the airline’s  Boeing 747-8. The new seats will gradually be fitted on the entire long-haul fleet within 12 months.

“Our Premium Economy Class will create a completely new travel experience that combines affordability with greater comfort. The seats offer up to 50 per cent more room than Economy Class and will position us in a premium segment within the international competitive environment,” said Jens Bischof, CCO & member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board in charge of Sales, Product and Marketing, during a press conference at the Lufthansa stand in Hall 25.

The new product will enable Lufthansa to meet the requirements of many business and private passengers who travel with other airlines in a similar travel class or who fly Economy Class due to travel specifications. Following the introduction of its new full-flat Business Class, Lufthansa created a much wider gap between Economy and Business Classes. As a result, there is now room for its new Premium Economy Class, which offers considerably more space and comfort as well as many additional product features, but is closer to Economy Class than Business Class in terms of its average prices. The move also means that Lufthansa is introducing a completely new travel class for the first time in 35 years.

“The design and features of the new seat in particular are based on extensive passenger surveys and workshops with sales partners – a process that has been successfully used at Lufthansa. Following the upgrade of our First and Business Class, the installation of 3,600 seats on all 106 of our long-haul aircraft in just one year will mean another step towards becoming a five-star airline,” continued Bischof. “We expect to see more than 1.5 million passengers per year in our new Premium Economy Class.”

The  seats were designed in partnership with the company müller/romca Industrial Design in Kiel and produced by the seat manufacturer ZIM Flugsitz near Lake Constance. Depending on the aircraft type, they are up to 3 centimetres wider and provide greater privacy as well as approximately 10 centimetres more room at the side thanks to each seat having its own wide armrest and a centre console between the seats.

The back rest can be reclined further and the seat pitch is a significantly more spacious 38 inches, or 97 centimetres. As a result, passengers have around one-and-a-half times as much room as Economy Class.

The head rests can be set to the exact height desired and folded at the sides for added comfort and support. Height-adjustable foot rests from the second row back and – for technical reasons – leg supports with an integrated foot rest in the first row provide extra comfort. Practical features around the seats such as a bottle holder, electrical socket and lots of storage space for passengers’ belongings also help to ensure a relaxed and pleasant journey.

With a baggage allowance of two items weighing up to 23 kilogrammes each, passengers can take twice as much free luggage with them compared with Economy Class. For an extra EUR 25, passengers can also enjoy the comfort of the Lufthansa Business Lounges before their departure. Lounges were previously only open to status customers and are otherwise unavailable on a paying basis.           Check-in and boarding procedures as well as hand luggage regulations are the same as in Economy Class.

An enhanced service awaits Premium Economy passengers on board. They are greeted with a welcome drink and will find their own water bottle as well as a high-quality amenity kit with practical travel accessories at their seat. Meals are presented on menus commensurate with the new travel class and served on porcelain tableware.

Passengers can navigate the extensive in-flight entertainment programme using their own touchscreen monitor on the seat in front of them. This can also be done using a remote control, which serves as a controller for video games as well. The screens are 11 to 12 inches (28 to 30 centimetres), which makes them at least 2 inches bigger than the screens in Economy Class, depending on the aircraft type. A wide selection of magazines and newspapers completes the range of entertainment on offer.

Up to 52 seats, depending on aircraft type, and attractive pricing Lufthansa Premium Economy Class is located within the cabin as a clearly identifiable separate compartment between Business and Economy Class.      It has a high-quality design and contains between 21 and 52 seats, depending on the aircraft type.         Installation of the new travel class, which is to be carried out on a gradual basis, sub-fleet by sub-fleet, will start this autumn and finish in summer 2015. The first sub-fleet to be fitted with the new seats will be the Boeing 747-8.

Ticket prices in the new Premium Economy Class will be closer to Economy Class than Business Class – a return flight across the North Atlantic or to Asia will cost an additional EUR 600 on average.

The introduction of Premium Economy Class will complement the many improvements that Lufthansa plans to make in all classes on board and on the ground by 2015. By this point in time, the entire long-haul fleet will have the new First and Business Class – which will involve the installation of 7,000 new seats on the company’s aircraft.    Apart from the interior of the cabins, services on board and on the ground are also being enhanced. The goal is to demonstrate to an even greater degree the qualities of being a dedicated host with a keen understanding of service and hospitality.

Like any lady of her age, Helen, 19, dreamt of a bright future. That dream brought her from her hometown in Benue State, to Bariga, Lagos State, where she stayed with her sister. But in her quest for a better life, her dream was shattered last January when she was gang-raped. The incident dramatically altered her life. Helen, who is now living with the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), is seeking justice against those who violated her. She tells her story to Senior Correspondent, EVELYN OSAGIE.

HELEN (surname withheld) will be 20 years on October 10. But she now bears a burden that is too heavy for her age. She was gang-raped in January this year and was diagnosed with HIV last month. Due to the heart-rending experience and the medical diagnosis that followed, the once cheerful and vivacious Helen now wears a long face as she carries with her the psychological burden of the experience. After secondary school in 2008, Helen wanted to further her education, but being the fifth of 11 children comes with its own challenge. “Na the condition of no money, na im prevent me from going further,” said Helen when asked why she had not bothered to continue her education. Despite her background, Helen was unperturbed. Determined that she would return to school some day, she began working as a cleaner in a big firm at Lekki, Lagos, from where she hoped to save for school. She had worked there for almost a year before the tragic episode that altered her life dramatically took place. It was with a deep emotion that she recounted her ordeal. All was quiet and the street lonely early that Tuesday morning when the unsuspecting lady set out from her Bariga home to resume her morning shift at work. It was at exactly 5:05am, the same time she often left home everyday to board a bus some streets away to Lagos Island. But that morning, something was not right. She noticed five young men lurking about as she got out of her street’s gate. On seeing their fearsome appearance, her heart skipped a beat. Consumed by fear, her first instinct was to turn and run back into the street, but it was too late. She had been spotted. “They blocked and grabbed me. They pointed a gun at me and told me to be quiet and do everything they said I should do, or else they would harm me,” Helen said before she was overcome by emotion. After a short silence that seemed ages, she added: “I tried to shout but when I looked around and did not see anybody except those guys, I was so afraid and did as they said… They, then, carried me to one corner by the side of the street… (She bowed her head). They asked me to lie down.” Helen went silent again with head still bowed, to hold back tears. She said: “I begged them to release me, that I was on my way to work and that I didn’t have anything to offer them. They told me to shut up, saying they would waste me, if I didn’t like my life. I begged them to spare my life.” Her plea touched a member of the gang; he said she should be freed. But his statement fell on deaf ears, for Helen’s other attackers were determined to carry out their task to the letter. Fighting back tears, she said: “The others said he could leave if he wanted to; they then collected my handbag, my purse and the N5,000 inside with my two phones – one was in my hand. I used its torchlight; the other was in my Jeans pocket. They removed the phone, pulled off my trousers and started violating me (Silence)…They asked me to pull off my clothes. I begged them.” Her face became contorted as the agony of the incident swelled her being. Helen became silent again. One could see she was fighting to hide several conflicting emotions as she recounted. “But was there no way you could have shouted for help?” the reporter asked in an attempt to douse the tension. “There was no way I could have shouted because there were five of them against only me… I was so scared. So, I just kept begging them to release me.” As her attackers were beginning to enjoy their violent act, they spotted another young man and lady walking towards them. Helen’s attackers also pounced on the couple, robbing them of their valuables at gunpoint. Two of them also raped the second lady. By that time, Helen’s eyes were already swollen, from her trauma and obvious helplessness in the hands of the crooks. The two men raped the girl while the other three continued raping me,” she said in a subdued voice. On how she felt when her violators had their turns, Helen, in tears, said: “I swallowed my scream, felt very bad and closed my eyes as each of them…(Silence). For my mind e be like say make I get knife take kill them, because it was a very painful thing to experience. Before they started, I had asked if they had condoms but they said ‘No’. ‘’After they finished, all I could think of was running to the hospital and getting some drugs or treatment that could wash everything away from my whole being: my physical body, heart, soul and all. (Again, she lapsed into another silence). I felt very bad and, somehow, dirty.” After the incident She ran back home to her sister. Both ladies cried in silence; they felt ashamed to share with neighbours what had happened. As if that was not enough, while nursing the psychological trauma of the assault she got, another shocker happened to her on the same day. Helen discovered that her violators were her neighbours. “I recognised them: two of them live opposite my house. Before that time, I did not notice them. I see them every day and cringe; I’m always in fear each time I see them,” she said. Three months after Besides the traumatic rape, Helen has fallen into a worrisome medical condition. Last month, she was diagnosed with HIV at the General Hospital where she was rushed to after she was raped. Before then, Helen said she had been “negative”, adding that she knew through a test she did some time back. “When I went there when it first happened, they asked me some questions, gave me some drugs and told me to come back after three months for more tests. The three-month period lapsed last month. The hospital did the followup test and found that I have become HIV-’positive’. ‘’I felt bad, very bad; and I cried. In fact, the doctor tried to calm my mind; but I kept on crying that ‘I’m finished’. I wanted to take my life because I never expected this to happen to me. They told me life still goes on and that I can still live my life to the fullest. They say people with HIV are can be healthier than those who are negative with the help of drugs. Before I left the hospital, I cried and begged them to help me because I did not plan to live on drugs for rest of my life,” she said. With tears dripping freely and looking straight at the reporter as if to find answers on her face, she continued: “What kind of life can one live now? I feel so bad; I feel so weak and I am asking myself: what did I do wrong in this life to deserve this? What will happen to my dream of going to school? I have not been able to save for school, and I now am treating HIV.” The news of her status has added more sadness to her family who were still recovering from the shock of her violation. “When my parents heard the news, they were very sad and they all cried,” Helen said amid tears. The 20-year-old has since turned an advocate, seeking justice against her attackers. After living in fear for months, the dread of the rapists forced her and her sister to relocate last weekend. The move has emboldened to seek for justice, feeling she is beyond their reach. “I want justice. I need help. I want those men to go to jail for what they did to me and perhaps many other ladies in the area. These people cannot be allowed to go free. Everybody knows them as thieves in the area; they do not go to work or school but just hang around all day doing nothing. Still nobody has done anything about it. It is almost as if they are using charms. Their father is a very aggressive landlord. I see them always and I’m always in fear; that’s why we packed out of the house last weekend. You won’t believe that till we packed, my attackers are still using my phone,” she said. Helen’s sister, Stella, who was also in her 20s, said the whole incident has left the family heart-broken. Stella, who learnt a comforting hand to her sister, said: “We felt so weak and very unhappy, but there is nothing else we can do but to support her and pray that those crooks would be made to pay and suffer for what they did to my sister.”