Life under President Buhari as petroleum minister
Nigerians, contrary to their expectations, are witnessing the third fuel scarcity crisis in 10 months even with President Muhammadu Buhari as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, writes JESUSEGUN ALAGBE
The lingering fuel scarcity has undoubtedly caused untold hardship in the past few weeks for most Nigerians who rely on the commodity to meet their daily needs.
This, many people are complaining, was not what they expected when they voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2015 to steer the affairs of the country.
They are particularly perturbed that despite that the number one citizen of the country doubles as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, having served in that capacity before, the country is still experiencing protracted fuel shortage.
During his electioneering, the main highlight of President Buhari’s “change” mantra was to ease the suffering of the citizens by providing them with infrastructures and making decisions that would make life comfortable for every Nigerian.
But with three well-pronounced fuel scarcity crises being witnessed within just three months (December, 2015, February and March, 2016) of the first 10 months of President Buhari’s administration, some Nigerians said they had yet to grasp the reasons for passing through this phase again.
The first major fuel scarcity that was experienced during President Buhari’s administration was in December, 2015, which saw Nigerians spending nights at filling stations even during the festive period.
The Minster of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had blamed the fuel scarcity and queues at filling stations on former President Goodluck Jonathan. He said, “Nigerians are paying for Jonathan’s sins,“ adding, “What I will be telling Nigerians is that what we met on ground is such that we are paying for the sins of the last administration. I am being very serious.”
His comments, however, drew a wide range of criticisms from the public.
“So, let me get this right. The fuel scarcity we are facing today is the fault of an administration that we voted out nine months ago?” Ben Murray-Bruce, a senator from Bayelsa State, had asked.
After that period was over, Nigerians didn’t know they would have to battle another one in February, which also lingered on for some weeks.
In March, just a month later, Nigerians are yet witnessing another round of fuel scarcity.
A Lagos resident and bank employee, Olabode Odukoya, described the situation as “a seasonal movie” to Saturday PUNCH in an interview.
He has for the past three weeks parked his car at his home in Ikorodu and taken to public transportation to go to work on Victoria Island.
Odukoya said, “This is not what we bargained with President Buhari. This is not one of our expectations from him. I remember clearly that during the previous administration of former President Jonathan, if there was a crisis like this, the All Progressives Congress would have attacked and criticised him. They would say he was this and that. But here we are…”
Odukoya added, “I only struggle to buy fuel now to run my generator because there is also no light. Everywhere is dark. If I can’t put fuel in my generator, I will feel bored at home. That’s why I struggle to buy. I now take commercial bus to work.
“This is not expected from Buhari. Everything we were told by the APC-led government was that our suffering would ease, and I was among those who believed in the party. But see what we’re passing through for the third time now — in December last year, February and also March this year. It seems like a seasonal movie to me. When this is over, we don’t even know whether there is other phase around the corner.”
A Lagos-based lawyer and rights activist, Fred Agbaje, said the situation was a manifestation of unpreparedness by President Buhari to lead the country.
He told Saturday PUNCH in a telephone interview that the fuel scarcity condition was also because the President was devoting a major chunk of his time “fighting corruption” and not addressing the fundamental issues which affect Nigerians on a daily basis.
He said, “I think the present government did not do its homework sufficiently. If it had, we wouldn’t be passing through this phase over and over again. Remember, it took about six months for President Buhari to constitute his cabinet. That means a lot of things. That means he wasn’t prepared.
“I was one of those who voted for change, but this is not the change I voted for. The government is dissipating so much energy on corruption and not focussing on the real economic issues to spur growth.
“Don’t get me wrong. Nobody says he shouldn’t fight corruption, but don’t spend 90 per cent of your time on that. Corruption cases sometimes take a long-term approach to tackle. But talking about the real economy, that’s what the President should focus on right now.”
The present fuel crisis is perhaps affecting both the high and the low in the country, to the extent that the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, criticised the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, for the situation.
Kachikwu had told Nigerians that he was not trained as a magician when asked about why the crisis was lingering on for so many weeks.
But Tinubu responded in a statement titled, “Kachikwu needs to know that respect and good performance will do what magic cannot,” that the petroleum minister “has strayed from the progressive calling required of this administration.”
Perhaps disturbed by the situation, he added that “the fuel shortage is severely biting for the average person. They are forced to remain in lines for too long — for too much time — to pay too much money for too little fuel. This is no joking matter. Livelihoods and people’s welfare are at stake.”
Kachikwu later apologised to Nigerians on Tuesday for making the comment and said that the fuel scarcity would become a thing of the past by April 7.
He said, “I do apologise if a comment I made jocularly with my friends in the press about being a magician offends some Nigerians. It wasn’t meant to be. I did go ahead to explain what needed to be done. I didn’t intend to create this kind of hyperbole that it did.”
Experts who recalled that the Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammed, blamed Jonathan for the first fuel scarcity under the Buhari administration wondered why it is difficult for him and others to blame the Minister of Petroleum (President Buhari) for the current situation.
They said that even the leader of the party, Tinubu, who castigated Kachikwu, knew who to blame, but decided to blame the junior minister.
Lagos lawyer, Agbaje, said the President and Kachikwu should wake up from slumber and rescue Nigerians from the situation.
He said, “Dr. Kachikwu should wake up from his slumber and the President should also act fast because when Tinubu attacked Kachikwu, he also indirectly attacked the Presidency as President Buhari is the Minister of Petroleum. Kachikwu is the Minister of State for Petroleum. So the failure is from the Presidency. They should all wake up.”
Agbaje added that Nigerians couldn’t wait to suffer for even one more week.
He said, “We cannot wait for one more week, especially due to the blackout which is being experienced simultaneously with the fuel scarcity. Prices of goods and services have skyrocketed. Things are getting worse. I hope they don’t let this linger on.
“They should focus on creating employment and other real issues. They should address the power situation. Nigeria is one of the largest producers of oil and we’re passing through this? It’s quite unfortunate. We’ve changed government and now we’re experiencing this?”
Experts also recalled that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, was blamed for the problems associated with the petroleum sector when she was at the helm of affairs.
In that case, they said that President Buhari cannot be petroleum minister without taking responsibility for the fuel scarcity that has lingered on.
The Anglican Bishop of Niger West in Anambra State, Rt. Rev. Johnson Ekwe, also supported the call that Buhari, rather than Kachikwu, should be criticised for the situation.
The cleric, who said there was no reason for Nigerians to be passing through this hardship, stated that Buhari should be held responsible for any problem in the petroleum sector.
The fuel crisis could be costing the economy billions of naira daily, a Professor of Energy Economics at the University of Ibadan, Adeola Adenikinju, said in a telephone interview.
He said, “It might be running into billions of naira that we’re losing daily. People are queuing for hours at the filling stations. If a person earns, let us say, N1, 000 per hour day and the person is losing such time queuing for fuel, you can calculate how much millions of Nigerians are losing per day to this crisis, apart from losing man-hours.
“We have businesses losing hundreds of thousands of naira per day. People are also buying at around N200 per litre, an extra of N113.5 from the official N86.5 price. That is additional cost being incurred. Many businesses are grounded now because they can’t get fuel to operate. Electricity that would have helped savage this situation is not there.
“Businesses cannot produce and so they cannot pay workers. Frozen foods are wasted because there is no light and fuel. If we look at the cost of all these, they are running into billions of naira. Our refineries are not producing enough. This economy is not being managed well.”
In 2013, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, said Nigerians were consuming about 40 million litres of petrol daily.
And as of August 2015, the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries were producing a total of 5.4 million litres of petrol per day to supplement the need, according to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
But in January 2016, the NNPC announced the closure of two of its four refineries after targeted attacks by militants disrupted their operations and did not state when or whether the refineries would reopen.
The militants had carried out the attacks after a Federal High Court issued an arrest warrant for ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo), on charges of theft and money laundering totalling N34bn.
Be that as it may, Prof. Adenikinju has advised the Federal Government to liberalise the energy market by removing the fuel subsidy “once and for all” in order to solve the crisis the sector faces every time.
He said, “The subsidy system is simply not working. Our refineries are not working because of the subsidy. Investors won’t invest in this sector if there is subsidy. Despite subsidy, Nigerians still pay more for fuel, so what is its essence?
“Our people are not investing in refineries because they know how much they’re making from subsidy. We should involve the private sector in the energy industry. We need to change our economic approach in this sector. We can’t hold on to the socialism ideology that is not working for us. We need to work on electricity also. If there is light, Nigerians will pay. We need to address these issues.”
On fuel subsidy removal or non-removal, a Lagos-based lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, asked the Federal Government to strike the balance between political correctness and economic prudence.
He said, “The government doesn’t want to subsidise, and yet the refineries are not working. People, including me, are spending a whole day at filling stations. There’s no light. We can’t continue to weather this storm. Businesses are not working. Till when do we wait?
“The toll on the people is too much. If you don’t want to subsidise, then let the refineries work. People are suffering and I think the President should find the balance between what is politically correct and what is economically prudent.”
•Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa The other nominees are the former Special Assistant to the Governor on Marine Security, Hon. Bello Bina for Brass LGA, former Commissioner for Special Duties, Chief Walter Kuroghofa Odogu for Nembe LGA, a former Youth Leader, Tolu Amatu for Ekeremor LGA; Mr. Oforji Oboku for Yenagoa LGA; Ebianga Ogai for Ogbia LGA, Hon. Michael Magbisa for Sagbama and Wisdom Fafi for Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA. The ex militant leader, Joshua Maciver is to head Southern Ijaw LGA caretaker committee. The nominees are expected to appear before the State House of Assembly next week for screening. It was gathered that the decision by the governor to nominate proposed members of the Local Government Caretaker committee was based on the paucity of fund affecting the conduct of the Local Government election in the state. But a government source said the governor’s decision to forward the names of caretaker nominees for the councils of was based on the April 9 expiration date of the tenure of incumbent Local Government Chairmen in the state.
Oloriesho The suspect was arrested last Tuesday, when the SCID operatives trailed him to his hideout at Tollgate area of Mushin. It was gathered that a shootout ensued between the operatives and some hoodlums who attempted to prevent the police from arresting the suspect. Police sources disclosed that Oloriesho has been on the police wanted list for a long time following several gang-related killings and other violent crimes around Mushin and its environ for a long time. A source at the SCID, who spoke with Saturday Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, stated that since 2009, Oloriesho has it signatures in almost all gang-related killings within Mushin, Fadeyi, Shomolu, Bariga and Ilupeju areas of Lagos State. The source explained that Oloriesho and his gang were recruited in 2009 by a faction of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, who were locked in a battle of supremacy to wage a bloody war against their opponents. The police source highlighted that Oloriesho and his gang carried out several killings around Tollgate, Idi-Oro, New Balogun, Ogunjobi and Railway areas of Mushin before his arrest. The source added that five members of his gang were arrested by the SCID operatives in January 2016 and an AK47 belonging to the police which was snatched from a policeman murdered at Daleko area of Isolo, Lagos, was recovered from the suspects and the suspects provided intelligence that aided the police in apprehending Oloriesho. According to the source, Oloriesho and his gang were alleged to have taken part in the killing of the nephew of former Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, Niyi, in 2012. It was alleged that Oloriesho and his boys attacked some residents of Bada Street, who weren’t loyal to them and they had a clash with some soldiers who were responding to a distress call within the area. 
Aminat Lateef “Oloriesho has been on our file for a long time and we have been working very hard to arrest him but we made our first breakthrough last January when we apprehended five members of his gang and they gave us information on how to apprehend him and since we made that arrest, Mushin has been relatively peaceful. There have been no news of violent clashes or killings within that area and to make sure we achieve a lasting result, we went all out for Oloriesho because he is the leader of the gang. Before his arrest, we had got several information about him, detailing how he led his gang to carry out several killings against persons that are believed to be his opponents. They have also killed innocent people in the process. “One of such killings was in 2011, a few months after they killed 9-year-old Aminat. They also attacked and killed one Akeem Adeleye, alias Chiroke. He was attacked close to his house in Idi-Oro and killed. One year after, while his friends were observing his remembrance, Oloriesho and his boys stormed the place, opened fire into the crowd and had a shootout with some soldiers who were around that area. At the end, they killed one Niyi Ehidero, who is a nephew to the former IGP. In 2013, we had report that he killed one Morufu Bakare at Olosha Bus stop in Mushin. He was reported to have shot Bakare on the face. “In 2014, we received reports that he carried out two killings; one in January, while the other in December. In January 2014, we learnt that he led his boys and they shot one Segun Oladunjoye to death around Toll gate area Mushin. We were informed that Segun was formerly part of his gang and he switched camp after he was released from prison. We were told that Oloriesho killed him because he felt Segun betrayed him. In December 2014, he was also alleged to have killed one Lekan Akinshola at Oyegbola Street, Ilupeju, Lagos. Based on these reports, we went after him and members of his gang and the result is what you are seeing now.” Jubilation in Mushin over arrest Last Wednesday when Crime Guard visited Mushin following news of Oloriesho’s arrest, residents were seen in different areas celebrating his arrest. A resident, James Balogun, told Crime Guard that with Oloriesho’s arrest, Mushin will be peaceful. He said Oloriesho had been enjoying protection from some influential politicians for a long time. “He also worked for politicians and they had been the ones shading him from arrest”, Balogun Stated. “Last January, he was arrested by the police and taken to the Area D Command, Musihn, but less than four hours after his arrest, an influential politician came and bailed him. We learnt that the police at the area command took N500,000 bribe and they released him, but we are grateful that policemen from the SCID has moved in and arrested him.” When Crime Guard visited Tiaminu Street, where Aminat was killed, her father, Saheed Lateef, who was filled with joy when he spoke with Crime Guard, said he had waited for six years for justice, and was grateful to God that the police had gone after the killers of his daughter. “I have waited for six years for this day and I am grateful to God that I am alive to see my daughter’s killers pay for their crimes. I thought there was no law in this country because this people who killed my daughter were walking the streets of Mushin as free men and each time I saw them, I wept and begged God to give justice to my poor child whose life was cut short prematurely. I can’t fight them because they are usually armed.” Narrating how his child was murdered, Saheed said, “Aminat was a Primary 3 pupil of Ola Emma Nursery and Primary school, Mushin; she was shot dead at about 7.35 p.m on Tuesday, December 9, 2010, which was the eve of her birthday. I had sent her to buy food when these hoodlums saw and sprayed bullets on her. I was told by people who witnessed it that Aminat on sighting the hoodlums, who were on a revenge mission, hid behind a car, but the car could not protect her and the hoodlums sprayed the car with bullets and killed her instantly.” Saheed who described the late Aminat as his precious first daughter said: “She was very humble and respectful. All I am asking from the government is to allow justice to prevail in this matter. I want the killers of my precious daughter to be brought to book.”
Dr. Adeola Onakoya Glaucoma has no cure and many people have no idea that they have it. It is only when they undergo free eye screening exercises like this that they often discover they have glaucoma. Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, and Head Glaucoma Services, Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine/Lagos University Teaching Hospital, CMUL, Dr. Adeola Onakoya, describes glaucoma aptly. She said glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve with almost eight million cases worldwide. “The optic nerve is responsible for transmitting images from the retina which is the specialized light sensing tissue to the brain. “When this nerve is diseased it becomes glaucoma. It is often associated with the build up of pressure inside the eye and/or decreased blood flow of the optic nerve, although high eye pressure also referred to as intraocular pressure or ocular hypertension sometimes leads to glaucoma. Glaucoma is referred to as “the silent thief of sight”. This is because it slowly damages the eye and causes irreversible loss of vision to the sufferer. Factors Factors such as advancing age, a family history of glaucoma, being black, high pressure in the eye, migraine, high blood pressure, etc are relevant. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. The drainage of the eye can become blocked leading to gradual increased eye pressure. Open-angle glaucoma accounts for 95 percent of the glaucoma cases in the country. It is painless and does not have acute attacks, patients with this form of glaucoma are not aware that they have glaucoma until the optic nerve is already damaged. Onakoya said glaucoma does not occur with readily noticeable symptoms that cause the irreversible optic nerve damage. However, basic symptoms like difficulty focusing on near or distant objects, double vision, excess teary or watery eyes, seeing spots, or ghost-like images, blurred vision, sudden loss of vision in one eye, squinting or blinking are common. Treatment and prevention Treatment for glaucoma depends on the nature and severity. Glaucoma is not curable but is controllable to prevent blindness. Check your eyes regularly at least once in two years. She laments that glaucoma as a non-communicable disease and is not properly addressed compared to communicable diseases. “Creating awareness is necessary to enable people know about the signs and symptoms as well as the complications of glaucoma. If there are signs, the patient can see an ophthalmologist so that appropriate treatment can be adopted in good time.” Our involvement in the business of sight– Mrs. Margaret Olele, Corporate Affairs/Health and Value Director, Pfizer Specialities 
Mrs. Magaret Olele Pfizer is known worldwide to be very much into treatment of two diseases that impact sight, and these are glaucoma and trachoma. Pfizer is known across Africa to have donated a lot of medications, antibiotics for treatment of blinding trachoma and now we are working closely from the outset with the Association to ensure they have a platform where their voices will be heard and where the right information and awareness will be created around glaucoma which a lot of people do not know about because it comes like a thief in the night. It is also to empower them and look at the opportunities where people can support for better access to good quality medicines. Early prevention One of the things we looked is that screening is a critical aspect of early prevention. If people are not checked, they would not know and by the time they get to know it may be too late. So screening is a critical area and we are into prevention in this different forms and this is one of such preventive measures against blindness, The family Glaucoma impacts a whole family if a member of one family goes blind, you know what that means. The public lecture, this year focused on the family, because sometimes when one person has glaucoma in the family there may be likelihood that someone else would have it as well. The lecture was to create awareness about what is happening and when to go see the doctor and also to let people know that the Association exists. When people work together as a team, they get to know how they can resolve their issues, For instance, the patients may get their medicines cheaper if they pool resources together, so this collaboration strengthens the platform and it is critical for the glaucoma patient because they get better information and access to treatment. Partnerships People should begin to look at the more sustainable private partnerships. Now we should be talking about the public-private and public-public initiatives that can help sustain action across Nigeria. What government should begin to look at is how we can pool a team of partners that can help resolve this challenge. Policy Issues around policy are the direction we should be looking at. Because when there is a policy, it creates a framework that would guide the implementation and all. So part of the strengthening of the process by strengthening an association like this is to mobilise advocacy. And drive discussion around policy because policy doesn’t just come like that. It comes from people talking about it and having the commitment that it happens getting government to hear the voice of the people. Policy is critical and a way this can be ensured is to strengthen the association so that there will be a strong voice to get attention of government. Screening When you screen you have to look at risk factors. You want to look at who are the people who may have these risk factors and when you may begin to dovetail into who may be at risk in the family. When you do these screenings you tend to pick some people and tend to save the family. When we are doing screenings my concern is what happens afterwards? The best thing is to create a model that would ensure that these people are continually able to get the medication as opposed to that one off. Because the reality is how many people would get it free and for how long? So why not work out a model that would ensure people have access to this good quality medicine at a price they can afford and make their voices sheard that people that would consider this as a sustainable corporate enterprise.
And more poignantly too, this is the second time in about 16 months that the Eagles will be eliminated in the qualification series for the AFCON under the leadership of the former Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick. Nigerians would not forget in hurry that fateful day of Nov 20, 2014 when the Eagles, needing a win to guarantee their place at AFCON 2015 in Equatorial Guinea, had to force Bafana Bafana to a 2-2 draw at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium in Uyo. The draw allowed Congo to qualify alongside the already qualified South African side, who ran to a 2-0 lead before a fightback by Eagles rescued them a point but not enough to guarantee them a spot in the AFCON finals. This came shortly barely two months after Amaju Pinnick and his fellow board members were elected into the top-ranking Executive Committee of the NFF and at the height of intense fighting for the soul of Nigerian football by various factions and the spill-over effect of the acrimonious feud between then Eagles coach Stephen Keshi and the immediate past President of the NFF, Aminu Maigari, who had lost confidence and trust in Keshi to continue tinkering the Eagles, after poor management of the Eagles in the last World Cup. For a country with no short supply of a pool of exciting talents to choose from at home and overseas, Eagles had no business missing out on a place at Equatorial Guinea 2015. Even before the match against South Africa, it was clear that Keshi had lost the plot and was heading downhill in his coaching depth, a good reason for Pinnick and his fellow members to do away with him. With pressure coming from unseen hands within the Presidency, the board attempted to paper the already-inflamed cracks, and the result was that the reigning African champions failed to qualify for the AFCON party in Equatorial Guinea. And 16 months on from the infamous and ugly incident which turned over 170 million Nigerians into mere spectators of AFCON 2015, the same mistake on recruitment of coaches has left a bitter taste on the tongues of fans at home. The role of the NFF in Nigeria’s two-time failed AFCON bids cannot be overemphasised. It was Pinnick that allowed Keshi to handle the final game against South Africa, after first sacking him, and replaced with Shuaibu Amodu, before doing a volte face by reinstating the former after reported pressure from a top-ranking government official. Even as hard as they tried to paint the picture, the pussy-footing did not help Nigeria, leaving many to call to question the integrity and professionalism of those calling the shots at the Glass House. A former Chairman of the NFA, Kojo Williams could not have been far from the truth when he said in a past interview that Pinnick’s board was not prompt in taking crucial decisions no matter whose ox is gored And it seems Williams must be a clairvoyant as events after 16 months have shown, with another Nations Cup qualification capitulation, orchestrated by NFF, with its unwise appointment of Sunday Oliseh as Eagles coach on July15, 2015, Before the Eagles job, Oliseh’s other coaching stint was at Royal Cercle Sportif Verviétois, a third division Belgian side, which he managed in the 2008-2009 season, with no recorded feat. Were he that good, Oliseh would have climbed the coaching ladder in Belgium or elsewhere in Europe. Despite his often-touted possession of an Euro Pro A License, the highest coaching qualification in the world, Oliseh has not been able to translate paper qualifications to practical performance. It was the NFF that made him the super-star in the eyes of Nigerians, touting him as the Pep Guardiola of Africa, according to the words of Pinnick during Oliseh’s unveiling in Abuja. But the experiment with the supposed Pep Guardiola of Africa did not take long to turn sour as Eagles laboured to beat Chad 2-0 and drew goalless against Tanzania as the qualification series for AFCON 2016 started. Sensing that he was not going to get results against Egypt, who topped the table, Oliseh stepped into a twitter rant, calling it quit, less than a month to the games against the seven-time African champions. Like a house on fire, NFF pressed the panic mode, drafting in Samson Siasia, who from the two games against Egypt did a fairly job but fell short of the target of securing AFCON qualification ticket for Nigeria. The blame for Nigeria’s double AFCON failure rests squarely on the shoulders of the NFF, who may be doing well in marketing the game but doing less on technical matters concerning the Super Eagles. Forget the successes recorded by the Eaglets and CHAN Eagles, the real deal are the Super Eagles, who despite having what seems a rich pool of exciting talents like Alex Iwobi, Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo, Carl Ikeme, Oghenekaro Etebo and Victor Moses to select from,have strangely been inhibited by poor coaching that saw them fail to beat Tanzania and Tuesday paid the price.
Obi Madubuogwu At that time, Madubuogwu was almost tipping at 300kg in weight. However tides soon turned for him health wise that all seemed to fall apart like a pack of cards. Movie business took a nose dive as he had to stay alive first. He had lost extreme weight in a whiff of time and was stigmatized, traumatized and treated like a leper by even some of his friends and colleagues who wouldn’t shake hands with him. Rumours even told of how he had been dumped in his village to die. Even a notable news magazine had published in a banner headline that he was stricken with AIDS. All these physical and emotional deterioration went on until he discovered that what was ravaging him was indeed diabetes, an ailment he has been managing for many years now. He has therefore resolved to invest his entire life in the education of the world and especially members of his entertainment constituency as to the gravity of the ailment as well as its management. In this chat, he tells of the sad days when he did not know what exactly was wrong with him and how the people felt it was HIV /AIDS that made him fall from being hefty to a mere feather weight. He also talks about the challenges of running Saving Lives African Diabetes Foundation and his experiences so far Entry into the movie industry Entering into the movie industry for me came quite early in the years. I started by watching Okpulu Anyanwu and Mike Orihe Dimma, popular Igbo sitcom on television in Onitsha in those good old days. I became a critic of the production until I joined a theatre group and shot our film POWER OF LOVE. I had taken the movie to the most popular marketer of that era, JBM to market because he said he loved it. At that time, he was casting for Evil Passion but later I missed it as he used Tobechukwu Anadi who became an instant success thereafter. I still took the Power of Love to Alex Ezeamaku of Zelex who also gave me a role in his own production Hidden Truth. The relationship blossomed that we became friends, mentor and brought down Major stars down to Onitsha from Lagos to do Akadilke. It was Zelex that later brought me to Lagos and always believed that I could produce a movie but I told him to wait till I have learnt some more about production. So we employed Zeb Ejiro to direct Faces which featured Sidney Diala and a host of others. It was after understudying Zeb that I decided to produce Agony which was directed by Ndubuisi Okoh. That film, to the best of my knowledge, became the first film Genevieve did in Nollywood. After then, I produced Captives for IG Best which was also the first film for Clem Ohameze. I also was involved in True Confession which was another early film of the era produced by NEK. I featured in it with the delectable Liz Benson. It was in True Confession that I met her for the first time after having seen her act in other films. I must confess that I was gripped by inferiority complex as someone who had just come from Onitsha but she made me relaxed when she said she had also seen me in other films and hugged me. Local Champion It was after True Confession that I became a local champion in Onitsha. I grew too fast that I had outgrown my first film or drama Power of love which was later dumped. However, I will say that it was Forbidden that gave me my main identity and it featured Ngozi Ezeonu while Battle of Musanga popularized that identity. Battle of Musanga I had been close to top movie and electronics marketer Andy Best during those years. He had told me about a movie role which fits me. He said he had recommended me to Gabosky, one of the producers who eventually invited me to the audition held at a venue in Agboju area of Lagos. While at the audition, I gathered that the role was not originally for me but meant for Super Armstrong. But they also told me to rehearse and read some lines. I did it well. I strongly believe that my stage training helped me in playing the role of the cannibal king Musanga of Musanga kingdom who intimidated everyone and all his subjects. Musanga still remains the biggest epic production in the history of Nollywood. I think it would be very difficult for any Nigerian film producer to invest the amount of money and time to produce that kind of movie. The cast was massive; the crew super, the location was indescribable. I continue to commend Gabosky and Chez Kay for a big job well done. However it was after Musanga that Tony Jickson contacted me to do Karashika followed by Conspiracy. I would say that my eyes opened up in production when I did Agunmba which I sold to Somaco. I must say that coming to stay in Lagos as made possible by Zelex that made me learn the ropes and started my success run You seemed to enjoy a very cordial relationship with movie marketers when your colleagues antagonize them..How come? I think my relationship with video marketers is endearing because I started early with them before they even encouraged me to produce for them. It is a long standing relationship which many other producers do not have. Again, acting from the early stages of Nollywood also gave me commercial value to produce movies. I was sincere with the marketers and was always seen as a part of them. That was why when we formed Film Cooperative of Nigeria FCON, I always told them it was complimentary and not antagonistic Trouble in the air When I did Musanga, I was three times the size I am now. It was in 1998 at the peak of this rising profile that I started coming down with different kinds of symptoms that could be related to HIV/AIDS including extreme weight loss and what have you. I was reducing in size daily and was scared with my image in the mirror. It was not long before the news started spreading that I had been down with AIDS. Even a particular entertainment journalist published the banner headline that I was HIV positive. It pained me about the insensitivity of the world to people’s plight. I have forgiven him and he has apologized to me. I became scared of myself. I became worried and did not know what to do. I wondered what happened to my cherished life and plans to excel in the movie industry With my popularity both in person and name, I knew I was in deep trouble. I couldn’t go for HIV test because I was scared of the result. On the part of Zelex, whom I considered brother from another mother, he continued to push me to take a test and he also had several issues with his wife concerning our continued friendship and closeness. She was worried that my continued friend ship would make her family contact whatever I was suffering from. She was right. I summoned up courage and took a test which to my relieve was negative to HIV/AIDS. My relief came because the stigma did not fit me after all. It was not what people thought but I still did not know what was happening to me. The big stigmatization It would be very difficult for me to describe what it felt to be stigmatized, rejected and abandoned. I felt it all. Aside from the journalist who published the story that I was HIV positive, what about the several clusters of people who gathered to talk about me only to stop when I come around? What about the close friends who won’t shake my hands or even have any physical closeness with me? They would throw their greetings as if they were being forced to say hello to me. I also recall a pastor who told me point blank that I had HIV. It was about this time that I stopped featuring in films. My image had gone so down. In Conspiracy 1, I was very big as usual but in part 2, I was lean. We decided to make me train and gym regularly in the film as if I was checking my weight. The audience did not know what I was passing through and believed the film story. In Cassandra, I had trimmed much more down and the story was everywhere that I was going to die any time from then. Some said I had died of full blown AIDS. What story did I not hear about myself? A cousin of mine had gone to the bank for transaction and was told by some one that I had died. Even in my hometown, people were already counting days for me. I even heard from someone that I had been dumped in one room in the village to die. A childhood friend who heard the story had traced me to the village to ask why my mum and family would keep my illness from him to the extent that I had been dumped in one room to die in the village. But I was in Lagos. My mum had fainted on hearing that story. She had been managing Diabetes herself for years. I believe that my health issue must have contributed to her death at 89 years. The great revelation The revelation as to what was worrying me came to light as we were shooting Ulaga for Andy Best in Enugu. I was with Andy Chukwu and a couple of close friends who did not stigmatise me through out the period. I had gone to urinate and Andy Chukwu had gone after me. He came back to where we were seated and told me that he saw ants trailing my urine. He said he related it with what his uncle was suffering from and convinced me to take a diabetes test. I became excited that I was close to what may have been wrong with me. When I went for this test, the doctor was shocked and insisted that I do not leave the hospital that day because it was extremely dangerous for me to do so. He asked me how I came to the hospital and I told him I drove myself and he was shocked. He told me my sugar level was above 500. Even though he said it was dangerous, I felt a big relief when they said it was not AIDS or HIV. So I went for the diabetes medication and immediately started getting my groove back. My brother had visited Lagos to see me and I was not what they had told him. Saving Lives African Diabetes Foundation My experiences had told me many things about life and death because I was on death throes for years without knowing what was wrong with me. Lack of information and knowledge about the disease inspired me to form Saving Lives African Diabetes Foundation in 2009 because I benefited from knowledge about Diabetes and its management. I had heard that people had taken their lives due to the kind of stigmatization that I had. I now know that Diabetes is not a death sentence. I will love to separate our foundation from the ones many have used to extort money from people. We started the foundation so as to prevent many people from passing through what I passed through before knowing what is wrong and how to manage it. And even now they know, medication and management are all that are required. I have seen several of my colleagues who are also managing their own conditions and we share knowledge. Symptoms Symptoms include frequent urination, dryness of the throat, blurred vision, general weakness and regular water intake and then weight loss. Aside from my mother managing diabetes for years, I also lived a life that was filled with sugar intake. I was addicted to Coca Cola. I would rush a bottle before a meal and then wash the food down with another bottle. Boy, it was God that saved me oo. There was a time I was afraid of sleeping because of the fear that I would die from there. Challenges of managing the foundation The cost of running this kind of NGO is enormous but by God’s grace we have been managing it and meeting with the challenges so far. It is not a family business and the signatories in the account are not Obi Madubuogwu and his wife and family. SLADF is a legacy I wish to leave for posterity. We provide info through films, seminars and discussions. I make use of my popularity to reach out to people and we have been building up confidence that we have volunteer members. We print handbooks and magazines to spread information about Diabetes and have been sharing this information. It is very wrong for people to think that Diabetes is for old people. I have seen a seven year old who had diabetes. We have a volunteer medical team to counsel and advise and consult. I am very happy that more and more companies are beginning to understand what we do and we have been building confidence. We have organised events like Celebrities Unite against Diabetes and later Nollywood Health Convention and Awards because we have lost several colleagues to the disease which is one of the fastest killers in the world today that takes people unaware. We partnered Actors Guild of Nigeria, Lagos in our first award ceremonies but the last one which held at Golden Tulip Festac, Lagos held without that partnership. We are grateful to all who had supported us. I am sorry to say that Nigeria as a country has not given Diabetes the same kind of interest they have given to HIV/AIDS. Sugar Boy Aside from seminars and workshops and more, we also make films to direct the world interest to the disease and continue the advocacy against diabetes. Sugar Boy is the story of a little boy who has diabetes. In his story we treat the issue of type 1 and 2 diabetes. Type 1 affects people from 1 to 35 years while type 2 goes for people above 40 years. How to stay alive Immediately take care of any health challenge that presents itself as headache, depression and diabetes. Seek information on how to take care of basic situations. If you find yourself as diabetic, the first thing to do is to accept the situation. People die out of the confusion they notice. Without delay, go to proper doctors and specialists with experience and not just anyone. Several doctors have killed patients because they did not do proper diagnoses.
Dog meat The Afizeres, also known as the Jarawa people are mainly found in Jos North and Jos East local government areas of the state as well as in the neighbouring Toro and Tafawa Balewa local government areas in Bauchi State. The peaceful ethnic group whose major sources of livelihood are hunting and farming traces its origin to the Nok culture in the Southern part of Kaduna State. They are neighbours with the Beroms from Jos South and Barkin Ladi, Mwaghavul in Mangu, Anaguta in Jos North, the Irigwe and Rukuba people in Bassa local government areas of Plateau State as well as with Bauchi State. Though as farmers and hunters, the Afizere people do not have many taboos in terms of what they eat, most of them abhor the eating of dog meat, unlike other ethnic groups in the state, especially their immediate neighbours, the Beroms, who consider it a delicacy. Speaking with Saturday Vanguard on why the Afizeres do not eat dog meat, the District Head of Furaka, one of the districts in Izereland, Ada Isaac Isha explained: “We don’t eat dogs in Afizereland because we believe dogs are security to us, so you can’t turn against them and start eating them. Dogs guard your house even while you are sleeping, so why turn your friend into meat and do something that will harm them? If our dogs are sick, we treat them and if they are old, we stay with them until they die and we bury them.” Unique cultures Plateau State, apart from being the “Home of Peace and Tourism” is also known to be home to about 50 indigenous ethnic groups, each with its distinct culture, dialect, and ways of dressing among others hence the adoption of the Hausa language by the various ethnic groups as a language of communication in the state. Even with the adoption of the Hausa language, these diverse groups still hold affiliations to their culture as seen in the annual celebration of cultural festivals, promotion of indigenous dialects to save them from extinction and conducting their marriages, burials and other rites in line with their ancestral beliefs. There are distinct features which make the Afizere people unique such as the Asharuwa dance steps, the ‘gote’ (local meal) served in prominent Izere festivals and eaten as a staple food as well as the conduct of marriages and other cultural events. Despite the interaction with the Western and other cultures around them, a number of the Afizere customs still remain in practice, and prominent among them are the annual Igoon-Izere Festival celebrated every January 1, and which attracts thousands of Afizere sons and daughters who come together to exhibit their cultural heritage. The Uwreng-Izire is a traditional customary marriage rite where a young man who falls in love with a girl mobilizes his friends to ‘abduct’ her to his house. The parents of the boy go to inform the parents of the girl that their daughter is not missing but going to be married by their son. Speaking on the Uwreng-Izire, however, the District Head stated that before a girl could be taken by her intended husband, there has to be an agreement between both families on the proposed marriage and whatever action is taken has to be with the consent of the would-be bride’s parents. According to him, “When a young girl is ready to marry, her family and that of the boy must agree. When the daughter is taken by the boy, the boy’s family will just go and inform their in-laws that if you did not see your daughter, you should not be afraid; she is with us.” The District Head continued: “Before now, we were not paying dowry in our culture but would just go and farm for the girl’s family. But the modern way of life has made us to turn the farming culture into collection of money and items referred to as dowry and bride price; and if you give birth to your first child, you give that child to your in-laws to stay with them and become part of that family but the second child belongs to you the real father.” According to the District Head, the Izhak Festival is the customary form of circumcision where boys are taken to the bush to stay for seven days and certain rituals are performed on them. Upon their return on the set day, parents and well-wishers celebrate with them as they now become men. He however added that this “is scarcely celebrated these days.” Though the Afizere people believe in the existence of God and his supremacy, they also traditionally believe in the existence of local spirits who concerned themselves with the welfare of mankind through their supernatural powers. Some of them also believe in the souls of the ancestors and the dead generally. In their quest to appeal to ancestral spirits, Afizere people engage in expensive ceremonies of sacrifices or libations; for instance, during circumcision (“Izhak”) and puberty (“Igasang”) ritual festivals. On ancestral worship, Ada Isha, the District Head added: “Afizere people worship according to tradition in the sense that all that you do, you do with the fear of a supreme being. Some of the ways we worship for instance during the farming season, we gather ourselves as a community to appease the gods, and we pray that the season should be well with plenty of harvest.”