IN YOUR OWN INTEREST:

no matter the position you are offered in ANY organization
if your deputy is named “goodluck” , please decline…

even if it is UN SEC GEN OR HEAD OF THE AFRICAN UNION
in your own interest decline o,
in case you think am joking:
- goodluck was assistant head boy in pry school, the head boy got expelled, he took over
- goodluck was assistant senior prefect in secondary school, the senior prefect died, goodluck took over
- goodluck was deputy local govt chairman, the chairman got implicated in corruption and got removed from office, goodluck took over
- goodluck was deputy governor to alameiseigha, we all know that story
- goodluck was vice to yar adua : PERICADIATIS!
you may say its coincidence, na you know …!!!
a friend of mine just called off his church wedding, why? his bestman was named goodluck
he is insisting that all that will occur is traditional wedding…
i don talk my own……….!!!

PEOPLE, DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU O.

More than 50 Nigerian public figures have called on President Umaru Yar’Adua to resign, saying ill health has impaired his judgement.

Several Nigerian newspapers carried a statement asking him to step down that was signed by senior political figures and democracy activists, among others.

But ministers dismissed the statement, saying there was “no basis” for the president to leave office.

Mr Yar’Adua is currently being treated in Saudi Arabia for a heart problem.

In a statement, Information Minister Dora Akunyili said the cabinet had met and had “unanimously resolved” that the president “has not been found incapable of discharging his functions”.

She said: “Council wishes to inform all Nigerians that all organs of government are functioning and that government will continue to deliver.”

‘Leadership vacuum’

BBC Africa analyst Mary Harper says the statement issued by the group of political figures is blunt and to the point.

It says the president’s illness “has created a dangerous situation whereby no-one is in charge of the affairs of state”.

full story: bbc

Fela who? On Broadway?

Those are basic questions that “Fela!” faces when it opens on Monday. The show has moved from a widely praised Off Broadway production, last year at 37 Arts, to the larger and more mainstream realm of the Broadway musical — from 299 seats to 1,050. Amid theaters filled with more recognizable fare — movie adaptations, revivals, jukebox musicals — “Fela!” seems downright quixotic. Although the music that Fela invented, Afrobeat, and the central events of “Fela!” are familiar to Africans, in the United States Fela (as Kuti is usually called) is largely unknown except by African-music devotees and fans of political music.

“We have an uphill battle,” said Stephen Hendel, the producer who started the project, “because we don’t have a recognized star, and Fela is an international artist and musician who’s outside the mainstream of American culture.”

The goal “Fela!” has set for itself is to be true to his music and his impact while reaching a Broadway musical audience. It is, inevitably, a translation, but one governed more by respect and ambition than by show-business routine. “Fela!” juggles the conflicting demands of Mr. Jones’s own artistic leanings — in a celebrated career that has often pondered history, race and sexuality — and the commercial imperatives of Broadway, where theatergoers’ idea of African music might begin and end with “The Lion King.”

There’s also the legacy of Fela himself, well documented in recordings and films from the 1970s until his death in 1997, that is cherished by fans for whom he was already a musical and cultural hero. “There are people who, when they heard we were going to make a musical about him, were very upset,” Mr. Jones recalled. “Because Fela’s underground, and Broadway’s mainstream.”

full story

According to a new report on BBC West Africa is struggling to access the internet because of a cable fault, full story follows:
Large parts of West Africa are struggling to get back online following damage to an undersea cable.

The fault has caused severe problems in Benin, Togo, Niger and Nigeria.

The blackout is thought to have been caused by damage to the SAT-3 cable which runs from Portugal and Spain to South Africa, via West Africa.

Around 70% of Nigeria’s bandwidth was cut, causing severe problems for its banking sector, government and mobile phone networks.

“SAT-3 is currently the only fibre optic cable serving West Africa,” explained Ladi Okuneye, chief marketing officer of Suburban Telecoms, which provides the majority of Nigeria’s bandwidth.

“So all West African countries have to use it.”

Companies were being forced to use alternatives - such as using satellite links - to maintain connections to the rest of the world, he said.

Telkom South Africa, one of the shareholders of SAT-3, has not said what caused the problems but said it was aware of “a cable fault on the Benin branch that is being investigated”.

The 15,000km (9,300mile) SAT-3 cable lands in eight West African countries as it winds its way between Europe and South Africa.

“The rest of the system is unaffected by this fault,” a Telkom South Africa representative said.

Nigeria has been badly hit because around 70% of its bandwidth is routed through neighbouring Benin.

The network, run by Suburban Telecom, was set up to bypass Nigeria’s principal telecoms operator Nitel which runs the SAT-3 branch cable which lands in Nigeria.

The SAT-3 consortium is in the process of sending a ship from Cape Town in South Africa to the area to investigate the fault.

Mr Okuneye said that by the time the relevant paperwork was done, it was likely to be “two weeks” before the ship arrived off the coast.

Meanwhile, Benin has been able to reroute its net traffic through neighbouring countries to get back online.

Mr Okuneye said his company was hoping to do the same but said the process would be slower because its bandwidth requirements were so much larger than those of the small republic.

Togo and Niger, which are not part of the SAT-3 consortium, remain offline.

Takwa bay beach which is one of the most popular tourist island in Lagos state to under go a short term and long development. The island is a tourist attraction for both local and international tourist, in recent time tourists have come to dread the beach because of security concern and lack of maintenance by the government.

The state ministry of Tourism discovered that, if the beach is well managed can place the state in the nation’s and world tourism map and have started working on a long term plan to bring stronger government presence to the Island, improve on the quality of life of the people of the community and give them access to the economic wealth that tourism activities going on in their vicinity ought to offer them.

Speaking at a press briefing on the plans of the state to develop the Takwa Bay beach as a destination of choice for local and foreign tourist alike, the commissioner for Tourism, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi said the beach carnival that is being plan and powered by a number of private sector in the state.

He said “it is an experimental marketing initiative to enable more Lagosians feel the exotic character of the Takwa Bay beach, and begin to enjoy and appreciate the enormous tourism potential of our state. On our part as a government agency, it is also a gesture of thanks and appreciation to the wonderful citizens of Lagos state who continuously give their full support to this government.”

Speaking on the plan development of the island, Senator Afikuyomi said “We were conscious of the methodology of wealth creation that simple activities as the production and sales of arts and crafts, fresh fruits, traditional attires, vegetables, variety of sea foods etc. can help to reduce poverty and bring economic prosperity into the hands of the people of the community if they are well organized and harnessed.

Following many enquiries both locally and internationally, the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism and Inter_Governmental Relations, on behalf of the State Government hereby assures all of improved safety, better environment and continued access to one of the most beautiful tropical Island on the Coast of the Atlantic the Takwa Bay Island.

While promising government presence , he said the Ministry will open up necessary communication with the relevant security agencies to provide support for a team of Merchant Navy and Coast Guards now in the service of the Ministry to provide adequate cover for the Beach.

“To also ensure the sustainability of this and similar initiatives, we have commenced efforts at engaging the local community and aligning them with our global vision for the Island. We have also received cooperation and support from the Chairman of the Local Government Coouncil Development Area.”

Senator Afikuyomi said for the successful hosting of the carnival a number of leading and upcoming Nigerian artistes have volunteered to freely perform at the BEACH CARNIVAL while leading business organizations in the water transportation business are partnering with them to help transport Lagosians to the TAKWA BAY Island for what is set to be an unforgettable experience in the warm embrace of nature.

“There would be lots of activities, fun, entertainment and music to enjoy. There will also be star appearances of some of Nigerian most celebrated entertainment stars. It will also be an opportunity for musical and artistic talent hunting as there would be competitions in various areas with encouraging cash and product prizes.”

Some of the artists billed to perform at the carnival includes Zaki, Idris Abdul Karim, Kenny St. Brown, Shotgun, Lanre Atorise, Jazzman Olofin and DJ Jimmy as well as notable comedians like Princess, Omobaba, and MC Basket mouth.

How many Bellos can you count in iLorin?

I have never been a big genealogy fan, recent events, mainly the revelation that there is an awful lot more Odurindes out there than I imagine aroused my interest in the origin of the name Odurinde and possible ancestral connection of all the Odurindes to one origin.  I used to think the name is fairly unique to the part of Yorubaland my father comes from (Irepodun local government of Osun state).

After searches for the keyword “Odurinde” on the Internet and Facebook and other social networking sites I was quite surprised to find so many Odurindes.

Using my not so good Yoruba language skills to break the name down to its component words, I hypothesis that  Odurinde was derived from two words; Odu (Odu Ifa)  rinde (arrived) hence the name is probably taken on by family of Ifa priests who did not go out to actively seek Odu Ifa but  Odu ifa walked into their lives and appointed them as ifa priests.  If my hypothesis is correct, then the chances of all Odurindes being linked to one original source is slim, the only connections will be the fact that they all acquire ifa priesthood through the same method.

If would be fantastic if someone with a better understanding of the origin of the name Odurinde or Youruba surenames in general puts me right.

I will also like to hear from Odurindes out there and what part of Yorubaland they come from.  Perhaps instead of the joke/saying I used to hear in Lagos about the lack of scarcity of Bellos in iLorin, I can start saying “there is no scarcity of Odurindes in  Osun/Oyo state?.