Lionel Messi breaks UEFA Champions League goal-scoring record
Phenomenal Barcelona Forward, Lionel Messi has broken UEFA Champions League goal-scoring record for the most goals for a single club. The 26 year-old Argentine took advantage of an error by Joleon Lescott and netted in his 67th career Champions League goal in the 67th minute of Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City. The 4-time Ballon d’Or winner has now surpassed former Real Madrid star, Raul’s 66-goal tally for the spanish club.
House of Tara to host Nigeria’s 1st Makeup In Nigeria Conference
Opinion: What Abacha’s son and Obesere should teach Nigerians | By: Fatai Ibrahim
When reports of the alleged rape by popular Fuji musician, Abass Akande Obesere, broke, I was interested in collating comments from news sites for an essay I planned to write. My aim was to gauge how the public processes rape. To my embarrassment, many commentators did not think that in an act of rape, the fault is primarily that of the rapist and not the victim. It seems a majority of the population thinks that the larger responsibility lies on the weaker party to protect herself from the stronger one.
In any rape instance, it does not matter what the victim was wearing, where it took place, or at what time of the day it did. What matters is that one person took advantage of the other person, usually the vulnerable one. A forewarning: Obesere is innocent, presumably, unless the courts stipulate otherwise. I have nothing against Obesere and I cannot say this enough.
I can say he is one Nigerian artiste I can encourage students to write dissertation on because of his transgressive acts.
However, reaction to the rape allegation says a lot about us as a people and how we treat vulnerable people who find themselves in sticky situations.
More importantly, there is a correlation between what we say to women who have been raped and how we see, treat and rationalise ourselves when we are raped by dictators and leaders in jackboots and Agbada; both are psychosocial attitudes.
The case of Sani Abacha, his children and the ruckus they caused over the centennial award is a narrative of a rapist and his victim. I have no problem juxtaposing the Obesere rape allegation with the jabberwocky of Sadiq Abacha in his letter to Professor Wole Soyinka. Both narratives operate in the realm of power. Sadiq, serves as a proxy for his father, a brutal dictator who would probably be echoing his son if he were alive. In fact, Sadiq probably sees himself as his father because in his letter, he indicated he was highlighting “the advances we made” (in government).
Does the “we” part of the sentence confirm that Abacha’s government was a family thing? The shame of the whole affair is that if Abacha had been alive today to do that ranting, he could probably have been applauded by some Nigerians as the best leader they ever had. Yes, talk about a woman craving her own abuser. But then, can they be blamed for their nostalgia, and blurred memory?
If an abused woman keeps finding herself in a bad marriage, there is a tendency to begin to vindicate certain past abusers. To look back at Abacha years with any form of nostalgia, one even worthy of something as significant as a centennial award, is perhaps a testimony to the continued bleakness of the Nigerian existence. It is hard to blame those who keep looking back at the military era with nostalgia. It means when they look ahead, they see no hope.
I do not have much against Sadiq Abacha. If his argument rests on his father’s character as not “pitch perfect” as he glibly puts it, then his head is probably stuck deep in a mountain of stolen loot that he wouldn’t even know 100 kobo makes a naira. Let me also state that Abacha was not the only Nigerian leader that failed both as a leader and as a human being but to rationalise aspects of their government, point to certain “achievements” they made at whatever going rate of the price of oil per barrel is to seek the best of all abusive relationships.
Only a traumatised and demented mind, lodged in an abuse-ridden body reasons that way. But then, we owe Sadiq a lot of thanks for showing us that the mechanism of the mind of a country’s rapist is no different from that of a lady’s rapist. It is the same power dynamics at work. A man is accused of pouncing on a woman and raping her, he claims the sex was consensual; that he saw her bleeding and asked her to take herself to the hospital and was surprised to hear her talk of rape.
Then the narratives begin to change: I have known her for two weeks, no years actually…she is my lover….she just wants to blackmail me…I am a ladies’ man, many women desiring my body…my enemies are at work…I am a child of God and no weapon fashioned against me shall prosper etc. You can compare the self-justification of rapists with that of Sadiq’s we created Bayelsa and Zamfara states…we have a lot of economic achievements on only $8 per barrel etc…and you will not fail to find a similarity.
There is always that sense of exculpation and utter selfishness in their attitude. You don’t hear in Sadiq’s voice, any sort of compassion for the victims of his father’s mindless looting which saw Abacha crowned the biggest thief ever, beating grand looters like even Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire in the process. In other places of the world, children whose parents were involved in the Holocaust dedicate their lives to charity and swear, never again! But Sadiq? No.
Rather than a word of compassion towards victims, he attempts to differentiate between the date MKO Abiola died physically and the day his journey to death began. In all that ignoble babble, he could not even mention Kudirat and the circumstances in which she died. He is truly his father’s son. But why blame Sadiq and his sister, Gumsu? Is it not President Goodluck Jonathan that emptied a pail of feces on our national heads when he decided to give awards to the man and other past leaders whose names should not even be mentioned in decent conversations?
The image of Jonathan, standing with other ex-leaders while they paraded their certificates made me wonder where Jonathan was all the time these people were running Nigeria like a rudderless ship. Was he affected at all? Does he have any memories of those years? Did he suffer any losses –human or material – during the June 12 riots? Did Abacha’s soldiers take out any one of his family members? Perhaps that explains why he was not struck by the irony of it all.
Credit: www.punchng.com
Jaywon and Kennis Music call it quits
Why does this keep happening? The relationship between popular music act, Iledare Oluwajuwonlo James, aka Jaywon and his record label, Kennis Music has come to an abrupt end. While we are unable to ascertain the cause of the conflict (if there’s any) we gathered that Jaywon through his lawyer has requested for his contract to be terminated. Kennis Music has also issued an official statement on the matter.
“Iledare Oluwajuwonlo James aka Jaywon has written a letter via his lawyer requesting for his contract with Kennis Music to be terminated. JAYWON wrote,in the same letter, his readiness and willingness to pay off all costs therein accordingly.
Meanwhile, Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria IBAN MEMBERS and all broadcasters on all platforms are hereby advised to Un-list the works (Either single performances or and collaborations) of Iledare Oluwajuwonlo James aka Jaywon from their respective rotational play lists until his (Jaywon) request to buy over his contract is fully completed to avoid litigation.
Thanks.
Signed Public Affairs Unit Kennis Communications. (cc. Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria BON)
Photos: Mercy Johnson shows us why she's the most versatile actress in Nigeria
UCL clash: Arjen Robben hits back at Arsene Wenger
The barrage of insults unleashed on Arsene Wenger these days though! Very soon we might start drawing up the list of players and Managers who have slammed the French boss. Bayern’s Arjen Robben has angrily lashed out at the Arsenal coach after the latter tagged him a “good diver” in the wake of the German’s club victory over the Gunners last night.
The 63 year-old Manager who faulted his penalty was quoted thus after last night match, “He is a very good diver, but that is the way it goes. It is the referee – Robben is a fantastic player, but he doesn’t need to do it. He gets in front of the player, he goes down. We spoke about this yesterday. If the referee gives him a yellow card he will not do it again.”
The Holland international hit back at him, “I always say if you are a big manager then take your loss. If you win be happy, enjoy, but if you lose don’t complain about silly things. It was two legitimate penalties but I don’t want to defend myself. From a big manager you expect a little bit more.”
Foremost Nigerian photographer, Yetunde Babaeko holds first breast cancer awareness photo exhibition. (Photos)
Style Struck: Stephanie Okereke-Linus is 'mellow' in yellow
2014 World Cup: NFF earmarks N2billion for Super Eagles
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have earmarked the sum of N2 billion for the World Cup budget. And here’s a breakdown of the bonus structure as presented at the House of Representatives on Monday, 10th March, 2014.
Each player will receive $10 000 for a win in their group games, $12 000 for a round of 16 win and $15 000 for a quarter-final win. For the semi-final each player will get $20 000 for a win and if they win the World Cup, each of them will be $30 000 richer. Their daily camp allowance has also been increased from $100 per day to $200 per day.