Below The Headlines - 63
How 'Ipese' turned to disaster in Oyo State and we are now in WWE
Thought for the week: how difficult can it be for the Nigerian government to get a kind of scheme in place that replaces dangerous boats used for water transport with modern safer ones?
Enjoy this week’s selection.
Inside Nigeria
Story about how ‘screen tapping’ became the new money making craze for young (and old) people in Nigeria. Depressing:
Ibrahim Danlami, an assistant general manager in a top private firm in Abuja had picked up his mother who had come to town to spend some time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
As he drove ‘Kaka’ (grandma) to the house, he noticed that she was meticulously engaged in continuous tapping of her phone screen.
“I thought to myself that she was playing a ‘candy crush’ game, something I also enjoy as an adult. But as the days went by, I noticed that the tapping did not stop. So, I was forced to tell her, ‘Mama, you are too old to be hooked on phone games like a child.’ But she replied, ‘Wait until my millions get paid,” he said.
That has been the trend in many parts of the country where many have found themselves hooked to endlessly tapping their phone screens with the hope of making money from it.
The ‘buzz’ that has accompanied this supposed new income stream is sweeping across homes and different age groups. Whether at home, supermarket or even in the toilet, everyone seems to be tapping their way to some expected millions they hope would materialise into real cash in the nearest future.
This tapping frenzy can be traced to the success of a crypto mining app known as Notcoin. Launched in January 2024, Notcoin offered a similar clicker system that rewarded users with NOT tokens. The app’s popularity exploded with over 35 million users joining within a few months.
Subsequently, for many Nigerians, Notcoin moved from just a game to a path to real financial gain.
Reports indicate users who diligently “mined” NOT tokens and made significant amounts of money, with some earning upwards of $1,000.
If there is a market for buying and selling babies, then logically there will be incentives to steal babies given that babies are like elephants - there is no way to shorten the time to produce them and most humans can only produce one a time:
The Delta State Police Command has arrested two women in connection with a child-stealing syndicate, rescuing a three-day-old baby in the process.
PUNCH Online gathered that on Independence Day, October 1, 2024, a tricycle rider, whose identity was withheld, reported suspicious activity to the police.
According to him, four women boarded his tricycle, and when two alighted at the Effurun roundabout, one handed over a newborn baby to the other two women left in the tricycle.
He overheard one of the women saying, “The balance has been paid,” instructing the others to inform her upon reaching their destination.
Sensing foul play, the tricycle rider diverted the remaining two women, later identified as Tessi Ikechukwu and Lauretta Akomen, to the Ekpan Police Station.
Police investigations revealed that Akomen, 38, had purchased the baby for ₦2 million from a traditional home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where teenage girls are kept and impregnated by men, after which the babies are sold to individuals desperate for children.
When a disaster happens every week, it stops being a disaster in the minds of people living around it. So it is with boat mishaps which now happen every week. As we have said numerous times on this newsletter, the key driver of this is that water transport is the cheapest means for so many people particularly in Northern Nigeria so this will continue happening and everyone will pretend like it’s just some unfortunate thing with no known solution:
Over 90 dead bodies were said to have been recovered at the Gwajibo community in Niger where a wooden boat conveying about 300 passengers capsized on Tuesday night.
Reports gathered that all the 300 passengers on board of the ill- fated boat were indigenes of Gwajibo Mudi community in Kaiama local government area of Kwara state.
In a statement issued Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Kwara governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, the victims of the boat mishap were said to be going to the neighbouring Gwajibo community in Niger for Maulud Nabbiy celebration when the incident happened.
I really hope this is something being done sincerely and not just some gimmick to obtain international funding. Because its a serious problem that demands seriousness in the implementation of any solution:
The Lagos State Government announced on Thursday its plan to ban the circulation of single-use plastics and sachet water starting January 2025.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, confirmed the upcoming ban during a stakeholders’ workshop on implementing the ban on Styrofoam and single-use plastics (SUPs) for packaging.
The move is part of the government’s strategy to introduce policy guidelines for managing plastic waste, which the goal is to create a healthier and more sustainable environment.
People ate beans at a white garment church festival and:
A tragic incident at an Ibadan-based white-garment church has resulted in the deaths of five worshippers with several others receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Centre (IDC) in Olodo, Oyo State.
The church feast, known locally as “Ipese,” took place during a service last Sunday and has raised concerns regarding its safety.
As of Saturday night, approximately 50 worshippers have been discharged from the IDC after receiving medical care.
Vanguard gathered that the local church community is grappling with the aftermath of this unsettling event, which has drawn the attention of various governmental agencies, including the police and the Directorate of State Services (DSS), as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).
A church source hinted to Vanguard that the cause of the deaths remains unconfirmed, saying, “I ate the prepared beans like every other member, including the victims, and nothing happened to me,”
He emphasised that the situation should not be solely attributed to the “Ipese” feast, adding that, “The incident is being investigated thoroughly, and it is not just about the “ipese” as some are suggesting.”
Officials from multiple organisations have visited the church for fact-finding missions, although their findings have yet to be publicised.
The family that steals together, stays together:
Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, have apprehended a family of five that specialises in breaking into shops and houses to steal food items.
John Agbor (42), his wife, Mary Avor (38), and their three sons were arrested after stealing bags of rice from an orphanage in Shagari Village in Akure, the state capital.
While presenting the suspects at the headquarters of Amotekun Corps in Alagbaka, Akure, John, who was the security guard at the orphanage, stated that the children in care at the orphanage urged him to steal the rice on the condition that he would give them money.
The Corps Commander of Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, who has just been reappointed by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, stated that John was apprehended along with his wife and children after investigations revealed that they were all involved in the crime.
He said: “We have a family that specialises in breaking into houses comprising the husband, the wife, and the children. A family of robbers.
“We also have three minors who belong to the family. For obvious reasons, we are not going to present the minors. They are aged between 12 and 15. We are showcasing the father, mother, and two boys among the five children because two of them are minors. They stole the bags of rice from an orphanage in Shagari Village in Akure.”
Engaging in poultry and fish farming in Nigeria now is not for the faint hearted:
A smallholder poultry farmer Anthonia Nwabueze, in Otuocha community in Anambra East Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State, woke up to see about 250 birds lying lifeless in her poultry. It was her worst day, having purchased the birds barely three months earlier.
Recounting her ordeal in an interview with The Nation, Nwabueze said she was at a loss as to the next move to make, particularly in view of the prevailing economic hardship being faced by all and sundry across the country.
“I bought a total of 300 broilers shortly after Easter celebrations. Each of them cost between N750 and N900. They were all healthy and in good condition. For the two months plus I reared them, I didn’t observe any serious problems with their growth and development.
“The only fear I nursed was their feed consumption. Although the cost of feed has increased, I made sure there was enough for the birds. But I discovered they consumed more in the day than at night due to the absence of light in their apartment,” she narrated.
Due to epileptic power supply, she had to resort to using torch lights and lanterns to provide warmth and illumination for the birds. But as the power supply got worse, the artificial lighting did very little.
“We may see electricity probably once or twice a week in my area. I could only afford a charcoal pot which was inadequate for the entire poultry house. Since the birds needed light to see their food to eat properly, I suspect that malnutrition must have contributed to the loss of the birds,” she explained.
Don’t let anyone tell you that protests don’t work. Fight for your right:
President Bola Tinubu has conferred the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives.
In his Independence Day speech, Tinubu said Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), will be conferred with the GCON, while Abbas and Barau Jibrin, deputy president of the senate, will get Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR).
On Wednesday, the lawmakers rejected the planned conferment of the CFR title on its speaker.
The house said it is “discriminatory” for Tinubu to confer GCON on Akpabio and Kekere-Ekun, while reserving CFR for Abbas.
Outside Nigeria
Another day, another press release from the United States Attorney’s Office. This time from Minneapolis:
Two Nigerian nationals have been indicted for engaging in a fraudulent business email compromise scheme targeting several Minnesota-based health care companies, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to court documents, from October 2020 through 2024, Shodiya Babatunde, 43, and Jamui Ahmed, 31, devised and carried out a fraudulent business email compromise scheme that targeted and deceived employees of several Minnesota-based health care companies into making payments to bank accounts controlled by Babatunde, Ahmed, and their co-conspirators, rather than to the intended beneficiaries of the payments.
[…]
In total, Babatunde and Ahmed fraudulently directed more than $13 million in payments intended for Fairview Health from Minnesota-based health care companies to accounts controlled by Babatunde, Ahmed, and their co-conspirators.
United States Attorneys Office
Who is Elliott Obatoyinbo?
Four years ago, when idle during the pandemic, Maro Itoje put together his suggested Nigerian-British XV. Complete with substitutes and a coaching team, it was rich with talent.
He imagined Maggie Alphonsi, the 2014 World Cup winner, and the former Bath player Steve Ojomoh, whose son Max now plays for the club, working under Ugo Monye as director of rugby. And from Gabriel Oghre to Nick Isiekwe, Anthony Watson to Gabriel Ibitoye, it was packed with Premiership talent.
Clearly, the Gallagher Premiership is more diverse and talented because of its Nigerian influences. From Monye — a British & Irish Lion in 2009 — and the former England international Topsy Ojo to modern-day stars Itoje, Beno Obano, Andy Onyeama-Christie, and Elliott Obatoyinbo, and up-and-coming prospects such as the England under-20 lock Olamide Sodeke, the English game has been enriched by British-Nigerians.
[…]
Obatoyinbo, 25, is one of the latest players making strides in the Premiership. The Newcastle Falcons full back grew up in Nigeria for the first eight years of his life, and his father Ibukun established the London Nigerians rugby club in 1991 with a group of friends.
He now runs the Racing Club Academy sevens team, an invitational side, but passed on a love of rugby to his son Elliott.
One day, Obatoyinbo would love there to be a thriving rugby scene back home. “If I’m being honest, a lot of rugby players come from private schools, and a lot of Nigerian parents like to send their kids to private schools. We’re quite athletic, so it’s a good combination,” he says.
And staying with British-Nigerians, this is the piece that has made the rounds this week. I was happy to speak to the author for his research. And that’s not the only reason why I like it:
British-Nigerians are curiously overlooked in the folk tales Britain tells itself about immigration. There is no iconic episode to match the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush, the boat that brought a few hundred people from the West Indies in 1948, points out David Olusoga, a historian (himself a British-Nigerian). They lack the numbers of, say, British-Indians or the geographic spread of Poles. Instead, theirs is a prosaic story of modern migration. Airplanes bearing the parents of future chefs, footballers, politicians and musicians arrived in steady numbers throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The results, however, are extraordinary.
Michelin stars are just the start of it. British-Nigerians have put their stamp on the country’s music scene. Grime, probably the most influential British genre in the past few decades, was shaped by British-Nigerians. Or as Skepta, who won the Mercury Prize, a prestigious award, in 2016, put it: “I’m a badboy from Nigeria/Not St Lucia/Joseph Junior Adenuga/Big lips, African hooter.” Skepta’s brother, jme, is another well-known mc; their sister, Julie, is a prominent dj. It is not just a family affair. Four of the eight Mercury Prize winners since Skepta have had Nigerian heritage.
An attempt to work out how and why Nigeria-South Africa deteriorated rapidly seemingly over a beauty contest:
Without a last-minute diplomatic intervention, Nigeria's youth basketball team would have missed an international competition in South Africa last month.
Nigerian officials claimed South Africa had tried to stop the under-18 team from participating -- the latest row in long-simmering tensions between the two African economic heavyweights.
Recently the discord has spilled over into sports, music, ride-sharing apps and even beauty contests.
But Olawale Olusola, an international relations expert at the Obafemi Awolowo University in southwest Nigeria, explained that ties have been strained for decades.
Friction grew with the end of apartheid and South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, when Nigeria was still ruled by a military government.
In 1996, anti-apartheid hero and then-president of South Africa Nelson Mandela criticised the Nigerian authorities' execution of writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others.
Nigerian art comes to skiing:
As a child in tropical Nigeria, Móyòsóré Martins, the artist known as Móyò, always wondered what snow felt like. The self-taught mixed-media artist raised in Lagos by a Brazilian father and a Nigerian mother and who grew up watching the Winter Olympics in awe, said creating art for skis by Colorado firm Wagner Skis was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. "When I had the opportunity to work on those skis, it was just amazing," he told WWD.
This is his first brand collaboration; the rising star on the art scene has been compared at times to Jean-Michel Basquiat, yet distinguished for the Nigerian diaspora narrative woven into his works. His biggest sale to date was in February, for $50,000. The piece, "Aeon" is now worth $70,000, at 25 percent higher, his press representative said.
If you’re in Kalamazoo (where is that?), you can now get Nigerian food:
For Isa Clark, the best things in life are the simple things.
The best of those simple things? A belly full of good, healthy food.
Clark started his Kalamazoo roadside eatery and catering business, Clark’s Special Kitchen, in 2022, though he started cooking long before then.
“The idea is to bring people together,” Clark said. “It’s more about love, unity, diversity ... I love to share my food with people. I wouldn’t hesitate to share my last meal with anybody.”
Up until this month, Clark could be found in a parking lot at 802 Portage Street, serving food Tuesdays through Saturdays until he sold out.
But he has leveled up his business.
Clark’s Special Kitchen is now a food truck that will be serving lunch and dinner around Kalamazoo County five days a week, starting Oct. 13.
[…]
Born in Nigeria, Clark says his childhood played a role in his food philosophy.
“We probably have over 300 tribes and we speak over 700 languages,” Clark said. “It’s like every mile you go within Nigeria, it is a different culture and these cultures differ in foods, too.”
His idea of multicultural food is taking meals from different cultures and making them accessible to everyone.
“When the food is good, it puts a smile on your face because joy comes from within,” Clark said.
Updates from the NFL in Week 4:
Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo had the standout performance, among many impressive showings, from players of Nigerian descent in Week 4 of the NFL season.
Houston Texans' Dare Ogunbowale, whose sister, WNBA star Arike Ogunbowale, was in attendance, also had a week to remember and secured the Moment of the Week mention.
A zookeeper who was mauled to death by a lion in Nigeria made the news across the world last week:
A zookeeper has been mauled to death by a lion in south-western Nigeria after he failed to secure the locks on its enclosure when he went to feed it, police say.
The victim, a 35-year-old man, worked at the Presidential Library Wildlife Park, owned by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state.
Local police spokesperson Omolola Odutola said in a statement that "the lion inflicted serious fatal injuries to the man’s neck".
He said the lion was then shot to "release its grip on the handler".
According to a statement from the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the zookeeper had taken some guests to see the lion's feeding routine after hours on Saturday evening.
“The zookeeper, apparently, feeling comfortable with the animal, left the safety protection gate open and proceeded to feed the animal. He was mauled by the animal and died on the spot.
A Nigerian has turned up in the WWE:
WWE’s Next in Line program prepares college athletes for careers as WWE superstars, and one of its standout participants is 6-foot-4, 310-pound Oba Femi, a native of Nigeria.
Everyone involved in the program has a unique background, and Femi is no exception. Before joining WWE, he had a different career path in mind.
“Before I was a track and field guy, I was a visual artist,” Femi said. “I used to draw, used to paint, thought that was what I was gonna do. Then I found my footing in track and field for many years. Got a scholarship to go to Middle Tennessee, then a year after that, transferred to Alabama, did two years there, graduated, joined WWE, and here I am today.”
If you’re a paid up member of the Osas Ighodaro Fan Club, I’m pleased to inform you that she recently ‘took’ Paris:
Osas Ighodaro, the renowned Nigerian-American actress and media personality, has made a grand entrance at Paris Fashion Week, captivating global audiences with her unique style and cultural authenticity. Styled by the Nigerian fashion house 2207 by Tbally, Osas radiated grace and beauty, representing the vibrant African fashion scene on the world’s most prestigious fashion stage.
With appearances at major events hosted by elite brands like Christian Siriano, Ungaro, TRANOÏ, and Sandro, Osas has become a beacon of African cultural influence. Her debut not only showcases her individuality but also highlights the transformative impact of African fashion and creativity on a global scale.
Osas is known for her roles in critically acclaimed movies such as Rattlesnake and Man of God, and her co-produced Netflix series Smart Money Woman. She effortlessly bridges the gap between Hollywood and Nollywood, and her versatility is evident in both her acting and her stylish red-carpet appearances.
Chido Vincent has lived an eventful life in the UK:
A BENEFITS cheat who stole £50,000 of handouts secured a job processing Universal Credit claims.
Chido Vincent, 57, got a Department for Work and Pensions job in 2023, despite his 2014 conviction.
The Nigerian has now been dismissed from the DWP in Leeds for a matter thought to be unrelated to his conviction.
He was jailed for 18 months for overstaying his visa and using a forged letter to claim benefits.
Mr Vincent said he did not have to disclose his conviction as it was past five years.
He said: “During the recruitment process I was asked everything and I answered honestly.
“They asked for my passport, right-to-work documents – I gave them everything.
“They said they needed to do a DBS. I gave them all the information and it came back fine, so I got the job.”
He added: “I did nothing wrong. I did what was asked of me. I was really shocked and surprised.
“On the DBS it says that if it’s more than five years, there’s no need to declare a conviction.
“What happened to me was 10 years ago so it was considered spent. I presumed there was no issue with me working.
“Now I have to start from scratch again and it’s disappointing.”
A queer Nigerian visits Lagos for the first time in a long time and shares her experience:
Being in Nigeria may afford me the luxury of being unapologetically Black, unlike in the white spaces that I navigate in the United States. But most of my extended family in Nigeria doesn’t know that I’m gay. And, in Nigeria, being openly gay is an actual danger. In 2014, Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, and since then, authorities have carried out mass arrests and have looked the other way as citizens commit violence against Nigerians suspected of being gay. Many of those accused of violating the law have been charged with either planning, celebrating, or participating in gay marriage or simply appearing queer. The penalty for a conviction is imprisonment for up to 14 years.
In my early 30s, I moved from the Midwest, where I was born and raised, to New York City. I was both exhausted and excited. I had spent years denying my creative passion and my identity, but I was going to be a writer, and in one of the gayest cities in the country.
We invite our readers from Abuja to weigh in on this list of the 5 restaurants you must try when in Abuja:
L&N Kitchen– An Arewa restaurant, where you’ll find suya. “Suya is a huge staple in Nigeria,” says Tahir. “In Abuja, suya is [more varied], we have balangu (ram suya) and tsire (suya on sticks).”
University of Suya – An idiom in Nigeria goes, The food tastes like it went to university – meaning it’s delicious. University of Suya draws inspiration for its name from the joke. “This is in Zone 4, the suya is exceptional,” says Tahir.
The Street Food Park at Area 1 – “Another must-try dish is kilishi [a spicy form of beef jerky], but the joy is the journey,” says Tahir. “There is a park at Area 1 where dozens of sellers say, ‘Come and taste mine.’ Taste all! Then buy the one you like best. The fun is in the tasting.”
Mimies Homemade– This must-try restaurant operates for three to four days a month at the Meethaq Hotel. “[It’s] a pop-up – blink and you have to wait another month,” says Tahir. The best way to time your visit is to check the Instagram account.
Burgundy – A fine-dining pan-African restaurant, serving modern updates on Abuja classics. “It began with pop-ups and now there is the restaurant,” says Tahir.
KSI is the UK’s biggest YouTuber. This story looks into the family that raised him:
KSI had locked himself in the toilet as his mother screamed and threw glasses around the kitchen, while his father was slumped with his head in his hands.
It was AS-Level results day in the Olatunji household in Watford and the YouTuber hid for 30 minutes when the family had learned how disastrously he had failed.
KSI's parents, who came to the UK from Nigeria as teenagers, had scrimped and saved and gone into debt to cover the costs of his £23,000-a-year private education at the Berkhamsted School.
His father Jide, 58, ran a bingo hall and his mother Yinka, now 57, worked as a PA, and he's recalled 'being a kid and seeing how s**t it was' for his parents as they strove for a better life for KSI and his brother, Deji.
Today the boxer, rapper, PRIME energy drink mogul and social media megastar is worth £24million, has ten properties in London and lives in a £10million mansion with his secret girlfriend.
Now, he is about to make millions more as a judge on the new series of Britain's Got Talent, replacing Bruno Tonioli when he's away in the US for America's version of Strictly during the first round of auditions in Blackpool this month.
His extraordinary rise to fame and fortune - and now a bid for TV domination - is even the topic of study in A-Level media study classes in the UK.