‘I want to go home. I want to seeTai’- Sheila Solarin’s last moments, by daughter

11-yr old student regrets not getting her scholarship

SEGUN AJIBOYE

Sheila Solarin, humanist and wife of late educationist, Tai Solarin, knew her time on planet earth was up and prepared for her eventual transition. And shortly before she breathed her last, the few words on her lips were ‘I want to go home. I want to seeTai’.

Sheila, who died on Sunday, October 21, 2012, aged 88, according to her daughter, Corin Solarin, lived for humanity.

“I was with her when she transitioned home. And the last thing Mama said was ‘I want to go home. I want to see Tai. She knew she was going, and she prepared herself.”

Witnessing Mama’s transition has further strengthened Corin’s resolve to live life like her mother and be bold to face her last moments gracefully the way she did.

“We’ll all get old someday. I hope that I can face it with as much courage and grace like she did.”

Indeed, since her passing, her home, located inside the premises of Mayflower Schools, Ikenne, Ogun State, has continued to receive visitors who troop there to pay their respect to a woman, who many have acknowledged, was ‘crazy about education.

I’ve had very glooming days- Iyalode Adunni Bankole

I’ve had very glooming days- Iyalode Adunni Bankole

Chief (Mrs.) Adunni Bankole, the Iyalode of Gbagura land, Ogun State, is a journalist’s delight any day. The step-mother of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon.Dimeji Bankole, was at her best as she provided answers to the questions thrown at her. Always an eyeful at any social gathering, Iyalode Bankole denied being an extravagant dresser. In this interview with SEGUN AJIBOYE, the British-trained media practitioner and public relations expert, talked about her life, secrets of her good look and what lessons she picked from dealing with people.
Excerpts:

I was brought up to see life on its simple side. Aside a matter of fact, simplicity rules my life. A lot of people screen their calls, I regard such people as people who believe life is acting. But to me, life is as simple as the daybreak and sunset. There is nothing to life but what you make of it. And if you approach life from the simple side of it, you are likely to understand people and what life is all about, and thereby live a fulfilling life. And you must know that living a fulfilling life is not about being rich or occupying a top position.  It has to do with your personality, what you believe in and what you are. My daily life preaches simplicity, love and accepting others as if they are yours and that the other person is as good as you are. So I have been able to live life without the usual paraphernalia that people believe must come with having a name or being a person of repute. I don’t need a personal assistant, and of course, I am down-to-earth person. If you call me and I don’t feel like talking to you, I may simply tell you ‘please I don’t want to talk now’ and ask you to call another time.

At this point of your life, would you say you are fulfilled?

I love flaunting my good shape- Jennifer Eliogu

For me, a little bit of cleavage every now and then is allowed- Jennifer Eliogu

She is beautiful and well-endowed. With well-toned skin and robust body, actress Jennifer Eliogu is one of the early starters of Nollywood. The Anambra State born actress started about 16 years ago when she made the bold step to pitch her tent with the make-believe industry. Today, the talented actress has earned herself a household name in the industry. Jennifer, who set out to become a singer, found herself stuck with acting, and is gradually setting another pace as a compeer. And for nudity, that is gradually becoming the fad in the industry, Jennifer will not touch it with a 10-meter pole, insisting that she would rather show-off her endowments. “Flaunting is an entirely different thing from nudity. Flaunting I will forever do; nudity, forget it (laughs) - never!” In this interview with Segun Ajiboye, she spoke on her career, life and plans for the future.

Excerpts:

For some time now, you have been on the move traveling from one place to the other. What have you been up to?

 It's been good so far. I've been up to a whole lot really; but, as you know, I am not the type that sings about it until I am sure that I am ready. But what I can tell you is that whatever it is that I am up to is good news.

LIVING ON WATER- Lagos community where women, children hawk, school on water

By SEGUN AJIBOYE and INNOCENT DURU
The setting was Neolithic in nature and the life styles of the inhabitants are reminiscent of tales from moonlight and how people lived in primitive days.

For the residents of Makoko, a riverine slum on the mainland of Lagos State, living has not so much changed from what they inherited from their forefathers even though they are living in a cosmopolitan city like Lagos State.

Few meters away on the mainland, Makoko seems more like a community taken from a storybook with its story set in the Stone Age.

And like the men of the Stone Age, inhabitants of Makoko have confirmed the truism that necessity is indeed the mother of all inventions. Faced with the unique nature of their environment, the people have risen up to the challenge, conquering all the challenges confronting them.

While the children on the mainland go to school in buses fitted with air conditioners, children in Makoko go to school in rickety canoes, popularly called ‘school bus’ in the area. And for them, the cold breeze that hover around the area is better than all the air conditioners in the world put together. While their peers take lectures in neatly built concrete classrooms, Makoko pupils take lectures in a one storey plank building erected on mosquito infested waters.

I’m a loner- Kenny Saint Best

I’m a loner- Kenny Saint Best

Gospel act, Kenny Saint Best (KSB), hit stardom with her debut album, entitled ‘You’re worthy Lord’ about 15 years ago. Younger sister of popular showbiz personality, Keke Ogungbe, KSB started a career in music after a fruitless search for a plum job in the oil and gas industry. According to her, the search for a job ended when she keyed into a message by Pastor E. A. Adeboye in 1990. “Pastor said anybody who would key into the message will never remain the same again. I keyed into it, and even before I finished the fasting, God said ‘Come and work for me.” In this interview with SEGUN AJIBOYE, the mother of two, who split from her husband, fellow musician, Eddy Remedy, few years ago, described herself as a ‘loner’ who would rather keep her problems to herself. She also spoke on her family, career and other issues.

Excerpts:

You recently did a song with hip-pop act, MI. What made you do the collabo with a rap artist, considering the fact that you are a gospel act?

Music has changed, and I always embrace change from whatever angle it comes. For me, I have embraced the changes. Hip-pop music is global, it’s like a culture with younger generations, and even the older are dancing it and enjoy it. We are evolving with the young people, and I want to reach young people through my music. And the kind of young people that I want to reach is via hip-pop. Don’t forget that one of the kings of hip-pop in Africa is MI. It was exciting for to get him to do a collabo with me, and even more exciting for him to accept to produce the work. 

Your song, ‘Sugar Sugar’ sounds like a love song. What is it about?

Sugar- Sugar is a love song to God. It’s my own way to say I love God. We used the angle of love and romance. God caught me through love. You see, what attracted me to God was the songs of Solomon. It was very romantic to my ears. I read that portion of the bible, and I realized it was easy for God to communicate with us through love. And I have always looked for words to express my own love to God. That is why I sang the song to express my love to God, to give everything back to Him.

You have successfully recorded a number of songs with popular hip-pop stars. What do you want to achieve with this?

Like I said, hip-pop is no longer music, it’s a culture, a movement that has swept all over the world. That’s the community of music that the people I want to reach belong to. And to be able to reach them, I have to be able to live it, breathe it and dress hip-pop. I am from the old Christian school. And for me to reach this vibrant and young group, I have to buy into their movement, such that their own DJ will be able to identify with my songs. I want to say with every sense of humility that I am the only female act that has done the highest number of collabos with top Nigerian male acts. Imagine the song I did with Dagrin, it is different from the one with Terry G and others.

With your background as a gospel act, how easy was it for you to work with these core hip-pop guys?

For me to achieve this, Kenny St Brown had to die, and in its place came KSB. There was no way Kenny St Brown would delivered, and that was why it took me a gap of about to three years for me to get into the spirit of KSB.

So what were those three years for?

They were for me to rebrand and to redress. It was a spiritual rebirth into the spirit of hip-pop. It has to enter into me so that I’d able to deliver. It was a total overhaul from inside. And what you see now is manifestation of what I’ve gone through. First, God told me ‘I am going to reduce your age by 20 years.’  I didn’t believe at first until they started to manifest. I knew there was work to be done. You see, gospel didn’t get to be played on radio Monday to Friday. They were played only on Sundays. But I have been able to change that. My songs get played every day.

Kenny, I’m really sure you have moved on from the experience of your unsuccessful marriage…

Cuts in…I’m sorry, but the truth is that my career is the most important thing to me now. I mean how to make huge success of my career, and to take care of my children. That is what should be my focus for now.

Are you born again?

I am very, very born again. Do you know why? The path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter, and there is so much work to be done. The Bible says ‘I shall be His witness, first from Jerusalem, then unto Judea and to Samaria and outermost part of the world.’ The song I did at the beginning of my career cannot take me to the outermost part of the world. And so it took the owner of the job who keeps renewing the vision, just the way He spoke with Abraham. If you walk with obedience with Him, you’ll keep going. I’ll tell you, whenever God wants to birth a new thing, He is never afraid to use me because I am ready vessel.

Have you ever had an encounter with God, if yes, how did it happen?

 My encounter with God was after I finished my MBA in 1995, and I wanted a job. I wanted to work with Chevron or Mobil, I didn’t want to work in the banks. And while I was searching  for  a job, God said He likes my CV, and that I can work for Him. About that time too, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Adeboye, declared a 100-day fasting period. He said anybody who would key into it will never remain the same again. I keyed into it, and that was the encounter. And even I finished the fasting, God said ‘Come and work for me.’ And don’t forget the Yoruba adage that you cannot go into a partnership with God and lose.

Prior to that time, were you a member of any musical group?

Before that time, the only music I did was in my secondary school. It was during the fasting that God showed me what I would do.

And so you decided to keep all the certificates you’ve acquired in a wardrobe and take up music.

Yes, and the only certificate that I have added since then was the Bible College. I later joined the choir of my local parish.

What path do you think your career would have taken if you hadn’t a brother like Kenny Ogungbe?

He didn’t have a music label when I started. As a matter of fact, it was me who told him ‘let’s start a music label’. You see, after my encounter with God, which was in the UK, I called Keke, and he said ‘don’t just come back, come with songs.’ I came back with four songs, but he said they wouldn’t do well in the Nigerian market, so we had to get a Nigerian producer. Don’t forget all I had was a vision, and there was somebody who was willing to help transform that vision. That was when we did the song entitled ‘You’re worthy Lord’  The album was to be released on Sony Music, but when I told my brother that we could have a record label, he believed in me and the following day, he put the money down to register the company. At that time, he was doing his thing with D-One at Ray Power. But because I was anew act, we decided that we should start with a big artiste. After that, we brought Kingsley Ike of the  Wamilele fame, and then me. My brothers were dong the promotions, while I was in charge of hiring and training of staff. And what God told me had come to past.

Would you say your obedience to the GO’s call is responsible for your being a musician?

Yes, because while searching for jobs, I was always on Broad Street, Lagos, trying to go from one interview to the other. It was like when Peter and the rest were fruitlessly trying to catch fish. The more I looked for job, the more I became frustrated in looking for a job. Despite my MBA, I began to think there must be something else God has deposited in me.

With your MBA certificate, how did your mum react when she found out you wanted to do music?

Ozzy Bpscom, five-year old prodigy

   The child-prodigy

…five year-old musician proclaims self youngest African super star

SEGUN AJIBOYE

Though he is only five years old, Osiomachukwu Favour Mojekwu already has his eyes fixed at the top. Popularly known as Ozzy Bosco, little Osimanchukwu would rattle you with his audacious ambition of wanting to rule the world of music. But as you try to make meaning of what he was saying, Ozzy Bosco formed his right hand into a punch, and shouts ‘I’m the youngest African super star.’

Truly, you cannot fault his submission. Osimanchukwu would only be six next January, but he is already a master with the guitar and piano. His electrifying dance steps would make late pop icon, Michael Jackson green with envy.

But while the world may marvel at the talent of Ozzy, his mother, Chief Nonye Mojekwu-Chukwujama says she is not surprised in any way. According to her, Ozzy Bosco started manifesting his even before he could walk. She told The Nation the kid wonder first displayed his dancing skill as a three month-old baby.

 “He first demonstrated his talent when he was three months old. This was when he could not even sit down. He was in my arm while we were playing a particular music. You needed to see how he was jumping, raising his hands and shaking to the rhythm of the music. That was when we all realized that this boy is indeed a wonder kid.”

Also, the Nnewi, Anambra State-born chief is now worried that her little boy is hyper active. “I am not worried at all. As a matter of fact, I had to ask my kid who is a professor of medicine in the US about the same thing. But he said I should not worry, and that people with huge talents are usually hyper active.”

While Ozzy Bosco first displayed his uncommon talent to his immediate family at three months old, he would, however, have to wait till he was four years old to announce to the world that a new star had truly been born.

The venue was the popular MUSOM Centre in Lagos, and the stage was a talent hunt programme for kids, tagged Kids got talents. Though the competition was organized for kids between the ages of four and 14 years, four year-old Ozzy Bosco went home with the top prize as the overall winner of the competition.

According to his mother, “his performance at the competition really surprised everybody. He went for the competition without any prior training or practice. As a matter of fact, I became aware of the competition when I saw the announcement on television. He went and stole the show from much more older children.”

His performance at the competition was enough to encourage his parents to do more for the new-found talent. “You see, prior to that competition, all we did was dance and sing at home. But after he emerged as the winner, I now said, ‘wow, so we got a good talent all this while’, the mother disclosed, and added that, “From that point we decided to encourage him to do more. But the good thing about him is that you don’t need to teach him something twice before he grabs it.”

Ozzy has, however, moved on from dancing and singing in the sitting room to showcase his talent to the world. The latest of his public performance was at the wedding ceremony of a relation of the boss of Capital Oil. The young talent wowed the guests, and won the heart of the oil merchant who could not resist the tantalizing music.

Prior to that, Ozzy Bosco was also the lone performer at the wedding ceremony of popular dancer, Kaffy. He was also at the 2012 edition of Sisi Oge fashion show, where the compeer showered him with encomiums.

Most celebrity marriages crash because they were based on love at first sight- Actress Lizzy Anjorin

Most celebrity marriages crash because they were based on love at first sight- Actress Lizzy Anjorin

• Insists: No man can stop me from acting

Actress Elizabeth Anjorin, better known as Lizzy Anjorin, is one of the successful actresses in the Yoruba film industry. The light-skinned actress has earned for herself a place in the hearts of movie lovers with superlative performances. In this interview with SEGUN AJIBOYE, Lizzy, an only child, recounts her travails and victories in the make-believe industry, relationship with her mother and her ideal man among other issues.

Excerpts:

What’s the latest about Lizzy Anjorin?

God has been good to me. I don’t really believe what I am seeing, especially after the death of mu mum. I feared that things might be difficult because of the pains of losing her. But glory be to God that I have been able to move on and start doing things for myself. I have continued with my normal life, and God has been wonderful.

Being the only child of your parents, how easy was it for you to come out of the shock of your mother’s death?

It was not as difficult as I had expected. I think it has to do with way she brought me up. My mum was tough and firm when talking to me. She trained me to be able to stand without her. For example, she was fond of asking me to close my eyes, and asking if I see anybody. With the benefit of hindsight, I have come to realize that she was training for her eventual departure. Her death has also taught me some lessons about humans. The burial ceremony was emotional to me when I realized I was the only one wearing a particular attire. At that point, I felt like if I had siblings, they would also be wearing the same clothe with me.  I was never pampered by my parents despite being their only child.cal My mum was so tough with me that I often doubted if she was indeed my biological mother. As a matter of fact, it took the intervention of her younger brother to convince me that she was my mother.

What particular advice did she give you?

My mother always told me to act as if I have no mother and do things on my own. She would say ‘nobody knows what tomorrow has in stock for us.’

Would you say she prepared you for her passing?

I think she did. She really prepared me for her eventual passing, knowing that she would leave me someday.

So what do you miss most about her?

The one thing that I miss most about my mum is her regular advice. I remember the way I would complain to her about what somebody had done to me. She would advise that I handle the matter myself, and always ending her advice by asking if won’t live my life if she wasn’t with me.

Any particular request your mum made from you before she died?

She asked me to continue to fly the flag, live my dreams and continue to make her proud.

I’m sure that you are very fond of your daughter…

Cuts in… Yes. I am very fond of her. But let me say this, it is not her alone, but all my adopted children.

You mean you also have other children?

Yes, I have three other adopted children. Though I didn’t go to any orphanage to adopt them, but the truth is that they are all my children, and I treat them as such.

Your daughter is 14, why the delay in getting another one?

The truth is that I want to do the right thing. You know what, the fact everybody is getting married is not enough reason for me to jump into a marriage, especially now that I am completely an orphan.

What happened between you and your daughter’s dad?

We lost him. He died when my daughter was six years old.

And why the long delay in getting another man?

You know we were both young when we had my daughter. So I have been busy with my education in order to make sure that I make something of my life.  I was in the college of education when I had her. After that, I proceeded to the university. Another thing was that it was tough to rise in those days, especially for the up and coming actresses. There was a popular slang by the older movie producers and directors. They would tell you that you won’t remember them as soon as you become a star or you get married.

Is this part of the reasons you are not married yet?

No. it has nothing to do with my not being married. But I’m sure I may not be where I am today if I am married. You know, as a young lady, you need to be hardworking and patient to put some things in place thinking of marriage. People are quick to blame artistes for broken marriages. But the truth is that most of the marriages didn’t last because they contracted on love at first sight. Most of the actresses enter the marriages without knowing the man very well. For example, most of the men would begin to display traits which they had hidden from the women. They would want to order her to stop her career, forgetting that it was through that same profession that they met her.

Tell us about the schools you attended.

 I had my elementary school at the Ijaye Ojokoro  Primary School and then moved to the Girls High School Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos before I moved to the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro. I later studied Transport and Management Planning at the Olabisi Onabanjo University , Ago-Iwoye. I was into modeling before I joined the movie industry and God has been wonderful to me.

Would quit acting if your husband asked you to stop?

My husband cannot tell me to the profession that brought me fame. As a matter of fact, no good husband will ask his wife to do such thing. If he is truly a good husband, the wife may even on her own decide to give up her career in order to make her husband happy. Any man that forces his wife quit her job or business is definitely not a good husband. Such men want their wives to quit their jobs for their own selfish interest. Unfortunately, the moment you leave this job, your space is taken over by a new person. This is the major reason you see our people run back barely two years after going into a marriage.

Who is your ideal man?

My ideal man is a caring and God-fearing man.

You mean that’s all you want in a man?

You cannot get a perfect man. And you cannot get all that you want in any man. Any woman will tell you that she wants her man to be this and that. But the reality soon dawn on her when she gets married, and realizes that the man she knew during courtship is not the same man she got married to. You man could pretend to be an angel during courtship, but would turn out to be a smoker and night crawler the moment the marriage is sealed. What would you advise such woman to do, to go in search of another man so soon?

Is there any man in your life presently?

I won’t want to talk about that. As you can see, I don’t have any ring on my finger. I suppose that should tell you my status.

So are you searching?

I am not searching.

But you’ve been linked with many men in recent time.

Those who link me to those men do so simply because they want to know who I am dating. The truth is that I have never met or seen most of the men that I have been linked with. So because they don’t know who I am dating, they go round speculating and guessing, hoping they would be right. I don’t drink or smoke, so most of my energy is either directed into my career or my business. Most of the speculations about me are created because they don’t know much about me and my private life.

You just completed a movie, entitled Kofo Tinubu. Why did you choose such title?

The movie is about mentally-challenged children. I want to tell the story of how these children have been rejected and disowned, even by their parents. But I have found out that these children are not as useless as the society sees them. These kids are gifts from God. And so they too have their innate talents. Even some so called able-bodied men are more useless than these special children. We have seen some mentally-challenged kids work, while their able-bodied counterpart either lazy away or get involved in crime.

Why did you decide to write such script?

It actually started like a joke.  I was joking with a friend one day when the idea for the story came. I simply picked my pen and scripted what formed in my head at that particular time. The film is the outcome of that little discussion. And as for the title, we don’t have any particular person or family when we came up with the title. It was something that just came, and I decided to stick with it. The title could have been any other name.

Your last movie was Iyawo Abuke. What attracts you to people with challenges?

This is something that I cannot explain. I simply get attracted to them out of curiousity. I remember something, when were shooting Iyawo Abuke, the guy (a real hunchback) told me that he would soon become a star and be able to have a wife. You see, as I speak with you, he is now married with a child. It is such things that make me happy. And I am happy that I have been able to contribute to somebody’s life.

You now have a foundation. Why are you doing this?

It is the Liz Anjorin Foundation. I want to prove to people that these people have some special thing in them. We will go full-blast as soon as the schools resume. Have you observed that some physically-challenged people control traffic? You’ll be amazed how these people handle the traffic without any incident. Meanwhile, you’ll equally see some able-bodied men go into crime to survive.

Are you stubborn?

I am not in any way stubborn. What people don’t know is that I am a go-getter, and I will go a long way to get my things done. Unfortunately, some people have misconstrued this to mean stubbornness. I know you are referring to a disagreement I had with a fellow artiste sometime ago. But the truth is that it is purely business rivalry, which can be found in any industry all over the world. If you are into a business, and nobody gets to talk about you, then you need to be very careful. But then, we have made up and moved on.

What is the nastiest thing ever said or written about you?

It is the stories linking me with people I’d never met in my life. It hurts, I mean how can I explain it that people go about writing and linking me with a man I don’t even know. These people seem to forget that I am a woman and that I will get married one day. Yoruba would say it is God that can choose a husband for a woman. And how are these people sure that the man chosen for me by God will like all these negative publicity and scandals? I have had some people walk up to me to ask me why I would snatch somebody’s husband. This is particularly worrying when you realize that the story is not true. Those close to me know what I can do or cannot do.

But you get cat-calls from would-be lovers. Like how many do you get in a day?

I cannot really say. But I get attention from men every day.  Even some women would walk up to me and say ‘you are beautiful.’

How do you cope with your celebrity status?

I have three sides of me. I have Lizzy the actress, Lizzy the businesswoman and Lizzy the ordinary woman. I have had people tell me that they thought I was haughty until they got closer to me. I am a businesswoman, so if who will buy my goods if I am proud or I show attitude.

So how do you choose your friends?

I am a quiet person, but I am also very cautious in the way I relate with people. I can play and be cool with you, but I always have my eyes open. I am always prepared for any eventuality when dealing with people, especially female friends. Even when such friends are being nice to me, I always leave open a window that he may change in the future. As a matter of fact, I can tell you that I have just two friends. And the truth is that there is nothing that these people can snatch from me.

Have you ever been disappointed by a friend?

Yes, many times I have been disappointed by friends. And this one reason I like guys as friends. No matter what happens between you and a guy, he would not go round spreading rumours about you. Some people will come to you to collect stuffs and still go round to use that particular thing against you.

You had a running battle with a male friend sometimes ago. What’s the latest about the feud?

I have gone beyond that long ago. But you see, God works in mysterious ways. He will never allow a wicked person, either a man or woman, to go unpunished.

Would you forgive him if he comes to apologize?

I can forgive, but I won’t forget the fact that somebody I called a friend did such terrible thing to me. You must know one fact, and it is that you’ll reap whatever you sow. 

You hit stardom with your role in Iyawo Ojo kan. How is the journey so far?

The funny thing is that I had appeared in some movies before Iyawo Ojo kan. I will always give kudos to late Alaasari, it was him that God used to lift me and bring me to the limelight. Though he was not my boss, but it was him that cast me in that role.

Which is the most-challenging role you’ve ever played?

All of them are challenging. But particularly challenging are Iyawo Ojo kan, Baba were and Iyawo Abuke. But if I must confess, Iyawo Abuke was tough. You know I had to make it real. I had to kiss him and other do other stuffs that I didn’t know I could do. The beach scene was particularly scary for me. However, even that would pale if compared Kofo Tinubu. I almost became deformed after the shooting because of the stress I went through trying to play the role. I almost got my tongue twisted that I could not talk properly for days after we finished shooting.

Any regret?

I don’t have any regret.

What was your experience as an only child?

It’s been tough. But thank God that I have a daughter. I am sure that it would have been worse if I had no child. You can imagine, I can count about three people who insisted that I call them big sister, but I later found out that I am older than them. The fact that I have this petit stature is not enough reason for anybody to believe that I am a kid. At least I could not have given birth to her at 12 or 13. But all this would never have happened if I had a younger or older sibling. You know what I mean, people would look at them and make a guess about my age. At least that would have saved me some of the embarrassment.

Decision to quit my last marriage was tough- Ayo Adesanya

 Decision to quit my last marriage was tough- Ayo Adesanya

Beautiful cross over actress, Ayo Adesanya, has sure come a long way. Starting off with a waka pass role in Zeb Ejiro’s ‘Mortal Inheritance’ in the mid-90s, Ayo has gradually moved up the ladder with roles that have made her a household name. She, however, shot into limelight with chart-bursting flick, ‘Out of Bounds’. And from that point, the University of Ibadan Communication and Language graduate has never looked back. Today, Ayo has made a successful cross over from the English language genre to become an A-list actress in the Yoruba genre of the Nigerian movie industry. The overtly daring actress was in the news for the wrong reason few years back when she parted ways with her husband, movie producer, Omogoriola Hassan, after eight years of marriage. In this interview with SEGUN AJIBOYE, the mother of one narrated her experience, why she endured the union for eight years, her eventual decision to quit the marriage and her resolve to put behind her the experience of her crashed marriage among other issues. Excerpts:

You are doing well for yourself, and you seem to have moved on since you split with your ex-hubby.

I give it to God. He has been very good to me. And of course my fans, they are wonderful. It is their support and positive feedbacks that have kept me going on. I have my life, and if you have your life, you just have to move on. So I moved on with my life.

While it lasted, both of you were quite an eye full. How tough was it for to decide to quit the union?

Want twins? Go to Igboora

Want twins? Go to Igboora

·       Community where every family have sets of twins

Segun Ajiboye and Innocent Duru

When it comes to multiple births around the globe, no name is quite evocative, so resonant as Igboora, a relatively known town in south-west Nigeria.

It is true that much have been said and written about the city of Paris and its allure. And it was to this credit that the cliché- ‘see Paris and die’ was coined.

But a similar story is currently playing out in Igboora, where a cliché, ‘if you want a set of twins, come to Igboora’, is gradually gaining momentum among the indigenes of this sleepy town.

And sure enough, it is not for nothing that the people would boast of their prowess in the biological art of giving birth to sets of twins.

According to researchers, the rate of twin births in West Africa is about four times higher than in the rest of the world. While there is no accurate figures on the exact number of these births, a study conducted by a British gynaecologist, Patrick Nylander, between 1972 and 1982 recorded an average of 45 to 50 sets of twins per 1000 live births in the southwest. But the centre of the multiple births has been found to be Igboora.

And in honour of this uncommon ‘achievement’, the people roll out the drums in an annual festival, tagged ‘odun ibeji’ (festival of twins). Among the indigenes and residents of Igboora, odun ibeji would dwarf other world renowned festivals like Christmas and Ramadan. The community celebrates the festival annually and generously invites anybody who wishes to have twins to come to the community.

 The festival is an annual celebration in Igboora, where virtually every family has a set of twins or more. As a testimony to its being a repository of twins, you are welcome into the community by an imposing statue of a woman carrying a set of twins, one on her chest and the other on her back.

With their hands stretched out, the characters in the statue are apparently saying welcome to Igboora, the land of twins. Recent statistic has it that the community has about 158 sets of twins in every 1000 births.

Historically, unlike Calabar, where history has it that the birth of twins was regarded as a taboo in the ancient times, birth of twins in Igboora has from stone age period been regarded as one of the best things that can ever happen to a family.

In the same way as crude oil is a natural gift to the people of the south southern part of the country, the birth of twins is an inexplicable gift in the community, and it has been proved that hardly is there a family that does not have a set of twins or more in the area.

Those who are yet to have a set of twins in their families fervently pray for one because the birth of twins is believed to bring blessings. This is the case with 60-year old Nosiru, a motorcycle mechanic, whose father had two sets of twins, but is yet to have one himself.

“I am praying that I have a set of twins myself. My age is not a barrier, and as a matter of fact, I believe that I will still have one.”

Even the poor members of the community who already have one or two sets of twins wish to have more without minding the economic implication. They simply believe that the twins are gifts from God, in whom they have a firm belief to provide what the children would eat.

Interestingly, this rare gift of nature has shot the obscure community into international limelight with the United Nations World Health Organization rating it as the community that has the largest number of twins globally.

The gift is, however not restricted to the natives as checks revealed that non-indigenes who live in the area have also been giving birth to twins. This was the opinion of Chief Lamidi Laide Adeyemi, the Onipako of Pako, Igboora.

According to the chief, the birth of twins is not limited to any part of the six component areas of the community. He said: "The birth of twins is everywhere here in Igboora. Hardly would you see a family in this community without twins.

“My father had sets of twins, so also did my grandfather. I am a father of twins as well. One is in Lagos and the other one in Port Harcourt. They have just married and would hopefully give birth to a set of twins or more.  From the time immemorial, our forefathers have always regarded twins as unique creatures and adored them so much.

“There is hardly a family in this community that does not have twins. It is not restricted to the natives. Even non-indigenes in our midst have also been giving birth to twins. So if you want to give birth to twins come to Igboora.”

 Even though their claim has not been verified, the community strongly believes that their record breaking feat is as a result of the white cassava flour and ilasa soup, which is acclaimed as the most popular delicacy in the area.

“The cassava flour and ilasa soup that we eat has been touted to be responsible for the multiple birth over the years," Chief Adeyemi stated.

In Igboora, twins don’t die. Even when one of the set dies, either at birth or later in life, he or she is not deemed to have died, but rather to have ‘traveled to Lagos to purchase stuffs’ for the living partner.

With the benefit of hindsight, the chief recalled that when one of a set of twins dies, the parents would carve a statue the dead.

"Traditionally, we don't say that a twin is dead, even when he or she is late. Instead of saying that, we always say that he or she went to Lagos to buy cloth. Our forefather even went a step further by carving statues of the dead ones to make it appear as if they are still living. They always wanted their memories kept alive. They always pass it from one generation to the other. I have some of such statues handed over to me by my father and forefathers.

As proof, Chief Adeyemi brought out some visibly old statues, which he said were more than a century old.

 “These statues are over 100 years old. They were all passed over to me by father. And I will in turn pass them to my children. They are not to be discarded or treated anyhow because there is a spell on whoever does that. The culture of carving images to represent dead twin has been drastically affected by civilization. Many youths of these days don't do all that again, but that does not mean that it has been abolished," he said.

And the story assumed a strange turn when the chief revealed that ‘shrines’ are also built in a special corner in the homes of the parents of twins. You have a container, in which palm oil is kept. The palm oil, he said is used as balm whenever the twins fall sick.

"Previously, our people always make a shrine in a corner of their rooms for twins. They always offered red oil at the shrine. The red oil is believed to be medicinal because whenever a child, especially any of the twins is sick, our people would take the oil kept in the shrine of the twins to rob their bodies, and before you know it, the sick child is up and playing around with his mates. “In fact, if anybody had his property stolen, such person could go to the shrines to ask the twins to help him deal with the thief and retrieve the stolen property. All they needed to do was to offer things that are forbidden for twins to eat at the shrine. Anybody asking for the help of twins in this regard would say that it is the thief that instructed him to offer such vile food to them. It is believed that such would compel the twins to go after the perpetrators of the crime. It worked for them. There are testimonies of its efficacy."

Speaking on the annual festival of twins he said: "The festival of twins is a very big celebration in this place. We celebrate their festival annually because they are very special to us and the community as a whole. What we do on the day of the festival is to cook beans and mix it with oil and invite people to come and feast with us. Every family that has twins does it on the festival day.

“On the day of the festival people desiring to have twins would pray for it. The oldest twins in this community clocked 100 years this year. One of them died few months ago while the other one has been taken to Lagos by her children.”

 Among the interesting beliefs about twins and their families in Igboora is that they are forbidden to eat the flesh of all species of monkeys. According to this general belief among the people, the monkeys are regarded as distant relations of the twins.

The chief also explains: “Twins from this community are totally forbidden from eating the flesh of monkeys. It is a taboo and it is believed that it would amount to eating their own flesh if they do such. It is not the twins alone that are prohibited from eating monkey. Every family that has twins must also not eat monkey."

Nasiru Aremu, an artisan in Igboora is not unaware of the myth surrounding the birth of twins in Igboora. For him, the high record in the birth of twins in the town is beyond the common delicacy of cassava flour and the native soup.

His reason, he said is rooted in the fact that people who enjoy similar delicacy outside the town don’t have the same high record of multiple births.

 "It is true that the kind of food we eat in this environment makes us to have multiple birth. But that does not mean that people outside this area can give birth to sets of twins if they eat same delicacy. For anyone to enjoy this gift of nature in the manner we do here, the person must come and drink our water. You have to drink the water from this land and eat our delicacy before you can have twins in the manner we do here.

"My father gave birth to three sets of twins. Some of them have also given birth to sets of twins. I am yet to have a set of twins, but I am hoping to have one or two sets of twins very soon because their birth attracts a lot of blessings and favours,” he said.

Yemisi Jimoh has two sets of twins. From her look, she does not seem comfortable in any way. But on this day, she was boisterous and proud as a mother of two sets of twins. For her, the birth of two sets of twins is a special gift from God, and a sure indication that the future is ‘very bright’.

She told The Nation that she desires to have more sets of twins despite her seeming poor status and limited wherewithal to take care of them.

She said: "I have given birth to two sets of twins already. One of the first set is dead, but here we don't say they are dead. We simply say they have travelled to Lagos to buy cloth. Even though the economy is inclement, I wish to have one or more sets of twins. It is God that provides and takes care of the children we give birth to. There are many who have no children and can still not feed well. We have many children and God has been providing us with the basic things they need to live happy and healthy lives.

“I want more twins because experience has shown that they bring a lot of good tidings to any family that has them.  There has been a tremendous improvement in our income and standard of living since we started having twins. The story is the same with many families that have twins in this area."

Taiwo and Kehinde Ajasa are both are artisans. While Taiwo mends bad tyres, Kehinde repairs motorcycles a few metres away from his brother’s shed. They are both happy to be twins.

"I am happy to have come to this world as a twin, especially in this kind of environment where the birth of twins is highly appreciated. I have had a very wonderful time with my twin brother all along. Our parents also shower us with love. But because we are identical, we suffer for each other’s shortcomings and also benefit from the good gestures. I want to give birth to twins because I am one,' said Taiwo.

Kehinde, on his part said he would wish to marry a twin. "I wish to marry a twin and give birth to sets of twins so that my family can be home of twins.

"As twins, we can eat everything, but monkey. Our family members must also not eat it. Tradition has it that we may die or suffer serious calamity if we eat it.

During our festival, our food is cooked beans, mixed it with palm oil. It is the food of twins anytime and we always enjoy it." 

Thirteen-year-old Taiwo and Kehinde Owonikoko also share the sentiments of the Ajasas.

The teenagers are highly elated to have been born as twins.

"It is a great privilege to have been born a twin. There is something extraordinary about us. Our siblings that are not twins don't get much attention from our parents as we do. We would also like to have twins when we marry because there is a lot of pride and blessings in having twins," said Kehinde.

Alhaji Adekunle Hamzat, a prominent indigene of Igboora and former chairman of Ibarapa Central Local Government, said he was not aware that birth of twins was so many in the community until WHO came up with the result of its research on the community.

Though Alhaji Hamzat is yet to have a set of twins himself, he is very proud that his hometown has been regarded as the place where multiple births are unprecedented.

"It dawned on me that we have rampant cases of multiple births in Igboora when the World Health Organization made public the result of its research on the community. There is even a compound where the people give birth to triplets regularly. It is amazing and we are proud that such a bundle of joy is happening in our midst," he said.    

The former local government chairman is not alone in this, everywhere you turn in Igboora, the indigenes are happy and ready to revel in the rare feat of their hometown.

However, while Igboora has been confirmed as the bastion of twins, researchers may need to take further steps in unraveling this myth, and why surrounding towns with almost similar delicacy don’t have the same high rate of multiple births.