Book of the Month: A Love Rekindled

Myne Whitman is the most hardworking Nigerian romance novelist. She is also the most active online. Her second romance novel A Love Rekindled is our Book of the Month. You will enjoy it.



Ten years ago, Efe Sagay dreams of winning the United States Visa Lottery, until she meets Kevwe Mukoro in University. Kevwe is happy to remain in Nigeria; only he wants Efe by his side. Over time, Efe finds true love with Kevwe, and promises to marry him. Their dreams unravel when Efe wins an American Visa, and fresh violence erupts between their warring ethnic groups. Now, Efe is back in Nigeria, and she knows it’s a matter of time before Kevwe returns to her life. They finally meet again, but renewed desire is no match for bitter memories of heartbreak. Efe wants the traumatic events of the past resolved before she gives in to rekindled love.



A Love Rekindled is the second romance novel of Myne Whitman, a Nigerian author based in the US.




Myne Whitman is my pen name. I was born and raised in Enugu, Nigeria, where I spent most of my time, studying, reading and daydreaming or climbing trees and playing with the boys. I have a Master's degree in Public Health Research but have chosen my childhood dream of spinning stories. After a few years in Edinburgh, Scotland, I now live with my husband in Seattle, USA. I write and blog full-time, and also volunteer as an ESL tutor for a local charity. I critique with the Seattle Eastside Writers Meet-up and I'm also a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

The Pacific Northwest of America is a great place but during the drizzling winter rains, I dream of long, hot, Nigerian days and the red palm oil of Banga Soup. A self-confessed adrenaline junkie, I love theme park rides and my wildest ride yet would be the Simpsons at Universal studios, Hollywood. Or maybe it was that reverse bungee jump I did in Scotland, hmm...lol.

In addition to writing popular fiction to get people reading, I am passionate about using the internet and social media to promote the book industry and literacy levels in Nigeria. To this end, I facilitated a session, "Social Media and the Book Publishing Industry", for the Publisher's Forum at the 2010 Garden City Literary Festival, Port Harcourt, Nigeria. I also founded and work as the publisher and managing editor of NaijaStories.com, a critique website for aspiring Nigerian writers.

Click here to buy Myne Whitman's novels

Nigerian Girls Who Do Juju

Majority of Nigerian prostitutes on and off campus do juju.


Nigerian Girls Who Do Juju


I have met and befriended about three of them and they were all well educated and from comfortable families. Those who were close to them would never believe that such beautiful ladies were members of cults they joined when they were students at different universities in Nigeria. One of them even made sacrifices at the lagoon of the UNILAG. The second used special candles for rituals and the third one confessed that a python once came out of her vagina and said she was no longer in the cult. But her close female friend told me that she lied, because she was still keeping her white ritual plates. I made sure I never slept with anyone of them. I always had my Holy Bible whenever I passed the night with one of them. My friend dated another one who soon showed him her true colours one fateful day as they slept after making love. She suddenly got up and started singing and dancing in a strange ritual.

Majority of Nigerian prostitutes on and off campus do juju.

These are not rare cases, because many girls and ladies in Nigeria are ritualizes and pretending to be "Christians". They practice juju which they use in their relationships with men.

Oleku the Video-Ice Prince Feat. Brymo

The is the official Oleku Video of Ice Prince Featuring Brymo.



I have watched Ice Prince in a live performance of his hit single Oleku and seeing this video is really going to increase his mileage and patronage.

Do you care for the poor girls and women in your relationships?

Do you care for the poor girls and women in your relationships?

I mean you know you are fortunate to come from a privileged family or have privileges the poor girls and women do not have and they cannot compete with you in the acquisition of the status symbols of your class conscious society.
Like you are a girl or lady from privileged background living your high life in the mega city of Lagos in Nigeria who can afford to go to the Silvierbird cinemas or Genesis Deluxe cinemas and later dine and wine at the fancy restaurants in on Victoria Island where you also meet and hook up with the big boys who frequent these places that only the comfortable people can afford, do you wonder how you would fare if you were not so opportune or privileged?

Would the big boys still treat you with comfort and respect if you were a poor babe from the ghettos of Isale Eko, Ajegunle or Makoko?

Like when you fancy a guy who is dating a poor girl or lady, do you respect her or look down on her and use your privileges to lure and snatch the guy from the poor girl or lady?

Have you imagined how she copes and fares living in a tenement where she shares the toilet with over 20 others who are co-tenants with her family?

Yes, all fingers are not equal and no condition is permanent, but have you ever practiced equity in your friendship and relationship with your fellow girls and ladies from different social backgrounds or you lead a dog eat dog life?
Are you an oppressor of the poor girls and ladies among you?

I have seen female students on the same campus in Lagos, but who actually feel superior to their fellow campus babes, because of the social class discrimination or because they have better opportunities than them.
I mean both of them are at UNILAG, but while one is from a privileged family in Ikoyi the other one is from a poor family in the back streets of Yaba. The privileged girl looks down on the poor one and simply says, “We are not in the same class.” But you are in the same university and all things being equal if the poor girl concentrates on her studies she will excel and graduate in flying colours and get her dream job that comes with all the perks and from the ghetto of Yaba she relocates to Lekki and then she catches up with the Joneses. Now would you still look down on her?

There are many different examples of these cases in every community of every society and the point is, we should relate with others in the loving kindness of TRUE LOVE by caring and sharing whatever we claim to have and not using our privileges or advantages to oppress others in our midst no matter their family backgrounds.
Lest we forget, none of us had the choice to be born poor or born rich. Therefore we should not use our contrasting backgrounds negatively but positively in our friendships and relationships.

Forget the lip service and eye service of the hypocrites who flatter you, exploiting the advantages of their privileges.

Beware of fair weather friends and lovers?
Mind how you relate and treat others today, because when tomorrow comes the times may bring you down at their feet.

I wish you happy holidays of true love.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

With Love From Grace Bernard

These are the photographs of Nigerian photographer Grace Bernard in Lagos, Nigeria.












© Grace Bernard, 2009®



Startup Weekend Nigeria Rocks!

Too Many Fine Babes for Lagos

Too Many Fine Babes for Lagos

I was born and bred in Lagos state and I have been privileged to travel all over Nigeria since my childhood to date. And I can confirm that there are too many beautiful and physically well endowed young women in Lagos, from the nubile teenage girls to the older young women from different tribes in Nigeria and from other countries.

This morning, this first phone call came from one of them, Funke who looks like the Barbadian R&B, reggae, and pop singer Rihanna intoto and she wants to see me. Then later, I found myself sitting beside another beauty, a mulatto, who looked like an angel in human flesh. She was looking as I typed a text message to tell Funke that I was already scheduled to go straight to MultiChoice/DSTV on Victoria Island before coming to the office of Supple magazine in Shomolu. Then as she was leaving, she turned to look at me straight as if to tell me “I know you know that I am an eyeful of beauty, Look at me well well.” Boy! I was dazed as I gazed at her from her long silky black hair she knotted into a ponytail and her sleeveless black blouse and blue denim pants and heelless sandals; she was too fine from the crown of her head to the toes of her beautiful golden feet. I swallowed lumps of saliva. Then I saw more pretty and sexy babes appearing from left and right on the street and I thought I was in a romantic dream or what could be going on!
My conclusion is, the most beautiful women in Nigeria have invaded Lagos for the summer.

Let me go and see Funke!

Where There Are No Roses for Valentine

Yesterday, I was at the Flowers Blossom at #2 Olosa Street, on the Victoria Island in Lagos, to discuss my love book and roses for the Valentine. They told me that roses were scarce in Nigeria, so lovers have to exchange other flowers. I pointed at the rose I saw right in front of me.
"It is only for our decoration," they said.

I left and told my Sweetest and I wonder why we cannot grow roses in Nigeria as roses flourish in Kenya.

Memories of Yesterday

Yesterday was my birthday and Linda Ikeji and her associate came to celebrate with me and we chose the Mr. Biggs near my office to eat and drink before she left for her own office.
I appreciated the quality time we spent discussing celebrity blogging and the efforts to make blogging popular in the most populous nation in Africa where the majority are still ignorant of what a blog is. Bella Naija, Linda Ikeji and Calabar Girl are the most popular Nigerian bloggers in the global village. There is no need to drop my name here, because I am a totally different kind of blogger. Blogging to me is not for Personality Popularity Contest (PPC). Most of my over 30 blogs are for news, business or educational subjects. I also have a blog on The Des Moines Register and other major news websites. Blogging to me is not a pastime, but a medium for news and information for the advancement of human development. I advised Linda to take blogging as serious as her FM&B magazine.

I am glad and grateful to the Almighty God Jehovah for giving me a beautiful, wonderful and great life and I love to do my best for as many people as possible.

My First Lady QMC woke me up with her sweetest wishes and she made my day.

Dreams Do Come True

17 Jan 2009 00:10 Africa/Lagos

Dreams Do Come True

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Benjamin Ola. Akande, Dean of Webster University School of Business & Technology:


As a child growing up in Nigeria, I was a dreamer. My parents never dismissed my dreams. They were always encouraging. No matter how outright unbelievable my dreams were, they would assure me that dreams do come true. Dreams provide a glimpse of what the future will look like. I wish I could have recorded all those dreams.


Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream was recorded. It was a dream that was played out in front of thousands of people and like most dreams, no one really knew how it would play out. As the dream was recalled over the years, it became clear that this was a significant and compelling vision of the future. Martin's dream was in the form of a remarkable prose on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Most of us can hear him recite this dream in our subconscious. "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." It is a dream that visualizes a future where all those things that seemed impossible and improbable will happen despite overwhelming obstacles.


Barack Obama

The election of Barack Obama was a manifestation of Martin's dream. I would like to believe that Martin Luther King's dream highlighted how difficult it is to make change happen. Martin spoke about how mountains and hills (obstacles) shall be made lower and rough places (institutional changes) will be made straight. The recognition was that monumental changes of this magnitude take considerable time. Indeed, it takes the force of nature to break through the harsh reality of status quo and history.


Dreaming enables us to transcend the present and position us on the balcony for a better view of the future. And, because dreaming offers no restrictions, the greatest dreamers are often characterized as crazy and out of touch with reality. What history has shown us is that you may vilify them, you can criticize them, and you may even assassinate them. But, you can't kill a dreamer's dream. MLK's dream took a long time to come to fruition, with small significant steps and some big setbacks along the way. But on Nov. 4, 2008, the full realization of the great civil rights leader's dream came to pass with the election of a junior senator from Illinois as the first African American President of The United States of America..


Martin Luther King taught us that adversity is a lot easier to overcome than success. And that is the power of dreams. He knew it would happen. He even foresaw that his own demise may keep him from seeing his dream come true. "I've seen the promised land," he said. "I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." Forty-five years later, his vision is still unfolding. But one thing is crystal clear. Dreams do come true.


Source: Webster University School of Business and Technology

CONTACT: Susan Kerth of Webster University, +1-314-246-8232


Web Site: http://www.webster.edu/

The Genevieve Nnaji You Do Not Know

Genevieve Nnaji

The Genevieve Nnaji You Do Not Know

I loved to hear or receive new information on celebrities and it is good you should know what Emeka, a Nollywood cameraman told me about the Queen of Nollywood, Genevieve Nnaji, yesterday afternoon, after I finished directing a short documentary video for the international promotion of Scientists Discover Hell: As Astronauts Find Heaven in the office of the author/Editor of the metaphysical book, A.G. Olisaemeka on the 17th Floor of The Nigerian Stock Exchange building on Customs Street, off the Broad Street in Lagos, Nigeria.

“There is a Genevieve Nnaji most people do not know and that is the real Genevieve Nnaji behind the cameras. She is one of the most humble and most generous actors in Nollywood. She is down to earth and does not even care what the rumour mongers say about her. She says that they spread these rumours to provoke her into reacting to them, but she would rather ignore them. She is the best actress. I mean she is better than Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Ini Edo. She is number one,” the cameraman enthused whilst we were in the car on our way back to Supple magazine office.
The publisher said he had been misinformed in the past to believe all the rumours on Genevieve Nnaji and the former Vice-President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar. I laughed as I waved off that particular lie in dismissal. Emeka told us that whilst they were shooting a movie in Abuja, she laughed at the joke and they were all amused.
“That rumour was based on falsehood,” said Emeka and I concurred, because her friend Chichi dismissed the rumour when my younger sister Stella asked her in the Nigeria LNG RA 1 on Bonny Island in Rivers State. Three of the top Nollywood actresses live in the Nigeria LNG RA1, where I once hosted the leading Nollywood director, Chika Onu of Living in Bondage and Glamour Girls fame. Chika himself has known Genevieve since her earliest days in Nollywood.

I told Emeka that it would be fair and square to make his observations of the true Genevieve Nnaji known to the rest of the world and correct all the erroneous and ambiguous things circulated on her from the gossip tabloids or grapevine.
Of course Genevieve Nnaji is the most popular Nollywood actress and my article on her has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of readers of my Kisses “n’ Roses blogzine.
The Publisher was so impressed that he asked me to contact her for a special interview to be published in the fourth edition of Supple magazine.

Genevieve Nnaji is very pretty and very sexy and has provoked countless stiff erections in-between the loins of thousands of her make admirers.

Personally, I believe that we are yet to see the best of the first Nollywood sex symbol and she is smarter than Marilyn Monroe, the soc alled "quintessential American sex symbol".
Nkiruka! The future is greater for Genevieve Nnaji!

Michael Okon is Hot and You Are Not!

Michael Okon is one hot Nigerian actor and he makes others to look ordinary!
Read the exclusive interview in the latest edition of Supple magazine.
The Nigerian movie star is going places.

Anya, I Cannot Say Goodbye

It was a beautiful Sunday morning.
I have just finished praying in my daily early morning worship to thank the Almighty God for the wonderful joy of being alive to see another new day.
Then I received the phone call. It was from one of my closest cousins.
“Do you know that Anya is dead?” Okotie asked.
“How would I know when nobody told me so?” I replied in shock.
“I called to let you know,” he said plaintively.
I was speechless for a while.
Anya was dead!
Anya, who relocated to South Africa in 2000, because he was bored of living in Nigeria.
Anya who was the closest to me in the 1990s and we even lived together for months in his flat.
Anya, who was the handsomest of his brothers and was the favourite of the girls and women in the neighborhood and in our hometown,
Anya, who taught me so many things, both the good and the bad facts of life on earth and made me wiser,
Anya was dead.
Another call came.
It was from my Sweetest.
She sent me a text message that I should call her.
I could not respond immediately.
I did not tell Hope, the Publisher of Supple magazine the bad news of the loss of my cousin Anya. I did not want to spoil his day. I kept it to myself until later in the evening. We drove to Okotie’s residence on Alhaji Kalejaiye Street in Shomolu, Lagos. It’s his late father’s house where Anya and I shared many things as we lived like one family. Okotie and Anya lived together in their father's house whilst two of the elder brothers lived in Canada and the UK. The one in the UK has returned to Nigeria and was not in when Hope and I visited the family to comfort the bereaved. They are the only children of my late uncle and aunt.
Some memories are forever
The memories that will linger
The memories of the good times and the bad times
The unforgettable memories of those we cannot forget.

The memories of Anya filled my mind.
I cannot say goodbye to Anya.

Caution: Pretty Girls Crossing

Caution: Pretty Girls Crossing

Beauty inspires genius.I adore the Almighty God at the first sight of any object of beauty, from the beautiful face of my darling lover to the dazzling allure of a blossoming pink hibiscus flower in the sunlight. The alluring power of beauty cannot be denied.

The heart of man skips a beat at the sight of a beautiful woman.He swallows lumps of saliva as he ogles at her. His Adam’s apple bulges as his crotch bulges. Gosh!A man almost veered off the main road whilst ogling at a pretty and sexy babe on a street in Lagos. The object of his admiration was the kind of pretty babes my mom called car stoppers, the babes who make drivers to stamp on the brakes in awe!

The desire for a pretty and sexy woman sets a man on fire, burning in the fiery flames of lust. Even the loins of a castrated man burns in the presence of a pretty and sexy woman.

In the daily traffic of commuters in the crowdy and rowdy mega city of Lagos, the pretty girls stand out like the exotic water lilies of the Nile, a pure delight to sight. Drivers often slow down as a pretty woman is about to cross the road. She makes heads to turn on the street.

The best places to see pretty girls and ladies in Lagos city are often the shopping malls, from the Mega Plaza on Victoria Island to the Palms in Lekki. You can also see many of them strolling on the Marina in Lagos, on the Adeniran Ogunsanya Street in Surulere, on Allen Avenue and Toyin Street in Ikeja, on Awolowo Road in Ikoyi and on Adeola Odeku Street on Victoria Island.

The pretty working class ladies in their skirt suits and pantsuits seem to be on fashion parade during the hours of lunch break as they go out walking tall in their low heels or high heels. Watching a pretty working class lady walking down the staircase is worth all your attention in respect of the beauty of womanhood. She looks best if she is chic!Admiring pretty women in their trendy fashion crossing the street makes my day.

What’s next?

Caution: Ugly Girls Crossing?

There are no ugly girls or women in my world.

Anyway, no woman is ugly, except she is ignorant of her own beauty.

Lagos Palaver 2

Helen and Princess.

I have been in Lagos since the last week of August and to be honest to God, there is too much heat and stress in Lagos. The sight of commuters stranded at the bus stop and the traffic congestion make me uncomfortable, because it is not easy to re-adjust to the hustle and bustle of living and working in Lagos after my long stay on Bonny Island where I was really comfortable until the Niger Delta crisis made many of the residents afraid to cross the dangerous Bonny Channel or to even live in the towns of Bonny and Finima.


Most people in Lagos are really "suffering and smiling" as the legendary Afrobeat musical icon Fela Anikulapo-kuti sang in one of his classic songs in the 1970s. But do beggars have a choice? Most of the poverty-stricken majority, suffering and smiling in the mega city of Lagos are living like beggars since their meager wages cannot even provide the daily three square meals to feed one man!


It has not been easy for me to re-adjust to the crowdy and rowdy environment of the mainland of Lagos even if you live in any of the so called Government Reserved Areas (GRAs). The roads in the suburban ghetto of Shomolu are even better than many of the roads in Ikoyi and Victoria Island where many of the streets even stink. So, no where in Lagos can really be compared to the beautiful estate of the Nigeria LNG RA 1 on Bonny Island. But if you have some millions of naira, you can live in any of the Fool's Paradise in Lagos.

I am not lonely in Lagos and thank God for Helen and Princess and other sweethearts in the hot city of Lagos. Helen's clothes are tailor-made for body enhancement, and she is really attractive, but I am missing my one and only Sweetest 24/7!

Love Lives On Even When Nothing Else Matters

I have to cope with the stress of the megacity of Lagos since I returned after staying long on Bonny Island. I have been busy doing my best for the public appreciation of the new Supple magazine. I am glad and grateful to the Almighty God for the corporate and general public acceptance of the magazine. My commitment to the progress and success of Supple is a labour of love as illustrated in the following poem I composed out of my love for the magazine.
The success of the Publisher is my success.

I was captivated by her lithe supple body
As she swayed to the rhythm of my melody.
She smiled at me with glints in her bright eyes
As she greeted me with her sparkling white teeth.
I stretched out my hands to welcome her into my heart and soul
She sauntered into my loving arms and we locked in the communion of love.

I gave a young woman named Peace, the opportunity to work, but she lied that she could operate a PC. The Publisher of Supple tested her and she failed. She did not report for work today. She was recommended by Chichi, the secretary of the Publisher.
Later Chichi told me that she was in a bad mood and she was looking drepressed. I asked her what was troubling her and she told me that she was sad, because her family had no money to pay for her compulsory matriculation examination. She told me the examination fee and I said that was not a problem, because she would get the money for it from me. She smiled and was now looking happy. Charity is the greatest love. Charity should not be a difficult task. Be happy and merry in caring and sharing.

Love inspires me to act or react in response to what I see, hear or feel. Love keeps me going even when other things no longer move me. I live and work for love and love is the elixir of my life.

The Beautiful Ones Are in Nigeria.

Sasi,
The beautiful ones are being born and I have met them.
One of them came yesterday, beautiful brown skin and long braids and flashing white teeth and with soft voice.
She waited for an hour, because I was busy and I later joined her.
We spoke about the romance of life in Lagos.
She has kept herself and walked with her head high.
Yes, you can be pretty and sexy and party and still remain pure and true.
"I am back now and we are going places," I said.
I saw the glints in her brown eyes.
She has the unique poetic beauty that is not common.
She is a Nigerian sweetheart and she is not the only one in Nigeria.
We have many Nigerian sweethearts who are still pure and true.
They have beauty with dignity and integrity and yes, Sasi, I love them all.

N.B:
The photographs are coming.

Greatest Basketball Players - Hakeem Olajuwon - University of Houston Cougars

Basketball College Careers of Greatest NBA Players of All Time: Hakeem Olajuwon Born in Nigeria in 1963, it was not until 1980 that Hakeem Olajuwon would move to the United States. Obviously playing in Nigeria, there was not heavy U.S. college recruiting being done, however, after Guy Lewis, coach of University of Houston heard about Olajuwon’s power and skill, he was recruited to be a Cougar. In his freshman year, Olajuwon practiced with the team, however did not receive much playing time. After an off-season spent playing and training with NBA legend Moses Malone, Olajuwon would become a different player and a leader at University of Houston.

She Gave Him All Her Love, But He Tore it To Shreds

Chioma was well educated and from a rich family, but he was not well educated and was a poor driver from a poor family, yet she gave him her heart and soul. He was not God fearing and had loose morals. They have been dating since 2005, but his infidelity hurt her badlly. He was seeing and sleeping with another woman and even moved his things into the woman's residence. She was disappointed and left Nigeria for the UK. She wanted to break up with him, but he came back begging for her forgiveness when she returned and she gave in to him. She was very good in bed and was willing to satisfy him anytime he wanted sex. She gave him whatever would make him comfortable, because she truly loved him and wanted to be his wife for life.

He was very possessive and jealous. He felt uncomfortable anytime he saw her in the company of her male colleagues and beat her up after he saw her male colleague in her flat. She was pissed and took back the key she gave him to have access to her flat. He later pleaded for mercy and she was willing to forgive him. He seemed to be ready to make amends and he was even going to a popular pentecostal church with his aunt and they got engaged to wed last April. Then he did the worst when he was caught sleeping with the wife of a senior official in the LNG company where both of them were working. He had been seducing the wives of his bosses whilst on official duty as their chauffeur and nemesis had caught up with him. She was heart broken. The husband of the woman he slept with was so ashamed that he asked for transfer and left without the adulterous wife. The sex scandal shook the whole management and Chioma was too ashamed to hold her head high in office. This heartless driver fooled her. This was the last straw. Chioma resigned and left Nigeria for the UK without even telling us.


I felt sorry for Chioma as Jennifer and I discussed the romantic predicament of having a relationship with a man who is like a reed in a quicksand. He was unfaithful and unworthy of being trusted with such a precious heart.
"I hope she finds her true love in the UK," I said.
"No man tramples on the heart of a woman and escapes the grave consequences," Jennifer said.
She was missing Chioma who was very close to her and she had wished that Chioma would wed after her own wedding last year.
"That is why it is always good to look before you plunge into the swimming pool of romance, lest you end up swimming in the murky waters of shame and slime," I said.

N.B:
This is a true story and the events happened in Rivers state, Nigeria. I have changed the real names of the people mentioned in the details.

WHAT A COUNTRY! : An Interactive Discussion On Nigeria

GLENDORA READINGS PRESENTS


Kunle Ajibade

WHAT A COUNTRY! : An Interactive Discussion featuring

Odia Ofeimun

Reuben Abati

Toyin Akinosho

Kunle Ajibade

Kunle Ajibade’s new book, ‘What a Country! goes beyond the narrative aesthetics of his prison memoir, Jailed for Life: A reporter’s Prison Notes, published in February 2003, to grapple with questions of justice, popular welfare, human rights and good governance. It is eloquent and poignant. Its vision is broad, both powerfully anchored in local knowledge and robustly cosmopolitan. Its passion for the betterment of Nigeria – indeed, what a country! – is evident and infectious. Kunle Ajibade, never lets go the respect for human value, the shared space that the creativity of writers, human rights activists and pro-democracy workers – especially the leading lights, avatars and exemplars of the cause – have defended across the world at great risks to their own lives.

Author’s Bio

Kunle Ajibade attended the University of Ife, where he earned a B.A. in English and an M.A in Literature-in-English. Before he became a co-founder/publisher of The News and P.M. News, he had worked in Grant advertising as a copy writer, in Chief Abiola’s African Concord as a senior correspondent and in African Guardian as an assistant editor. In 1995 he was jailed for life because of a story published in The News magazine and was only released in 1998 when his jailer, General Sani Abacha, died. Ajibade won the 1998/1999 Feuchtwanger Fellowship to write his prison memoir, Jailed for Life: A Reporter’s Prison Notes, which was published in February 2003 by Heinemann Educational Books. The book won the first Victor Nwankwo Book of the Year Award instituted by the Nigerian Book Fair Trust.


DATE: 17TH JULY
TIME: 4:00PM
VENUE: THE JAZZHOLE, 168 AWOLOWO ROAD,IKOYI, LAGOS

A Naked Tom Hanks Being Chased By Dogs On A Street in Nigeria and other Matters

Tom Hanks

Two nights ago, I had a strange dream where I was in the same hotel with Tom Hanks and later we had to jump from a balcony to the ground floor, but Tom Hanks who was stark naked landed on the grounds of another building and I heard the barks of dogs. Then I saw two dogs after him. The sight of a naked man being chased by dogs on the street in Lagos was dangerous, because he could be mistaken for an escaping thief. A street mob would soon be after him and he could be lynched and set ablaze before finding out if he was a thief or not. It was a strange dream. I will state the details later.


Many families are fleeing Bonny Island before tomorrow July 16, the deadline of the ultimatum militants gave foreigners and non-indigènes to leave before their attacks on the kingdom. The Nigerian soldiers are fully armed to confront them as I saw many soldiers guarding the Nigerian LNG Bonny Plant Complex and residential areas. I saw a tough looking soldier in combat mood with a machine gun behind a fortification of sandbags. They were frisking people on foot and searching vehicles.

I was at the Guaranty Trust Bank to deposit some dollars in a domiciliary account, but the bank could not receive such deposits, because it was not fully operational in fear of the looming hostilities and most banks have been shut on Bonny Island.

I heard the bad news that some people fleeing Bonny Island drowned when their boat capsized in the Bonny river. I was sad, but I could not stop those I knew were fleeing in fear. I can only pray for their safety.