You Need To Read These!!

Wow. The danger with rejoinders is that, rather than listen to your voice, people will always go find out what originally happened. I had last week or so raised issues with how soon former Thisday Editor, Segun Adeniyi had 'turned coat' when he reached government, and till now it rankles me, I have to confess.

Then yesterday, he made the mistake of actually reacting to that very issue, and for those who know the issues involved and have access to facts to which he made mention, his piece only rang hollow. I therefore decided to go read the original piece that prompted his passionate denial.

And wow! It was explosive! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Read Dele Sobowale's original piece HERE,

and the sad rejoinder HERE

This much I will say, any journalist who whilst his perspectives were untainted spoke a certain way and then turns around when he's in government to scream 'Oh I have now seen the light' is a disgrace, and I use that word with all responsibility. What it means, and the fact they keep missing, is that for the past years that they were journalists: they were misinformed, ignorant, and misguided. Ultimately discredited.

Thankfully, there are one or two such journalists-now-in-government who have been able to maintain their integrity and good sense.

The fact is: if you want to 'turn coat', we understand the job of journalism doesn't pay yes and you need to 'move up in life', so turn coat and keep quiet about it. No one is a fool. It makes me so ashamed sometimes to be part of the media.

The weeks ahead will be explosive, and you NEED to buy Vanguard next week, because Dele Sobowale is going to face the President's spokesman FRONTALLY. I love it!

P.S: Based on the first comment I just received now, it makes sense to state that the word 'turn coat' is used loosely, in the reasonable assumption that folks would actually read the two pieces (or at least one!) and then understand the context in which it is being used. It would make any comments on this post informed at the very least.

Tagged! Seven Things ...

I was tagged by Jeremy, and would say I thank him for it: I had fun.

Seven Things ...

I wake up every morning and tell myself – I am good person, and I am given to depth. Every morning. It's actually a challenge to self.

I swear by Vanity Fair, Oprah, and Desperate Housewives; and my all time favourite TV shows – Forever Eden, Paradise Hotel, The Practice, Jenny Jones, Tightrope (Nigerian) – are sadly off the air.

I think four of the things that the enlightened world is most hypocritical about are pornography, female orgasms, sexual monogamy and masturbation.

I am a good listener and I look forward to criticism – in turn I am irritated by people who don’t listen. I have many of them as friends. I call it a testimony to my incredible spirit of accommodation that they still are!

I believe that under the right conditions, the human being is capable of anything. Of defacating in an open place after a hurricane (New Orleans), of diverting mosquito nets meant for babies to protect cattle in the midst of a famine (Uganda) and to scoop oil at the risk of being burnt alive to stave off poverty (Lagos, Nigeria). That having been said, I don’t think I could ever deliberately take the life of another person – no matter what.

The only thing I hate more than the hypocritical are the self-righteous.

I’ve only been in love once in my life – and I’m scared it might not happen again.

And I am tagging:
Gbolahan!
Exschoolnerd!
Msminx!
Tolu!
Mystories!

What Desmond Tutu Said …

The older I get, the more I learn not to judge a book by its cover. Like many, I rever Archbishop Desmond Tutu, but consider him a boring interview subject, and when you tell me that his interviewer comes in the irritating robes of Brad Pitt, you turn me completely off. But then this is Vanity Fair, and with VF, I read every article. And I am glad for that. Here I take two responses from the interview (in this month’s spectacular – no matter what the critics, who haven't even read it(!), say – Africa Issue) that almost knocked me off with their profundity: they are not novel insights by any means, but what struck me is the force and beauty of the restatements:

Brad Pitt: So certainly, discrimination has no place in Christianity. There’s a big argument going on in America now, on gay rights and equality.
Desmond Tutu: For me, I couldn’t ever keep quiet. I come from a situation where for a very long time people were discriminated against, made to suffer for something about which they could do nothing - their ethnicity. We were made to suffer because we were not white. Then, for a very long time in our church, we didn’t ordain women, and we were pernalizing a huge section of humanity for something about which they could do nothing – their gender. And I’m glad that now the church has changed all that. I’m glad that apartheid has ended. I could not for the part of me be able to keep quiet, because people were being penalized, ostracized, treated as if they were less than human, because of something they could do nothing to change – their sexual orientation. For me, I can’t imagine the Lord that I worship, this Jesus Christ, actually concurring with the persecution of a minority that is already being persecuted… Our church, the Anglican Church, is experiencing a very, very serious crisis. It is all to do with human sexuality,. I think God is weeping. He is weeping that we should be spending so much energy, time, resources on this subject at a time when the world is aching.

Brad Pitt:… You said about apartheid, that is was operated on the principles of exclusion. I can’t help but think that the same thing is going on with our trade rules.
Desmond Tutu: We have the capacity to feed everybody on our planet. We have the capacity to ensure that everybody has clean water. We have the capacity to ensure that everybody has affordable health care. We can prevent many of the diseases to which our children in the poorer parts of the world succumb. For goodness’ sake, why don’t we wake up to the fact that you can’t have an apartheid security? You can’t have apartheid prosperity. If you are going to have security, it’s going to be security for all. If you are going to have prosperity, it is going to be prosperity for all. If you want to be free, you can’t have a quarantine freedom. It’s going to be freedom for all. And if you want to be human, we are not going to be able to be human in isolation; it will be that we are human together. (Emphasis mine)

(c) Vanity Fair

Bell is One!!

I can NOT believe that Bella Naija's blog is only just a year old.

It's amazing - but you need to check her blog out now (if you havent already!) and get all the details from her. "You'd have to admit that Nigerian blogging took a new, fun, edgy, classy, entertaining, lovely {I can go on} direction when Bella started blogging."


Bella made me start blogging; she made me even AWARE of blogs - and she does FANTASTIC work. She also has such an amazingly good heart.

Many people are proud of her - and I am happy to join the roll call!

Chude.

P.S: Oh i see Jeremy has tagged me on Naijablog... gimme a minute!

The Blogsville Idol - See me o!!!

Oh I MUST apologise to my people, Pink-Satin etc who asked me to publicise the Blog Idols thingie ... that was the insane period I wasnt updating, and then I FORGOT!!! I'm just remembering now as I visit Idemmili's blog - how can Idemmili be in a competition, and I am NOT rooting for her!!!!!

So, please guys, participate in the Blogsville Idol competition - vote, vote, vote!!!!

President Yar'Adua and ... trouble!

hey people!





I am back in the village of Bwari, back to burying my head in law books, so you might not be seeing me for long periods (even if its just to prtend that I'm serious abi?!). However, this phase is ending in August by His Grace, so it's really nothing.

Will be posting any articles of mine that are in the papers and any other bit and piece I can - and will try to update the diary.

Meanwhile, this trouble I have to look for since I have two - three, in fact - raging opinions I have to share:

First, I think Yar'Adua messed up big time!!! I was already beginning to feel soothed by his approach after being raped for years under OBJ - but Yar'Adua ripped open that sore again with his puerile strategy. This more than anything is what proves that he is not his own man ... yes, he probably wanted to prove he also, like OBJ, cannot be pushed around, but therein - in not being able to insist on doing things your own tested and trusted way - lies the real weakness .

FOllowing that, my fears over my Big Bros, Segun Adeniyi, didnt even take a month to develop. His article in the papers last week was just WRONG. DOes something happen to them when they get to tht Aso Rock?!?! How come the same Segun Adeniyi who once advised government spokesmen that attacking journalists is never a wise approach, now turn around to do justr that?!?! He was a columnist just under a month ago!!! And his new job as Special Assistant, Media is about his boss, not about him ... he shouldnt do this to himself - and to us.

Also, there's this girl who contributes to the Arts pages of Thisday on Sunday, Joy Bewaji - who basically spends time lambasting other columnists (yeah, that has included me, so no wonder I am being sarcastic!lol) - but this time she was actually in a rare moment, praising someone, only it turned out ALL WRONG. I had said I would NOT comment on the Cest La Vie fiasco, afterall the storm has passed and Aunty Betty is a role model - but that doesnt mean that someone should try and pull wool over our eyes! What Aunty Betty wrote was wrong on SO many other levels I can't mention now. She has apologised and that is big of her, even though we do not know again, like Jeremy said, if the problem was 'editorial slip' or 'production mix-up' - for whatever it was she apologised, she was wrong, she made a mistake she shouldnt have - she's only human. Ka chineke mezi okwu.

But for this Joy girl to now say she did NOTHING wrong (you can check last sunday's paper on thisdayonline.com) simply because all her other articles have been 'inspiring'?! Just because she has done this and that? See, the world's biggest hypocricies have collapsed by just one Freudian slip such as this, and while I am not saying that is the case here (I have no right to make such judgements - at least not in public) I am just asking that no one should insult my intelligence.

Aunty did wrong. Aunty hurt another woman. Aunty pissed others off. Aunty apologised. We hope Aunty doesnt do this again. These are the material facts - let no one try to conflate them please.

How was your week?

Thanks A LOT for leaving comments even when I take soooooooooooooo long to reply them ...

Cheers,
Chude

p.s: my friend jude dibia, is doing a really creative thing for his new book, getting two brilliant spunky WOMEN, Mobolaji Adenubi (those in Nigeria's writing community know her)and Nonye Bethel to discuss his new book, Unbridled - which he wrote in a fmale narrative voice ..... It's from 2-4pm at the Terra Kulture this saturday ... Jude will be signing books I suppose! To see a blog-review of the book, cheack Adaure's blog. Cheers

So, WHAT EXACTLY Have I Been Up To, Right?

(The GIST Edition!!!)

Hmm. Na wayas. Na real, real wayas. I tire ... I have been under the greatest stress in the past few weeks it is incredible.

So I’m sure a lot of you have been wondering what exactly the drama has been about my not being able to update an ‘ordinary’ blog. But I have really, really been swamped. To avoid boring you and myself, I will just run over the larger details.

First the main gist some of you have been waiting for: it’s not really a big deal; y’all know I was crazy about Omawunmi and campaigned seriously for her to win Idols – which she lost. A magazine commissioned me to do an interview with her immediately after, and she was basically … em … well, rude. It struck me that she must see herself as on the celebrity par with perhaps an Omotola?

‘Luckily’ for me, the major mag I write for also commissioned me to interview her and this time she couldn’t say no (she then agreed to do the other one too – so I had to get someone else to interview her for that magazine) – and at the venue of the interview, she was just all over the place, with attitude. However, fortunately, all that fire transforms to warmth when you eventually get to know her. She is just, well, ‘real’. A little too real maybe. But she will definitely go far.

The day after that interview, had another interview for our column in the Guardian with the AMBO winner, ‘Mr. Cute’ OC. Really brilliant young man whose interview was a pleasant surprise since I have low opinions of the show – but he is evidently on a higher plane in terms of character, personality and intelligence. After the interview, one had to rush off again for the launch of the magazine I spoke about some time ago (thanks Bella for the link on your blog) which I interviewed Genevieve for, MADE.

It’s THE men’s magazine – just a little more twitching, a little more style, dots on the I’s and that magazine will become for men what True Love has seriously become for women. At the time they commissioned me to do their two cover stories, I knew the guys meant business, but I still had my doubts – right now, after seeing the magazine, I am SO proud to be associated with it. So proud. You can check out sneak previews on mademags.com

The next day was a very dramatic one that saw me on an Okada ride to the airport, which would have ALMOST made me a guest of the now former First Lady of Cross River, Onari Duke. However, I missed the flight by minutes … suffice to say it was very disappointing since I had been pursuing the woman for that interview for at least 6 months! I will actually do a separate post about the events leading to and on that day because it was really a day of drama!

The next day, our company RedSTRAT organized our quarterly talk-and-network session for upwardly mobile young people at SixDegreesNorth (special thanks to Louise Priddy and others like Saheeto, who supported), and I already put up some pictures of that here. It was MEGA-fun.

All through the week however, it was interviews upon interviews and an unending race against deadlines, which I inevitably lost seeing as I was trying to finish up copies for FOUR magazines at the same time! I have tied up the most important one thanks be to the Most High God, almost wrapped up on the next and should be through with the final two by Monday.

Amidst of all these me and my guys at RedSTRAT had to also work on producing Patito’s Guys, our show which is a youth version of Prof. Pat Utomi’s show, Patito’s Gang. We were recording two episodes – all the stress finally paid off however on that day (including an averted wardrobe disaster for me, thanks to our friend Muyiwa Osindero of Clothesense) as our guests, including Tara (Fela Durotoye), Ebuka (Obi-Uchendu), Modupe Adefeso, Shina Oyetayo, Ruonah Agbroko and others made the day so much fun. Tara especially is a delight to be with any day, and since she has her head buried in the sand of business most of the time, it fell on me and my big mouth to fill her in on all the latest gossip.

Even better, after the recording, Ebuka joined myself, Bola, Emilia, Ruonah and my new gf (yes, I did also manage to start a new relationship in the midest of all the madness, and that will be all on the subject, people!) to see a movie. I arm twisted everyone to be ‘patriotic’ and go see Irapada - a decision that haunted me throughout the duration of the movie. Now I will have to tread carefully here: Kunle Afolayan is a brilliant young man, and a hardworking filmmaker – but that wasn’t his best work AT ALL. The movie was PAINFUL to watch. And a huge disappointment for me. Have you ever had the experience where a movie snaps you of your energy? It’s weird. We just had to keep heckling and laughing at the many faults to get through it – and that actually turned out making the night very memorable! (However, I must say that the directing of the movie was top-notch ... there were some really beautiful and creative shots - at the river, on the rail tracks, travelling ... that at least was good stuff.)

Coming out of that, I was called upon to help the phenomenal Mo Abudu with a section of the guest-list for her wave-making everyone’s-talking-about-it show, Moments with Mo. I have always heard of Mo and admired her spirit from afar, but to meet her up close was even better. It was also a pleasant surprise to find out that she had found out quite a lot about me (oh vanity upon vanities – I just had to throw that in, yes yes I know!). And no I am not working for her … yet. Because of Law School. But I am certainly considering it, and it was a pleasure to be of help to the show. I didn’t stay for the recording, just dropping in to make sure my guests were alright – but I was mighty impressed; everything was so professional. That show is going to be brilliant. (Though I must apologise to those I invited for the tackiness with handling the audience – I was only asked to help).

Then it was back to the deadlines! The deadlines have taken over my life! My gf is already complaining (not that scares me). But it’s all for a reason – have to do as much as I can since I can do little or nothing when I am back in Law School.

As if the deadlines are not enough trouble, RedTSRAT had THE meeting last two weeks when we formally kicked off the process towards The Future… Awards 2008. And in such a short time, we’ve already gone far – I’m so proud of us!!!!lol People are shocked at how early we are kick starting and generally impressed and that’s funny cos I actually say we’re startying late. Just be guaranteed of this, you haven’t seen anything like what we will be presenting this time by (His grace)! Speaking of something you haven’t seen before, Tara is cooking something so hot it will burn when it’s eventually done! We’re a part of that, and I’m excited about it. Tara’s an inspiration for me anytime, and anything to do with her is always a delight. Between that project and The Future… Awards 2008, there’s enough work to last a weary soul!

In between all of that my parents had a ghastly accident that has left my father in the hospital with my mum barely escaping – don’t worry they’re okay now. My father’s legs are the only issue now and so it is well, we praise God. Only that I have to shuttle between home and the hospital these days in a way that only adds to my stress. (Don’t want to say a lot about it really. Just would look weird to those who know me if I didn’t mention it and since I am one of those people who care what people think….)

And there are still those dreaded deadlines… I have three interviews for instance scheduled for tomorrow … (Sigh). All the time crunch and deadlines have already made me piss off quite a couple of friends (even though it pissed me off when people can’t be perceptive and understanding).

I can’t wait to return to Abuja next week. Those who remember how happy I was to have left Abuja two months ago would be surprised, right? Well that shows the depth of my stress. I really need a break from it all.

Make no mistake though, I love the stress. A life without the kind of adrenaline-pumping, gratifying stress that is my life would be worse than living in solitary confinement. What can I say?!