Thinkers

07/27/2024

Prayer is not just about bowing down and speaking: God only blesses what you do with your hands. So, while working, increase your charges too. Never pray for the prices of goods to go down. Instead, pray that God put you in a position where you can afford to buy without stress.

12/25/2023

Merry Christmas everyone

12/01/2023

Henry Kissinger died at 100 years old November 29, 2023.

07/17/2023

If you are one of those wondering why our leaders appoints so many aids and why the cost of governance is high, look no further. Everything started from the cradle of learning: the average Nigeria university student union leader runs his union with nothing less than 30 special assistants.

07/08/2023

From a prospective cagefight to Meta’s launch of Twitter-rival Threads, the two contenders are squaring off

06/20/2023

06/03/2023

STILL ON HILDA BACI.

Once again, we woke up this morning to the news of our own Hilda Baci eating dog meat. Remember, she recently caught the world’s attention in her bid for a place in the Guinness Book of World Records but having made it to the limelight of international stage, she has been in the news for right or wrong reasons, depending on your point of view. First was the emergence of raunchy photos and videos of Hilda on social media that clearly showed that apart from her cooking prowess, Hilda is also continually active not only on the social media but also, has huge presence in the Nigeria social circle: the world of big men, big musicians, and wild parties! Naturally, few were impressed by such provocatively sexy photos and videos. Some felt that the young lady ought to have kept details of her private life from the glare of the public, and maintain the public persona of a cook, chef, and a great ambassador of Nigeria.
Yesterday, Hilda smuggled her way back into the news media again when she shared videos of herself eating dog meat with a friend. Now let us get this straight from the start, there is nothing wrong in eating dog meat, if it is considered healthy. The objection to consumption of dog meat is cultural and sentimental. Hilda Baci comes from a region where dog meat is considered a special delicacy. Therefore, I do not think anyone should condemn her for eating whatever she chose to eat. However, I have some comment on her conduct in general, particular the way she wants the Nigerian public and the international community to view her.

Let me start from her recent comment whereby she urged Nigerians to "recognize her talents beyond appearance.” In other words, we should just concentrate on her talents and ignore what she does in her private life. Now in the light of those photos and videos we saw on social media, I doubt if there is a really any difference between her social and professional life and Hilda needs to strike a balance between the two. Since the emergence of those videos, I have been asking the question, is Hilda Baci really a cook or a chef? Well, some may think the question superfluous or unnecessary, but I ask this knowing full well that appearance not withstanding she is neither a cook nor a chef, most especially if we must go by the classic definition of those terms. At best, Hilda Baci is a social media mogul; cooking happens to be her side hustle and, the drive for a name in the Guinness Book of world records is a ploy to advance her social media business presence. That is my opinion, and I believe that most of her admirers and commentators will continue to miss a crucial point if they choose to refer to Hilda as a cook or chef. Simply put, a cook is someone that prepares and cook food, and a chef is someone skilled and trained in the art of making food recipes. The fact that Hilda cooks in a restaurant that she owns does not necessarily make her a cook by profession. Again, she may have developed food recipes, but she is not a chef unless those recipes were acclaimed to be unique and “patented” with her name. The point then is what is Hilda Baci, a cook, or chef? Hilda, having made it to the international stage, and whether she won a place in the Guinness Book of WRs or not is at a crossroads, and I think she must decide as to what she intends to do with the elevated level of recognition she is getting at the moment. Here, she has several choices: Hilda can choose to be a celebrity cook for the wealthy men and women of our society, media personalities, famous musicians, and sports personalities that might have been drawn to her restaurant after she “broke” into the limelight. But being a celebrity cook comes with a caveat, here, she has two clear choices, namely, she can be a celebrity cook living a fantasy life of partying, fashion, glitz, glamour and fame. If she decides on this path, she will provide great, and expensive private dinners and meals for the famous and the stupendously wealthy section of society. Alternatively, Hilda can be an ordinary cook for regular and ordinary folks like you and me, with her celebrity status and owning chains of restaurants in major cities of the world. The McDonald’s and KFCs of this world started the same way she started. Those famous and delicious "Calabar" cuisines can potentially be made available to wider local and international customers. Hilda can also choose to be a chef; all she needs to do is to start creating and marketing her recipes. With her deep knowledge and current influence, she can hold her own in international food events and festivals around the world.

For Hilda, she can achieve her lofty dreams whatever they are, but she needs to be clear, focused, deliberate, determined and organized about her career path, I am not convinced that she can combine her occupation and private life and present such to us as a single package. She also cannot be a cook, chef, and a social media mogul all at the same time. For instance, you cannot be a cook of repute and be twerking in the kitchen (as we recently saw during her bid for a record in the Guinness Book of WR) To be a cook or a chef of international repute, there should be a cautious balance between social media output and a professional sense of judgement. The art of cooking is a serious one, few people will like the idea, or be enthralled by the sight of a famous restaurant owner/cook that ends her day in skimpy and revealing dresses attending wild parties at night!

The case of Miss Baci eating dog meat and making a show of it in public is distasteful, it shows a complete lack of tact and a clear inability to know the difference between personal and professional life. Yes, many people eat dog meat, but a lot more people do not. In fact, many see it as cruelty against pets. As one popular public commentator Kemi Olunloyo put it, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) a powerful international US based animal Rights group may use its immense power to lobby global sponsors to “kill her international recognition.”
Hilda Baci needs to be careful not to use her social media activity to negatively affect her ability to break into the international stage. If she wishes to be a social media mogul, she is welcome to be a Nigerian version of Kim Kardashian. On the other hand, my personal position is this, if Hilda has the desire to go even higher and be an international commercial success, she needs to display maturity and tact in her public and private conduct. At 27, young, beautiful, determined, and bold, she is within her rights to attend parties, eat whatever she likes to eat, but in doing so she must keep her eye on the business side of things. She has the potential to be a huge brand that can put Nigerian dishes on international menu. Yes, the billionaires of this world may invite her to provide meals at $1,000 a plate, they will eat and relish her food, but they would also like to feast on her sensually, and physically too, but where does that live her eventually?

So, rather than asking Nigerians not to “focus on her appearance but on her talents,’ the opposite is the case here, “Hilda Baci should focus on her talent and less on her appearance”. Nigerians recognizes her talents and are proud of her accomplishments. The moment she attempted that world record, millions of Nigerians have been with her, adoring and praying that she wins. Hilda must not let Nigerians down because they believe in her. This is your chance Hilda, you are within touching distance, grab it, do not spill it.

05/15/2023

Its being a Thunderous Weekend In Nigeria.

This weekend has been a mixed bag of ugliness, oddities, deaths and spectacle.

Friday May 12: we heard that two popular Naija musicians Folarin Falana, better known to his fans as Falz, and "Area Fader" himself Charlie Boy A.K.A Charles Oputa are both having some health challenges. While Falz went through a knee surgery in London, pictures of Charlie Boy on a wheelchair emerged on social media. Rumours have it that he's down with stroke or some debilitating illness which makes him incapable of walking at the moment. I wish those two men quick recovery.

Saturday May 13: while we were still trying to make sense of Falz and Charlie Boys' experiences, video clips of another famous musician surfaced on the usual social media, it was that of Seun Kuti slapping a policeman. Being a people used to seeing Policemen brutalizing innocent citizens in Nigeria, it was indeed shocking to see a Nigerian citizen slapping a policeman...that effort takes some guts. But then Seun Kuti isn't an ordinary Nigerian, he came from a family with long history of popular activism and protest against police brutality. In spite of that, slapping a policeman is an offence, so Seun should face the law accordingly.

Now I don't know if this means anything; Falz is the son of an equally famous personality, Femi Falana, a fiery constitutional lawyer, and political activist, while Charlie Boy is the son of late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, an eminent Jurist, and then Seun Kuti, the son of late Afrobeat music legend, Fela Ransome Kuti. Three famous sons of equaly famous fathers whereby one was a late judge, another a late musician and one, a brilliant lawyer who will have to defend the son of his friend and late musician in a court where the late Judge once presided.

Sunday May 14: I woke up to hear the news of the passing away of two famous Nollywood actors, Murphy Afolabi and Saint Obi. I was still in shock, only to hear that Yul Edochie and his estranged wife May Edochie are finally divorced, only to realize that all these happened while our own Hilda Baci have been preparing food in the last 78 hours for the entire world so that she can win a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, on a Sunday when millions of Arsenal fans in Nigeria watched their darling team slumped into a 3:0 defeat signaling a painful end to their ambition of a league title since 2004.

It's been a bizarre weekend of occurences; two sick guys hoping to recover, one unacceptable slap, two painful deaths, and 87 hour weekend of culinary spectacle. Somehow, I think Hilda will do Nigeria proud, so that we all can at least have something to cheer us up, while we offer condolences to families of the departed souls.

04/15/2023

Fresh posers over Peter Obi’s London detention saga.

By Alao Abiodun.

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi is at the twilight of his many battles.

During the Easter break, Obi reportedly received a cold London reception. He could not have imagined that an arrest was in the offing.

While the dust on the controversial leaked Telephone conversation (now dubbed “Yes Daddy”) between Obi and the Founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, is yet to settle, the LP candidate has found himself in another dilemma.

Obi, still smarting from his defeat in the Presidential polls, is in yet another bind.

It was reported that he was arrested and detained by the United Kingdom (UK)’s Immigration Authorities.

For someone who has been to the UK a couple of times in the past, this must be really embarrassing. What happened during his recent visit ? What actually went wrong?

The UK Authorities run in with Obi has generated a lot of controversy; while Obi’s Supporters condemn the incident, those in the Opposition make a casual joke from it.

The myriads of comments on Social Media platforms border on a passionate rationalisation of his arrest by UK Authorities and scathing ridicule from Opposition Camps.

Obi was detained for questioning on Friday, April 7, when he arrived at Heathrow Airport, in London, from Nigeria. He was accosted by an Immigration Officer who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside.

For some Observers, they argued that this scenario is weighty enough, it should not be dismissed, and as such called on the Federal Government to ensure that the matter must be thoroughly investigated and the findings made public.

Nigerians deserve to know the veracity or otherwise of the back-story, and if there are issues, Nigerians must know as well.

Obi’s Presidential Campaign Council first raised the alarm that Obi was detained over offenses believed to have been committed by an Impostor.

Obi’s Army of Supporters has since risen stoutly in his defense advancing various shades of rationalisation for his shameful experience.

Interestingly, Obi has remained silent on Social Media, leaving his Aides to address the matter.

His studied silence has befuddled his Supporters who hold him in high esteem. But to some Observers, his silence translates to deep-seated fear and trepidation about what shameful news may likely result from his arrest and grilling by the UK Authorities.

It is equally instructive that, Obi, known for his penchant for sounding off on Social Media, has deliberately kept his distance from several Platforms.

Apprehension about his fate has also been exacerbated by his reluctance to come clean about the incident.

While no official reason has been given by the UK Authorities for Obi’s arrest, the News is rife that he was subsequently deported back to Nigeria after being subjected to a gruelling interrogation while in Detention.

Unwittingly, the Federal Government has also kept deafening silence on the issue.

Meanwhile, UK Government Agencies typically respond to Media enquiry within few hours, but they have been unusually silent.

A popular local aphorism clearly captures these denials and silence - While Wasps and Bees are individually denying responsibility for stinging the Farmer, the Farmer’s face shows severe swelling.

But here lies Obi’s dilemma - the sentiments created around his reported arrest has elicited different narratives and this has kept Supporters running from Pillar to Post, all in search of an elusive peace for their Principal.

But this is not the first face-off between Obi and UK Authorities.

In 2021, UK Authorities struck off Next International (UK) Limited, a Company largely owned by Obi for failing to submit its annual accounts.

The Company was removed from the record in September 2021 following a first and second gazette notice of “compulsory” strike off of the entity.

In the UK, a compulsory strike off is imposed on a Company by Creditors or by the Companies House for non-submission of annual Accounts or failure to notify Companies House about a change of official registered Office Address.

Once a Company is struck off, its details will be removed from Companies House Register and the Company ceases to exist.

Next International (UK) Limited failed to submit its annual accounts for the year 2020, hence, the Company was struck off and dissolved in 2021.

But Obi’s Handlers argued that the said Company was voluntarily liquidated by its Owners and not by the UK Authorities as it was no longer in operation.

Also, in 2021, the Pandora Papers expose by a cohort of International Investigative Media accused Obi of serially violating the law by failing to declare to the Code of Conduct Bureau the Companies and Assets he tucked away in offshore Havens.

The investigation, which was a part of the Global International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)-led Pandora Papers Project saw 600 Journalists from 150 News Organisations around the World poring through a trove of 11.9 million confidential Files, contextualising information, tracking down Sources and analysing Public records and other Documents.

The leaked Files were retrieved from some offshore services Firms around the World that set up Shell Companies and other offshore entities for Clients, many of them influential Politicians, Business Persons and Criminals, seeking to conceal their financial dealings.

The two-year collaboration revealed the financial secrets of not less than 35 current and former World Leaders, more than 330 Public Officials in more than 91 Countries and Territories.

Obi is one of the Individuals whose hidden business activities was revealed by the Project.

Beyond all of these, Observers have argued that it is pertinent for any rational mind to raise posers about his ordeal in the UK: “Was Obi truly arrested and for how long ? Did he enter London ? Was he deported immediately or afterwards ?

Other questions begging for answers are: “Why have the British Authorities not offered an explanation on the issue ? Is Obi’s Party acting as Agent Provocateur just to appeal to people’s emotions ? Who is plotting to frame Obi by impersonating him ?”

Under the Law, everyone is presumed innocent unless pronounced otherwise by a Court of competent jurisdiction.

So whatever the charge may be — “Impostor” or not, the matter must be dutifully investigated.

The grave implication of the offence is that the Impersonator could be committing all kinds of weighty crimes and other dubious acts and it would be recorded in Obi’s name.

Or is this also a case of Identity theft ? Because identity theft gives room for the Impostor to have access and enough information about someone’s identity (such as their name, date of birth, and current or previous addresses) to commit fraud.

While the matter continues to gain momentum, what appears to be a “planted” story began to filter news outlets claiming the UK Authorities had apologised to Obi, but it turned out to be false. Labour Party also denied receiving any apology.

Obi’s Supporters have been deploying the usual repertoire of brickbats and cyber-bullying to silence his critics.

If he was truly arrested and deported by UK Authorities, it is a distasteful scenario and import about a Man who recently vied to become Nigeria’s President.

But if his arrest bordered on unlawful harassment, then the Federal Government must intervene to prevent undue torment of Nigerian Citizens.

But if otherwise, the Labour Party may have shot itself in the foot by blowing up the matter out of proportion in its frantic bid to preempt uncomplimentary News and perception of its failed Presidential Candidate.

(C) The Nation Newspaper.