Minister canvasses regular water supply in Lagos

Minister canvasses regular water supply in Lagos

My Husband Flirts Too Much, I can't take it anymore'

By Damilola Adekoya

“Are you ready to divorce your wife?” Alhaja A Olorunimbe asked Mr Rasheed Jegede, whose looks showed indeed, he was ready for a divorce.

  “Yes, my Lord!” He answered in a loud voice.

    Looking towards the direction of the other witness box, where Mrs Kudirat Jegede was standing in, The President of the Igbeyinadun customary court asked, “You have heard your husband. If being asked to give him a second chance, will you?”

  “Even the slightest chance, I cannot dare it, My Lord’, Mrs Jegede answered

   At this point, it seemed very obvious that the couples were tired of each other and there was no more love to sustain their marriage anymore.

   Mrs Kudirat Jegede had earlier approached the court, to begin sitting on a divorce case between herself and her husband. She wants dissolution of marriage she contracted with her husband in 1996, based on the grounds that he beats her and he was not responsible to his family.

   Mrs Jegede complained bitterly about her husband’s flirting attitude. She told the court, about how she caught her husband with a lady who was living three houses next to theirs, on bed.

  “On that day, I had finished from work early, I headed straight for home. As I wanted to open the door, I noticed it was locked from inside. Then I turned to peep from the window of our room, behold I caught my husband in bed with another lady. I quickly rushed back to the front door and started knocking hard, but they refused to open the door for me.

   Immediately, I remembered that there was another door in the kitchen that I could come in through. I quickly rushed there and opened it, but before I could get into the room, I couldn’t find the lady. Maybe she quickly rushed out from the main door, or my husband hid her, I cannot tell. So many other cases have happened like that, but I can remember that this particular case made him throw my things out of the house because I was angry with him. But am fed up, I cannot take it anymore, my lord.

   “All am seeking order for, She continued, is that I want the court to grant me custody of my two children, Adijat and Simbiat. They are female children and I don’t want them to be exposed to social vices”, She said in a soft voice.

  Looking so confused, Olorunimbe said. “Initially I was thinking of how I was going to resolve these issues between you two, but with the way things are, its really going to be difficult”.

  “Why have u denied your wife from seeing her kids”? Olorunimbe turned to Rasheed, whose face was hardened.

  “I have never deprived her from seeing her kids, Rasheed answered. And I have always told them that I cannot look for any other mother for them, irrespective of the rift that has happened between us. The kids were with her before, in fact, they were staying with her mother, but I took them back because a case happened that made my wife’s younger sister beat one of my daughter up to the point of death. I felt my daughters were being abused, so I decided to involve the court and the court ordered that I took the children from her. Since then, the children have been in my custody.”

  Alhaja Olorunimbe however advised Rasheed to always allow his wife to gain access to her children. The case was however adjourned for another day.

    

From accounting to the needle and thread… Adenike cuts new details with Ladystyle

BY DAMILOLA ADEKOYA

ADENIKE Omotosho is the brain behind Ladystyle Clothing, an outfit that uses African fabrics such as ankara to make clutches, bangles, earrings and many other ladies’ accessories. The outfit opened in November 2011.

  The Osun State-native, who relocated to Ireland with her family, in 2001, attended Dublin Business School, where she read Accountancy. She also has a second degree in the discipline from the Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland.

   How was the transition from calculating figures to the needle and thread business for her?

  “Fashion designing has been part of me for a long time now,” she says.  

  “It is something I have flair for, and from outset, I was sure I would take it up professionally.”

   Adenike, who acknowledges her parents’ support, started designing at very young age, and was blessed with drawing skill, which helped her.  

  “It’s what I can start and end my day doing,” she reveals.

  “My fiancée had encouraged me to follow my passion and I did. At that time, we were making research on what type of clothing line Ladystyle would be. We thought of using African fabrics to make bags, shoes, dresses and accessories. I have always loved African fabrics right from my teenage years. I believe you can do a lot with them — the creative possibilities are endless for me.”

  

THE designer says the company has created every piece with special concern for every woman out there.

  “We have weighed our options, done our survey and come to the fact that what every woman wants after feeling sexily confident, is comfort. And that is what Ladystyle is all about,” she says.

  On what to expect in the future from the outfit, Adenike whose dream is to work with Kimora Lee Simmons (Babyphat) and Ere Dappa, says, “I’m working on one step at a time, but I see Ladystyle going places.”

Padebi...Making Life More Beautiful Inside Out

A 2005 graduate of Computer Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU) Ile-Ife, Mrs. Padebi Ojomo is the brain behind Purple Signature, an outfit that specialises in interior decorations and designs. In 2010, she went to Sheffield School of Interior Designing in New York, United States of America to train as a professional and got a diploma in Interior Designs in 2011. She tells DAMILOLA ADEKOYA about her enterprise and experiences.

REALISING early in life her passion and flair for interior designs and decorations, Mrs. Padebi Ojomo summoned courage to start the business when she was in school. The mother of three kids said she was nott really enjoying the course she was studying in school at that time. So, she decided to do her own thing.

  “I actually read two books, that inspired me to want to go into my own business. The books are titled ‘Who moved my cheese,’ and Robert Kiozaki’s ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad.’ After reading those books, I realised that I could start practicing what I learnt in those books. So, I started thinking of what I could do and get very happy and satisfied, even without being paid, and the only thing I could think of at that point was interior decorations. 

  “I started by doing bed-sheets, duvets and curtains. But later in 2010, I went to Sheffield School of Interior Designing in New York, to be a professional, and I got a diploma in Interior Designs in 2011,” she said.

  Padebi says that it is not the best for one to rely on his or her certificate and that going to school to learn Interior Designs has opened her eyes to a lot of things concerning the job.

  “I noticed that what most people practice in this country, and they say they are doing interior designs, is what I describe as mumble-jumble. As a member of the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID), it has made a lot of difference, and it puts me in a different place from every other person. A design that a lay man sees and will say it is so beautiful, I will see that same design, and see so much wrongs in it.”

  Padebi describes her designs as romantic and flirty and the fact that she naturally has a flair for the colour, red has made her job indeed romantic.

  “Normally, when you think about red, which is associated with romance, you start thinking about some other things like the red candles, having a romantic dinner, and so on. Every interior designer has his or her own signature but my own designs, interpret my person. That does not mean I cannot interpret the specific designs of my clients. Any of my clients could want something that is not so edgy, I can actually work with it, and that is exactly one trait of a professional,” she assures.

  The interior designer whose works include throw pillows, wall designs, flower vases, cabinet making, furniture and curtains says she never regrets going into the business, because it has been quite a lucrative profession for her. In the eight years she has been into it, she has not for once, looked back, even sometimes when the stress of the job seems to urge her to get another job. But each time she thinks of an employee, waking up and hitting the road very early in the morning, just to avoid being late to work, she prefers to be independent.

  “One could make some good money, just for a job and might be lucky to get that kind of job like twice every month. So it actually depends on so many things like your clientele, your client’s pocket, the location and so on,” She said.

  Padebi who got the idea of training people in becoming good interior designers, started out that in 2010. She has trained a lot of people including bankers, journalists, presenters, students, graduates who are still seeking for jobs and so many other people who are experts in their own fields.  She is also currently involved in the monthly training of about 40 corps members at a go, in Lagos, but those who are under the Job and Skill Acquisition (JASA) scheme.

  “I am not bothered about people’s attendance, during the training, she says. All I am concerned with is the output of the people I train; how well they are being able to do what they are being taught. Although, attendance has been quiet impressive, but what really gives me joy, is that most of the people I have trained, have actually started their own businesses. It is a good thing when you see people that you train setting up their own business, and also get to train people as well. It makes you very happy and fulfilled, because this whole idea is also to empower young people, so, they can even be better than me. If people are not empowered in the society, they cannot empower other people,” she submits.

  The management of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is already making it compulsory for corps members to embrace skill acquisition, including hairdressing, cosmetology, dressmaking and so on. The board sees it as a need for them to be able to learn something that can be a stream of income for them, instead of depending only on their certificates,” she says.

  Explaining what challenges she faces concerning the job, Padebi points out inadequate electricity as a major challenge. She says, for instance, furniture making, which also involves the job of an interior designer, needs electricity to be available at all times, especially the finishing of the furniture. She further explains that she bills her clients more, if there is no electricity supply to carry out the job.

  Another challenge she is faced with is working with artisans because of their poor level of professionalism, and communication. She says there is a need for artisans to be very professional and that they should be able to communicate their ideas, issues, or even write out quotations in a clear and conscientious manner. But the reverse, she says, is the case.

  She says also that some clients make the job challenging for her, by telling her that they don’t have a budget. She says that the job becomes easier, if their clients can draw a budget for their interior designs.

  “If they can draw a budget of the designs they want to do, the job will be a lot more easier, because by that, we can know if the money is enough for either a marble tile, a rug or a rubber carpet,” she advises.

   Averring that it is one job she would advice her daughter to go into, Padebi adds, “The job is not so time consuming, once you have a good team you can rely on, then you must be able to strike a balance between your job and your family. All you need is to keep checking on them and make sure the fishing is good.

  “But, there are some days that you have to work late, because some clients are going to be very demanding. Sometimes, you have to work weekdays, weekends even on public holidays. So, someone that is self-employed does not have a day off. You are on calls 24 hours. If your customers need your services by seven o’ clock in the morning, you have to be there on time.”

  Padebi who is a native of Sagbama Local Government, Bayelsa State is married to a Yoruba man. She relates her success to the support she has received from her family. “But talking about the reaction of my husband to my kind of job, he has been so supportive. I could remember the time we just met, I told him that my job is my passion, and I will not sacrifice my job for any other thing and I am happy he respects my decision concerning that. And concerning my children, they also understand the type of job I do. Everything still boils down to striking a balance between my job and my family.”

  Padebi says she has been to several states in the country doing her work. It is such that the enterprise is growing so well that they have got calls from some other neighbouring countries such as Gambia, Ghana and Gabon to train some of their youths.

   Her advice to Nigerian youths goes thus: “Apart from the interior designing business, I also advise Nigerian youths to start involving themselves in skills they feel they can do. People will always want to make dresses, make their hairs, have a new home to design and some others things like that. If one knows how to do any of these things, one will not go hungry.

  For Nigerian women, she says they should be “involved in skill acquisition. At the end of the day, when they start working for themselves, even if they feel they are not earning much from it, at least, they will have the time to take care of their children and their spouse can in one way or the other, support them in any type of business they have decided to go into, instead of going out very early in the morning and coming back late at night, and the children are asleep before you are back.”

Tony Totch releases Samba

By Damilola Adekoya

23-YEAR-OLD Ugbomah-Onalo Anthony Toluwalase a.k.a Tony Totch, who was signed under the Canbit Music record label in 2010, has just released a new single, titled Samba.

The Wata-bambam crooner has earlier released songs like, Waiting on the dance floor featuring Skales of EME and also Mumu button, which was on every music mix at that time. Thereafter, he dropped Wata-bambam, which has since then, been enjoying airplay on both radio and TV stations, all over the country.

The graduate of Computer Science from Lead City University, Ibadan, started committing himself into music as a drummer in church, at the early age of 13. And he is still a drummer.

The second in a family of three children, Totch started his musical career, by initiating a music group called plus2, in 2004 after which in 2008, he joined a crew called Forthrum in Lead city University, and they performed together at music shows and concerts, hosted in the school.

Music critics, who have listened to the song, Samba, produced by Stormatique and Prodo, said the song would be a groundbreaker and a monster hit, because it has a mind-blowing rhythm.

Help! My Husband Canes Me

By Damilola Adekoya

  The marriage between Taiwo and Adeniyi Adenuga has produced five children, but both parties insisted on going to court for a divorce.

  The matter had been ongoing at the Oshodi, Igbeyinadun Court, since 2011.

  Taiwo, 40, had earlier complained to the court, that she had suffered so much beating from her husband and had to report to her parents when she could no longer take it.

  She cited a day her husband caned her simply because she had confronted him over a lady, called Patience, whom she perceived was his girlfriend.

  According to Taiwo, her concerned parents, could not sit back to watch their daughter beaten to death, so they came to her rescue by helping her pack her things from her husband’s house.

  But the husband, Adeniyi, 44, who also said he was fed up of with the marriage, insisted she got a divorce letter from the court befoe she could pack out.

  Taiwo also claimed that Adeniyi didn’t pay her bride price, but Adeniyi denied, saying he paid but could not remember the actual amount, because the marriage was hurriedly done.

   “My lord! From the debt of my heart, I am totally fed up with this marriage. I do not want to live with this woman again. The children are in my custody, and am okay with that,” Adeniyi said.

  “You don’t look well today, what is the matter?” The President, Alhaja A. Olorunimbe asked Adeniyi.

  “I lost my younger brother last week through a motor accident, and I am not in my right state of mind,” he replied.

  “Am sorry about that, Mr. Adeniyi. And that is the more reason you have to forgive your wife, if you think she has wronged you.”

   “Mrs Adeniyi, do you also wish to be divorced from your husband? The president asked his wife.

  “Please Ma, I do not wish to. I have been staying alone in a rented apartment at Abule Egba, for 10 months now, since hearing began in this case. But I do not find it easy at all,” Taiwo said.

   The president noted that there is still love between the couple and urged them to reunite to take care of their kids together.

  She also appealed to the husband to avoid any rash decision because of his troubled state of mind.

  “Please go and see your in-laws, if they ask you to come and see them,” Olorunimbe advised  Adeniyi.

  The case was adjourned till October 3, 2012.

Girl Loses Home As Parents Part Ways

By Damilola Adekoya

The case between Mr. Kehinde Owolabi and Mrs Temitope Owolabi, has been on going at the Igbeyinhadun Customary Court, Oshodi, Lagos, since the May 25, 2012.

  On that day, both parties were present in court, with Barrister Adejuwon Rotimi, representing the petitioner, Kehinde.

  Kehinde had earlier written a petition to dissolve the four-year marriage, on the grounds that his wife, Temitope, had abandoned the matrimonial home for her parent’s house since December 29, 2009 and that she had little or no care for their three-year-old daughter, Folayinka Owolabi.

  Kehinde also said Temitope was troublesome and was constantly fighting him and so, he found it intolerable to live with her again.

  But the respondent disagreed claiming she had no fixed abode, and that she could not take care of the child alone, since she had no job.

  Temitope further explained to the court that since she had been married to her husband, Her mother-in-law, who lived with them, gave her so much trouble that she could not bear it anymore, and thus decided to go back to her parent’s house.

 The president, Alhaja A Olrunimbe, appealed to Mrs Ranti Akinola, Temitope’s elder sister, who was also present in court that day, to take care of the child, because the father said he would be away for two weeks, and ordered that kehinde should always leave the sum of 5,000 naira for the feeding allowance of the child, every month.

  The recent sitting on the case was on August 24, 2012. The respondent was present and the petitioner was absent.

  Mrs Ranti Akinola, who also accompanied Temitope, complained to the court, that Kehinde, Folayinka’s father had not been constant with his daughter’s feeding allowance. She told the court, that Kehinde had only paid for the month of May and that she had since then, been responsible for the child’s feeding.

  Alhaja A Olrunmibe, who felt bad about Mrs Akinola’s statement, said to Temitope, who was standing in the witness box.

  “What have you as a mother, being doing for the upkeep of this child? Your sister has been trying concerning the girl.”

 “Ma, Temitope, who by assessment cannot be more than 27 years old, answered. I have no Job. I am still a fashion designer apprentice.”

  The president on hearing her words, became more lenient and still appealed that the child should still be in custody of MrsAkinola.

  “Please ma, this child is also your child, since she is your sister’s daughter. I appeal to you once again, that you give the us more time, till we can reach a conclusion to this matter”, She said.

 “Ok ma. Even with the look of things, Folayinka enjoys my place so much. She often says she wants to keep living with me. But I don’t have the resources to fund her education.”, Mrs Akinola answered.

 Olorunimbe however instructed that the registrar should get through to Mr Kehinde Owolabi and inform him, that he court had ordered that he should never cease from paying the monthly feeding allowance and the school fees of his daughter.

 “My Lord, we prefer he brings the money to the court, instead of paying it to us or a particular bank account”, Ranti suggested.

  The case was therefore adjourned to September 12, 2012.

Bsing… A smooth flow with rhythm

BY DAMILOLA ADEKOYA

DELTA State-born Blessing Ogumah is the creative force behind Bsing Wears. The idea of being a fashion designer started for him at 19. Though his father never supported him, Blessing was fortunate to have sisters who shared his dream. In fact, one of them gave him his first sewing machine. He finally established his outfit in 2009.

  “I started with hand embroidery, and from there, I ventured into sketching of designs. I even sold some of my sketches to other designers before I went into it fully,” says Blessing.

 The beauty of his designs, according to Blessing, is that attention is paid to details. “They are specially made to suit the everyday person, who is bored with regular outfits.”

WHAT, however, pains the Public Administration-graduate of University of Benin, who says power outages and access to modern equipment are the greatest challenges facing the industry, is that Nigerian designers are becoming copycats. “A lot of them are directly copying from the west. When you see some of their works, you will notice that they lack originality. Many of them have lost their identity and root.”

   He continues, “the Nigerian environment should inspire our designers, not the other way round.”

   He sees Balmain, Alexander McQueen and Ohimai Atafo (Mai o Mai) as role models and would like to work with any one of them for more hands-on experience.

 He says government needs to support the industry so that it can meet up with its aims and aspirations, as well providing jobs for the teeming Nigerian in search of employment.

  His vision for the outfit?

  “I hope that in the next few years, Bsing Wears will not only be a brand name, but also recognised all over the world.”

Curiosity, Fear As Mad Woman Berths At Clifford Orji Spot

By PAUL ADUNWOKE

  A middle-aged woman with an average height, fair in complexion and who appears to be harebrained has taken up residence under the bridge close to Toyota bus-stop, along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, the exact spot where a man-eater, Clifford Orji, was captured 13 years ago.
This development has raised a red flag among residents and passersby, who recall how Orji, who died last month, was presumed to be mad until he was caught with human parts under the bridge.
Many people are willing to second-guess the actual status of the woman presently occupying the bridge, as the question on the lips of those who are aware of the development remain: “Is the woman really mad or not.”
And there are reasons to be doubtful. On several occasions, the woman would be gaily dressed and she changes clothes daily, but she spends most of her day carrying her bag and sleeping mat around as she walks the road down to the International Airport and back countless time in a day.
She also changes her route by strolling down to Ladipo Spare-parts Market. Some other time, she would be sighted walking around the area in her undies or washing her clothes at the spot. Once it is evening, she remains at the spot and stares into space until nightfall.
While she could be easily ignored by passersby and neighbours going about their businesses in the area, her emergence at the spot immediately after the death of Orji raises cause for concern. As the days go by, it is yet to be seen if it is just happenstance or she is there on a mission.
  Toyota under-bridge: A mad woman resides at the exact spot where Clifford Orji was picked up 13 years ago.
  Just like in the Clifford Orji days, both sides of the road are occupied by block-makers and gardeners; but they are only around during the day for their businesses and vacate the area once it is evening, leaving behind the mad woman alone till the dawn of the next day.
Mr. Udoh Ntiokiet, a bricklayer, who has been under the bridge for over two decades, said the woman do not appear to be insane because she relates well with them. “Most times, she is always neat and whenever her clothes are dirty, she would wash it. Whenever she roams around, she acts as if she is praying. She does not disturb people or pick things on the road.”
Udoh, however, added that it would be wrong to jump into conclusion as the woman and Clifford are behaving differently. “When Clifford was here, he was fond of putting tyres on the road at night. We could not challenge him then because it is a government road, but we have learnt our lesson. We are here to do business; we won’t allow anything that can implicate us to happen again. Clifford was a complete mad man, who was tested and confirmed to be lunatic, which was why we overlooked him.
“I lost over N80,000 after Clifford was caught as the people who thronged to this area were so disgusted wuth what they saw that they destroyed everything here, including my work tools.”
  Udoh disclosed that the area is a black spot notorious for armed robbery incidents. “There are a lot of unreported robbery attacks happening here. Even during the day, people rob with motorcycles and at night, boys from Mafoluku come to hang around, trying to hide in between the flowers to rob. This is why we trim the flowers to bring it very low; we also try to open up the hill so that people would have a good view of the area.
“But government should play its part by providing adequate security. Everybody working here leave this area latest 6:30pm. Whoever you meet here after that time has a sinister mission.
Another bricklayer said the woman appears to be mentally disturbed. “I can’t see the reason why a normal human being would be taking her bath in public. I also do not think somebody who is alright would come and live all alone in the bush.”
A gardener in the area, Tony James, said the woman is there on a mission.

“I don’t believe she is a mad woman because this is a woman who takes her bath everyday. Whenever her cloth is dirty, she will buy soap and wash it immediately. Whenever she wants to cross the road, she makes sure there is no vehicle coming. I believe the woman has a mission here,” he said.

Rootsy n’ classy Gbaluwe

 BY DAMILOLA ADEKOYA

GBALUWE Ayodele Moses is the creative force behind Classy Clothings, an outfit he set up eight years ago. He started nurturing the dream of being a fashion designer at the age of nine and pursued it passionately.

   Ayodele, who hails from Ondo State, attended St. Helen’s Demonstration Primary School and St. Joseph's College all in Ondo State.

   The student of Fine and Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, who designs English and native attires for both male and female clients, also specialises in embroidery on fabrics.

   He says, “I started noticing that I could design at the age of nine, and so, I pursued my dream, and finally established Classy Clothings eight years ago.”

   Ayodele continues, “I have a fashion studio where I employ people to work with me. I also organise workshops and training for those who want the hands-on experience. I have some people doing their Industrial Training (IT) programme in my studio.”

   Ayodele, who says he is also into arts and crafts such as tie & dye, batik making, paintings and general artwork, says his parents have been very supportive and encouraging. “My parents are fashion-conscious people and they always advise and support me in prayer,” he enthuses.

How does he cope with his academic programme?

   He says: “It is not easy to combine education with full-time job in fashion, but it is just a matter of time management. I make sure that my work does not affect my studies and vice versa.”

    He also bares his mind on the wrongs in the industry, which have the potential of stifling creativity.

   “I have noticed that many Nigerian designers imitate designs from abroad. It is not right. If they can focus on our own African designs, it will be a very good thing.”

  On the future, he says, “I see myself becoming great in the industry. My dream is to introduce my own style and idea into the industry and also impart knowledge to people that are willing to go into fashion and art, both locally and internationally.”