DONNA DIVA



Donna Diva:  I can kill to work with Tuface



Many may say she’s hot but that is an understatement compared to what she as been created with. Donna Adja is a professional song writer, artiste cum producer. Donna used to be the face behind the DAZ Entertainment band at the prestigious Sheraton Hotel located in the heart of Ikeja, Lagos. Recently, the diva decided to meet with the press, Damilola Towobola was there and guess, what we discussed, enjoy the except...

Who is Donna diva and can we delve into your educational background?



Donna is just a simple lady. Donna Adja is my full name and I am from delta state, am an Orobo girl, an artiste, model, song writer, producer and a fashion designer. I started my education journey at Adams Iweh primary school and Baptist high school both in the same town called “EKU” in Edo State before I moved on to Obafemi Awolowo university where I studied business management as a BSc holder.

How did you get into music?

It all started professionally 5years ago because I felt like am wasting my time engaging in some educational things am doing back then so I had to switched into music. I started music way back in a studio where I used to work before someone advised if I can do live band music. At first, I thought I wasn’t going to be easy but my positive thinking nature motivated me so I decided to take the bull by the horn and at the same time; I was working at the Lagos-Ikeja Sheraton Hotel. In 6 months of my debut, the GM of the Hotel “Sheraton” came to me and advised I should do something of my own, start a band instead of working for someone else.

What's the experience so far?

I won’t say its 100% good but I enjoyed starting my own thing and that’s what made me strong till date. My 5 years in the music world as been so fulfilling because I had the chance to travel abroad for shows, places like Australia, Dubai, London and so many other countries. I just came back from a festival in London where I came 3rd in a competition called “SURFAC FESTIVAL”. I also travel out of the country for weddings, birthday and other private performances.

How are your parents handling the fact that you left your professional certificate for music?

(Laugh)…Well my parent believed in me a lot and they know am a positive person more so, they know am a goal getter. They have been so good to me and very supportive.



Donna Diva



What about the challenges?

Well, I won’t lie to you, it’s been so challenging, meeting with positive and negative minded people, trying to drag you off your dream lane, saying all sort of things to make you believe you can’t do it but God as been so nice to me. i now see every disappointments as an opportunity to adjust from the wrong steps you took.

What about the reception?

I sincerely thank God for the reception because it’s been a miracle. I can’t imagine when I go for shows and before I collect the microphone, people are already shouting “Shut-up”. I thank God and my fans for everything.

Tell us what you are working on now...

I have a song now titled “GAGA” meaning loosing yourself positively in the rhythm of music because I believe music is life and I love music a lot and I can bet a lot of people can’t do without music too. I also have lots of others that am working on but GAGA is my next project and am shooting a video to complement it.

If you are to work with some names here in Nigeria, who and who will you be considering?

Wow! I have a lot of names I will love to work with and if I am to tell you for free, I can kill to work with 2face (laughing in chorus), Eldee, MI, Tiwa Savage, Goldie and lots of them but to mention a few.

Are you under any management now?

No! I have a studio of mine and I work from home with a producer called “Gold” because I don’t like the stress of traveling to work in a studio, back home and re-travel again if there is a correction. that’s why I decided to fully equip myself and my home with all necessary things I will need when I decided to stay alone. I have both digital and live band equipment to blend to any level I desire.

Aside from music, what else do you do?

Am a model and am also into fashion designing. I make almost all that I wear from my specs, shoes, dress, jeans etc. people wonder why my things are so different and classy even when I travel out of the country and when ever I tell them I made it, they are always amazed and I get orders from both home (Nigeria) and abroad to make cloths for them. So I decided to make come with my own fashion line for all categories. fashion is a life time thing for me but the modeling part is something I will do for a while because I have to settle down now or later but it also depends on the kind of contract I get from my modeling agents but sincerely, music and fashion is something I want to do for the rest of my life because I believe its something am made for.

Are u saying you have a clothing outline now?

Yes, I do but am stilling working it on locations, staffs etc and please don’t ask me what the name is because am not ready to disclose that now.

In one word, how can u classify your person?

Hmmm! Donna Adja Diva is a “Goal Getter”.

What should we be expecting from Donna Diva?

Am working on dropping a video to complement the favoured airplay single and that will be happening soon.

 How many track album are you planning to drop now?

Well, I don’t really want to drop much but 10-12 track album will be okay featuring the likes of ; D’banj, MI, Eldee, Goldie, Tiwa Savage etc. I also have a flavor of Salsa, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Soul and many more; all I hope for is the best because this is just the start of a good thing to happen, but am not thinking of dropping the album anytime from now.

What’s your advice to those looking up to you?

Do not relent and don’t give up in anything you believe in.

Now, tell us the kind of music you do...

Well, I own a live band where I do my live band performance on both local and international songs matched with my own songs. My bands are still live and active even after I quit my job at the Sheraton Hotel to start my own kind of music. I want the world to feel, hear and recognize me as a brand to reckon with not just working in a Hotel. Sheraton was a good avenue though but I just want more and that why i broke out of my shell, hatched and fast growing. my kind of music needs to be heard because its an infusion of Afro, Reggae, dancehall, soul etc. it’s a combination of style that blends without barrier in both local and international standard form

Kudirat Abiola: Al-Mustapha, Lateef Sofolahan to Taste Death

Al Mustapha

Kudirat Abiola

*Accused Sentenced to death by Hanging.

*Hafsat Abiola-Costello judgement over due.

             

By Damilola Towobola                 

Embattled former Chief Security Officer, CSC to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha and a protocol officer in the MKO Abiola campaign organisation, Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan, lastweek at the Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, were sentenced to death by hanging for the conspiracy to murder and murder charge preferred against them. A Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere delivered the judgment Monday afternoon.

Abacha

Al-Mustapha, as well as Lateef Sofolahan was sentenced to death by hanging having been convicted of the murder of Mrs. Abiola, wife of Chief Moshood Abiola, widely believed to have won the 12 June 1993 Presidential elections. She was assassinated along the Lagos/Ibadan express way on 4 June 1996 over her campaign for the de-annulment of the election.

Al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as well Lateef Sofolahan, the protocol officer for the deceased who was accused of divulging details of Mrs. Abiola's whereabouts on the day of her murder, have both been embroiled in a 12-year-long trial. The 12-year long case is said to be the longest in the nation’s history.

Al-Mustapha joined the army and was trained as an intelligence operative. He was involved in at least two investigations of coup attempts, his conduct of interrogations brought him to the attention of Sani Abacha. When Abacha was Chief of Army between August 1985 and August 1990, al-Mustapha was his Aide-de-Camp.

Hamza al-Mustapha was appointed Chief Security Officer to the Head of State (CSOHS) with a Special Strike Force Unit during Abacha's military regime, other security outfits at the time were the Office of the National Security Adviser under Ismaila Gwarzo, the Directorate of Military Intelligence, the State Security Service and the National Intelligence Agency. All of these units engaged in extrajudicial killings of people seen as threats to the regime. Captain (later Major) Hamza al-Mustapha had exceptional power, considerably greater than other officers who were nominally his superior.

After being appointed Chief Security Officer, Al-Mustapha established a number of small security outfits recruited from the military and other security organizations, and trained in Israel and Korea. Abacha's National Security Adviser, Ismaila Gwarzo and al-Mustapha were said to be responsible for much of the "torture, killing and wanton looting" during Abacha's rule. On the orders of Sani Abacha's wife Maryam, al-Mustapha detained and tortured several women suspected to be Abacha's girlfriends. As head of the State Security Service (SSS) al-Mustapha was also said to be involved in drug trafficking, using diplomatic pouches to transport the drugs, his wife, an Arab in origin, coordinated a ring of traffickers in the Gulf States.

After Abacha's sudden death in June 1998, Al-Mustapha was quickly removed from his job by the transitional regime established by General Abdulsalam Abubakar. In October that year he appeared in court with Abacha's son Mohammed, charged with the murder in June 1996 of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presidential candidate, M.K.O. Abiola who had died in jail in July 1998. At the trial the killer, Sergeant Barnabas Jabila, said he was obeying orders from his superior, Al-Mustapha. Al Mustapha and four others were also charged with a 1996 attempt to murder Alex Ibru, publisher of The Guardian and Abacha's Minister of Internal Affairs and Chief Isaac Porbeni, a former naval officer.

While the trials proceeded, al Mustapha was detained at the Kirikiri maximum security prisons. While imprisoned, on 1 April 2004 he was charged with involvement in a plot to overthrow the government. Allegedly he had conspired with others to shoot down the helicopter carrying President Olusegun Obasanjo using a surface-to-air missile that had been smuggled into the country from Benin.



Sofolahan, accomplied by Police



In 2007, there were appeals for al Mustapha's release by four newspapers and by former head of state Ibrahim Babangida. Eventually after 12 years of  imprisonment, trials and retrials, al-Mustapha and his co-defendants were acquitted of most charges on 21 December 2010. The co-defendants were former Lagos State Police Commissioner, James Danbaba, former Zamfara State military administrator, Jibril Bala Yakubu and former head of the Aso Rock Anti-Riot Police, Rabo Lawal.



Hafsat



However, Al-Mustapha was still not cleared of the alleged murder of Kudirat Abiola for which he was being tried separately. In May 2011 there were rumors that Al-Mustapha had been murdered at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons where he was being held, but these turned out to be untrue.

Reacting to the Judgement of the Lagos high Court, daughter of the deceased, Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello, described the sentence as a judgement for Nigerians and said it was long overdue. She stated that there had been no doubt of Mustapha’s involvement in her mothers killing, adding further that it brings some closure to the Family still grieving the lost, Hafsat admitted that the trial had taken far too long.

Meanwhile, a release from the spokesperson of the Islamic Sect Boko Haram has dared the Nigerian Government dared on the execution of the sentence on Major Hamza Al mustapha Rtd, stating that their full scale attacks will be expanded from security agencies and agents to the judiciary, from police stations to courts and so on.

Kano bomb blast

Fainting Shadows

 By Damilola Towobola

The holocaust in the North that has claim a number of lives is a pogram of the highest order. This is a reminiscent of the 1966 kilings of people in the north which resulted in people especially the Igbo fleeing from the North and the Hausa's leaving the East.

Bomb blast

This is a callous butchering of our kinsmen and fellow Nigerians, The government of the day must rise up ...to this crime against humanity and wield its big stick on the culprit of this destitute acts.

 

we must not allow this to get out of hand because Nigeria belongs to me and you. This group of people wants the country to become ungovernable for the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan's led Administration. It is time to act.

5th Young Journalist Awards                      

Call For Entries

Nominations are invited for the 5th Nigeria Young Journalist Awards 2011 from media organisations and individuals. The award, initiated by media career services, a media training and consultancy outfit dedicated to the development of the career of journalists in Nigeria, is to recognise and encourage young journalists in the country.

A judging board made up of top media professionals will choose winners of the awards who will get media career enhancing prizes.

Awards Categories For The Year 2011 Are:



A. Young Journalist of the year 2011.

B. Student Journalist of the year 2011.

C. Mass Communication Department Journal of the year 2011.



Submission Of Entries



Interested journalists for category (A) should have a maximum of three (3) years journalism experience and must not be older than 30 by December 2011.



They must submit three (3) of their published or broadcast work between January and December 2011. For entries for the print category, entrants should photocopy their works into four (4) sets while entrants from the broadcast should also submit three duplicates of their works on compact disk, the synopsis of such works should also come in four (4) sets.



Such entries must be supported with a nomination letter from the journalist’s editor or supervisor and curriculum vitae (also in 4 set).



For category B, entries must be a student of a tertiary institution with active participation in campus journalism. He or she must have at least three published or broadcast work in campus or other medium focusing on campus issues between January and December 2011. Sample of the published works should be photocopied into four (4) places.



A nomination letter by relevant authorities and curriculum vitae is required. These should also come in four (4) places.



For category C, submitted training newspaper/magazines of Mass Communication departments will be assessed on the basis of content and production quality. A nomination letter by Editorial Advisers will be required. Samples should be in four (4) sets.



ENTRIES SHOULD BE SENT TO:



The programme coordinator,

Young Journalist Awards 2011,

Media Career Services,

C/O International Press Centre,

11, Dideolu Court, Dideolu Estate,

Off Ijaiye Road, by Sweet Sensation,

Ogba, Lagos.

Tell: 08033374017, 08023000621, 08023626281



Closing date:



All entries must be received on or before Friday 17th February 2012.

Organised by:

Media Career Services

Publishers of Stop Press, the career moulding newsletter for journalists.

www.mediacareerng.org

                                             

Pictures from Notable Surveyor Adebiyi Adesanya's Daughters wedding

 

                                                            

 

Obafemi Awolowo University

OAU RANKS SECOND BEST UNIVERSITY IN RESEARCH

Obafemi Awolowo University has been ranked second in research-oriented universities in Africa.

In his reaction to the ranking by the SCimago Institutions Ranking World Reports for 2011 released by SCimago Laboratory in Spain, the Vice-Chancellor of OAU, Prof. Bamitale Omole, said it would further strengthen the commitment of his administration to deepen academic research in the university.

Although delighted, the Vice-Chancellor appealed to the Federal Government to increase the funding of research activities in universities in the country. This, he noted, became necessary because investment in research development in universities would enhance the nation’s development.

                                 IGP, Ringim Booted out

·        Jonathan uses Ringim as scapegoat for Police inefficiency

     By Damilola Towobola

     Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim Ringim was last week resigned from office alongside seven other Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGs) who were retired from active service by President Goodluck Jonathan and subsequently replaced by AIG Mohammed Dikko Abubakar. Ringim was given 24 hours to re-arrest Kabiru Sokoto; nearly one week later, the high profile suspect is still at large.

Ringim

  Spaizmedia also learned that Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim has been ordered to go into mandatory retirement by the following a series of bomb attacks launched in various northern cities by members of the Islamist movement Boko Haram was due for retirement in March 2012.the president had during the summon of the IG asked the Police helmsman to resign.

   Under Ringim’s watch, Boko Haram has enjoyed an almost unchecked run in the country. Mr. Ringim’s incompetence was highlighted by the recent escape from police custody of Kabiru Sokoto, a suspect in the Christmas Day bombing of a Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State. The attack claimed scores of lives and caused many injuries.

   ‘Apo Six’ lawyer, Amobi Nzelu reacting to the escape of the Boko Haram suspected likened the case to that of the Apo Six killing in 2005 when a police officer was alleged to have killed six Igbo youths coming back from a party in Abuja and the police officer was allowed to escape from custody and a police constable who was crucial to the case was allegedly poisoned.  

M.D Abubakar

    He criticised the escape from custody of a Boko Haram suspect, Kabiru Sokoto, who allegedly masterminded the Christmas Day bombing at St Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State.

    President Goodluck Jonathan, as the Chief Security Officer of the nation, had issued presidential pronouncements on several occasions on the preparedness of government to deal with the menace of the insurgents.

   Last year, the sect claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Police Headquarters in Abuja and the United Nations Building in Abuja, killing no fewer than 20 persons and wounding scores of people who were in the building at the time of the incident.

Bui and Ringim

    There have been subsequent incidents of bombings in the northern part of the country specifically in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna and Niger.
On Friday, January 20, there were reported coordinated bomb explosions in different parts of Kano.The Police Headquarters in Kano was affected and the casualty figure was said to be high. Insecurity and terrorist attacks reached their worst levels in Nigeria under Mr. Ringim's watch.

    It was learned that Ringim made desperate efforts to save his job by lobbying influential emirs and leaders to intervene and prevail on the President to keep him despite the disgrace the Police under him has brought on Nigeria’s security profile locally and globally.

    A statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati stated that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Mr. Mohammed D. Abubakar as Acting Inspector General of Police as a first step towards the comprehensive reorganization and repositioning of the Nigeria Police Force to make it more effective and capable of meeting emerging internal security challenges. 

     Mr. Abubakar who is currently an Assistant Inspector General of Police replaces Mr. Hafiz Ringim who proceeds on terminal leave with effect from 25^th of January 2012 was born on May 5, 1958; Mr. Abubakar enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on July 30, 1979. He holds a Diploma in Public Admin/Criminal Justice and was the AIG in charge of Zone 12 Headquarters in Bauchi, before his new appointment.  

    President Jonathan has also approved the retirement of all Deputy Inspectors General of Police with immediate effect. These are: Mrs. Ivy Uche Okoronkwo, DIG POL 2i/c Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Azubuko J. Udah, DIG Administration (“A” Dept), Mr. Sardauna Abubukar, DIG Training (“E” Dept.); Mr. Audu Abubakar, DIG Operations (“B” Dept); Mr. Saleh Abubakar, DIG Works (“C” Dept.) and Mr. Mohammed A. Yesufu, DIG Planning and Info-Tech (“F” Dept.).

    The President has also established a Special Committee to oversee the urgent reorganization of the Nigeria Police Force. The committee is to be chaired by the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Parry B.O Osayande, DIG (rtd) and Other Members of the Committee include; Mr. Casimir T. Akagbosu, AIG (rtd.), mni; Mr. Bashir A. Albasu, AIG (rtd.), fwc, Major Gen. S.N. Chikwe, rtd, Prof. S.D. Mukoro, Dr. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, Aisha Larai Tukur, Solicitor General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary, SSO, Office of the SGF to serve as the Secretary to the Committee.

    The Committee’s Terms of Reference is to identify the challenges and factors militating against effective performance in the Nigeria Police Force and make recommendations for addressing the challenges; examine the scope and standard of training and other personnel development activities in the Police to determine their adequacy or otherwise; determine the general and specific causes of the collapse of public confidence in the police and recommend ways of restoring public trust in the institution; examine records of performance of Officers and Men of the Nigeria Police Force with a view to identifying those that can no longer fit into the system due to declining productivity,  age, indiscipline, corruption and/or disloyalty and make any other recommendations for the improvement of the Nigeria Police Force.

   The Committee’s recommendations shall be implemented along with those by previous committees set up by Government on the reform of the Nigeria Police Force. 

    Meanwhile, the trial of Police commissioner, Zakari Biu, and some of his subordinates over the recent escape of Kabiru Sokoto, a suspected leader of boko Haram, began last week in the scorpion mess of the WU Bassey Military Barracks in Asokoro Districts of the Federal Capital territory.   



 

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO SMILE SOON

 

ASUU and FG enter negotiations

NANS urges for resolutions

 

Damilola Towobola

Speculations that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) would call off its strike was dashed lastweek as the  aggrevied Union continued talks with the Federal Government  inorder “to iron out a few outstanding issues”.  The strike embarked upon on Monday December 5th, 2011, by the Union was aimed at forcing the FGN to fully implement the agreement it freely entered into with our Union in September 2009.

            ASUU as stated that there is no retreat, no surrender, until the FGN do the needful with regards to the implementation of that agreement. ASUU won’t call off its strike so long as government shies away from the issue of effective funding of the universities.

            “We are talking about one thing: the good of the education sector in Nigeria. There are no adversaries in this matter. There are no winners. There are no losers. That is why we should work together.”

The state of facilities and equipments in our universities calls for urgent attention from the government. A student who spoke with Insider stated that the equipments in the Engineering departments of his university are an eyesore, some aren’t working yet we make use of them in examinations. He further engaged ASUU not to compromise standard but see to changes and effectiveness in the educational sector.

ASUU also commended the National Assembly for its role in the passage of the 70 year retirement age for academics in the Professorial cadre.

ASUU stated that “the Union is aware of the passage of the 70 years retirement age by the two houses of the National Assembly. However, we are quick to point out that a bill becomes a law only when it is accented to by the President. Our Union is still awaiting the law”

“That apart from the retirement age, other issues outstanding include: University autonomy (presently Governing Councils of all Federal universities have been dissolved), Funding of Universities – this is of very serious concern to our Union due to the level of degradation in those Universities, payment of earned allowances and other welfare matters to our members. Government needs to show seriousness with regards to the above outstanding issues.”

The Minister of Education Professor Ruqqayyatu also debunked reports that she had promised an end to the strike on Monday saying she was misquoted. “What I said is that it is our hope and desire that based on what we were doing so far, the strike would be called off. But if it doesn’t, I didn’t say that it will. I am not ASUU; I am not representing ASUU in any way.”

National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has also urged the Federal Government to find lasting solution to the demands of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and its sister unions.

The students’ umbrella body decried the effects of ASUU’s prolonged strike on Nigerian students. It said giving close attention to the various academic unions would alleviate the interruption of the academic calendar and sustain the confidence of the student community in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

National President of NANS, Adakole Ochai also appealed to ASUU to always consider the effects of their action on Nigerian students.

He said: “We wish to appeal to ASUU to consider the impending doom on the successor-generation and make sacrifice where necessary to avail the Nigerian students the opportunity of getting back to school within the shortest possible time.

“We are aware that this strike action is to emancipate the academic community, but desired change is a process”

“We appeal to the Federal Government to put into consideration our tertiary institutions and the national secretariat of NANS, in the distribution provided by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the pressure.”

Meanwhile the President of Asuu, Awuzie stated that the issue will be resolved very soon. He expressed satisfaction over the level of Federal Government’s commitment to the contending issues saying that, “If we fought there, you won’t see us smiling. All of us are patriots. We are talking about one thing: the good of the education sector in Nigeria. There are no adversaries in this matter. There are no winners. There are no losers. That is why we should work together.”

 

                                                                A RAPED NATION

                                                                           BY DAMILOLA TOWOBOLA

A solicitous new day

Born with the unfolding of a new sun

365 days of the last calendar had become history

She was merrily popping the champagne

And radiating with fun

Flash! The television set began to talk

She was struck by a greek gift

A despairing spear on a new year eve

Wines devastatingly went savoury

Her chickens began to fertilize with maggots

She became disillusionised

Cried foul and gnashed teeths

Damilola Towobola a.k.a Spaiz

Alas, racing to the streets

Carrying placards like billboards

To show her discontents

Her fruits fell by the bullets

And some out of shock

Houses razed down in the inferno

And her children beaten with clubs

Yet her kins-folk remained in dark sun glasses

On the acclaimed settlement table

Her kins-folk exercised veto power

And diabolically raped her by due process

Her subsidy was removed

Daylight embarrassment

She threatened to strike

But they struck her back

They sucked her excess account

And squeezed her lovely economy

Her wailing was in vain

                                                                                                                                  

What a shame to D.E.M.O.C.R.A.C.Y !

They deregulated her downstream sector

That was oily

She couldn’t say anything

But cried because they slapped her with 97 naira.

We stand as a witness to the rape of the masses.