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THE uK’S lEAdIng AFRIcAn nEWSPAPER WITH THE lARgEST cIRculATIon 

19 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 Issue No 068 

BEFFTA communITy nEWSPAPER oF THE yEAR 

ForTNIghTly 

To Inspire, Inform and Entertain 

nigerianwatch.com 

HIT 

mAn 

After the outrage of 

#oscarsSoWhite 

Stormzy responds 

to ‘#BritsSoWhite’ 

‘Talent is everywhere, opportunity 

is not’ – Idris Elba unedited p 16 

TRAgIc loSS 

Tribute to a brilliant 

lawyer who lost her 

life serving Nigeria 

Page 6 

gAngS REPoRT 

Children as young as 

nine being recruited, 

survey reveals 

Page 14 

HoW A coAlITIon oF 

FoRcES IS dElIvERIng 

juSTIcE In nIgERIA 

– page 8

2 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 

NEWSWATcH 

Follow us on Twitter 

@NigerianWatch 

NIGERIAN 

WATCH 

rEally? No blaCk 

TalENT worTh a brIT? 

CommENT 

#DiversityIsCool 

The issue of diversity, or rather lack of diversity, has 

been inescapable over the past fortnight. It started 

with the #oscarssowhite and has ended with the 

#britssowhite. #diversity Is Cool. 

In between, universities have launched a Charter mark 

system, to root out ‘covert racism’ that has thwarted 

many an academic career, which surely fed through to 

students. and an unprecedented media conference has 

been staged, with broadcasters concerned to tackle the 

glaring absence of black talent on- and off-screen. 

That is the light at the end of a long tunnel, the journey 

along which started 50 years ago with the race Equality 

act. That’s if the goalposts don’t move, because they 

commonly do. That is what Nigerian rapper stormzy so 

acutely observed in his riposte to his snub by the brits. 

last year, he and other grime artists feel they were told 

get a chart hit and you’ll be nominated. several did just 

that. They have not been nominated. There is always one 

more river to cross, one more hurdle to jump. This is a 

commonly held view, not just that of disenchanted youth. 

with two of the Uk’s most important cultural 

institutions – the broadcast media and universities – 

coming clean and taking practical action there are signs 

the wheels of progress are gaining momentum. 

we will have to keep pushing, to make those 

institutions that don’t follow suit look as foolish and 

antiquated as today both the 

oscars and the brits do. 

maryanne Jemide, md 

Publisher 

Tevin Jemide 

Publisher/managing director 

maryanne Jemide 

managing Editor 

Jon hughes 

Art Editor 

Cathy Constable 

contributors obah Iyamu; harriet ogbeide; 

aJ James; ayo akinfe; Funmi odegbami; samuel kasumu; Ngozi 

mbana; Ekanem robertson, Jessica onah, laura adenuga; Edel 

meremikwu 

chief cartoonist 

harold ogbeide 

office address 

Nigerian watch 

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www.nigerianwatch.com 

Tel: 020 8588 9640 

Fax: 020 7160 5232 

Nigerian watch is a fortnightly newspaper owned by 

green world media ltd. 

Views expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily 

reflect the opinion of the publisher. 

all rights reserved. No part of the newspaper may be reproduced in any form without 

the written consent of the publisher. 

ISSN 2051-4670 

The lack of diversity in this 

year’s BRIT Award 

nominations has sparked 

the 

hashtag 

#BritsSoWhite, with social 

media condemning the 

ceremony’s exclusion of 

the UK’s black music stars. 

Take away the 

international artist award, 

featuring Drake, Kendrick 

Lamar and the Weekend, and 

there is zero representation 

of black artists. Unbelievable 

in a music awards ceremony. 

2015 was a massive year 

for black urban music and 

particularly grime in the UK, 

with many predicting it will 

be the soundtrack of 2016 as 

the new wave of performers 

are breaking through in the 

US. Yet the artists have been 

roundly ignored by the 

industry. 

Stars including grime duo 

Krept & Konan (below) and 

south London Nigerian 

rapper Stormzy (right), who 

have each made chart history 

in the last 12 months, failed 

to land a nomination ahead of 

next month’s awards show. 

“None of my Gs 

nominated for Brits? 

Embarrassing. Last year, 

they told the mandem that to 

be nominated you’ve gotta go 

on UK charts,” Stormzy 

fumed on his track One Take 

Freestyle, released on Sunday 

(Jan 24). 

“Last year, they told the 

mandem that to be 

nominated you’ve gotta go 

on UK charts. So what do we 

do? We chart. Don’t come 

here with your lies, don’t 

start,” the double MOBO 

Award-winning star 

continues. 

In an interview with 

Radio 1, the unsigned 22- 

year-old, who made it to 

No.7 in the charts – beating 

The X Factor’s Christmas 

single in December - 

criticised the awards for 

overlooking “grime and 

underground music”. 

He said, “It was such a 

great year for grime and 

underground music... I 

thought maybe this year it 

might get celebrated.” 

“You know when you’ve 

got that little bit of hope and 

that little bit of faith, and 

then they didn’t. I thought it 

was such a shame. It’s just a 

matter of breaking the doors 

down and carrying on.” 

2015 was a massive year 

for Grime and any performer 

from among Stormzy, Lady 

Leshurr, Novelist or Krept & 

Konan should surely have 

been on the best 

breakthrough 

act 

nominations. 

Krept & Konan’s debut 

album The Long Way Home 

charted at No.2 in the UK 

when it was released in July 

2015. Skepta’s Shutdown, 

JME and Giggs’ Man Don’t 

Care, Krept & Konan’s Freak 

of the Week, Lady Leshurr’s 

Queen’s Speech 4 or 

Stormzy’s Shut Up should 

have made the best single 

list. 

Other black artists to have 

been overlooked for a Brit 

include UK singer Lianne La 

Havas’ for the album, Blood, 

which peaked at No.2; Ella 

Eyre, who had two top 40 

hits with singles from her 

Feline album; and Fleur East 

Sir Lenny Henry (right) repeated 

calls for ringfenced 

funding in a bid to improve 

diversity in television at a TV 

industry conference about diversity, 

held at Channel 4’s 

HQ on January 19. 

Sir Lenny said, “It’s wonderful 

to see everybody here. 

It’s great actually to see 

everybody moving in the 

same direction on this issue, 

because it needs to be moved 

on, doesn’t it?” 

He emphasised the importance 

of ringfenced funding, 

saying, “It would be fantastic 

to make the ringfenced 

money happen, because that 

will stimulate change in a big 

way. You watch. The minute 

they say ringfenced money’s 

going to happen, it will just 

increase BAME production 

activity.” 

He said it would be “an incredibly 

positive thing”. 

He added, “Let’s have all 

the talent. Let’s be greedy. 

Let’s be greedy for the talent 

we’ve got here.” 

The conference was organised 

by C4s head of diversity 

and inclusion Baroness 

Oona King to mark the launch 

of the creative diversity network, 

involving all the major 

UK broadcasters. 

To herald this initiative 

actor Idris Elba gave a barnstorming 

speech in Parliament 

calling for more 

diversity in the media in 

which he said “talent is 

everywhere, opportunity is 

not.” 

Turn to page 22 to read his 

speech in full. 

who stormed to No.3 with 

debut single Sax, taken from 

2015’s Love, Sax and 

Flashbacks. 

All met the eligibility 

criteria but for some reason 

didn’t get a nomination. 

There is little 

transparency about how the 

winners of Brits are 

determined. Best single and 

video nominations are 

measured only in who gets 

the best numbers (sales and 

YouTube views) – and the 15- 

20m views achieved by most 

of the above simply aren’t big 

enough. 

As one person tweeted, 

“On that criteria McDonald’s 

would win best restaurant of 

the year every year.” 

Other than that there is a 

voting academy of 1,000 

industry insiders – record 

labels, publishers, managers, 

agents, media, NUS Ents 

officers – who determine the 

winners. Wow. They should 

get out more. 

TV ChIEFs mEET To addrEss dIVErsITy dEFECIT

4 NEWSWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 



National charter mark launched to end 

‘covert racism’ in British universities 

Campaigning nurse academic Professor 

Laura Serrant is to spearhead a campaign to 

raise the profile of black and minority ethnic 

people in higher education, after becoming 

a patron of a pioneering new scheme. 

Ms Serrant, professor of community and 

public health nursing and director of research 

and enterprise at Wolverhampton University, 

is renowned for her policy and development 

work on needs of marginalised and ‘seldom 

heard’ communities and is a leading figure and 

Ambassador for the Mary Seacole memorial 

statue appeal. 

She has now been appointed as a patron of 

the new national charter mark for race equality 

in higher education. 

The race equality charter was officially 

launched on January 20 and is the first award 

scheme designed to recognise the work that 

universities are undertaking to advance race 

equality. 

Universities applying to be awarded 

recognition by the charter must commit to its 

guiding principles, which include 

acknowledging the “complexity and often 

covert nature” of racial inequalities, and 

addressing “institutional and cultural barriers” 

faced by staff and students. 

So far, 21 universities have applied for a 

charter mark under a pilot scheme. The first 

bank of England offering black scholarships 

The Bank of England and the Windsor Fellowship 

are offering students from a black or mixed 

African/Caribbean background a scholarship programme 

to financially support you whilst at university. 

The programme will provide you with: 

l Up to £30,000 to support living costs during 

your undergraduate degree. 

l Paid summer internships. 

l Mentoring, coaching and support from a member 

of our team. 

The programme is open to: students who are eligible 

to work and study in the UK with at least 

260 UCAS points and a household income below 

£50,000, who are planning to start a full-time 

undergraduate degree in Autumn 2016. 

The deadline for applications is Sunday February 

21. Application forms are available at www.windsor-fellowship.org/#!bank-of-england/c20hn 

If you require additional information please 

contact Karlene Mahoney, Project Manager, 

scholarship@windsor-fellowship.org or call 

020 7250 8444 

eight to have successfully achieved “bronze” 

level were unveiled yesterday. They received 

their awards from Professor Serrant at a 

ceremony in London. 

The charter is being overseen by the Equality 

Challenge Unit, which works to further and 

support equality and diversity for staff and 

students in higher education institutions across 

the UK. 

The unit is funded by six bodies including 

Universities UK and the education funding 

councils for England, Wales and Scotland. 

It said the need for the charter was 

“manifest”, highlighting that there is a “huge 

disparity in the representation and success of 

black and minority ethnic staff within UK 

universities”. 

For example, it noted that out of 14,315 

professors, just 70 were black. In addition, 

Jobs race penalty still evident 

People with an minority 

ethnic background suffer 

higher rates of 

unemployment, face more 

barriers to work and receive 

lower pay than white 

workers, research has 

revealed. 

A study by the Resolution 

Foundation found that the 

employment gap between the 

best and worst performing 

regions of the UK was 11%, 

but for black, Asian and 

minority ethnic (Bame) 

people, the figure is 26%. 

The thinktank said an 

analysis of information from 

20 areas found that the best 

Bame employment rate was in 

Scotland not including 

Glasgow, at 74%. That was 

significantly greater than the 

north-east of England, 

outside Tyne and Wear where 

the rate was 48% – the lowest 

rate in the UK. 

Some of the gap was 

explained by ethnic minority 

people facing barriers to work 

such as single motherhood or 

low skills, said the report. 

Laura Gardiner, a senior 

research and policy analyst at 

the Resolution Foundation, 

said: “The UK’s performance 

on jobs has been one of the 

biggest success stories in 

recent years, resulting in more 

people in work than ever 

before. 

“But 

substantial 

weaknesses remain for certain 

groups, such as ethnic 

minority people, who have 

lower employment rates 

overall and experience even 

greater penalties in the worstperforming 

areas. 

“Achieving 

full 

employment, must involve 

addressing the issues that 

prevent ethnic minority 

groups from entering or 

staying in work, and ensuring 

they have an equal chance of 

securing a quality job, no 

matter where they live. 

Commenting on the 

report, Rebecca Hilsenrath, 

there was a degree attainment gap of 15.2% 

between BME students who achieved a first or 

2:1 and their white counterparts. 

chief executive of the Equality 

and Human Rights 

Commission, said: “50 years 

after the Race Relations Act, 

this report suggests that 

ethnic minorities are still 

facing challenges in finding 

opportunities to enter and 

stay in work. 

“We know from our 

recently published review of 

equality and human rights in 

the UK that, despite 

improvements in educational 

performance, people from 

almost every ethnic minority 

group suffered higher rates of 

unemployment and received 

lower pay than white 

workers. 

“This is why the 

commission’s consistent view 

has been that the government 

needs to do more to address 

the hurdles that ethnic 

minorities face by putting in 

place a long-term strategy to 

achieve equality of 

opportunity regardless of 

race.” 

barrister to give bamE talent a boost 

A BARRISTER has launched a scholarship to “shine a 

spotlight on BAME talent” and help young people 

from minority ethnic backgrounds become the next 

generation of business leaders. 

Miranda Brawn, from Wanstead in east London, 

has teamed up with the Black Cultural Archives 

(BCA) to create the Miranda Brawn Diversity Leadership 

Scholarship, which aims to help tackle the 

ongoing diversity gap in the corporate sector. 

The scholarship, open to young people from 

black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds between 

14-21 years old and in full time education, 

will include up to £1,000 funding, one-to-one 

mentoring sessions with Miranda, CV clinics, and 

work experience opportunities. 

Brown, who is also an investment banker, told 

the Waltham Forest Guardian: “I am from east London, 

and although I was lucky enough to have the 

right guidance to lead me through the early stages 

of my career, I know there are many young people 

from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) 

backgrounds who lack that key support. This scholarship 

will shine a spotlight on the BAME talent 

pipeline among the next generation.” 

For further information on the application 

process which opens in February 2016 visit 

http://bcaheritage.org.uk.

NEWSWATcH 

Like us on Facebook 


facebook.com/NigerianWatch 29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 

5 

bbC extends diversity training 

Four of the BBC’s flagship 

measures to increase the 

representation of ethnic 

minorities on and off-screen 

have been given funding to 

continue for a second year, 

Director – General Tony Hall 

has announced. 

The 

Assistant 

Commissioner Development 

Programme, £2.1m Diversity 

Creative Talent Fund, Senior 

Leadership Development 

Programme, and Creative 

Access Graduate Trainee 

Interns have already brought 

new ideas and talent from a 

diverse range of backgrounds 

to the BBC and helped ensure 

that existing formats better 

reflect the diversity of the UK. 

The programmes are a key 

part of plans announced by 

the Director-General in 2014 

to make sure the BBC 

represents every family and 

community in the UK, as well 

as being the first choice 

employer for people with 

creative ideas whatever their 

background. 

The announcement comes 

ahead of Tony Hall appearing 

alongside leaders from ITV, 

Sky and Channel 4 tomorrow 

to discuss the broadcast 

industry’s progress on 

Director General Tony Hall and Acting Director BBC TV Mark Linsey with the 

BBC Creative Access Graduates 

diversity. 

Tony Hall said: “I’m 

determined to focus on 

programmes that make a real 

difference to diversity on and 

off-air. The plans I announced 

in 2014 were designed to 

broaden the range of voices 

and backgrounds at all levels 

of the BBC and that is exactly 

what they have done. 

“The energy and creativity 

of the Assistant 

Commissioners, Creative 

Access Trainees and those on 

the Senior Leadership 

Development Programme has 

been infectious. I am delighted 

the programmes, and the fund 

that helps us to take risks to 

develop new and exciting 

talent, will continue. 

“I want to go even further 

and we’ll be building on this 

strong platform with a new 

diversity strategy later this 

year.” 

The Assistant 

Commissioner programme 

has been extended for another 

year and will be a two year 

placement in future. The 

current cohort has been given 

the option of staying on for a 

second year. 

New participants for the 

Senior 

Leadership 

Development Programme and 

Creative Access Graduate 

Trainees will be recruited. 

13.1% of BBC staff are now 

from a Black, Asian or ethnic 

minority background – the 

highest proportion ever. 

Penguin gives cold shoulder 

to degree requirement 

One of the UK's largest publishing 

companies has announced it is removing 

any requirement for a university degree 

from all of its new jobs, in order to attract 

“more varied” candidates. 

Penguin Random House UK cited 

“increasing evidence that there is no 

simple correlation” between having 

a degree and work performance as 

the reason for its decision. 

The publishing group joins 

accountancy firm Ernst & Young 

(EY) in opening up its jobs to 

candidates without degrees. EY 

announced last year it would be 

removing the degree 

classification from its entry 

criteria, saying there is “no 

evidence” success at university 

correlates with achievement in later life. 

In the same year, 

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) scrapped using 

UCAS points as entry criteria for its graduate 

scheme. The audit firm believed placing too 

much emphasis on the scores meant employers 

might miss out on key talent from 

disadvantaged backgrounds, who can perform 

less well at school. 

The Random House group also now has no 

requirements for A-levels or UCAS points, so 

“academic qualifications will no longer act as a 

barrier to talented people getting a foot in the 

door to publishing”. 

However, “certain” professional 

qualifications would still be required in “some 

cases”. 

The group said the degree filter had been 

removed from all job advertisements and 

descriptions in the UK with “immediate effect” 

in order to give “every applicant the 

opportunity to demonstrate their 

potential, creativity, strengths and 

ideas, regardless of their 

background”. 

“Not having been through 

higher education will no longer 

preclude anyone from joining 

and progressing their career 

with Penguin Random House 

UK - if they have the skills and 

potential,” the company added. 

“The move is also designed to 

send a clear message to job-seekers 

who have been through higher 

education that the university they 

attended will not impact their chance of 

success.” 

Neil Morrison, HR director of Penguin 

Random House, highlighted the need for the 

company to “think and act differently” in order 

to recruit the best people, regardless of 

background. 

“This is the starting point for our concerted 

action to make publishing far, far more 

inclusive than it has been to date. We believe 

this is critical to our future: to publish the best 

books that appeal to readers everywhere, we 

need to have people from different 

backgrounds with different perspectives and a 

workforce that truly reflects today’s society.” 

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6 NEWSWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 



TRIBUTE TO A SHINING STAR WHO DIED WHILE 

TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING FOR NIGERIA 

The family of a brilliant young lawyer from London killed in a hit-andrun 

crash in Nigeria have paid tribute to their “beautiful, adventurous 

and caring” daughter. 

Doyin Sarah Fagbenro, 25, was flown 4,500 to the UK in a desperate 

attempt to save her but was pronounced dead in a hospital in 

Cambridge three days later with her parents by her side. 

Miss Fagbenro, who was named one of the UK’s 10 most outstanding 

black students in the 2010 Rare Rising Stars Awards, was reportedly 

in collision with a bus as she drove to church in capital Lagos on January 

10. According to local media reports the driver fled the scene leaving 

her with fatal injuries in the wreck of her car. 

The straight-A student, the eldest of four siblings, grew up in Canning 

Town and graduated in law from Queen Mary’s University in east 

London in 2013. Ms Fagbenro then determined to establish herself in 

Nigeria and use her expertise to help the development of Nigeria – as 

many diasporans dream of doing and are encouraged to do. It was a 

decision that was to cost her her life. 

In a moving tribute written by her family she was described as having 

an “adventurous nature and fierce independence”. They said, “Her 

relentless determination was an inspiration to so many, yet never deterred 

from her playfulness and love for life; she loved to laugh, party 

and smile." 

Doyin Sarah Fagbenro’s funeral was held at All Nations Church in 

Bedford on Saturday. Mourners were asked to wear red, her favourite 

colour. 

Here, Ken Davidson writes a moving tribute to his beloved cousin, 

which asks some searing questions of Nigeria. 

Oh death! Where is thy 

sting? O grave, where is 

thy victory? Another 

casualty of a broken and 

failed state. Your story is 

particularly 

gut 

wrenching as it is equally 

heartbreaking. 

You spent near enough all 

but two of your 25 years on 

earth in the country of your 

birth, the United Kingdom, 

where your parents and 

entire family reside. You 

were born, bred and 

educated in the United 

Kingdom. 

But two years ago, 

immediately after you 

graduated, you elected to 

visit Nigeria where your 

grandparents reside - both 

of whom are in their mideighties. 

You signed up for 

the National Youth Service 

having freshly graduated 

with a sterling First Degree 

in Law and a Post Grad 

immediately afterwards. 

You were headhunted by 

an energy firm before you 

completed your NYSC and a 

presto, you gallantly 

announced to your nervous 

parents - dad a Diplomat 

with the United Nations 

based in Italy and mum, a 

Pharmacist based in the 

United Kingdom, your 

country of birth - that you 

were going to permanently 

relocate and make Nigeria 

your permanent abode. Your 

grandparents were ecstatic, 

you being their most 

favourite granddaughter. 

You were a straight A 

student right from when you 

passed your GCSEs through 

to when you excelled in your 

A’levels... so much so that 

the prestigious Queen 

Mary’s London University 

snapped you to study Law. 

You missed a First by 

whisker’s. Nevertheless you 

made your mark all the way 

through. 

Then it all came crashing 

down. What was supposed 

to be a routine journey to 

church on a relatively 

sombre, otherwise 

uneventful Sunday morning 

on the Lekki/Ajah 

Expressway around the 

Lekki Phase 1 approach, 

turned into a living and 

eternal nightmare for those 

of us left struggling to pick 

up the pieces. 

Our lives changed 

forever, never to be the same 

again. A victim of the 

reckless and probably high 

on drinks/drugs ‘Danfo’ 

driver. The most galling of 

the entire episode was the 

fact that the driver of that 

Danfo survived unscathed, 

ran away from the scene, 

leaving a trail of death and 

destruction in his wake. 

Four people died at the 

scene. Your new Toyota 

Corolla was a crumpled 

wreck. But the fighter that 

you were, despite massive 

injuries, you fought and 

fought and fought. Your dad, 

via his status at the United 

Nations, got you into Lagoon 

Hospital where you were for 

a few days. 

When it became clear that 

the extent of your injuries 

was too severe for the local 

facilities here in Nigeria, an 

air ambulance was 

scrambled from the United 

Kingdom to get you much 

needed specialist care. Your 

tireless mum, who flew in 

from the UK, barely 48 hours 

after the accident, 

accompanied you in the air 

ambulance. 

Still, we prayed and 

prayed and hoped for the 

best. Sadly, we lost you a day 

after you arrived in the 

United Kingdom. The 

surgeons tried desperately. 

You fought desperately to 

hang on. But in the end, it 

was not to be. 

A few days after the 

ghastly automobile accident 

occurred, very many of your 

friends, especially those 

abroad, frantically and 

desperately reached out to us 

for news – having not heard 

from you and your social 

media handles - positive 

news. Any news. In utter 

desperation, they scoured 

the internet, all known Naija 

blogs and online news 

portal, major and minor 

print and online media. 

Practically nothing. One 

friend of yours based in the 

United Kingdom retorted to 

me: ‘You mean, in a 

cosmopolitan city, a high 

brow area like Lagos, Lagos 

Island, five souls can perish 

in a major automobile crash, 

many more sustaining life 

changing injuries, and not 

one single mention of that 

major incident was reported 

anywhere?’ 

Then it struck me how 

cheap human lives are in our 

country today. Tragedy of a 

nation. A nation pushing 60 

yet still in diapers. Heaven 

knows how many more lives 

have been prematurely 

terminated on that same 

stretch of road and 

thousands of more roads up 

and down the country since 

then. I digress. Best leave the 

inquest for another day. As it 

is said in Yoruba ‘Eni kan lo 

mo’. 

The pain is palpably raw 

as it is numbling. We asked 

again and again, why you? 

Why you? If only you had 

stayed on in the country of 

your birth, if only... so many 

questions but very few 

answers. 

Your parents, your 

grandparents, Oh! Your 

grandma, with whom you 

celebrated her 80th Birthday 

over here in Nigeria a few 

years ago, has refused to eat 

since she was informed of 

your passing nearly a week 

ago. 

All she repeatedly does is 

wail, wail to space ‘God take 

me instead, give my 

granddaughter back to 

Nigeria. Nigeria needs her, 

her parents need her. God 

take me. God take me.’ 

These are indeed 

extremely perilous times. 

And so it was that having just 

spent barely a few weeks in 

Nigeria after a prolonged 

winter holiday and 

Christmas in the United 

Kingdom with family and 

friends, I now find myself in 

the rather unenviable 

position of scrambling for 

the next flight out back to 

the United Kingdom just so 

that I can attend your funeral 

this weekend. 

Someone retorted to me 

‘Oh, you know, ‘our 

tradition’ forbids older 

relatives attending and being 

present at funerals where the 

deceased is much younger 

than us...’ I snapped back, 

‘which tradition? And what 

has tradition ever done for 

us? What did tradition ever 

give to her?’ 

I am here like a Zombie, 

mechanically 

and 

circuitously packing a few 

items for my flight out in the 

morning. The family has 

decided that yours would be 

a celebratory sending forth, 

so red rather than the 

traditional grey, black, 

would be the colour to be 

worn on the day. 

DSF as you were very 

fondly called, you touched so 

many lives in the quarter 

century, (twenty five years 

only!) you ran your race on 

earth. You were considerate 

to the end, so much so that 

you waited until you got 

back home - nearer your 

parents and many siblings - 

before you finally bade the 

world farewell. 

Doyin Sarah Fagbenro, 

my learned friend in the 

profession, my lil sister, my 

cousin, sleep well till we 

meet again. O Death! Where 

is Thy Sting!

NEWSWATcH 




7 

MP backs breast cancer care course 

haVE yoU sEEN JEssy? 

PolICE arE appealing for help to find 11-year-old Jessy ofori who hasn’t 

been seen since leaving his house on saturday (Jan 23) afternoon. 

The schoolboy was last seen at approximately 1.30pm on bruce 

grove in Tottenham, north london, and failed to return home. 

Jessy is described as black and of slim build. when last seen, he 

was wearing a red jacket and black trousers. 

“his family and officers are growing concerned for his welfare,” a 

police spokesman said. 

anyone who has seen him is asked to contact officers at haringey 

police station via telephone number 101, quoting reference 9271/23 

Helen Grant MP on Jan 25 attended the launch of a new report 

by Breast Cancer Care, which highlights that BAME women do 

not always get the support they need after they have finished 

their treatment for breast cancer. 

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, and in collaboration with 

King’s College London, the charity undertook a research project 

to understand how services that support people after breast 

cancer treatment can be culturally adapted. 

Every year around 58,000 people are diagnosed with breast 

cancer in the UK – that’s the equivalent of one person every 10 

minutes. 

Many of these women can feel lost and unable to return to 

normal when they have completed their hospital-based 

treatment. Breast Cancer Care’s research found that BAME 

women have additional needs, many of which are not being met. 

These can include isolation, due to the stigma of cancer in 

some communities, as well as language barriers. Some services 

do not offer support that is suitable for all, for example by 

offering lymphoedema sleeves in different skin tones or healthy 

lifestyle information that takes different religions into account. 

Ms Grant said, “I’m very happy to be showing my support 

for this important issue. It is vital that everyone, regardless of 

their ethnicity or social background, gets the support they need 

to live well after their breast cancer treatment”. 

Breast Cancer Care’s Moving Forward course is designed to 

support people once they complete breast cancer treatment in 

a way that is specific to their needs. The sessions cover topics 

such as healthy living, managing side effects of treatment, and 

spotting the signs and symptoms of a possible recurrence. 

David Crosby, Director of Services and Engagement at Breast 

Cancer Care, said: “We want to thank Helen for showing her 

support for our work. We know from the women we work with 

that finishing treatment does not necessarily mean you can just 

go back to normal. That’s why we run our Moving Forward 

service to help people during this potentially tough time. 

Our research has found that some people, particularly from 

black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities, can find 

themselves without support that is adapted to their needs. We 

urge all providers of support to ensure that their services are 

inclusive for all.” 

To find a Moving Forward course near you, visit 

www.breastcancercare.org.uk or call 0808 800 6000

8 NEWSWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 



Justice is being delivered in Nigeria 

a grassroots revolution involving the Nigerian police force, vigilantes and tradititonal rulers is paying dividends 

Nigeria could reap a multibillion 

dollar ‘peace’ 

dividend from beefing up 

its system of justice and the 

opportunity to do so has 

never been so ripe, with the 

political will in place and 

one in depth study 

revealing Nigerians are 

willing to pay $4,000 per 

household to achieve it. 

That was the positive 

conclusion of three experts 

working on the frontline in 

Nigeria to deliver greater 

access to justice across the 

country but particularly to 

people living in communities 

affected by instability and 

violent conflict. 

Dr Bob Arnott has lived in 

Nigeria for 14 years and is the 

National Programme Manager 

of Justice For All (J4A), which 

works in both the formal and 

informal sectors across five 

states – Kano, Kaduna, 

Enugu, Jigawa and Lagos 

(with additional work in Niger 

and Anambra) – to foster 

better policing and access to 

lower courts. Dr Rebecca 

Wolfe, director of Conflict 

Management 

and 

Peacebuilding programmes 

for the Mercy Corps, has spent 

the past three years in the 

middle belt engaged in 

conflict resolution between 

the pastorals and farmers of 

the region. And Dr Engobo 

Emeseh is a renowned 

academic and expert in the 

Delta oil conflict. 

The three doctors 

comprised the panel of the 

first All Party Parliamentary 

Group on Nigeria meeting of 

the year on January 20 – and 

the first under the 

chairmanship of Kate Osamor 

MP – which attracted an 

audience of over 100. 

Access to justice, of course, 

starts with the police and to 

most the Nigerian Police Force 

is something of a standing 

joke. Dr Arnott took exception 

to this. “Everyone has an 

opinion of the Nigerian Police 

Force (NPF) and most have a 

negative view and I think a 

simplistic view,” he said. 

“People say if only they were 

decentralised to state level, or 

had better gadgets – the word 

gadgets crops up a lot in our 

discussions –, or better fuel 

provision, as if all these things 

were a magic silver bullet for 

the deep systemic problems 

that exist.” 

The one glaring systemic 

problem is size. The NPF 

comprises 377,000 officers 

serving a population of 170m, 

“with between 30-50% a bag 

carrier or private security for 

a big man”. 

Once outside the urban 

centres policing is hardly 

evident at all. He gave a 

specific example, Dutse 

Central in Jigawa. The central 

police station has 120 police 

officers to serve 1m people and 

a monthly budget of $60 to 

pay for everything. “There’s 

the problem,” he said. “That’s 

why the NPF is struggling.” 

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l-r: kate osamor 

and drs arnott, 

Emeseh and wolfe 

Hence J4A work on the 

very grassroots, establishing a 

network of community 

policing. The organisation has 

developed “model police 

stations” across 70 sites and 

the good thing is where these 

have become embedded 

neighbouring areas start to 

demand the same. It is a 

bottom up revolution and one 

both citizens and police are 

hungry for. 

“I don’t have to teach the 

Nigerian police anything,” 

said Dr Arnott. “All I have to 

do is go to the reform 

elements and say this is what 

we do, why don’t you try it. 

We ‘ve gone back to basics and 

taught them community 

policing from scratch. Once 

that’s done people begin to 

trust the police.” 

Due to the underresourcing 

of the police J4A 

also work with vigilante 

groups and the traditional 

courts. He called vigilantes the 

“informal police”, without 

whom he said Nigeria would 

be “massively underpoliced”. 

He admitted “it’s messy” 

but said where it does work it 

works well. Vigilante groups 

know their communities and 

know who the bad boys are. 

“We work with them to 

establish a mandate and train 

them to establish them as an 

adjunct to the police.” In 24 

areas J4A have established 

community accountability 

forums to ensure the 

vigilantes reflect the will of 

the people. As they work with 

the informal police so J4A 

work with traditional rulers 

and traditional courts. 

Like vigilantes are the first 

port of call for security for 

many in remote areas 

traditional courts are the first 

port of call for justice, for 

many reasons; it’s cheap, 

familiar and accessible. 

Using the traditional courts 

is not without its problems; 

rulings can be inconsistent 

and the courts can be 

unresponsive to human rights 

and gender issues. However, 

J4A have been working with 

the traditional rulers to 

counteract this. The courts 

have been trained in record 

keeping and the consistency 

of rulings has improved as a 

result. 

Mr Arnott said the programme 

was very successful. 

“There has been a 70% 

increase in the number of 

cases in the time we have been 

working with the traditional 

courts. Trust is rising. Traditional 

rulers are finding it is a 

good mechanism to cement 

their position. It is in some 

regard a virtuous circle.” 

While there are obvious 

issues with such a piecemeal 

approach, it is sewing the 

seeds of a justice system that 

can deliver for all the people. 

And Mr Arnott concluded, “I 

think we are at a most 

propitious moment where 

there are people at both the 

Federal and State level who 

take justice and security issues 

seriously and if we can 

capture this moment we will 

move forward rapidly.” 

The cost of not affording 

people access to justice was 

laid bare by Dr Wolfe. In the 

middle belt where there is 

conflict between pastorals and 

crop farmers over traditional 

grazing rights, resulting in 

over 500 deaths a year because 

“people are left to take the law 

into their own hands”, this 

has been calculated to cost 

Nigeria $9bn a year. Ending 

the conflict would boost the 

economy by $13bn and 

household incomes by up to 

210%. The study also found “a 

willingness to pay for conflict 

management at a level of 

$4,000 per household”. This 

report is being used to lobby 

hard for investment in 

mediation and justice in the 

region. 

Dr Emeseh underlined the 

need for such investment, 

addressing the underlying 

roots of the ongoing Delta 

conflict. This she said is no 

simple resource war. Rather it 

is a reflection of a 

marginalised group taking up 

arms to protect their way of 

life when denied justice. 

The people of the Delta do 

not belong to the three main 

ethnic groups, Hausa, Yoruba 

and Igbo, who have always 

held the levers of power. 

When oil was discovered in 

the region they and their 

concerns were simply swept 

aside and ignored, despite the 

ecological carnage that was 

destroying their way of life. 

“The state has never taken 

one case against the oil 

companies since Nigeria 

gained independence,” Dr 

Emeseh pointed out. 

Indeed, it has simply 

sought to quash the concerns 

of the region, most famously 

with the execution of Ken Saro 

Wiwa. As a consequence the 

conflict has raged for years at 

an unimaginable cost to the 

people of the region and the 

Nigerian economy. 

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facebook.com/NigerianWatch 

lEFT To rIghT baCk row :Shailesh Vara, CON, North West Cambridgeshire; David Lammy, LAB, Tottenhham; Dawn Butler, 

LAB, Brent South; Clive Lewis, LAB, Norwich South; James Cleverly, CON, Braintree; Lord Herman Ouseley; Simon Woolley; 

Baroness McGregor-Smith; Alan Mak, CON, Havant.; FroNT row Tulip Siddiq, LAB, Hampstead and Kilburn; Seema Malhotra, 

LAB, Feltham and Heston; Diane Abbott, LAB, Hackney North and Stoke Newington; Keith Vaz, LAB, Leicester East; Valerie 

Vaz, LAB, Walsall South; Kate Osamor, LAB, Edmonton; Helen Grant, CON, Maidstone and The Weald; Baroness Ros Howells. 

PolITICal hIsTory IN ThE makINg 

Operation Black Vote and Home 

Secretary Theresa May held a ceremony 

on January 14 at the 

Houses of Parliament, to celebrate 

the largest number of BME MPs to 

be elected in British political history. 

Never in the history of British 

Parliamentary politics have so 

many Black, Asian ethnic minority 

MPs and members of the House of 

Lords been present in the Palace 

of Westminster. 

Details of those who could attend 

the ceremony are above 

while we record the names of 

those BME MPs and peers who 

couldn’t for posterity. They were; 

Adam Afriyie, CON, Windsor; Tasmina 

Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP, Ochil 

and South Perthshire; Rushanara 

Ali, LAB, Bethnal Green and Bow; 

Rehman Chishti, CON, Gillingham 

and Rainham; Thangam Debbonaire, 

LAB, Bristol West; Suella 

Fernandes, CON, Fareham; Nusrat 

Ghani, CON, Wealden; Sam Gyimah, 

CON, East Surrey; Imran 

Hussain, LAB, Bradford East; Sajid 

Javid, CON, Bromsgrove; Ranil 

Jayawardena, CON, North East 

Hampshire; Mark Hendrick, LAB, 

Preston; Sadiq Khan, LAB, Tooting; 

Seema Kennedy, CON, South Ribble; 

Kwasi Kwarteng, CON, 

Spelthorne; Khalid Mahmood, LAB, 

Birmingham Perry Barr;Shabana 

Mahmood, LAB, Birmingham Ladywood; 

Lisa Nandy, LAB, Wigan; 

Chi Onwurah, LAB, Newcastle 

upon Tyne Central; Priti Patel, 

CON, Witham; Naz Shah, LAB, 

Bradford West; Alok Sharma, CON, 

Reading West; Virendra Sharma, 

LAB, Ealing Southall; Rishi Sunak, 

CON, Richmond (Yorks); Yasmin 

Qureshi, LAB, Bolton South-East; 

Nadhim Zahawi, CON, Stratfordon-Avon. 

The Rolling Stone 

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10 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 KASUMUWATcH 

The 



Samuel KASUMUColumn 

Our pastors have failed us 

I became a Christian aged 12 and have since 

used my faith as a guide whilst navigating 

through the many facets of life. For me, the 

ultimate expression of my faith is to love God 

and love my neighbour as myself. 

I try not to be concerned too much with the 

complexities of everything else. But as I get 

older, and as our world becomes more secular, 

I can’t help but analyse what role faith should 

play in this new world. 

Many people that I grew up with in church 

no longer hold onto their faith with any great 

conviction, and sometimes that lack of conviction 

has even resulted in a public declaration 

of sorts. I recently read about a famous 

Christian rapper who had ‘denounced’ and 

would now be voicing his issues with Christianity. 

I have concluded at this time that churches, 

particularly the evangelical movement, have 

failed in their duty to express a faith that is 

pure in motive. You attend a black majority 

church on any given Sunday and what you are 

likely to hear is a message focused on some expression 

of prosperity, followed by lobbying 

for an offering. 

Prosperity gospel of course has a bad reputation, 

but its reputation should probably be 

worse than it currently is. Prosperity isn’t just 

a promise for a better financial return, but is 

also the promise that one’s life is guaranteed to 

be better, that there may come a time where 

you have no problems, or that challenges you 

face must automatically be the cause of an 

enemy in a high place. 

None of the above is necessarily true. We 

also often fail to recognise that more often 

than not we are our greatest enemy. We make 

mistakes often because of our own imperfections 

and lusts. We are but mere humans, 

without perfect knowledge, and will more 

likely than not get decisions wrong that result 

in many of our present challenges. 

Evangelical churches have failed because 

they believed that a simplistic expression of 

the gospel; sow a seed and don’t sin, would 

continue to be relevant to a new generation of 

people that grew up in church but are more 

independent minded. 

Pastors with impressive looking libraries 

have proved not to have the intellectual capacity 

to reason like the Apostle Paul would do 

with the both Jews and Gentiles. They have 

flashy cars, they have children in independent 

schools, they go to speak in impressive international 

conferences, but they do not have the 

capacity to lead us in tomorrow’s world. They 

have not shown the humility needed to utilise 

the talents of those around them effectively. 

They have failed and many young people 

will leave the faith as a result of this failure. 

Christianity now needs new leaders. We need a 

John the Baptist in the wilderness. We need a 

Martin Luther reformer. We need a Frances of 

Assisi to take us back to a life lived more simple. 

We need something new and I hope and 

pray we find it! 

Two vital 

decisions 

loom for us 

The great question for this year will of course 

be whether the United Kingdom remains in 

the European Union or leaves through a socalled 

‘Brexit’. I have been absolutely clear in 

my belief that Britain needs to look beyond its 

European borders for friends. 

We often talk about the issues that Eastern 

European migrants bring from a migration 

perspective. But the truth is even other EU 

states, like Greece, Spain, and Portugal – 

themselves troubled economically – do not 

inspire much hope. The Prime Minister will 

need to somehow disguise his failed negotiation 

attempts as some form of victory. The 

British people will see straight through this, 

and hopefully we will make the right decision. 

Meanwhile in London we have the small 

issue of deciding the new Mayor in May! 

Housing is of course the number one issue for 

Londoners, with prices still rising at alarming 

rates. We need to stop international investors 

from inflating the market, and like Zac recently 

said, Londoners must have priority in 

regards to the purchasing of new homes. The 

race will get more intense over the coming 

months I am sure… 

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12 EMBASSYWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 

ChaUFFEUrs waNTEd 

loCaTIoN 

hoUrs oF work 

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maNdaTory rEqUIrEmENT 

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Varies 

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As part of our expanded duties at the Mission. The Mission requires Six (6) 

chauffeurs to join our chauffeuring team, to ease our daily running of 

Diplomatic activities. 

The role 

You will be responsible for: 

Diplomatic chauffeuring in the High Commission. 

Assisting in the maintenances of the assigned vehicle. 

Assisting with daily administration duties. 

PErsoN sPECIFICaTIoN 

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Have a clean full UK driving licence 

Must obtain Full CRB check 

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Have good oral and written skills, with experience of using Microsoft 

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Have clear communication skills, with ability to deploy tact and 

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when necessary. 

Be motivated and committed to maintain high standards. 

Must be flexible and available to work at weekends 

Please forward your CV to Email: hse-transport@nigeriahc.org.uk 

Gallantry honour for armed 

forces on Remembrance Day 

Armed Forces Day took place on January 15 throughout 

Nigeria, with a Remembrance Day parade at the 

Cenotaph in Abuja and in the 36 state capitals. 

The event was marked by the High Commission with 

the The Nigerian Think Tank Group UK presenting the 

Nigerian Armed Forces with a plaque recognising their 

gallantry in fighting the insurgency in North Eastern 

Nigeria. 



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14 NEWSWATcH 


6 - 19 Nov 2015 

GANGS ARE NOW RECRUITING 

CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS NINE 

Children as young as 

nine are being drawn 

into gangs, often to 

deliver or store drugs, 

new research 

published by the Home 

Office suggests. 

Schoolchildren, 

recruited with offers of 

trainers or tracksuits, are 

set drug selling targets, 

and punished if they are 

not met, researchers 

were told. The study also 

suggested that the sexual 

exploitation of women 

and girls in gangs is 

becoming more 

prevalent. 

For the study, 

researchers interviewed 

staff from the police, 

probation service, local 

authorities and health services in 33 areas 

around England and Wales to find out how 

the nature of gangs, and their perception, is 

changing. They also spoke to current and 

ex-gang members. 

One interviewee said, “The method of 

recruitment is to target young, easily 

influenced youths as young as 12-years-old 

from local schools and the surrounding area. 

“They (gang members) recruit them with 

the lure of earning money or being given 

new trainers, tracksuits etc, then use these 

runners to deal for them.” 

In some instances youngsters were away 

from home or care for several days, the 

report found. Agencies, particularly those in 

London, indicated that the use of young, 

often vulnerable, people to transport drugs 

to other parts of the country was a major 

concern. 

The youngest gang members were most 

commonly said to be aged 12 to 14 (50%), 

while a third were said to be between nine 

and 11. A handful (7%) of gang members 

were thought to be under nine, according to 

the report. 

Nearly all interviewees said sexual or 

physical violence against women and girls 

happened “sometimes” or “often” within 

gangs, often as punishment or to take 

revenge on rival gangs. 

Interviewees said women and girls were 

used to carry and hide weapons, take 

prohibited items into prison and transport 

drugs. 

Particular concerns were highlighted 

around the notion of 

sexual consent within 

gangs. 

Gang associates told 

researchers that girls 

were motivated to 

perform sexual acts with 

gang members “because 

of your reputation, 

because of your name”. 

Asked whether a girl 

got anything out of sex 

with 10 men, one 

associate said, “She gets 

to brag about it with her 

brethren.” 

The report also 

suggested that gangs 

were now less visible on 

the street, as more covert 

tactics were used to avoid 

detection. 

Fewer gangs now met 

in public places or used graffiti to mark 

territory, it said, preferring to use social 

media to promote the gang and its 

reputation. 

A minority of gangs, however, were said 

to be wary of operating online for fear of 

attracting police attention. 

To coincide with the publication of the 

research, the government announced it was 

extending its programme to tackle 

exploitation by gangs to Basildon, Grimsby, 

Harrow, Hastings and Eastbourne, High 

Wycombe, Medway, Sefton, Southampton 

and Swindon. 

Home Office minister Karen Bradley said: 

“Gang and youth violence has a devastating 

impact on young people, their families and 

local communities.” 



asda gET a TasTE 

For FamIly-rECIPE 

ChIN-ChIN 

The West African delicacy chin-chin is to appear on the 

shelves of 434 Asda stores across the UK this year as the 

innovative Nigerian company Love Chin Chin has secured an 

agreement with the retail giant to supply it with the snack. 

Hugely popular among Africans, chin-chin is a biscuitlike 

snack with the same crunch and generally serving the 

same purpose, to be served with tea or coffee or as a treat 

in packed lunches. 

Love Chin Chin founder and managing director Bolu 

Akindoyin (right), said, “We use a 

unique traditional family recipe inspired 

by my mother’s cooking to 

create our chin-chin, which is a 

super satisfying snack that was 

such a childhood favourite of mine. 

I am thrilled that, with these exciting 

new listings in Asda stores, we 

can further spread the word and 

get so many more people to enjoy this sensational snack. 

Love Chin Chin Vanilla and Love Chin Chin Cinnamon are 

a key part of an Asda initiative to promote an increased 

awareness of interesting and different world foods, in particular 

those from Africa, as that continent slowly reveals 

its rich and tasty food heritage and culture. 

Both varieties of the snack are made with only natural 

ingredients and flavourings and are available in eye-catching 

ethnically inspired branded 70g packs retailing at just £1 

in Asda. They will be available in both impulse and traditional 

world food aisles depending on the store. 

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Uk set to hold international conference on corruption 

Britain’s 

High 

Commissioner to Nigeria 

Paul Arkwright has revealed 

that the British government 

is considering the idea of 

hosting an international 

summit on corruption, 

which 

President 

Muhammadu Buhari will be 

invited to. 

According to Mr Arkwright, for 

corruption to be rooted out in 

Nigeria, there was a compelling 

need for institutional change in all 

spheres of human endeavour. 

However, he expressed optimism 

that with President Muhammad 

Buhari, Nigeria is on the right 

track. 

“Britain is committed to helping 

Nigeria increase its security, 

stability and prosperity. We would 

continue to provide capacity 

building, technical and investigative 

support to Nigeria to tackle 

corruption. 

"We are working with President 

Buhari to ensure the success 

of the fight against corruption and 

will continue to support the administration 

to ensure a corruptfree 

society in Nigeria." 

In addition, he also reaffirmed 

that the British government will 

redouble its support to train the 

Nigerian military to fight the Boko 

Haram insurgency. 

Mr Arkwright further revealed 

that the British government is 

also willing to support children in 

the northern eastern part of the 

country to pursue a qualitative 

academic career in the face of insurgency 

that had devastated the 

region. 

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YOURWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 

15 

Letters to the Editor 

let us know what you think. Put pen to paper and send your letters to: The 

Editor, Nigerian watch, Chartwell house, 292 hale lane, Edgware, middlesex 

ha8 8NP, or email us at: editor@nigerianwatch.com 

letters to be included in the next issue must be received by no later than Feb 

10, 2016. anonymous letters will not be published. Please include your full 

name, postal address and contact telephone number. Names and addresses 

can be withheld, if preferred. 

letters may be edited for publication. 

BEWARE, CORRUPTION IS FIGHTING BACK 

We at the Nigerians in Diaspora 

Monitoring Group condemn totally 

the recent call by some unpatriotic 

Nigerians to rope in the Chief of 

Army Staff, Major General Tukur 

Buratai, in the funds for arms purchase 

scandal. 

It is obvious that those behind 

this surreptitious moves have the 

ulterior motive of ridiculing the 

anti-corruption fight of President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

It is obvious that the Buratai led 

military has, since taking over, 

dealt a serious blow to the Boko 

Haram insurgency with renewed 

commitment and professionalism. 

Yet we can not rule out the fact that 

some unscrupulous elements who 

have benefitted from the insurgency 

are not happy with the 

achievements of the military under 

General Buratai. 

It is our belief that the recent call 

for the probe of Buratai by the 

committee established to audit 

arms and equipment procurement 

in the military between 2007 and 

2015, is merely an indication that 

corruption is fighting back to ensure 

a return to the era of business 

as usual. We call on Nigerians to rise 

up and condemn any attempt to 

distract the Buratai led military 

from finally crushing the Boko 

Haram insurgents. 

The fact that Major General Buratai 

was the Defence Head Quarters 

(DHQ) Director of 

Procurement between 2012 and 

2015 without being linked to the 

arms purchase scandal is a basis for 

commendation instead of using the 

same fact in a twisted way to claim 

that the investigation carried out by 

the committees was incomplete. 

The claims being made by these 

people is targeted at casting aspersion 

on the work of the committee 

since they are suggesting that it 

should have included names to satisfy 

the whims of certain people. 

They are already preparing the 

groundwork to create loopholes for 

their sponsors and dragging the 

Chief of Army Staff into the probe 

by all means must be one of the 

schemes to ensure that their paymaster 

whip up public sentiments 

against the anti-corruption fight. 

We fear that these calls are part 

of a clandestine plot by Boko Haram 

sponsors to discourage the army 

and roll back the recent gains and 

successes that they have made so 

far in crushing the extremist insurgents. 

The demand by these groups is 

also an affront to the authority of 

President Muhammadu Buhari as 

they are insinuating that the probe 

he ordered is meant to witch-hunt 

a particular branch of the military 

when they claimed that only past 

and serving Air Force chiefs have 

been indicted. Must the other 

branches be indicted just for the 

sake of creating balance when they 

have not done anything wrong? 

Calls like this make it imperative 

that Nigerians familiarise themselves 

with the concept of command 

structures and approving 

authorities in the public sector so 

that mischief makers have lesser 

chance of misleading people. 

The Nigerians in Diaspora Monitoring 

Group has also appealed to 

the Chief of Army Staff not to allow 

the distractions being thrown his 

way to negatively affect the war on 

insurgency but should rather treat it 

as part of the psychological war that 

Boko Haram and its sponsors are 

mounting against the Nigerian state. 

The connection between those 

making these jaundiced calls and 

the Boko Haram sponsors should be 

thoroughly investigated with a 

view to disrupting the propaganda 

and psychological warfare that they 

are aiming at citizens. 

The authorities must also not 

delay any further in bringing these 

Boko Haram sponsors to book since 

neutralizing them is crucial to 

making the gains of the war on insurgency 

permanent. 

Philip Agbese, Coordinator, Nigerians 

in Diaspora Monitoring Group, The 

Boroughs, Hendon, NW4 4BT 

ARE YOU LOOKING TO REGULARISE YOUR 

IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THE UK? 

If yes we can help you. 

1. Do you have a child who is a British citizen? 

If yes we can help you settle in the United 

Kingdom. 

2. Do you have a child born in the UK who has 

lived here continuously for 7 years. If yes we 

can help you settle in the United Kingdom. 

3. Do you have a child born in the UK who has 

lived in the United Kingdom continuously 

for 10 years. If yes your child is eligible for 

registration as a British citizen and you will 

also be eligible to apply for settlement 

4. Have you lived in the UK continuously for 20 

years? If yes we may be able to help you 

5. Are you under the age of 25 years old and 

have you lived in the United Kingdom half 

your life. If yes you are entitled to settlement 

in the United Kingdom. 

6. Have you been refused leave to remain in 

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your appeal 

7 . Has your entry clearance application refused, 

we can help you with your appeal 

8. Has your application for further leave to remain 

in the United Kingdom refused without 

a right of appeal. There have been 

changes in the Home Office policy on 20th 

October 2014. 

9. Do you want to bring your wife or your child 

to join you in the UK? If yes we can help you 

10. Are you currently detained and facing removal 

or deportation? If yes we may be able 

to help 

11. If you are a businessman and want to invest 

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CONTACT MR JAMIL TRAWALLY WHO IS AN 

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Fax: 02088871370 

Mobile:07727630428 

Email: j.trawally@sk-solicitors.com

16 NEWSWATcH 


6 - 19 Nov 2015 



G’WAN, LET’S MASH IT UP 

In a barnstorming speech to 100 starstruck mPs, actor Idris Elba delivered a devastating critique 

of the closed shop clubbable british elite. here we publish it in full. It’s long, but so on the money 

Thanks for such a warm 

welcome. I could almost 

feel at home… In fact we’re 

not far from where I grew 

up in East London, but as a 

young man, I never thought 

I’d come here. In fact as an 

older man, I never thought 

I’d come here. 

But Oona [King] invited 

me to speak here today. You 

know what she’s like, she’s a 

bit obsessed with diversity. I 

told her to get out more, and 

stop watching TV. Thing is, 

when you get out more, you 

see there’s a disconnect 

between the real world and 

TV world. People in the TV 

world often aren’t the same 

as people in the real world. 

And there’s an even 

bigger gap between people 

who make TV, and people 

who watch TV. I should 

know, I live in the TV world. 

And although there’s a lot of 

reality TV, TV hasn’t caught 

up with reality. Change is 

coming, but it’s taking its 

sweet time. 

why change? 

1. Because the TV world helps 

SHAPE the real world. It’s 

also a window on our world. 

But when we look out the 

window, none of us live in 

Downton Abbey. 

2. Because the creative 

industries are the foundation 

of Britain’s future economy. 

You guys want to safeguard 

Britain’s economy, right? 

That’s your job? 

3. If you want to safeguard 

the economy, you have to 

safeguard the Creative 

Industries; and they rely on 

TALENT. 

Talent is our lifeblood - we 

can’t afford to WASTE it, or 

give it away. But when you 

don’t reflect the real world, 

too much talent is trashed. 

Talent is everywhere, 

opportunity isn’t. And talent 

can’t reach opportunity. 

Especially on our small island 

– that’s why British talent 

gets exported all over the 

world. We haven’t done 

enough to nurture our 

diverse talent. 

But before I go any further 

I want to say something 

really important: I’m not 

here to talk about black 

people; I’m here to talk about 

diversity. 

Diversity in the modern 

world is more than just skin 

colour - it’s gender, age, 

disability, sexual orientation, 

social background, and - 

most important of all, as far 

as I’m concerned – diversity 

of thought. 

Because if you have 

genuine diversity of thought 

among people making TV 

and film, then you won’t 

accidentally shut out any of 

the groups I just mentioned. 

Anyway, on the whole, I 

don’t think of myself as just a 

‘black actor’. I’m an actor, 

not a number. Just like 

anyone else. You know what 

I mean; all the MPs in the 

room, (by the way, thanks so 

many of you for coming. 

Oona tells me it’s really 

unusual to get 100 MPs to 

turn up, she says often she 

can’t even get one.) 

But you guys know what I 

mean, about not just being a 

number. I suspect, for those 

of you who have children, 

you don’t just speak as a 

politician, you speak as a 

parent. Well I’m not just a 

black man, and you’re not 

just a politician. 

None of us are just one 

flavour or one colour. If we 

were, we’d be onedimensional. 

And that’s 

what used to drive me mad as 

an up and coming actor. 

My agent and I, we’d get 

scripts and we were always 

asked to read the “black 

male” character. Or “the 

athletic type.” And that was 

just Crimewatch… But when 

a script called for a “black 

male”, it wasn’t describing a 

character. It was a describing 

a skin colour. A white man - 

or a caucasian - was 

described as “a man with a 

twinkle in his eye”. 

My eyes may be dark, but 

they definitely twinkle! (Ask 

the Mrs…) And I was like “I 

wanna play the character 

with a twinkle in his eyes!” 

So I got to a certain point 

in my career, and I saw that 

glass ceiling; I was very close 

to hitting my forehead on it. 

I was busy, I was getting lots 

of work, but I realised I could 

only play so many “best 

friends” or “gang leaders”. 

I knew I wasn’t going to 

land a lead role. I knew there 

wasn’t enough imagination 

in the industry for me to be 

seen as a lead. In other 

words, if I wanted to star in a 

British drama like Luther, 

then I’d have to go to a 

country like America. 

Now some people might 

say “but back then, Britain 

hardly had any black 

detectives, so how could you 

expect us to have a TV show 

about one? How could you 

expect the BBC to have the 

imagination to put Luther on 

TV? …because it’s 

TELEVISION?! 

And the other thing was, 

because I never saw myself or 

my culture on TV, I stopped 

watching TV. Instead I 

decided to just go out and 

become TV. If I aspired to be 

on a level with the Denzil 

Washingtons, and the Robert 

de Niros, I had to reinvent 

myself. I had to transform the 

way industry saw me. I had 

to climb out of the box. 

In other words I didn’t go 

to America because I couldn’t 

GET parts. I went to America 

because I was running OUT of 

parts. They were all the same 

sort of parts. 

But 20 or 25 years ago 

there were a handful of 

casting directors, without 

whom I wouldn’t be here 

today: - Doreen Jones - 

Priscilla John - The Hubbards 

- Leo Davis - Mary Selwaye. 

These people regularly 

auditioned me, they saw the 

twinkle in my eyes, and put 

me up for roles that definitely 

weren’t written for me or my 

type. 

At which point I’d like to 

add, the BBC was the 

broadcaster to give me my 

first break. In all honesty 

they’ve been incredible to 

me, not to mention our 

country, and the WORLD. 

They also had the 

imagination. 

It’s that same imagination 

casting director Nina Gold 

had, when she cast the film 

“Attack The Block”. She 

searched the whole of 

London for raw talent, much 

of it diverse. She found John 

Boyega, a British African. 

Nina then put Boyega up to 

be the hero in the latest Star 

Wars blockbuster. 

Since when did the lead 

character in Star Wars come 

from Peckham? Since a 

woman with imagination 

became the casting director. 

It’s the vision of people like 

Nina, and those 5 original 

casting directors, that allows 

me to stand before you today. 

That, and the fact I refused to 

be pigeon-holed. 

I’m not gonna lie, it was 

really hard work. What all 

this taught me, is too often 

people get locked inside 

boxes. And it’s not a great 

place to be. Ask women, 

they’ll say the same thing. Or 

disabled people. Or gay 

people. Or any number of 

under-represented groups. 

So today I’m asking the TV 

and film industry to think 

outside the box, and to GET 

outside the box. This isn’t a 

speech about race, this is a 

speech about imagination. 

diversity of thought. 

Thankfully in our country, 

we’re free to say what we 

want. But we’re not as free as 

we think, because our 

imagination isn’t that free. 

We can’t help putting 

people inside boxes, it’s a 

national pastime… Funny 

thing is, it’s not good for the 

people locked in the box; but 

it’s also not good for the 

people deciding what’s ON 

the box. Audiences don’t 

want to see caricatures. 

Because the point about a 

caricature is this: you’ve seen 

it all before. 

So I want our incredibly 

creative and successful TV 

industry to be more 

imaginative with the cultural 

exports we send around the 

world. We have an amazing 

record. Think about Britain’s 

place in history. For half a 

millennia we shaped the 

world. 

Winston Churchill said he 

could save the British Empire 

from anything – except the 

British… Like all great men he 

had his flaws. He wasn’t too 

hot on gender equality… All 

the women MPs here today, 

you probably know what he 

said to the first woman MP: - 

that having her in Parliament 

was as embarrassing as if 

she’d walked into the men’s 

toilets! Some of Churchill’s 

attitudes were plain wrong. 

But he was truly visionary 

when he said this: “the 

empires of the FUTURE are 

empires of the MIND.” 

Now before I leave the 

subject of Empire, I should 

mention I’m honoured - just 

the other day - to have 

become an Officer of the 

British Empire. The exact title 

is “Officer of the Most 

Excellent Order of the British 

Empire” – a snappy little 

number. And of course the 

word “Empire” is laden with 

meaning – especially to the 

son of a Ghanaian mother 

and Sierra Leonean father. 

The irony is not lost on 

me. The British Empire 

brought great progress to 

many, and for others, great 

suffering. But history isn’t 

always neat and tidy, the 

sums don’t always add up. 

What’s for sure, though, our 

Empire gave birth to the 

multi-cultural miracle that is 

modern Britain. And for that 

I’m grateful. 

So back to “Empires of the 

Mind”: That’s my theme: 

how can we change our 

mindset? How can we be 

more imaginative to make 

our creative industries more 

successful? How can Britain 

influence the world to 

embrace diversity, and be 

more tolerant? 

“50% of British medal winners 

went to private school. Yet only 7% 

of British kids GO to private school” 

When you look at the 

news today, nothing could be 

more important. But just 

because we do better than 

most countries, doesn’t 

mean we have nothing to 

learn. Look at the lesson of 

the Olympics. What did we 

learn? 

l We learned that if you 

invest in sports, you win 

gold; 

l that our country is a nation 

of volunteers; 

l that disabled sport can be 

more thrilling than NONdisabled 

sport 

l and that VIPs can find their 

way to Newham (if they have 

their own bus lane)… 

We came third in the 

medal table - an amazing 

achievement. But make no 

mistake, we could have won 

more gold. Here are two 

incredible statistics: 50% of 

British medal winners went 

to private school. Yet only 7% 

of British kids GO to private 

school. How many Mo 

Farah’s did we miss? How 

many Jessica Ennis’ will 

never be discovered? Think 

what we could have achieved 

if we’d fished for talent 

consistently among the other 

93% of British kids. 

And that’s what we 

SHOULD BE DOING in ALL 

industries, including the TV 

and film industry: be more 

consistent about looking for 

talent everywhere 

Even so, when Mo Farah is 

wrapped in the British flag, 

(Somalian born, raised in 

Newham); - and when the 

entire British nation cheers 

him fanatically, the world 

intuitively learns more about 

diversity and tolerance. We 

show the world that Britain 

thinks outside the box. 

That’s how we changed 

from an empire based on raw 

materials and military might; 

to a cultural power exporting 

talent and creativity. We 

don’t steal gold any more. We 

WIN it. From hard power to 

soft power. And in terms of 

soft power, nothing is more 

powerful than the media. 

Only one other country in 

the world influences what 

people watch more than us. 

In terms of real estate on this 

earth, we’re a small island. 

But in terms of culture we’re 

a continent. 

The Britain I come from is 

the most successful, diverse, 

multicultural country on 

earth. But here’s my point: 

you wouldn’t know it if you

NEWSWATcH 



facebook.com/NigerianWatch 6 - 19 Nov 2015 

17 

turned on the TV. Too many 

of our creative decisionmakers 

share the same 

background. They decide 

which stories get told, and 

those stories decide how 

Britain is viewed. Even to 

ourselves. Especially to 

ourselves. 

Furthermore, how Britain 

is viewed on the world stage 

should concern all of us. It’s 

all our business. And that’s 

why everyone should care 

about our media industry - 

it’s the custodian of our 

global identity. 

But everyone knows 

British broadcasting these 

days can be a tough gig. Execs 

running TV companies, (Hi 

there) you need to make 

cash, grab audience, and 

please Government. And 

these days you’re in a fight to 

the death with the streaming 

people. And the platform 

people. And the content 

people. The war never ends. 

Technology has turned TV on 

its head. The audience is now 

consumer 

and 

“commissioner”. 

If young people don’t see 

themselves on TV, they just 

switch off the TV, and log on. 

End of. They create their own 

channels. Their own 

audience. They become their 

own CEOs. They don’t need 

us. Because as the experts in 

the room know, the TV 

industry is about two things: 

- the pipes, and what you 

send down the pipes. 

The pipes used to be just 

the broadcasters. And the 

broadcasters were the only 

ones who could send content 

down the pipes. Now, 

anyone can send stuff down 

those pipes. Before, there 

were only 4 broadcasters. 

Now, everyone’s a 

broadcaster. 

A lot of young people 

never switch on a TV. They’re 

on their mobiles all day long. 

Times are truly changing. The 

times when TV was the only 

window to the outside 

world, are long gone. Kids 

have windows in their 

pockets. 


But what will bring the 

change we need? Three 

things: 

1. A change of mindset: get all 

commissioners and content 

creators to think about 

diversifying at the beginning 

of the creative process, not 

the end. 

2. Transparency: friendly 

competition between 

broadcasters. See who’s 

actually doing the best 

creative 

diversity. 

Benchmark it. That 

encourages everyone to do 

better. 

3. A different approach 

towards risk. The story of 

Netflix is that risk-taking 

delivers audiences 

Let’s be honest. Too often 

commissioners look at 

diverse talent, and all they 

see is risk. Black actors are 

seen as a commercial risk. 

Women directors are seen as 

a commercial risk. Disabled 

directors aren’t even seen at 

all. In general, if broadcasters 

want to stay in the game, 

their commissioners must 

take more risk with diverse 

talent. 

Now if you’re thinking 

“who’s he to say all this?”, I 

asked myself the same 

question. I asked Oona, 

actually, “who am I to say all 

this?!” And she started going 

on about me being a “British 

export…” (She was talking 

about me as if I was a crate of 

Nigerian Guinness…) 

If some people see me as 

an export, that’s fine, but I 

only come with my story and 

my observations. I don’t 

pretend to be anything I’m 

not. So what am I? I’m a 

product of my imagination. 

Made in Hackney. Made in 

Newham. Made in 

Dagenham. But above all, 

made in my mind: Seeing it, 

thinking it, doing it. I used to 

fit tyres in Dagenham, now I 

make films in Hollywood. 

And the difference between 

those two lives comes down 

to one single word – 

OPPORTUNITY. 

By the way, I got my tyrefitting 

job through a Youth 

Training Scheme. Good old 

YTS Schemes, who 

remembers them in the 80s?? 

Before that, for a while I went 

to a school for disabled kids. 

I had severe asthma. 

I finally got my first break 

in the creative industries 

from the Prince’s Trust. Yeah, 

the good old Prince Charles 

stepped straight up for me, 

right in there, well done! 

Helped me break into 

theatre, and from there TV 

and film. 

The Prince’s Trust 

subsidised my first ever 

audition for the National 

Music Youth Theatre. They 

gave me £1,500, because my 

parents didn’t have enough 

money; - there were hardly 

any black kids there, none of 

us could afford it. And 

although back then obviously 

I never met Prince Charles, 

we both had one thing in 

common: We both fell into 

the same line of work as our 

parents. 

Yeah it just sort of 

happens… My Dad worked in 

a car factory, so before I 

could get work as an actor, I 

ended up doing night shifts at 

Ford Dagenham. In fact Ford 

Dagenham turned out to 

have more opportunity, and 

more diversity, than the TV 

industry I was trying to break 

into. And without the 

Prince’s Trust I probably 

wouldn’t have made it - 

because so many invisible 

chains can hold you back. 

Historically in Britain, you 

never escaped. If you started 

at the bottom of the heap, 

you most likely died at the 

bottom of the heap. Things 

started to change inside this 

incredible building; the 

building where every British 

monarch has been crowned 

since 1066. While I’m on the 

subject of 1066, I should say 

my history’s not all that. A 

long time after I left school, 

someone explained what the 

Magna Carta was. 

For people in your 

industry, Magna Carta is the 

basis of modern democracy: 

For people in the music 

industry, Magna Carta is a 

rap album by friend Jay-Z. So 

Magna Carta was a peace 

treaty between the King and 

the Barons (shout out to the 

Barons in the room today). 

The idea was, the King 

couldn’t just take things off 

people on a whim. IT WAS 

ABOUT THINGS BECOMING 

FAIRER. It was preceded by 

the Doomsday book, a big 

map of Britain which 

counted up what everybody 

had. 

Back then, King’s always 

had their eye on everyone 

else’s stuff. They weren’t 

sorting out drama auditions 

for YTS kids… But back to my 

point: in a funny way, 

broadcasting needs a Magna 

Carta. We need to start doing 

things more fairly. It’s not so 

much a Peace treaty; more an 

“Talent is 

everywhere, 

opportunity 

isn’t” 

Opportunity Treaty. 

We need to count up what 

everybody has, see the lay of 

the land, and see who has 

which careers in TV? Who 

makes TV? Who’s allowed 

ON TV? And when they get 

the opportunity, which roles 

do they play, both on and 

offscreen. Are black people 

often playing petty 

criminals? Are women 

always playing the love 

interest or talking about 

men? Are gay people always 

stereotyped? Are disabled 

people hardly ever seen? Do 

some people have their 

careers taken away on a 

whim? Is their talent unfairly 

ignored? 


So yeah, back to the box; 

Back to the stereo-typing. 

Take gender stereotyping: 

“girls love dolls, boys 

love cars”. Well actually I DO 

love cars. I’m a stereotypical 

boy who loves his fast cars. 

Yeah, I don’t mind playing 

Achilles in Troiluss & 

Cressida, but I’d rather break 

the land speed record in a 

Bentley at nearly 200 mph. 

Just can’t help it. 

And I just have to ask 

myself, “is it because I’m a 

man?” (The answer is 

probably “yes.”) 

So women also have to ask 

themselves a question: When 

they disappear off our 

screens over the age of 40, “is 

it because they’re 

FEMALE??” (The answer is 

probably “yes.”) And is that 

why they always get paid less 

than their male co-stars? 

(The answer is DEFINITELY 

“yes!”) 

That brings me on to 

Channel 4’s conference on 

Diversity in the Media. I 

agreed to speak in Parliament 

today, because I want to 

highlight the important 

discussion taking place 

tomorrow The CEOs of 

Channel 4, ITV, and the BBC, 

are just some of those 

industry leaders meeting to 

discuss diversity. And 

Channel 4’s research for the 

conference is really 

interesting. The headline 

finding is that British TV is 

awash with low-level 

sexism. 

The 

interesting 

comparison, is that the same 

figure for low-level racism 

was only a tenth of that. This 

means women on TV are 10 

times more likely to be 

treated negatively than black 

people on TV. That’s crazy, 

right? I’m not saying you 

expect black people to be 

treated worse than women 

(although God help black 

women). But as Viola Davies 

said last year when she 

became the first-ever black 

woman to win an Emmy for 

drama, “you can’t win an 

Emmy for a role that’s never 

been written.” 

That’s why we need more 

imagination from our 

directors, our producers, our 

casting directors, our writers 

- especially our writers. So 

I’m just saying we need to be 

more aware. 

In the 1970s, popular TV 

programmes like the Black & 

White Minstrels and Love 

Thy Neighbour were awash 

with what you might call 

“light- hearted racism”. At 

the time, though, everyone 

thought it was absolutely fine 

to go along with it. The same 

with homophobia. The same 

with disability. 

Well I want to say 

something very clear to all 

the women in the TV and film 

industry, onscreen and 

offscreen: I don’t think it’s 

absolutely fine to go along 

with it. Audiences shouldn’t 

think it’s absolutely fine to go 

along with it. Above all: the 

industry shouldn’t think it’s 

absolutely fine to go along 

with it. Instead we need to 

educate ourselves out of it. 

And however far we have 

to travel ONscreen, we have 

many more rivers to cross 

OFFscreen. When we take 

this problem in the round, 

this lack of opportunity leads 

to me being asked the same 

question again and again. 

This is what every young 

actor asks me: “should I go to 

America to become a 

successful actor?” 

I’m always in a quandary. 

Because it’s not always true 

that the grass is greener. But 

the reason I went to America, 

is because the USA has the 

most famous diversity policy 

of all: it’s called the American 

Dream. The problem is the 

GAP between the dream and 

reality. That gap is what 

Martin Luther King set out to 

fill with his dream. To 

champion diversity is to 

champion the American 

dream. It’s to say that if you 

work hard and you have 

great talent, you will have the 

same chance as anyone else 

to succeed. It guarantees no 

more than that, but that in 

itself is a golden guarantee. 

And I want that guarantee 

here in Britain. I want that 

British dream. 

The stats show we haven’t 

had it in the past. In fact we 

don’t really have it in the 

present. It’s a shocking fact 

that only 1.5% of British TV is 

made by B.A.M.E directors. 

But the other thing we 

haven’t had, is this 

commitment from those at 

the very top of broadcasting, 

combined with the current 

level of strategy, finance, 

transparency, 

and 

accountability. 

This is the new system 

they’ve put in place, working 

together within the creative 

diversity network. 

Creative diversity Network. 

Yes we are trying to turn a 

tanker. But the tanker is 

turning. And we have so 

many great people to learn 

from, like Keli Lee at 

DisneyABC, who has done so 

much to change the face of 

American TV. Keli made sure 

that one of the most powerful 

people in American TV got 

their break. That is Shonda 

Rhymes, and those of you 

who haven’t heard of her, 

well you will… - She’s the 

creator of Grey’s Anatomy 

and Scandal among many 

other hit shows 

Shonda isn’t just THE 

ONLY black woman in 

America to have her own 

night on TV (with three hit 

shows back-to-back on one 

night). Shonda is the only 

person in America to have 

that. She’s done what no one 

else has. At least partly 

thanks to Keli. And Keli’s 

own Diverse Casting 

Initiative is responsible for a 

lot of the diverse talent we 

see onscreen, so it’s great 

news we’re looking to do 

something similar in the UK. 

And now, for the last time 

- I promise you - back to fast 

cars… I was surprised to hear, 

the CAR industry and steel 

industry combined don’t 

bring in as much cash to 

Britain as our creative 

industries. So let’s make sure 

our creative industries get all 

the talent this country has to 

offer: - whether that talent 

just walked out of Oxbridge, 

or off the factory floor. 

In conclusion, then, let’s 

have a bit of a Magna Carta 

moment in British 

Broadcasting. Let’s make 

things fairer. And let’s see 

who’s got what. Luckily we 

have just the thing. It’s taken 

British Broadcasting several 

years to develop, but it’s 

called Project DIAMOND. 

For the first time we’ll 

have hard data across the TV 

industry on who’s doing 

exactly what, where, and 

when. Let’s take the 

guesswork out of it. Our 

broadcasting industry will be 

the first in the world to have 

hard data about which 

groups are locked inside the 

box. It’ll show us which 

Broadcasters’ diversity 

policies work best. Once we 

know that, we can 

benchmark progress. 

And that’s all I’m asking: 

let’s make some serious 

progress. It’s what Lenny 

Henry and so many others 

have asked for. In conclusion, 

these are the things that will 

bring about change: 

l being more imaginative in 

all we do 

l fishing for talent more 

consistently across all 

groups, not just some groups 

l implementing transparent 

systems to benchmark what 

Broadcasters actually do 

l understanding “risk”, and 

re-evaluating commercial 

risk 

l implementing dozens of 

targeted policies 

l If you’re really interested 

(and I hope you’re ALL really 

interested), make Channel 

4’s Diversity Charter your 

bedtime reading. Google it. 

(It might keep you awake 

longer than you think!) 

l Check out what the BBC, 

Sky, ITV and others are doing 

to be more diverse. 

So my message today is 

let’s get more professional 

about this whole area - our 

economy depends on it; our 

future depends on it. 

Nelson Mandela said 

“anything difficult always 

seems impossible until it’s 

done.” But the good news is, 

we’re not trying to put a man 

on the moon. We’re just 

trying to redesign the face of 

British TV. And because 

British TV helps shape our 

world, and is the window 

onto our world, this is a 

debate for everyone. 

And yes, let’s make our 

cultural empire even more 

successful than our military 

empire. I’ll leave you with 

this thought: I don’t want to 

give away any spoilers, but in 

the new Star Wars film, isn’t 

it amazing the princess grows 

up to be a General??! 

Seriously: let that sink in: 

the princess grows up to be a 

General! That’s all I’m asking 

for - some proper 

imagination, untold stories, 

the road less travelled. 

Let’s think outside the 

box. In fact let’s smash the 

box. Given we’re in London 

let’s "MASH the box." G’wan, 

mash it up! Lords, Ladies and 

gentlemen, officers of the 

Empire, and any princesses, 

Thank you for listening! 

For more information on 

Creative Diversity Network 

visit; http://creative 

diversitynetwork.com/

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18:06 

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LEISUREWATcH 




19 

FashionWATCH 

BY OBAH IYAMU 

Certainly, the fashion world has 

seen no shortage of trends come, 

go and come again and dressing for 

seasons has slowly become 

expendable, so when you pick 

colours in the cold you are 

evidently a cool chic 

raINbow ColoUrs The new craze is about colours and 

indeed rainbows of colours, from stripes to paint splatters. 

Every designer worth their salt is showing this trend on 

everything, from bespoke 

tailorings to accessories 

and we are putting our 

money on this trend. A 

clever way to style this is 

to add a crisp white pallet, 

pulling you out from 

the clown costume territory 

to high fashion 

knowhow. 

Take cue 

from the 

streets 

and keep your colours effortlessly 

coordinated. Pick stripes 

that flatter you figure 

or show your 

loyalty with belts, 

shoes or scarves. 

mUm JEaNs 

Move over 

skinny jeans. 

Yes, we know 

how we can't do 

without our 

skinnies, but if 

you are not going to be stuck in a rut then 

a good pair of mum jeans is your road to 

jeans freedom. Channel the new, or should 

we say old?, craze in our denim life – as if 

we don’t need an excuse to hide those 

lumps and bumps we 

get from the modern 

rise in our jeans – 

this saving grace has 

a huge following and I totally covet it. However 

you decide to wear yours keep it fresh for 

2016, I'd actually wear mine with a fluid blouse 

now and cuff the ankles in the warmer months. 

ThEaTrE 

The rolling stone 

Dembe and Sam have been 

seeing each other for a while, 

but they're gay and this is 

Uganda. The consequences of 

their relationship being 

discovered will be explosive - 

especially for Dembe, whose 

brother goes into the pulpit 

each week to denounce the 

evils of mutual male love. 

Ongoing until 20 Feb, 

Matinees Thurs & Sat 2.30pm, 

evenings 7.30pm. From £20. 

Orange Tree Theatre, 1 

Clarence Street, Richmond, 

TW9 

www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk 

red Velvet 

Fortnight 

whaT To sEE aNd do oVEr ThE NExT 14 days... 

ma rainey, mother of the blues, 

uses every trick in the book to fight 

her record producers for control of 

her music. hardened by years of illtreatment 

and bad deals, she’s 

determined that ‘black bottom’, the 

song that bears her name, will be 

recorded her way. 

26 Jan - 18 May, Evening 

performances 7.15pm, matinees 

2.15pm days vary. Tickets from £15. 

National Theatre, South Bank SE1 

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk 

ma raINEy's blaCk boTTom 

Set in the Theatre Royal, 

Covent Garden, in 1833, a 

young black American actor 

has been asked to take over 

the lead role in Othello after 

the original actor collapses on 

stage. But as the public riot in 

the streets over the abolition 

of slavery, how will the cast, 

critics and audience react to 

the revolution taking place in 

the theatre? 

Ongoing until 27 Feb, 7.30pm 

evening performances, 

2.30pm Wed & Sat matinees. 

Tickets from £35. 

Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing 

Cross Road WC2H 

www.branaghtheatre.com 

a Tale of Two Cities: a night 

of hip-hop and poetry 

Bringing together young 

poets, Hip-Hop artists and 

filmmakers from across 

London to share their stories 

of the city. This evening 

provides the chance to 

release the tensions that 

come with the daily struggle 

of (just about) surviving in 

the city. 

30 Jan, 8pm 

Rich Mix 

35-47 Bethnal Green Road E1 

www.richmix.org.uk 

Can I start again Please? 

A beautiful, meditative and 

moving performance that 

investigates childhood 

trauma and, ultimately, how 

we might find techniques to 

cope. 

6 - 7 Feb, 2pm Tickets £14 

Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere 

Road SE1 

www.southbankcentre.co.uk 

FIlm 

The Price of memory 

Presenting the powerful case 

for social and economic 

reparations for slavery in 

Jamaica. Shot over 10 years, 

the film incorporates 

extensive research and a rich 

array of contemporary 

footage. 

Screening followed by 

discussion. 

30 Jan, 2pm.Tickets £6. 

BFI Southbank, Belvedere 

Road SE1 

https://whatson.bfi.org.uk 

soulmate 

A Christian journey into the 

realities facing single African 

American women. A deeply 

personal portrait revealing 

the trials, and triumphs of 

women, the desire for sexual 

intimacy, men on the “down 

low”, the ticking biological 

clock and the uncertainty of 

the future. 

13 Feb, 7pm. Tickets £10 

Town Hall Approach Road, 

Tottenham Green N15 

www.berniegrantcentre.co.uk 

ExhIbTIoNs 

red africa 

Comprising an exhibition, 

film screenings, talks and 

events exploring the legacy of 

the cultural relationships 

between Africa and the 

Soviet Bloc that flourished 

during the Cold War. 

4 Feb - 3 Apr, 12pm - 6pm, 

Wed — Sun. 

Calvert 22, 22 Calvert Avenue 

E2 

http://calvert22.org/redafrica 

‘sand In my Eyes: sudanese 

moments’ 

Presenting very different 

images to those one might 

expect from Sudan, Enikö 

Nagy has spent several years 

collecting everyday moments 

– in photography and spoken 

word – from over 45 tribes 

and ethnic groups across 

30,000km of Sudan in some

20 LEISUREWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 



of the hardest-to-access 

regions of the world. 

Ongoing until 19 Mar, 10.30am 

- 5pm. 

Brunei Gallery, SOAS 

University of London, 

Thornhaugh Street, Russell 

Square WC1 

www.soas.ac.uk 

robel Temesgen: adbar 

New paintings and works 

inspired by the longstanding 

Ethiopian belief of adbar and 

its associated rituals. ‘adbar’ 

refers to the embodiment of 

protective spirits within 

various elements of the 

natural landscape, such as 

lakes, mountains, rocks or 

trees. 

Ongoing - 6 Feb, 11am - 6pm. 

FREE 

Tiwani Contemporary, 16 

Little Portland Street W1 

www.tiwani.co.uk 

loNdoN’s goT TalENT 

alter Ego 2016 Final 

Featuring performances by 

headline acts Ghetts, Rude Kid 

and Paigey Cakey, alongside 

the best talent that young 

Hackney has to offer; singers, 

dancers and rappers, who will 

all be competing for the title 

'Alter Ego 2016'. 

This year's finalists are Aysia 

Edwards, Rio-Cavelle Phillips, 

Jessica Fernandes, Urban 

Vinyls, Josh Tenor, City 

Academy Choir, Katie Wilson, 

Steppaz and Princess 

Olowogboye. 

5 Feb, 7.30pm. Advance 

tickets £4. 

boroughs United 2016 

Young London's liveliest 

talent showcase & 

#enoughisenough peace 

campaign. Dedicated to the 

memory of Marcel Addai and 

every young person lost 

through youth violence. 

Bringing together young 

singers, rappers, emcees and 

dance troupes from across 

London's 33 boroughs and 

beyond in celebration of the 

positive contributions young 

people make to our society 

everyday. 

14 Feb, 5pm Tickets £6. 

Hackney Empire, 291 Mare St 

E8 

www.hackneyempire.co.uk 

Hackney Empire, 291 Mare St E8 

www.hackneyempire.co.uk 

basketmouth Valentines Uk 

Tour 2016 

Basketmouth in Concert with 

Olamide; Lil Kesh, Adekunle 

Gold: YBNL. And comedians 

including: Okey Bakassi; 

Buchi; Salvador; Funnybone; 

Acapella and Bowjoint 

The concert is an annual 

initiative aimed at promoting 

African Arts & supporting the 

AfroCarribean Societies 

within UK universities. 

14 Feb, 11pm. Tickets from £25 

Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen 

Caroline Street W6 

www.coko 

bar.com 

mUsIC 

afrobeat Vibration 

Dele Sosimi marathon live 

session with Femi Eilias, 

Olakunle Olofinjana and DJ 

Koichi Sakai. 

30 Jan, 9pm. Tickets £10. 

The Forge, 3-7 Delancey St 

NW1 

www.forgevenue.org 

massive attack 

Touring for the first time in 

over five years, with Young 

Fathers in support. 

3 Feb, 7pm. Tickets from £25 

O2 Academy Brixton, 211 

Stockwell Road SW9 

www.academy 

musicgroup.com 

african routes 

Nine artists, including works 

from members of the 

collective Nigerian Art 

Society UK, Toni Ndikanwu, 

Chike Azuonye, Hassan Aliyu 

and Raymond Soko, show 

works that contribute to the 

personal, physical, and 

philosophical journey of 

artists from Africa. 

Ongoing until 6 Feb. Tues – 

Fri: 10am - 6pm, Sat: 11am – 

5pm. FREE 

Lacey Contemporary Gallery, 

8 Clarendon Cross W11 

www.laceycontemporarygalle 

ry.co.uk 

daNCE 

live Vibe: generations 

Hakeem ‘Mr Impact’ 

Onibudo welcomes you to a 

celebration of hip hop, street 

and African-inspired dance 

including; Ace Youth, 

BirdGang, Boadicea, CAOS 

Fly No Filter, Impact FFI, 

Impact Youth, Jack Pointer 

Mackenzie, Myself UK,North 

Africa Dynamics, Urdang 

Academy, Rapture, SoH! and 

Zoonation Youth. 

6 Feb, 7.30pm. Tickets from 

£10. 

Peacock Theatre 

www.sadlerswells.com 

ComEdy 

stephen k amos 

Feel-good comedy, as heard 

on BBC Radio 4 Life: An 

Idiot’s Guide and What 

Does the K Stand For? 

13 Feb, 7.30pm. Tickets £20.

LEISUREWATcH 




21 

dele sosimi 

appearing at 

the Forge see 

music listings 

mark kirk quartet 

Live Jazz from Los Angeles 

Trombonist Mark Kirk leads 

his quartet through cool R&B 

rhythms fusing Jazz with a 

Latin and reggae tinge along 

the way. 

5 Feb, 9pm. FREE 

The Ship, 499 High Road, 

Tottenham N17 

www.haringey.gov.uk 

makeba 

A fresh new take on 

emerging art and music from 

the African Diaspora, hosted 

by the incomparable Ola the 

Comedian. 

9 Feb, 8pm. Tickets £5. 

Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green 

Rd E1 

makeba.co.uk 

london remixed Festival 

A celebration of the best 

emerging musical talent from 

Global London, with Latin 

Grooves, Afrobeats, Tropical 

Bass and Urban Roots, 

including; Movimientos, 

Numbiyan Twist, K.O.G. & 

The Zongo Brigade, Native 

Sun, Baldo Verdu & Tonto 

Malembe amongst the 25 acts 

performing over two days. 

5 - 6 Feb, from 8pm. 

Various venues, see website 

for ticket details. 

londonremixedfestival.com 

oThEr 

aswa: let's Talk business 

Workshops run by special 

guest entrepreneurs, thought 

provoking discussions and a 

FREE screening of the hardhitting 

7AM Documentary, 

the first in-depth 

documentary focusing on 

black socioeconomics. 

30 Jan, 10 am - 5pm. FREE. 

Registration required. 

London College of 

Communication, Elephant & 

Castle SE1 

www.instagram.com/aswauk 

International zero 

Tolerance to Fgm day 

Bringing together agencies 

supporting communities 

affected with FGM and 

domestic and sexual violence 

in Enfield, aiming to see an 

end to violence against 

women and girls. 

5 Feb, 10 am - 2pm. FREE 

Dugdale Centre, Enfield, EN2 

www.projectacei.org 

North london’s got Talent 

Raising money for North 

London Hospice competition 

open to talented individuals 

with cash prizes for the 

winners, categories are; 

Comedy, Community events, 

Music and Theatre and dance. 

6 Feb 

Artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, 

Tally Ho Corner, North 

Finchley N12 

Contact 

fbarry@northlondonhospice.c 

o.uk for details. 

west africa: word, symbol, 

song short film workshop 

Led by Daniel Onyia, a British 

film-maker of Nigerian 

heritage working with 

storytelling, photography, 

sound and music, to develop 

a film around the themes and 

content in British Library 

exhibition. 

Prosepective participants 

need to email Ann-Lise Fotso, 

at The Africa Centre on 

events@africacentre.org.uk 

by Monday 25 February 2016. 

www.bl.uk/events/westafrica-word-symbol-song 

ICsN general house meet-up 

Networking, socialising, 

debates and games every 

second Sunday of the month. 

13 Feb, 6pm - 9pm. From £5. 

Score Centre, 100 Oliver Road 

E10 

www.icsn.co.uk 

wEsT aFrICa: word, symbol,soNg 

There’s one month to go before the British Library’s West Africa exhibition, Word, Symbol, Song 

comes to an end. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience over 1,000 years of literature 

and music from the great African empires of the Middle Ages to the cultural dynamism of the 

region today. 

Events accompanying the 

exhibition include; 

art, literature and 

Environmental Justice 

The role of arts in the fight for 

environmental justice in West 

Africa and beyond 

A panel including writer Helon 

Habila, artists Sokari Douglas 

Camp and Michael McMillan, 

designer Jon Daniel and 

artist-campaigner Suzanne 

Dhaliwal discuss the role of 

the arts in the fight for 

environmental justice in West 

Africa and beyond. 

5 Feb, 6pm - 8.30pm. Tickets 

£8 

late at the library: ghana 

beats 

Playing a full live set will be 

the incredible Ghanaian duo 

FOKN Bois (below) - Wanlov 

the Kubolor and fellow emcee 

M3NSA, joined by Brixton 

based band Yaaba Funk with 

their infectious highlife-led 

dance grooves, with Larry 

Achiampong DJing. 

12 Feb, 7.30pm - 11.55pm. 

Tickets £20 

wole soyinka in 

conversation 

A wide-ranging conversation 

with Wole Soyinka and Olusola 

Oyeleye. 

5 Feb, 6.30pm - 8pm. 

Tickets £12 

Ongoing until 16 Feb 2016, 

Mon, Fri: 9.30am - 6pm, Tue, 

Wed, Thu : 9.30am - 8pm, 

Sat: 9.30am - 5pm, Sun: 

11.00am - 5pm. 

Admission £10.00; Under 18: 

Free 

British Library,96 Euston Rd 

NW1 

www.bl.uk 

BEHIND 

THE SCENES 

with Lace Mamen 

aIrklIPz-The Nigerian Uk Naz & you 

know ya boy 

bTs boys are on the scene, 

bringing you the hottest interviews 

from the people making 

it happen in the Uk african entertainment 

scene. we also 

find out ways that the scene 

can be improved. I caught up 

with a guy I worked with years 

ago, airklipz, aka Uk Nigerian 

Naz, because of his conscious 

lyrics on everything concerning 

his people. 

so, 2016 bTs interview and 

even before we sat down, first 

thing airklipz told me was: 

BTS gets it in with Amy osabohien, cEo Amy media/blogger/ model/ 

Host and Presenter on power extra Radio uK 

Finding inspirational ladies in the Niche sector of Uk african 

entertainment is not as hard as you might think. The difficulty 

is finding the real ones that can inspire others as opposed to 

the too-gassed to hustle kinds. They don’t come realer 

than the successful, intelligent, radio presenter, blogger, 

host, presenter and plus size model amy osabohien. 

bTs boys took amy for a game of pool and a chat as we 

do and trust me it wasn’t so hard as she was sooo much fun. 

we took it from 0 to 100 on amy’s rise, her plans for 2016, inspiration 

and advice for the ladies. 

born in the Uk, grew up in Nigeria, moved back to the Uk a 

few years ago, amy studied business information systems at 

University of East london, this was her academic choice and not by parental pressure (I am starting to 

think only african dudes parents want to pick careers for them, haha). amy came from Nigeria and 

found her close friend barbara amelia was modelling. “she was a size 10 but I was a plus size,” recalls 

amy. “I wanted to model, so I trained hard on how to be comfortably naked in front of people - that’s 

the business. The problem is not that you are a plus size model, it’s more about confidence. I 

did a lot of Freelance shots to get comfortable with my weight. once I was comfortable, jobs started 

coming in from websites I was a part of. I did the mahogany bridal show, adidas, music videos and 

afrodite hair presentation which led to a presentation opportunity from a video producer. I discovered 

that when you have confidence, it shows. Now I have it, I want to give it to all the plus 

size models out there. 

“I was schooling, working and modelling. Then I 

started a blog for african news, fashion, reviews, 

bEhINd ThE sCENEs hEaT 

ToP 5 Video’s of the week 

wretch 32 & avelino ft sneakbo and 

moelogo - The 15th 

oluwa shimzie ft big Tobz - hustle 

on my lonely 

kC Pozzy - who gave you That 

airklipz ft bingz - balance 

maleek berry ft sneakbo - For my 

People 

Send your music videos to info@btsbehindthescenes.com 

to be considered for 

our video of the week. 

“bro, as africans , our music 

seems to have lost touch with 

our struggles.” 

airklipz started doing music in 

Nigeria at a tender age; he then 

went to live in the Usa where he 

said he got his today’s perspective. 

“I saw black struggle in 

america, and this made me. as a 

british born, I came back here to 

live and I realised everyone’s 

black struggle is different and Uk 

africans do not talk about it in 

their music. besides FEla we 

have had nobody who talks about 

our struggles. The recognized 

promoters and others at the top 

are only interested in ‘shaking 

ass and spending money music’ 

- but that is not even 50% of an 

african story. 

“we are not doing or saying 

what we need to be saying or 

looking at as Nigerians or 

africans. americans and the 

Uk do it but why not africans? 

my music is directed at mind 

education and awareness of 

your surroundings. I have just 

come from Nigeria where it 

seems like things are moving 

forward but they are not, it’s 

the same ol’ - no infrastructure 

, no electricity, no roads 

but more corruption! In october 

I’m releasing an album of 

my own and also for a group I 

mentor called 4ma. I got a 

video out now called balance – 

airklipz ft bingx. also out is my 

current mixtape called The 

subliminal. I will also be releasing 

a single soon called 

war business (the remix) with 

lace mamen. 

Check airklipz out on airklipz@bandcamp.com 

events and politics. I got an opportunity with the 

owners of Power extra radio station from planning 

stages and in 2016 april, I will be celebrating 2 years 

on air a radio presenter. on my radio show I play afro 

beats music, discuss fashion, entertainment and relationships. 

“2016 is busy for me, I am doing a Plus size modelling 

reality show with sky, a plus size magazine 

with alice, presenting a TV styling show and being 

the face of zuware couture clothing and Jewellery. 

Then in the last quarter of 2016, I will be working in 

Nigeria on a female empowerment programme. my 

plan is developing amy media.” 

should you have a song to promote or anything 

you feel amy can help you with? Contact her at amymediablog.com 

on that note I’m potting the black ball and moving 

this party a little nearer to the dancefloor.

Promote your 

Business 

BUSINESS DIRECTORY 

SMALL ADS 

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SPORTSWATcH 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 

23 

GIFTS 

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For those in Nigeria 

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Paperback £9.30 Hardback £13.60 E-book £2.60 

REPARTIATION 

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of international repatriation services to funeral 

directors, private families and corporate clients. 

We offer 24/7 assistance and have five local 

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or call 0800 008 6867 

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To advertise 

call 0208 588 9640 

or email sales@nigerianwatch.com 

mUsa hEads PrEm waNTEd lIsT 

As the transfer window sets to close 

English Premier League clubs are 

looking to beef up their squads with 

Nigerian talent. 

Struggling Premiership giants 

Manchester United have joined the race 

to sign Super Eagles skipper Ahmed 

Musa after league leaders Leicester City 

had a £15.1m bid for the winger rejected 

by his Russian club CSKA Moscow. 

With the European transfer window 

open until January 31, clubs across the 

continent are intensifying their efforts 

to sign several players over the 

weekend. 

Leicester, who are the surprise 

leaders of the Premiership, were hoping 

to strengthen their title credentials by 

bringing in the pacey Musa to play 

upfront alongside their leading 

goalscorer Jamie Vardie and fellow 

African winger Riyad Mahrez of Algeria. 

Musa, 23, currently has a $32.5m 

(£22.8m) buyout clause in his CSKA 

contract, which runs until 2019, 

meaning that any club which bids for 

this amount can have him. 

Leicester City is expected to return 

with an improved bid for the player who 

has scored 10 goals in 29 games this 

maraThoN world rECord 

From page 24 This record means so much to me. My health was 

really deteriorating and the doctors continuously told me I had 

to change my lifestyle. All I wanted was to lose weight but the 

more I pushed myself the more I wanted. Running the Seven 

continents twice and becoming the first Nigerian 

to run all Seven Continents and the North Pole to 

top it up with a GWR means so much. 

“When I was a child, my parents bought 

every copy of the Guinness World Records that 

was published. I remember saying to myself that 

one day that will be me.” 

An accountant by profession and mother to 

four boys currently living in Qatar, Morgan 

began her record-breaking journey with a desire 

to change her unhealthy lifestyle, having 

ballooned from 63kg to 121kg. 

“Prior to getting married, I was a slim woman 

with an average weight of 63 kg,” recalls Tee. 

“However, with each child came an addition to 

my weight and by January 2008, I stared 

regretfully at my 121 kg/Size 26 (UK) frame! Over 

the years, I had developed an unhealthy lifestyle 

and relationship with food. This seriously affected my health and 

I lived with constant pain in my legs due to the weight I had 

gained. 

season and 11 times in 56 appearances 

for Nigeria. 

However, Manchester United, who 

are struggling in the league are said to 

have entered the fray with a bid of their 

own. It is believed that the Old Trafford 

side have got in touch with Musa's 

London agency but the full details of the 

bid have not been disclosed. 

Leicester, however, remain in the 

driving seat and the club is expected to 

make another bid to CSKA Moscow 

within the next 40 hours. Last year, 

CSKA offered Musa a new contract 

which lasts until 2019, making acquiring 

his signature very costly. 

Meanwhile, Newcastle, Everton, 

Swansea and Werder Bremen all 

interested in Super Eagles midfielder 

Ogenyi Onazi, who is currently out of 

favour with his Italian club Lazio. It is 

believed that the Serie A side are ready 

to sell the anchorman, who has just 

returned from injury, to the highest 

bidder. 

Italian news outlet Calciomercato 

reported that Lazio value Onazi at 

£5.3m, adding that Lazio president 

Claudio Lotito will allow Onazi, 23, to 

leave the club this month, if the price is 

right. 

London rivals Crystal Palace and 

West Ham are vying to sign Fernebahce 

striker Emmanuel Emenike. Last week, 

the Hammers made an offer to take the 

28-year-old on loan with the view to a 

permanent transfer in the summer but 

their fellow Londoners known as the 

Eagles have decided to enter the fray 

too. Palace boss 

Alan Pardew wants another option 

up-front as he could lose Connor 

Wickham for three matches after he was 

charged by the FA with violent conduct. 

Emenike, who was of interest to 

Tottenham several years ago, has been 

playing on loan in Dubai for Al Ain and 

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic knows him 

from his time in charge of Besiktas in 

Turkey. 

Finally, Super Falcons' Asisat Oshoala 

is close to joining Women Super League 

side, Arsenal Ladies, after Liverpool 

Ladies reluctantly accepted an offer for 

the player. The Gunners have activated a 

release clause in the Super Falcons' 

striker contract with the Reds and the 

transfer will be completed after the 21- 

year-old receives a work permit ahead 

of the 2016 season. 

“I decided then that it was time to make a change. Joining a 

gym was my first positive decision. I started walking on the 

treadmill and as soon as I could run a 5 k on the treadmill, I went 

outdoors and started running on the road. I am very proud to 

say that I have since completed 44 full marathons in 34 

countries, plus two Ultra marathon 50 km.” 

But that’s not the end of the road for Tee, who plans to run 

more marathons and attempt to win more 

records. 

“I fully intend to run hundreds marathons in 

lots of countries and continue to meet new people 

and inspire them. I know I want more Guinness 

World Records titles. 

“I want to attempt a record in cycling: Fastest 

journey from Land's End to John-O'-Groats by 

bicycle (female) and one day Fastest 

circumnavigation by bicycle (female). That will 

require a lot of commitment and focus but am 

mentally preparing myself.” 

When she runs each marathon, Morgan raises 

funds for the National Black Marathoners 

Association – an organisation which encourages 

black youth to pursue track and field activities and 

awards scholarships to college students. She is also 

the co-founder of a group called Women 

Encouraging Women to live healthily. You can follow Morgan’s 

fitness journey on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tee- 

Morgans-Fitness-Adventures

24 


29 Jan - 11 Feb 2016 

INsIdE 

Premiership transfer dash 

to land Nigerian talents 



SportsWATCH 

mARATHon RunnER SETS TWo 

WoRld 

REcoRdS 

Nigeria's Tuedon “Tee” Omatsola Morgan has entered 

the Guinness Book of World Records TWICE for her 

amazing feats of marathon running. 

First for setting the fastest time to run a half marathon on 

each continent (female), completing seven races in a mindblowing 

time of 10 days, 23 hr, 37 min and 8 seconds. 

At 42 years old, Tee finished (in order) the Carlton Classic 

Half Marathon (Australia), Abu Dhabi Striders Half Marathon 

(Asia), Torcy International Half Marathon (Europe), The 

Carthage Race Half Marathon (Africa), Lincoln’s Birthday Half 

Marathon (North America), Southern Cross Half Marathon 

(South America), and Penguin Half Marathon (Antarctica). 

And second for setting the fastest time to complete a half 

marathon on each continent and the North Pole (female), 

with 62 days 12 hr 58 min 49 sec. 

Indeed when Tee competed in the polar marathon she 

became the first Nigerian to reach the North Pole, as we 

reported at the time. 

On being notified that she had entered the Guinness Book 

of World Records, Tee told Nigerian Watch, “My hands were 

shaking and I felt tears down my cheeks. Turn to page 23 

lEFT: In receipt of two world 

records dubai Jan 21st 

rIghT: Completing The Penguin 

half marathon antarctica 

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