Top Female Architect, Fifi Ejindu`s Pact With President Jonathan

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan recently inaugurated the National Heritage Council & Endowment For The Arts in Abuja and one of those charged to bring their wealth of experience to bear is no one but one of Nigeria`s epitome of beauty and brain, Arc. Fifi Ejindu.

The choice of Fifi Ejindu as one of the members of the public private initiative, we gathered was precipitated from her impressive track records and passion for fashion, culture and philanthropy.

Hers is not all about beauty, she`s scored many first, both in academics and career.

During her college days, the graduate of the prestigious Pratt Institute of Architecture, New York, USA came out in flying colours when she beat her course mates to earn herself an enviable status of a First Class student in a male dominated career, and not just that, the paragon of beauty is holding a record as the very first female African Architecture graduate in that school.

Golden fish they say have no hiding place, little wonder she`s been one of Nigeria`s most celebrated female Architects. Architect Fifi has done quite a lot in the area of service to humanity.

A woman full of high taste for fashion and panache, aside being on board of National Heritage Council, she`s also part of the forthcoming celebration of Africa fashion and culture in the United Kingdom, The Africa Fashion Week that holds in Dorschester, in London.

As a member of the National Heritage Council and Endowment For The Arts, they`re charged to ensure the protection and conservation of places and objects of heritage significance and the registration of such places and objects; integrate heritage management into the planning system of government and the private sector and placement of heritage as a priority for nation-building and national identity.

According to her when she spoke briefly with your soar away National Enquirer, the aim is to secure funding, develop policies for the sector, create public awareness and education and encourage knowledge production in heritage subjects that place special emphasis on the development of living heritage projects and build a nation proud of its heritage.

She`s indeed a worthy ambassador of our culture and heritage.

Ex-Bandit Turned Prophet, Shina Rambo Rare Confession! “Yes, I Slept With My Mom, Pounded 100 Babies Alive, Killed Police For Fun…”

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, I was garbed in a pair of jeans, on a pair of Timberland boots, a military sweat shirt, and my JackMoody denim jacket. I had been attacked by men of the underworld the night before whilst we were on production, at the office. So I slung my black Ted Baker satchel across my right shoulder, armed with my camera, my midget, and some other small gizmos, I was more determined, to embark on this adventure, than ever before. I was headed for the ancient city of brown roofs, Ibadan where a one-time Nigeria’s most notorious and dreaded bandit that ever lived SHINA RAMBO mounted the pulpit to preach!!! What an irony you would say.

Now Mathew Oluwanifemi, Shina Rambo was a name that sent shivers down the spine of people who lived in the South West of Nigeria and even outside Nigeria, like Benin Republic and neighbourhood, in the 1990’s. He was a hardened criminal, a terror and killer, one whom men of the security agencies will never forget in a haste! A man mountain, towering about 6ft 5inch, well built, dark skinned and sweltering eyes, he carried out his operations, like  a movie, in the broad day light, with sophisticated weapons, and bullet belts and explosives strapped roundabout him! He specialized in robbing exotic cars on highways and banks. Nothing could stop him, not even security operatives, he was totally invincible. He was Shina Rambo!

He was born in the year 1958 to a military man who was a bad egg in the service. His father was from Abeokuta in Ogun state, but his mother was a native of Sabongida–Ora in Edo state. His father had over 18 wives, as was the norm for soldiers to impregnate virtually every woman they met where they were posted to! His father used his military influence to rob innocent citizens, and always brought huge amount of money home! This used to entice little Shina. He recalls, “I remembered when I was about 7 years old, my father came home with a lot of money, foreign currencies, with blood on it, and they were using something like a woman’s scarf to wipe it, then I asked him, is this an animal’s blood, or human blood?  But he wouldn’t answer me, they were just drinking, smoking, and merry making.”

Shina was already indoctrinated into the underworld by his father at a tender age of 7 without him knowing it, as he would sit in front of his son, to dismantle and assemble all sorts of weapons and then polishing them in preparation for an operation! This went on for so long till one day, little Shina, entered into his father’s room while he had stepped into the toilet, and saw a dismembered gun on the floor. He sat down in front of it, and bit by bit, he had assembled it effortlessly in no time at all. His father came out of the toilet, and saw his son, with a loaded gun in his hands. Shina flashed back and said, “That day my father was so disappointed, that he wanted to kill me, he grabbed the gun from my hand and shot straight at me, but I miraculously escaped out of the room. Then he waited for me to be less alert at night he came to my room with a machete and tried to behead me, but once again, I escaped, but the machete caught my left leg. (rolled up his trouser to show us the large scar, that made everyone sighed in pity). It cut me so deep I thought I was never going to walk again.  That day I knew I had graduated, all that was left was to pull the trigger, and I was so eager!

Shina Rambo became so notorious in no time, and was hell bent on succeeding in his career as an armed robber, that he went through any length to secure spiritual powers for fortification. To the extent of pounding over 27 live new born babies in the mortar with a pestle, cutting off about 100 human tongues and cooking them to eat, visiting the spiritual river called river of life in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State, living in an Iroko tree for days, and sleeping in the cemetery. He was given a spiritual wife who always followed him for any operation, she dressed like an Alhaja, people thought she was human, but she was a spirit, that was why they never saw her face.  He said she was his personal driver, that she could drive from Nigeria to Cotonou, in the speed of light. Hear him. ”I was involved in so many rituals, that I can’t start naming them now, I was so powerful, I went underground, inside trees that looked like a city, a lot of beautiful houses inside the tree, I had my own too, I went into a river called  River of life in Ogoja, where a lot of politicians and wealthy men used to come, I had several personalities, I could change my form whenever I wanted to, that’s why the police were busy killing innocent people, and thought they were killing Shina Rambo. The 9 herbalists that gave me that power, I became stronger than them, one day I went to their shrines, and killed all of them, so that they don’t reveal my secrets. I had too many powers; my spiritual wife could drive any car in this world or out of it, no police vehicle, or anyone for that matter, could ever chase and catch me during an operation. She was out of this world, and when she had completed her operation, they took her away from me. I could give anything to get powers, and the elders knew, so they also gave me anything I wanted. I once beheaded hundred men, and gave them the heads fresh, they were so happy with me that they made me invincible. No matter the kind of bullet you shot at me, it was just like pure water on my body. I could give anything to get power, but of all the things I did to get power, the one that still breaks my heart the most, is sleeping with my mother. My father is dead now, but my mother is still alive, and she lives with me she is 85 years old, whenever I set my eyes on her, I just start crying. I can`t bear it.

Shina Rambo was a raging terror, he was infallibly dangerous, the police dreaded him, both in Nigeria, and Benin Republic, his place of interest for business. He would go to police stations, in broad daylight and kill every policeman there, drive to check points and open fire on every policeman on duty, he didn’t like the police at all, and was never afraid of them, he operated in broad day light armed to the teeth looking like Johny Rambo, in the popular Sylvester Stalone movie, “First Blood”! He once robbed 40 exotic cars in one day and drove all of them in a convoy, from Lagos to Cotonou, unstopped. He was powerful; he was wealthy, and impenetrable. He was a tin god, apparently belched from the very arroyo hell, we all dreaded him. He had a wife and three children, but he lost all of them in one day during a bloody police raid whilst he was away on operation. His wife was his stabilizing factor his life changed afterwards. He says “my wife was everything to me, I was forbidden by the elders to sleep with any other woman apart from her, I could gather about 50 women around me in a hotel, and they will just be playing with me, we would smoke, drink, and sniff cocaine, I will give them money but I will never sleep with them, I will go back home to my wife and sleep with her. That was why the police never caught me. She knew my job, she knew what I was, I never left them alone at night, I operated in the day time and go back home to my family at night. I had everything, I was very wealthy, I once spent 50 million naira in a day.  I did it a lot, there was one day that we were coming from an operation and it seemed as if my powers were going to fail me, the police and the army were almost closing in on us, so we had to drive into a crowd and threw millions of naira in the air, there was commotion, everybody was busy picking naira notes even the police, until we escaped. I was too rich, but anything the devil gives you never lasts, he will collect more from you, it’s only the devil that will give you Fila, (cap) and ask for Iro and Buba.(wrapper and top)   I lost everything, all the money, my family; I was so powerful the police couldn’t catch me but I lost it all, I had to surrender myself to the police, and I was arrested and jailed for 11 years. When I was serving my jail term in Agodi prisons, Ibadan, Prophet T.O Obadare came visiting, and having been encouraged several times by the Christian brothers and sisters in the prison to give my life to Christ, he prayed for me and converted me, and changed my name to Oluwanifemi, and it was so miraculous, the next day I woke up and started speaking in tongues. It was during the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo, that we were granted freedom.

At this point, I was glued to my seat, the revival where Shina Rambo gave this exclusive confession was on an open ground revival in the ancient city of Ibadan, right in front of me, on stage, was Evangelist Mathew Oluwanifemi, the once feared Shina Rambo, clad in a loose fitting shirt, black pants and a pair of leather sandals with a black Holy Bible in his hands, gigantic dark skinned and bald headed, still had those fiery looks, and stealth movement.  I was more transfixed than focused, God is indeed awesome, he picked the offering basket  raised it to the congregation  prayed and asked who had anything to give to  God,  at first  I was reluctant, my mind was occupied and out of  an innate compulsion, sheer curiosity I stood up, dipped my hand in my pocket walked towards him briskly and calculatedly  brought out my offering, dropped it into the basket, and looked deep into his eyes, I had too many things to ask him, there were too many questions unanswered. He looked back at me, and spoke in Yoruba, saying God bless you my brother; we know your type when we see them. The congregation broke into a mild giggle, as all eyes were on me as I went back to my seat, with a lot of things on my mind, and the red light on my midget still blinking, in the breast pocket of my jacket…..

To be continued……

BILLIONAIRE FEMI OTEDOLA’S DAUGHTER “CUPPY” VENTURES INTO MUSIC… DROPS “I LOVE NIGERIA”

Yours truly is glad to announce to you that we now have another Omo Baba Olowo in the entertainment industry thus Davido needs to think twice when he’s boasting about his father’s wealth.  Yeah, it’s the daughter of billionaire Femi Otedola that has just joined the music industry and even dropped her single titled “I love Nigeria”. Originally named Florence Otedola, she`s a 27 years old UK based DJ. Those who have listened to Cuppy’s song claim its techno music.  We heard the newest face who’s now in Nigeria performed at Reeds, Ikoyi last weekend and it was a blast. Anyways let us hope she is for real.

Darkest Secrets Of Rivers New Speaker, Expelled From Police College

Stunning facts have emerged on the other side and notorious lifestyles of the man who threw caution to the wind, in a respected chamber meant for men of honour, Lawmakers to eventually forced his way by beating fellow lawmakers with clubs and all sorts of dangerous weapons to become the new speaker of Rivers State, Hon. Evans Bokapaye Bipi.

Unknown to many, the lawmaker who`s representing Ogu/Bolo constituency in Rivers State is actually a cousin of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and it was on the basis of this that, the man who we gathered is a notorious thug and one of the militants that were given amnesty by the federal government years back.

This office` checks on the profile of Evans Bipi revealed that, the man was in charge of the militants` armoury when they were tormenting the whole nation and shortly after the amnesty, he was given a recommendation from Dame Patience Jonathan who was then the first lady of Bayelsa State to fill the State`s quota at the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano in 2005.

Bubble burst when some armed-to-the-teeth military men stormed the parade ground of the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano where police cadet officers were having their training, that was in 2006 and the person they came for was no one but the notorious Evans Bipi whom they discovered had been involved in so many atrocities and various crimes.

Evans Bipi, this office gathered was whisked away in public glare in heavy handcuffs and this became topics for weeks amongst his course mates at the police academy, though we gathered his godmother pressed buttons for his immediate release, it was Patience Jonathan that “covered” him from being prosecuted, by the time he was sent back to the academy to wrap up his training, the Police Inspector General then, Sunday Ehindero had given the Commandant, AIG Ngaja Egbe Njom (retd.) an order never to allow him stay in the midst of the innocent cadets so as not to corrupt them, he was said to be labeled a bad egg and not fit to be trained as a police cadet officer.

Tried as she could, the IG was said to have shunned Patience who was just the Bayelsa First Lady then and in turn, Evans was absorbed and the rest like they say is the history we`re facing right now. When the Jonathans got to Abuja, Evans was one of the closest ‘errand’ boys of Dame Patience and we were told that the man made so much money that, he started misbehaving until he was positioned to run for an elective office.

And the gist in town now is that, there`s more to this script than meets the eyes as a close source to Dame Jonathan who confided in your soar away National Enquirer have it that, the game has just begun.

Jite Usman.      

"Don`t Want My Kids To Play Music But…."-Sunny Melody

He`s not one of those run on the mills types of musician, he`s with a style. Born Sunday Adeola Ogunyemi with a stage name Sunny Melody, the London based talented musician is one of the few University graduates in the Yoruba musical genre. Equipped with an enviable degree in Business Administration from the Ogun State University now Olabisi Onabanjo University, there`s no doubting the fact that, Sunny Melody did not stray into the singing profession just like many others. He spoke with Enquirer`s Faith Irabor shortly before he was hosted by this magazine. You would enjoy the excerpts: 

We can see you have flair for traveling criss crossing around the globe?

Yeah I’ve been everywhere you know I’ve been to Canada, America, South Africa and Ghana lately so I’ve                    been everywhere.

So far what’s been happening in that South Africa you’ve been shuttling lately?

Yeah I found out that South Africa is more like my second home I’ve got quite a lot of fans there now.

How do you discover them, who discovered you?

It was just a guy, we met through another guy you know and he invited me over to do some shows and the first show, second, third and you know the rest is history.

In the spate of one year I can suggest you’ve gone like four times?

Yeah I’ve been there four times within the last few years and it’s been very good I have a fan base there now.

How did this whole thing start?

 Music you know, it started from the church

Celestial church?

I’m not celestial, I’m an Anglican African, it started from the church, in fact I can’t  remember,  from when I was so little I remember when I was playing the Agogo komkom, the Agogo (bell) is the strange one but it`s the metal

Is it the one used by the town crier?

Yeah that’s the one we call it Agogo I don’t know the English name anyway, it’s not a bell but we call it Agogo, it’s different from the normal bell that the Celestial used for their services but this one is the Agogo, I started with the Agogo then, from there I graduated to the Akuba drum and all that, then from there I graduated to drum, I could eventually play anything.

That’s where I’m coming to, I was at a show with you last year and after the show we were like just playing and you were on the instrument playing with all the instruments

Yea I could play all the drums and I could play keyboard as well.

And how would you describe your kind of music?

My kind of music, I call it fast tempo Juju music, I’m sorry to say its not Afro Juju you know put it that way.

Do you mean your kind of music as in a world of its own?

Yeah it’s just in a world of its own because if you listen to my music it is not the usual everyday song

The beat is either too fast or you are giving us something different or mixing everything together

And the tone that they use to play it is not the same tone that I use like the juju tone, Juju is synonymous with a kind of tone that everybody will say oh that is a Juju musician playing you know,  when you listen to my music you know is not Fuji,  Afro, Apala, it’s just close to Juju

But at times you deviate completely?

Sometimes I do that.

I have observed that

I call it tom casting

How do you come about the name Quintessential?

Thank you, I do research on my own it’s just like you know normally most band in Nigeria you hear and it’s something band and it’s an elite band, I found out that am a graduate so I don’t want to follow the trend like Kinikan (something) and his band, I want something that somebody will have to search the dictionary to know the meaning like my band in the U K, I call it Sunny Melody plus Dulcet Squad if you check the dictionary it is some kind of birds that are playing or singing differently, then in Nigeria I said the Euphonious Crew, If you check euphonious as well it’s something different, I like to say mine is different, then there was a day I was just researching I found out what quintessential is, it is just something that is close to perfection.

So how did your fans adjust to that name?

Yeah you know because I sing about it every time some people will say queencial, I sing about it, I talk about it every time so everybody knows it is quintessential

How was growing up like for you, everything seems very okay now but that does not mean there was no story?

Like I said I grew up in Abeokuta, my Dad is late; Chief Emmanuel Adisa Ogunyemi of blessed memory, may his soul rest in peace, Amen, my mom is still alive she`s in ABEOKUTA. Am actually from a village called ARO village (laugh).

  Have you played at home before?

Yea, I was in Abeokuta last year December; I played at a place called TJ

What was the reception like?

  It was quiet good, when I was growing up I grew up in a Christian environment we were doing Christian singing stuff from there to JUGATE and from there I move to the University, so I didn’t quite mixed up with people when I was growing only people that were very close to me, that is my immediate family and my school mate, I wasn’t the kind of person that you know friend everywhere but I could say now a lot of people know me that I’m from Abeokuta through some other people and through probably interview, through chatting and all that, so I have a lot of people I mean I still go to Abeokuta for shows and relaxation

For the sake of clarification a lot of people don’t understand it at times when you are in Nigeria you have your band playing and when you are abroad you have another set of people playing how do you merge and maintain these two?  

Before I left Nigeria, I left Nigeria in the year 2000, before I left Nigeria I did my youth service in 1999

What did u study?

I studied Business Administration from the OGUN STATE UNIVERSITY now OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY

How do you merge your two groups?

My two groups, okay good, I used to have some groups but some boys are in Euphonious group, I used to have some small guys when I left school in 1998, I was still singing part-time I never knew I was going to give it a total goal, I thought that I was going to drop singing for some other jobs but I had these guys then, they were so small  and most of them were from Ijebu Ode and that was it, so when I came back, I mean for the first time when I left in 2000, I was keeping in touch with majority of them, so when I came in 2004 for the first time after leaving school, I set up the band again so some of them were grown up and I added some other ones all over and I told them that listen, you guys are going to be my Nigerian band boys permanently and they agreed and I have got some in London as well so it depends on what show I’m having and where I’m having it, sometimes I attend in Europe I go with some of the London boys, when I’m playing in Ghana, the last time I played in Ghana, I went with some of the Nigerian boys so it depends on where I’m playing so I could decide to bring one or two boys.  

You are an award winning musician?

Yes miss

When was the first time you received an award?

I receive an award for the first time in the year 2005 from Black Charisma Magazine in the UK, it was something I was proud of.

What year would you say you had your breakthrough?

  I must be honest with you I think its depends on the way I want to look at it in the UK, I will say 2003

So what has kept you relevant?

Yeah what has kept me relevant is the fact that am relevant, I come around every time shuttling between Nigeria and UK, if you want to be relevant they have to see you go in come out, I go everywhere I go to South Africa, Canada, America, Dubai, Ghana, Spain, Holland, everywhere you know Sunny Melody even sometimes people will tell you I think I’ve heard this name, you know the name rings a bell so if you want to be relevant you have to make sure you are relevant by being relevant

Who are your role models in the industry if you are to mention three?

I will mention two, Evangelist Ebenezer Obey and Sir Shina Peters 

Why?

 I will mention Ebenezer Obey because my father loved him, in fact in the olden days I’ve seen eventually all the old professor, you know that’s what we listen to in my house, the second reason for the second name Shina Peters is because of the fact that he changed the face of Juju music, he`s like a bridge between the old time Juju music and the new. He`s in between, he can switch even till now he goes to shows everywhere he is just like Michael Jackson of Nigeria Juju music so please give it to him

You have three boys if am correct, is there any likelihood that any of them will play music but I think have heard one of them play instrument I think your first son? 

Yeah the good thing is where they are living you know they have the right to choose whatever they want to do it`s not like Nigeria

Has it been influenced over them?

I think have negatively influenced them to some extent and I’ve been told by the elders that I shouldn’t do that because at some point, Samuel is the first, he loves playing music, he loves swimming, creating sounds, you know, I try to stop him from doing that, so there was a day I was just discussing with somebody who is older than me and he said no they don’t do that, sometimes Samuel can sit down and start creating, he will just start making some rhymes you can`t tell.

Is it still doing it now? 

Yeah, he’s still doing it till tomorrow

As an experienced person, what kind of music do you think he`s likely to do from what you’ve seen him do?

 He could do anything he wants, the good thing about music like for instance, I can do other things about music as well, music is about lyrics, if you can do any music, you can do any music, you know, but we used to decide on what to do, okay let me just go into this, look at 9ice for instance if you listen to 9ice or if you hear what he says sometimes, he was at the virtues of being a Juju artiste, you know, now its equal, so if you are a good musician you could switch to any kind of music

How do you compensate your wife when you are in Nigeria or traveling everywhere, and I know as the woman at home, taking care of the kids?

Yeah whenever I’m at home when I’m in London, I make sure I’m at home 24/7 I don’t go out

That’s not true, I’m your friend on BB and I know that every weekend you are not always home, so where is the 24 hours you are talking about?

Every weekdays, put it that way  from Monday till Friday evening, I’m always at home I don’t go out I make sure I stay with my kids and I keep in touch, I’ve called her about three to four times today to just know how she`s doing, she`s on my BB, we chat on BB everytime.

So let me ask you one crazy question, don’t lie, can you tell me your first experience with a female fan who have a crush on you, I know a lot of them, they are crazy about musician I don’t want start saying celebrity now, how do you go about it and most time they are always the big spenders at shows?t

I thank GOD for one thing, I’m always proud to say this, I’m younger than my experience, I’m younger than my age, why I always say that is that I always have a unique way of reacting to situations that I won’t…. ok let me give you an instance, there was a time, there were some ladies about 20 of them they are midwives and nurses   

(Cuts in) In London?

In London and at some point you know something want to go wrong, so as I speak I’ve been able to manipulate things that all of them still keep in touch and all that, so I found a way to manage situations, you know, it`s just a secret I can’t let it go like that I have a way of handling it that at the end of the day no party will never be offended

Any regret so far in the cause of your career?

So many of them

Can you tell us one of them and what it has taught you?

I’m not going to tell you what the regret is, the regret has taught me not to trust anyone. I have got a lot to say, I know when you`re growing you face a lot of challenges but free mind has really helped me, it`s a fact, all I`ve done are by the grace of God, I have  gathered some kind of followership from across the world, we just thank God for His mercies.

What would you want to be remembered for?

 Sunny Melody who played distinct kind of Juju music, easy going and God fearing

What are your full names?

  Sunday Adeola Babatunde Ogunyemi, Babatunde I don’t use that often

It`s been nice chatting with you   

Same here, thanks.