NIGERIA: The “Sins” of Udom Emmanuel, Former Akwa Ibom SSG

Swimming is one of the healthiest sports that anybody can do. But definitely; not in open ocean. It is better to find a swimming pool or stay close to coast when one wants to swim.
The former Secretary to the Government of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, might know how to swim but he is currently swimming in very dangerous waters.
I haven’t met him but I learnt he is from Onna Local Government Area. Although he is said to have grown up in the village, I bet he might not have learnt how to swim while growing up in Awa Iman, a village located a few kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean.
With a father who was a teacher, I don’t think he was allowed the luxury of going close to any body of water that is bigger than an average stream. Teachers, in those days, were respected and equally feared within and outside the family circles because of their healthy knack for discipline, hard work and integrity. So even when he had his primary education in the village, his parents could not have allowed him socialise well enough to join the village kids to a swimming contest in the ocean where there are hundreds of deadly creatures, including fire coral, lionfish, sea snakes, stingrays, tiger sharks, great white sharks, stonefish, blue-ringed octopus, crocodiles and jellyfish. That was one of the sins of his father, “Teacher” Gabriel Emmanuel Nkenang. And the sins of parents can only be visited on their children even to the fourth generation.
Since his father would not have him join the village goons to learn petty thievery and maybe, pick-pocketing when he was a young boy, Udom joined the Sunday school class and was said to have become a Sunday school teacher in the local Quo Iboe Church.
He might have been flogged many times for not keeping strict family codes and made to work the farms so he could imbibe the high worth of dignity of labour. These inflexible experiences later became assets as he traversed the country and foreign lands in search of knowledge and a career path.
After a fruitful pursuit of knowledge and a promising career in Zenith Bank, one of the top-notch financial institutions in the continent, the Awa Iman man became “mad”.
Before you crucify me for saying Udom Emmanuel is” mad”, please look at his career path. Here is a Chartered Accountant, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management, a former Audit Manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, a pioneer Manager of Diamond Bank Plc, Lagos Central branch, a former Chief Financial Officer with Zenith Bank Plc, former Group Head, Income Optimisation, Financial Control & Strategic Planning Department at Zenith Bank Plc, former Head, Telecommunications Sector, Income Optimisation and Financial & Strategic Planning Group of Zenith Bank Plc, and former Executive Director, Member of Executive Committee and Member of Board, Risk Management Committee of Zenith Bank Plc. Here is a man with the potential to become the Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc.
Udom left a very rewarding and enviable banking career just before his colleague, and former CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Godwin Emefiele, left the bank too. While Udom headed back to Uyo to become the Secretary to the State Government in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Emefiele left to become the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Maybe, Udom could have stepped into Mr. Emefiele’s office at Zenith Bank when the Delta State-born banker was appointed CBN governor. Who knows?
While Emefiele is now sitting atop the nation’s apex bank, my brother, like a man summoned by ancestral spirits to report for sacrifice at the village shrine, was already slapping inside the murky political waters in the state of “Uncommon Transformation.” Many Nigerians including yours sincerely; consider his relocation to Uyo as a corporeal sin.
Perhaps, he could have been forgiven if he had restricted himself to serving as SSG under Governor Godswill Akpabio, who has been tipped as the most powerful governor in Nigeria. (Please don’t say I told you). For those who don’t know, I have felt the power of Mr. Akpabio in a lot of ways, but this is not the time to tell the story of how the immense power of the LION of Akwa Ibom State has affected my life in more than tangential ways.
In an impudent plot by Mr. Akpabio to produce a successor, a feat which is “uncommon” in Akwa Ibom political narrative, Udom again went berserk. He offered his head as a willing item for the sacrifice.
Ordinarily, no Akwa Ibom politician has anything personal against the astute banker who they initially thought had come to serve “simply” as SSG, after Mr. Akpabio unceremoniously “dispatched” his friend and ally, Umana Okon Umana from the same office.
Mr. Umana was one of those who stood resolutely by Mr. Akpabio during his downtime. And that was when the former Governor and boss, Victor Attah, would not have Mr. Akpabio to succeed him. The battle for Mr. Akpabio’s governorship ambition was hard and dry. A lot of people made huge sacrifices because they didn’t want Mr. Attah to install his son in-law as the next governor of the state.
At the end of the long drawn battle, Mr. Akpabio became the governor and the rest is known to everybody. Till date, nobody has been able to tell Akwa Ibom people what really went wrong between the governor and his former confidant, Umana Okon Umana and so when rumour started flying that Udom was tipped to replace Mr. Akpabio, diehard politicians in the state went swearing at the site of their broken pit toilets, that it was impossible.
Besides coming from the loins of a LION, who had devoured so many big and small animals in the political jungle, Mr. Udom’s other sin is that he is never a politician.
In local politics, it is a serious offence for somebody who has not cut his teeth in politics to want to become anything serious politically. I remember my two good friends Nsikak Ukim and Uko Efi who went to contest for the chairmanship and vice chairmanship, respectively, of my local government. The duo are good natured guys who believe in progressive ideals and craved for grassroots governance where human capacity development and transparent leadership are core.
They went consulting and in the process “lobbied” political leaders and stalwarts across the two clans that make up my local government area with cash and so many goats and alcoholic beverages. They campaigned hard and spent all the resources they had and even borrowed. After many days of campaigns, goat slaughtering, alcohol donation and late night meetings, the D-Day came. My buddies got a laughable number of votes for all their pains. They failed to secure the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP ticket.
My friends did not fail the primary because they were not qualified to hold the office for which they sought to occupy. They lost because the political “leaders” and “stalwarts” who decide who becomes anything did not trust them. They were not trusted because they were not considered to be politicians who could do the biddings of party elders and leaders.
In one of their campaigns, a young man stood up to challenge them. “Kusem iko mbakara ke anwa politics. Tang iko ukang nyin mbak mkpong mma di council ndiyem okuk, uduben iko mbakara umbianga mien,” the young man said, meaning, “Don’t speak English Language in a political meeting so that tomorrow when I come to the local government council to ask for money, you will not use the same language to deceive me.” That conversation aptly shows the level to which politics has degenerated to in Nigeria. My friends, just like Udom Emmanuel are professionals and they speak a lot of English which is a taboo of sorts with politicians, especially the local ones. And that is why many a politician from the state would not give the banker-turned politician the benefit of the doubt.
The Akpabio’s connection with Mr. Udom’s sudden incursion into politics has rather exacerbated his travails. The first family has been accused of sticking to a zoning formula to favour the former SSG on the one hand while destroying the zoning arrangement in his senatorial district. Mr. Akpabio has obtained the ticket to run for the Senate against the zoning formula that dictates the ticket goes to another part of his senatorial district, another sin counted against Mr. Udom Emmanuel.
aBut apart from these inherited sins, Mr. Emmanuel has committed no grievous personal sin to bar him from the “communion service”. Even political leaders who disagree with Governor Akpabio for pushing him down their throats, admire Mr. Emmanuel’s courage and intimidating credentials. They believe he could be a good leader if he is not tied to the apron strings of his principal. They know he has a name and a career to protect and may not do some of the things diehard politicians are wont to do. And that again is a sin in politics.
Mr. Emmanuel must, therefore, approach the campaign for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State with tact and wisdom and should not allow the “sins” of his “father” to be visited on him and his generation. He should avoid dancing to the drumbeat of war and the skewed political mantra that has destroyed the rhythm of unity and brotherliness in the state.
He should tolerate dissent voices and with all the apparatus of state that would be thrust on his trail, allow other candidates to breathe and also go about the state seeking votes from the electorate. Mr. Emmanuel cannot afford to become your usual politician.

By Ibanga Isine

UDOM'S FAILURE IMMINENT AS JUSTICE HALILU REJECTS AKPABIO'S $5MILLION BRIBE

* ASO ROCK ABANDONS AKPABIO
* 22 ASPIRANTS TO PRODUCE CONSENSUS

Following the ruling of a high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT ) sitting in Kubwa , on Friday , restraining the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) from forwarding the name of Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel as winner of the Governorship Primary congress held in Akwa Ibom State on December 8 , Governor Godswill Akpabio is in Abuja, ru...nning from pillar to post with bags of dollars to bribe all judiciary workers concerned to salvage his stooge.
A Govenment House informant reliably disclosed that since Friday, Akpabio has had no sleep and is distraught to the point that he withdrew over $5million from state coffers to bribe the judge and other relevant judiciary staff.
Akpabio was spotted in Abuja at the Asokoro residence of the judge with three black Sports Utility Vehicles. He was however barred from entering and he waited at the gate for hours making frantic calls.
Collaborating this story, a domestic aide to Justice Y. Halilu, confided to this newspaper that "the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, came to my oga on Friday night with three unmarked SUVs, but we were instructed not to allow him enter the compound".
Meanwhile, the Presidency has washed its hands off Akpabio and his load of problems. This is evidenced in his inability to reach the president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to help him influence Justice Halilu.
The judge, it was also gathered, is under close watch by federal government and civil society groups.
Feelers in Aso Rock have it that since the sham governorship primary in Akwa Ibom State, the governor has been removed from list of visitors permitted to see Mr. President.
"That Akpabio is destroying the president's chances of winning Akwa Ibom and Jonathan does not like that all", our source said.
ln a related development, the 22 aggrieved governorship aspirants are in series of meetings to find common ground and produce a consensus candidate. They have been assured by officials of the party at the national that their decision will be respected.
It could be recalled that Justice Y. Halilu , stopped the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from adopting Udom Emmanuel as governorship flag bearer for the PDP.
Halilu granted an ex parte application that was filed by a chieftain of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State , Ime Effiong Ekanem , ordered the party not to send the outcome of the said congress or the name of any person as it gubernatorial candidate for the state to INEC until January 5 , when the substantive suit will he heard .

 

 

Culled From THE GUIDE NEWSPAPER

NIGERIA: Singer Eva Alordiah Flaunts Edgy Hairstyle Shaved! See Photos!

        

Singer Eva Alordiah performed at the‘One Nite: Live & Unplugged’ event recently held at Xovar Lounge in Lekki, Lagos.
While performing, Eva showed off her new, partially shaved ‘do while rocking a long curly kinky hair on the unshaven side of the head.
And the star made safe to coordinate her outfit with her punk-inspired coif, sporting black studded boots, cropped tee, skinny jeans and a black ‘skull-shirt’ tied around her waist.

 

NIGERIA: Comparism Between Patience Jonathan And Aisha Buhari

As the incumbent president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the APC presidential candidate Gen. Mohammadu Buhari(retd.) begin their campaign ahead of the 2015 election, the candidates’ wives have the same role: energise the base and humanise their husbands. PATIENCE JONATHAN Dame Patience Faka Jonathan was born 1957 into a respectable Christian family of Chief Lazarus Iwari-Oba in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. South South Nigeria. She is the current First Lady of Nigeria and a permanent secretary in her Bayelsa state. She is married to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Azikiwe Ebele Jonathan. Dame Patience Jonathan earned her school certificate in 1976, and passed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 1980. In 1989, she obtained the National Certificate of Education (NCE) in Mathematics and Biology from the Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She then proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt and studied Biology and Psychology. Patience Jonathan started her career as a teacher at the Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt and latter administrator at Sports Institute Isake. From there She moved to the banking sector in 1997, where she established the first community bank in Port Harcourt called the Akpo Community Bank. She served as Marketing Manager of Imiete Community Bank. She returned to the classroom briefly again as teacher. Eventually she was transferred to the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, where she served until 29 May 1999 when her husband became the Deputy Governor of the state. On 12 July 2012, she became a permanent secretary in Bayelsa state. She and her husband have two children. AISHA BUHARI Hajia Aisha Buhari was born in Adamawa state into the family of the first Minister of defense , Hon. Mohammadu Ribadu. A thoroughbred Fulani woman, she is a granddaughter of the first Ciroma of Adamawa. A woman with a royal pedigree, Aisha Buhari was raised in the tradition of philanthropy which has been a guiding principle in both her private and public life. Mrs-Aisha-Buhari-454x600 An alumna of the Ahmadu Bello University where she studied a Bachelors in Public Administration, her quest for for more education took her into the field of Physiotherapy and Beauty Therapy.She is a graduate of International Affairs and Strategic Planning. She is also an alumna of the famous Carlton Institute of London and the Academy Esthetique Beauty Institute of France where she earned post-graduate diploma in Cosmetology and Beauty Therapy. A philanthropist,she has encouraged and supported her husband, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari in politics and private enterprise. Her marriage is blessed with successful children.

WORLD NEWS: Bill Cosby Drugged Me.... This Is My Story-Beverly Johnson

 

 

Like most Americans, I spent the 60s, 70s, and part of the 80s in awe of Bill Cosby and his total domination of popular culture. He was the first African American to star in a dramatic television series, I Spy, a show my family in Buffalo, New York, always watched. Cosby cut a striking figure on-screen then. He was funny, smart, and even elegant—all those wonderful things many white Americans didn’t associate with people of color. In fact, as I thought of going public with what follows, a voice in my head kept whispering, “Black men have enough enemies out there already, they certainly don’t need someone like you, an African American with a familiar face and a famous name, fanning the flames.”
Imagine my joy in the mid-80s when an agent called to say Bill Cosby wanted me to audition for a role on the The Cosby Show. Cosby played an obstetrician, and he sometimes used models to portray pregnant women sitting in his office waiting room. It was a small part with one or two speaking lines at most, but I wanted in.
I was in the midst of an ugly custody battle for my only child. I needed a big break badly and appearing on The Cosby Show seemed like an excellent way of getting Hollywood’s attention. I’d appeared in one or two movies already, but my phone wasn’t exactly ringing off the hook with acting jobs.

Cosby’s handlers invited me to a taping of the show so I could get the lay of the land and an idea of what my role required. After the taping I met all the cast and then met with Cosby in his office to talk a bit about the hell I’d been through in my marriage. He appeared concerned and then asked what I wanted from my career going forward. He seemed genuinely interested in guiding me to the next level. I was on cloud nine.

I brought my daughter to the next taping I attended. Afterward, Cosby asked if I could meet him at his home that weekend to read for the part. My ex-husband had primary custody of my daughter at the time, and I usually spent my weekends with her. Cosby suggested I bring her along, which really reeled me in. He was the Jell-O Pudding man; like most kids, my daughter loved him. When my daughter and I visited Cosby’s New York brownstone, his staff served us a delicious brunch. Then he gave us a tour of the exceptional multi-level home.
Looking back, that first invite from Cosby to his home seems like part of a perfectly laid out plan, a way to make me feel secure with him at all times. It worked like a charm. Cosby suggested I come back to his house a few days later to read for the part. I agreed, and one late afternoon the following week I returned. His staff served a light dinner and Bill and I talked more about my plans for the future.
After the meal, we walked upstairs to a huge living area of his home that featured a massive bar. A huge brass espresso contraption took up half the counter. At the time, it seemed rare for someone to have such a machine in his home for personal use.
Cosby said he wanted to see how I handled various scenes, so he suggested that I pretend to be drunk. (When did a pregnant woman ever appear drunk on The Cosby Show? Probably never, but I went with it.)
As I readied myself to be the best drunk I could be, he offered me a cappuccino from the espresso machine. I told him I didn’t drink coffee that late in the afternoon because it made getting to sleep at night more difficult. He wouldn’t let it go. He insisted that his espresso machine was the best model on the market and promised I’d never tasted a cappuccino quite like this one.
It’s nuts, I know, but it felt oddly inappropriate arguing with Bill Cosby so I took a few sips of the coffee just to appease him.
Now let me explain this: I was a top model during the 70s, a period when drugs flowed at parties and photo shoots like bottled water at a health spa. I’d had my fun and experimented with my fair share of mood enhancers. I knew by the second sip of the drink Cosby had given me that I’d been drugged—and drugged good.

By David Cooper/Toronto Star

Bill Cosby in 1978.

[Editor’s Note: Cosby’s attorneys did not respond to Vanity Fair’s requests for comment.]
My head became woozy, my speech became slurred, and the room began to spin nonstop. Cosby motioned for me to come over to him as though we were really about to act out the scene. He put his hands around my waist, and I managed to put my hand on his shoulder in order to steady myself.

As I felt my body go completely limp, my brain switched into automatic-survival mode. That meant making sure Cosby understood that I knew exactly what was happening at that very moment.

“You are a motherfucker aren’t you?”

That’s the exact question I yelled at him as he stood there holding me, expecting me to bend to his will. I rapidly called him several more “motherfuckers.” By the fifth, I could tell that I was really pissing him off. At one point he dropped his hands from my waist and just stood there looking at me like I’d lost my mind.

What happened next is somewhat cloudy for me because the drug was in fuller play by that time. I recall his seething anger at my tirade and then him grabbing me by my left arm hard and yanking all 110 pounds of me down a bunch of stairs as my high heels clicked and clacked on every step. I feared my neck was going to break with the force he was using to pull me down those stairs.
It was still late afternoon and the sun hadn’t completely gone down yet. When we reached the front door, he pulled me outside of the brownstone and then, with his hand still tightly clenched around my arm, stood in the middle of the street waving down taxis.

When one stopped, Cosby opened the door, shoved me into it and slammed the door behind me without ever saying a word. I somehow managed to tell the driver my address and before blacking out, I looked at the cabbie and asked, as if he knew: “Did I really just call Bill Cosby ‘a motherfucker’?”

Why that was even a concern of mine after what I’d just been through is still a mystery to me? I think my mind refused to process it.

The next day I woke up in my own bed after falling into a deep sleep that lasted most of the day. I had no memory of how I got into my apartment or into my bed, though most likely my doorman helped me out.

I sat in there still stunned by what happened the night before, confused and devastated by the idea that someone I admired so much had tried to take advantage of me, and used drugs to do so. Had I done something to encourage his actions?

In reality, I knew I’d done nothing to encourage Cosby but my mind kept turning with question after question.
It took a few days for the drug to completely wear off and soon I had to get back to work. I headed to California for an acting audition. Not long after arriving, I decided I needed to confront Cosby for my own sanity’s sake. I thought if I just called him, he would come clean and explain why he’d done what he had.

I dialed the private number he’d given me expecting to hear his voice on the other end. But he didn’t answer. His wife did. A little shocked, I quickly identified myself to her in the most respectful way possible and then asked to speak to Bill. Camille politely informed me that it was very late, 11:00 P.M. and that they were both in bed together.

I apologized for the late call and explained that I was in Los Angeles and had forgotten about the three-hour time difference. I added that I would call back tomorrow.

I didn’t call back the next day or any other day after that. At a certain moment it became clear that I would be fighting a losing battle with a powerful man so callous he not only drugged me, but he also gave me the number to the bedroom he shared with his wife. How could I fight someone that boldly arrogant and out of touch? In the end, just like the other women, I had too much to lose to go after Bill Cosby. I had a career that would no doubt take a huge hit if I went public with my story and I certainly couldn’t afford that after my costly divorce and on going court fees.



 For a long time I thought it was something that only happened to me, and that I was somehow responsible. So I kept my secret to myself, believing this truth needed to remain in the darkness. But the last four weeks have changed everything, as so many women have shared similar stories, of which the press have belatedly taken heed.

Mandela papers may soon be off limits

 

 

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Plans are underway across South Africa to comemorate the first anniversary of Nelson Mandela's death. File picture: Mike Hutchings

Cape Town - Public access to the archives of Nelson Mandela’s private papers may have to be closed once the Protection of Personal Information Act was fully implemented, cautioned Verne Harris, director of the research archives at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, on Tuesday.
This was because although Mandela had authorised the foundation to make all his private papers available to the public, whenever another person is involved, that person’s consent must be obtained before public access can be granted under the law passed in Parliament last year.
Speaking at the Open Democracy colloquium organised by the foundation and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Harris said while the legislation, complex as it was, was not necessarily a challenge, “it could well be implemented in a way that is problematic… that might require us to close down things that are now open”.
Other archives, like records of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and oral history records, might also be affected.
Tuesday’s colloquium focused on the impact of laws like the personal information protection legislation, the whistleblower’s law, or the 2000 Protected Disclosures Act, and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) 20 years after the democracy task team of the Mandela administration.
While the recent focus on information rights and freedom of expression has fallen on the Protection of State Information Bill, dubbed the Secrecy Bill, it was described as a symptom of the creep towards secrecy and against public access to information.
“(The bill) is not the sickness, but a symptom… A symptom of a trend, where those in charge of society are mistreading into our public democratic space. There’s an increasing securocratisation of the state,” argued Right2Know (R2K) campaign national co-ordinator Murray Hunter.
Other information right lobby groups such as Open Democracy Advice Centre (Odac) shared this view. However, Odac executive chairman Mukelani Dimba pointed out that Zuma recently became chair of the Open Government Initiative.
“Transparency can create meaningful change in their (people’s) lives,” Dimba said, citing as an example how residents in Ntambanana, a KwaZulu-Natal rural village, obtained water services after 15 dry years following a Paia request.
R2K campaign community organiser Khaya Xintolo talked of successful Paia requests for information on land and housing waiting lists, but pointed out that councillors often failed to fully share information of local council financial allocations for development in wards.
Harris recounted how, in 2000, Mandela lodged a Paia request with the Justice Department for all documents relevant to him. A year later justice officials responded to say there were none. However, the foundation was leaked a memo outlining officials’ discussions on how to handle the Paia request and that there were such documents.
The impact of a Western Cape High Court ruling which effectively limited access to court documents is yet to fully unravel.
The matter stemmed from a case between the City of Cape Town and the South African National Roads Agency Ltd over proposals to toll in the Western Cape. Leave to appeal the judgment is expected to be filed with the Supreme Court of Appeal.


Political Bureau

Queen Ahneva Ahneva: King Sunny Ade And I Have A Son And A Daughter

She is a woman befitting a king –an African King. As an American, she speaks with a passion and love about Africa that surpasses a native’s. Homely, stately and comely, she possesses the ingenuity and  beauty of African culture. Her desire to promote Africa and its people is undying. When Nelson Mandela was released, she was there to coordinate his American trip. She was on hand to design a crown (in South African flag colours) for Winnie Mandela. In 1984, she was the one who created all the traditional wears of the Nigerian Olympics delegation. As part of her for the continent, she chose to fall in love with the world-famous, one and only Juju meastro –King Sunny Ade. Queen Ahneva Ahneva is an extraordinary African-American-woman married to a Nigerian evergreen superstar. The US-based Times newspaper cited her as being “a professor of African textiles.” An award-winning African couture designer and promoter –with at least over 100 awards crowding her shelf and walls –, Ahneva hasn’t stopped dreaming of Africa, especially Nigeria. After years of shuttling between the US and Nigeria, she has finally settled in Nigeria to continue doing what she knows how to do best. On November 22 (today), the launch date of ‘The Wearable Art Gallery’ and ‘Gallery Café’, the adorable queen, in this interview with Azuka Ogujiuba narrates her thrills and frills in the African fashion and the skills she’s brought to bear; how she fell in love with Sunny Ade, why she left the US and why she was called in the US “That crazy African lady”
Ahneva Ahneva Hilson Ahneva Ahneva Hilson Facebook page

Why did you decide to leave the US to stay in Nigeria?
My decision to leave the USA was after great consideration to the fact that I had spent many years coming back and forth to visit my husband since the early 80s. I felt it was finally time to take the giant step and come home.
Your enterprise back in the US –African Centered Couture –was doing pretty well where most African-Americans appreciate African fashion. Why did you leave where you were a queen?
African American didn’t always appreciate African fashion. It was over a period of 25 years of my teaching and training about Africa’s contribution to the fashion industry in tools, textiles and techniques that my people started appreciating the culture, the fabrics and my designs. I was always referred to as ‘that crazy African lady’ because I was always screaming ‘Africa gave it all to the world.’ I travelled throughout the US for more than 10 years doing a show called, ‘Fashion Heritage,’ describing Africa’s contribution to the world of fashion... it was like a Broadway show. For 10 years I produced an African Fashion Show on a cruise ship with Festival at Sea. I also toured with the African-American Women on Tour doing a workshop titled, ‘Queen By Birthright,’ teaching on the African-American connection to Africa via fashion. My company, Designers Network International, was doing very well. I had become the go-to place for African centered Cultural Couture in the United States. My clientele list read like the who’s who in the entertainment, boasting of such figures as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Alfred Woodard, Angela Basset, Nancy Wilson, Quincy Jones, Sidney Poitier, Chris Tucker and so many more.
The political and religious communities had embraced my Kingdom Collections. I spent many years designing clergy robes for such mega pastors as Fred and Betty Price. Taffy Dollar, Dr. King’s daughter –Bernice King –, bishops and leaders throughout America and the Caribbean. When the Los Angeles Times was looking for a designer that used African textiles, they searched high and low for an African-American, to be a part of a story with top designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin and others. After their search I ended up as the only designer that had been using African textiles for over 20 years in couture. I ended up with the whole story (Wrapped In Pride). The Times newspaper cited me as being a professor of African textiles. After that, things started really moving; I was offered so many movies for costuming, commercials, you name it.  I had the (GOLD) the best collection of traditional authentic textiles from Africa, thanks to Nike. I feel I single-handedly put African high fashion on the map in America. I have received over 100 awards for my work with African couture. One of which was the covenant ‘African Queen Award,’ awarded to me on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, from the United States Congress. It was a humbling experience. From then on, I was then known as the ‘Queen of Design’ by everyone. The Mayor of DC gave me my own day in Washington to honour me. I then received my own day by the Mayor of New York, for my work with the ‘Black Fashion Museum’ and the Harlem Institute of Fashion in New York. To top that off, I was the only African-American to receive an award from Mayor of Beverly Hills for my work with Traditional African textiles. Nike Okundaye was a big part of shaping my career because she has been supplying me with authentic African textiles for over 25 years. Ahneva Ahneva Hilson Ahneva Ahneva Hilson Facebook page
Once recognised by the political arena the ball started rolling. I was then chosen as the ‘Jewel of Africa,’ by African Focus, an prestigious organisation in Beverly Hills which had been following my work with African textiles, and traced all my works with Africa; and cited me as helping to promote Africa and its people. When Nelson Mandela was released
I helped to coordinate the American trip. I also had the honour of designing a crown for Winnie in the South African flag colors. I was honoured to create all the traditional wears of the Nigerian delegation for the 1984 Olympics. I actually carried the Nigerian flag; I represented Fulani as I was told I look like Fulani. I have always promoted Africa and its glorious legacy. It seemed natural for me to return home to the place I love so much to be with my family.
What were you doing in Nigeria for the first five years of your arrival?
When I first arrived in Nigeria I went straight to Ondo State to spend time at our country home. I took time to just rest and work on the house putting some things in order. I was just taking it easy. My husband said I should just take my time and figure out what it was I wanted to do. I stayed there for a while; then I came to Lagos and immediately went to meet Nike at her gallery to find out how I could help out in anyway. This was before she moved into the new gallery which became the largest in all of Africa. She invited me to stay with her for a while; I did stay in her guest house while in Lagos until my husband found an appropriate house which ended up being on Nike’s street. While working with Nike I met one of the partners at AERO Contractors Airlines. Nike told them about my work in fashion and the conversation drifted to me telling them that I could design some new uniforms for them. To my surprise, the following week a young man from AERO’s office contacted me. We started talking about me developing uniforms for them. So for the next year and a half I was working on that project. To my disappointment, the company and partners had a falling out and the project was abruptly halted. I ended up in total devastation after spending so much time and energy on the project. I got all the way up to designing the samples sourcing fire-proof fabrications and designing and producing the entire sample only for them to end up in a trunk. After trying to work things out with their attorney we finally agreed that it would be best to cancel the project. At that time I still had my showroom in the US so I was going back and forth for a while until I eventually decided to close it and put both feet on ground here in Nigeria.
So, what happened?
Later in the year, I was blessed to be at one of the Olori’s home with my mum, Amimat Ahmadu and a young man named, Tin Tin Avorean, was there. He was looking at me out of the side of his eyes. I was a little nervous not knowing who he was but finally he approached me and said he was a programme director for a radio station and they were about to launch. He said he thought my voice had great tone; he asked if I would be interested in doing a voice test. Of course, I said ‘Yes.’ He loved my voice and offered me the job. That’s how I got the job at Classic FM 97.3 as an on-air personality. Tin Tin has since left and started his own web-based radio station I GROOVE. I started with a Sunday show, ‘Raise the Praise.’ After I was there for a while I was offered four more days to make five days a week. I then developed the show ‘Mellow Magic’ which I became the voice for nighttime radio; I did for about three and a half years. I retired my nighttime show because I became the managing director for a company, Quintessentially. I have since left to start my new venture, The Wearable Art Gallery and the Gallery Cafe which I will be launching on November 22, 2014 they are both inside Nike Art Gallery’s compound. There, I will be able to do everything I love: create fabulous fashion and create a healthy alternative lifestyle with the cafe.
How has your new fashion studio turned out?
I think that I have branded myself pretty good; it was very important for me to feel good about what I was doing. I did not want it to be seen as just the wife of an icon. I wanted to create my brand Queen Ahneva Ahneva, as I did in the US. Therefore, my husband and I agreed that I would not use my last name but my brand name, Queen Ahneva Ahneva (QAA).
How affordable are your products?
My products are very affordable for what I do. Art is not cheap neither is wearable art. But my prices are certainly reachable for the average middle class consumer. I try to have different price points so that we can accommodate most of our customers.
What makes your products unique?
My products are uniquely creative, artistic designs; most of my fabrics are handmade by top textile artisans. We use a lot of hand embroidered art, hand painted, beaded and dyed fabrics. I do a lot of cut-out inlaid and mixing and blending of different textiles to create the looks. I strive to promote the use of indigenous textiles; so I use a lot of hand-woven textiles. We have our own dyers and batik artists so we get the best from them.
Have you ever sewn for your husband?
Have I ever? I have been sewing for my husband for years –that’s how we met. A friend invited me to one of his shows at UCLA in California where I lived in the US. They were a part of the organising team. I went backstage and she said, ‘King, we would like for you to meet our Queen of design. She makes African couture.’ We started chatting and lo and behold he invited me to make something for him. That’s how it all started with us. Every time he came to the US I would create something new for him. I would always make beautiful crowns for him. We had a little ritual we did where I would go on stage sometimes and dance with him and crown him with the new piece.
How much influence does KSA’s popularity have on your business?
Well, that is yet to be seen. Since I’m just opening and he may not be there because he is so busy with his own stuff. He rarely has time. I have been waiting to do my opening for about seven months waiting for him to be free but he has yet to have time; I just decided to take the giant step and see what happens. I have a lot of support from my MD at Classic and my Classic FM family; Nike and her husband are like (mummy and daddy) to me –and so many others have rallied around me to help me blow it up. King Sunny Ade
How often do you see him due to his tight schedule?
Rarely; he is somewhat absent because he is booked till 2020! His family must share him with the world. However, I’m his number one fan.
Do you have any child with KSA?
We have two beautiful children a son and a daughter –they are grown and gone. They both are doing well in the US. But they do come to visit.
You’ve also opened Gallery Cafe at the Nike Art Gallery, are you quitting fashion for confectionery?
Absolutely not! The cafe is a natural for me: I had a catering service in the States for years –that’s how I paid for my education. I’m a gourmet cook; however, I will not be doing cooking just managing it. It’s collaboration with Nike. And since it’s all on the same compound only steps away from my wearable art gallery I can keep an eye on it with ease.
How did the cooking part of you evolve?
As I said, I had a catering service that did very well in the states. The third catering job I had was for then Governor Jerry Brown. He gave me glowing revenue and really launched my service. After that, it grew like a flash fire roaring through dry grass. I did many heads of states.  I was touring with Peabo Bryson, Earth Wind and Fire and so many more. I did all the government protocol events and the special parties. That’s how I ended up working in protocol for the Senate Assembly and Congress –eventually doing special events and advance protocol.
What is your greatest fear?
Being looked at as a foreigner and not embraced as a true African woman.
Which living person do you most admire?
I guess that would be my girl, Oprah Winfrey; because she is a self-made billionaire and she’s a giver, with a beautiful spirit and a big heart.
What is the trait you deplore most in yourself?
Fear of failure.
What is your greatest extravagance?
It’s spa treatment; getting stroked down with a good massage.
What is your favorite expedition?
Traveling throughout Africa and learning about the homeland of my forefathers.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
It’s patience. I like to move fast and make things happen quick. One of my favorite sayings is, ‘Get in the bushes and watch.’
What do you most despise?
Phony ass people –people that pose as your friends and stab you in your back.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
‘Everything is in divine order’ and ‘I love you with a perfect love.’
What is your greatest regret?
Not coming to Africa sooner. I think I really could have done so much more had I been on ground on the continent. Our people are suffering and need help. I want to make a difference and I feel I could have been a bigger blessing to my people had I been here sooner.