Nigerian Newspapers
I wasn’t attentive to school work when I was younger
Popular radio presenter, Ifeoluwa Oderinde aka Freeze has surely paid his dues in his chosen field of endeavour. The hardworking On Air Personality who has interviewed international stars such as Wyclef Jean, Boy II Men, Akon, Sisqo and Brian McKnight to mention a few in the past says he is a collector of exquisite items such as pens and wrist watches. Fair skinned Freeze who actually is from Transylvania in Romania also squeals that he is from the lineage of the legendary Dracula. He reveals that much and many more in this interview with AHMED BOULOR.
HOW do you feel when you get to see movie titles like Hotel Transylvania; does that stir the Romanian in you?
Yes it does… I am actually from Transylvania in Romania and I am from the family that Dracula originated from. It does stir a lot of memories in me and I haven’t been to Romania since 1996; I always tell myself that I’ll be in Romania but I eventually find myself somewhere in Europe. All I need is to buy a plane ticket to Romania but something crops up in London or in Paris and I have to attend. I haven’t had time to be there in a while and I speak the language easily and I learnt a lot in my early life in that European country. Romanian’s are different from Nigerian’s; Nigerians are usually loud people and there is a lot of difference.
How do you balance the Nigerian and Romanian cultures in you?
I am more Nigerian than most people know; I speak Yoruba fluently. I speak better Yoruba than most Nigerians do; I am not ashamed of my roots. I schooled in Nigeria and a little bit abroad. I schooled in Nigeria because I preferred it here but I have always lived my life in and out of Europe. At the end of the day, I am more Nigerian. I have never spent more than two weeks out of Nigeria in the last 10 years. So whatever takes me out of Nigeria should be between a week or a maximum of two.
Was it really your dream to become an On Air Personality or you ventured into broadcasting because of money?
First of all; I was born an entertainer. I wanted to be a rapper initially and I never saw myself doing a regular 9 to 5 job. I am not your ideal kind of guy because I don’t wake up early. I wasn’t also particularly attentive to school work when I was younger and I knew I wasn’t cut out to be what everybody else wanted me to be. I remembered when they asked us in SSS1 what we wanted to become and I remember saying I wanted to be a rapper and my mates all laughed at me in class.
I also couldn’t explain my desire to become a rapper to my parents because my father is a doctor and my mum is a lawyer; my mum is actually the provost of the college of Law at the Afe Babalola University. My parents wanted me to be a professional and my mum wanted me to be a surgeon; that was my mum’s dream for me and I wasn’t having any of it. My perspective at the time was, if you want to use the whole of Lekki for a burial ground then make me a surgeon (General laughter). The first time I had a radio experience was 1996 in Romania; my mum is Romanian and I had a cousin who worked on a local radio station and they had student programmes.
My cousin invited me as an upcoming rapper from Nigeria and as the programme went on air, I realized I could as well fit into the business of broadcasting. That was it and I remember going back to the radio station time and again to sharpen my skills without getting any money for doing what I did. When I came back to Nigeria in 1996, I said to myself that I could fare well being an On Air Personality and I tried to get employment at BCOS. My mum also thought that my desire to get a radio job was much better than being a rapper and she was ready to support me to any extent. I eventually got auditioned at BCOS and I was selected to work on the FM station. I worked there for five years and I was also schooling at the University of Ibadan at the time too. I got employed at Cool FM immediately I graduated from the University.
So in actual fact you settled to become an OAP because you felt it was more professional than being a rapper?
Not that it was more professional than music; it was something I could do. Most people have two or three things they can do and they do it well. I talk a lot and it was easy for me to fit in; I am very sarcastic, I am brash and opinionated. And those are stuff a doctor doesn’t need; I stick to my guns and I say what other people hide in their minds and I felt this passion in me could earn me a living.
Talking comes naturally to me and it puts me in trouble sometimes and it pays me too. It is actually a gift and a curse; I never see myself being out of music because I still believe I can still go back to music one way or the other. I have not had the time to go back to music because of work and family commitment. But with the rush of talents we have on the scene such as Wizkid, Davido and Ice prince, I am kind of jittery with my ambition in music. Nonetheless, I haven’t shut my doors totally to music.
Before now, On Air Personalities would prefer to be heard and not seen but the reverse is the case now. What’s your take on that?
It is not that OAP’s did not like to be seen and heard, it was just that there were little opportunities to do that until now. It’s like an emerging industry now, there’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google +. I don’t think there’s any radio personality whose face is not on social media or any search engine. I did a bit of TV too and still do a lot of stage shows; I do MC and I host concerts in and out of the country. I guess it is easier now to recognise my face; and these days radio stations do have raves, concerts, parties and others sorts of events. That makes their OAP’s more visible.
How did you transit from BCOS in Ibadan down to Cool FM in Lagos?
I had an album back then, so I came to Lagos to drop it off and I met Olisa Adibua. He told me I should come back and try my hands on broadcasting after he heard my voice. I came back a year later when I graduated from the University and he gave me a job. I owe that to him. He made me a promise and he kept to his words; I grew under him and of course my bosses Mr and Mrs Musa Ali who saw me and believed in me. They allowed me to use their immense platform to make a head way in life. We have 11 radio stations across Nigeria and that is a huge platform. I owe them a lot; the first time I went to Monaco it was courtesy Cool FM and same with my trips to Turkey and Lebanon.
How would you describe your relationship with people?
I am not a very nice person so I don’t have too many friends around me. I am very lucky and I am a spiritual person; as long as I have my God and I have my three square meals on the table I am good.
You don’t think people may be bothered about you not being nice?
I am often misunderstood; and when you try to explain people will not understand. Come to think of it, how many people can one explain to?
How do you manage that with your kind of temperament?
I have been very lucky because I think I am smart enough to know when not to push it. There are people out there who don’t know limits; that’s the law of self preservation. I do get into trouble from time to time but generally I would say I have been lucky.
What motivates you?
It’s me!!! I don’t need motivation to speak; it is so easy. We put a lot of emphasis on preparation before you go on radio but my job is so easy to prepare for. You just pick up a piece of paper and pick on any topic and dwell on it as well as you can.
You’ve had cause to interview international stars such as Wyclef Jean, Boy II Men, Akon, Sisqo and Brian McKnight; how does that make you feel?
It used to be a good feeling initially because when I was in Ibadan we used to watch these stars on TV when we were younger. After having 12 or more of such high profile interviews, I lost the feeling. I have also done many more and at the end of the day, you find out that these people are humans after all.
How do you manage the home front while also having such as demanding job?
I get home very late sometimes but I leave home very late too by midday every day. But I try to strike a balance between home and work.
Are you close to your kids?
I am close to my kids; I am really close to them and I try not to annoy them but they are closer to their mum. That’s because they feel when they tell me anything I will talk about it on radio.
What are your hobbies?
I like Formula 1 racing; I am a Nigerian though and you know we Nigerians do not have hobbies. We just hustle; I like collecting and buying wristwatches. I like fine pens and wristwatches.
How do you balance your life as an OAP and a celebrity altogether?
It is very hard; that’s the hardest thing to balance altogether because when you drive past those who know you tweet about it. Kidnappers can easily find us; all they need to do is to read our mentions on twitter. It been really hard and like I said earlier I have been lucky to have been able to manage being an OAP and a celebrity.
How do you contain overzealous female fans?
You never really get to contain them; someone added me on BBM recently and has started flirting openly. They don’t hide it and if you say anything as much as “wow”, they can munch your conversation and send it to their friends and tell them that you are the one toasting them. I am scared of women; I was reading a story about myself and a girl whose heart they said I broke. The story was coming from her sister and I was like, how do I break the heart of someone I have not met before? But if a woman wants to get you, she will get you. My advice to other celebrities is to just hide.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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