Oliver De Coque: When a sage sang

Sunday Akanite A.KA Oliver De Coque mesmerized the world for over four decades with his style of music before he passed out eventually seven years ago at a hospital in Gbagada, Lagos State where he resided after taking ill for just a day.

In the previous years since after the death of Oliver De Coque; a musician who I greatly cherished because of the messages he passed through the instrumentality of his music, I have remained consistent in writing a tribute for him to espouse to the world the hidden genius in the man. A man whose music is a strong contrast from the type of music that is today being played by youngsters whose only skill in music is the ability hold the microphone the right way and coupled with the youthfulness to prance around the stage, just as ability to infuse vulgarism is an added advantage.

For Oliver De Coque, the story was different. He carved a strong niche for himself, a dress sense that cannot be anyone’s, a mastery of all musical instruments including the mouth organ, guitar; upon which he had a dexterity on and also the band and several others. To youths of today, music is a stepping stone to wealth and fame, but to Oliver, music was a means of entertaining others and also passing useful messages and at the same time making them happy. No wonder, Oliver started playing music at a tender age, at a time when there was ‘nothing’ to be proud of in being a musician. Musicians back in the days were seen as lay-abouts and never-do-wells, and above all, deviants who extol promiscuity. In the case of Oliver, he was only a youngster as at the time he started making music, and the last thing in his mind was fame or money, but to enjoy himself. He continued in what he did and wealth and fame eventually smiled down on him.

In this year’s tribute to Oliver De Coque, just as in other years, I travelled from Awka to his home town, Ezinifitte, Nnewi South Local government of Anambra State to see what change has occurred since last year, but  I will not also dwell on how forgotten or how defamed the music star has further been. I have done so in the previous years and even urged his state’s government headed by Chief Peter Obi and Chief Willie Obiano, at different times to honour him, all to no avail. I may still toe this line in years to come, but for my tribute this year, let us use the messages in Oliver’s music to tackle those who have always criticized Oliver for being partly responsible for the erosion of the civility in the Igbo culture and norms which primarily are respect for elders and neighbours above wealth and others. This group has always insisted that Oliver promoted decadence in the society and a culture of fraud, so long as the end point is acquisition of money.

One of my best albums sung by the sage is Peoples Club. This album which popularized several men of wealth and had also generated criticism from the people in which they say that Oliver used his style of music to promote evil men in the society, which the members of the Peoples Club were thought to be was very ill conceived. Oliver never asked anyone to engage in fraud so as to make money to qualify being featured in his music. He rather praised men of means and encouraged hard work for people to ascend to such league.

90 percent of the music Oliver made during his lifetime was in Igbo language. He popularized Igbo language to the point that those who did not understand the music still danced to his tunes and longed earnestly to be interpreted his lines to. Singing in one of his hits about his visit to America, Oliver said “…ufodu ma’gba egwu, ufodu anuri’fea anekwu, oruo ka egwu kwusiri, ndi Ocha asupu oyibo, Oliver De Coque we want some more music!” This means that while playing for the whites in America, they danced to it, including those who did not know how to dance and those who did not understand what the music meant, and when the music drew to a halt they shouted and said “Oliver De Coque, we want some more music.” This music was sang at a time when Igbo scholars had not started shouting of Igbo language going into extinction.

Similarly in another track, ‘Ngiligbo’, which is a combination of English and Igbo language, Oliver admonished and said; “Onye asu zila Engiligbooooo” This means people should stop speaking a combination of English and Igbo language. He admonished that people who want to speak English should do so, and if they wanted Igbo language they should too, but mixing both languages will amount to committing, ‘Engiligbo’.

For those who argue that Oliver particularly sang about men of means because of the money he is wont to collect from them, I say this is still untrue. He simply made music the best way he could and enjoyed himself by so doing. A check on some of Oliver De Coque’s album will show that he also dedicated tracks to deceased friends of his. And now, one will be prompted to ask, if Oliver is after the money of men of means, who pays him when he praises a demised man of means?

In one of them he sang; ‘ka anyi chete nu ndi otu anyi ndi jere obodo afudebe, maka na onye chi ya kporo oku na ikpe ama ro ya. Peoples club na ife melu anyi ma ya dibaooo… oburu na onwu na eri ego anyi ebute egooo, oburu ife ana luru ogu na mgba umuibe anyi ejebe… onwu zulu uwaaaa, onwu zulu uwa egbuo nueee… For non-Igbos, you do not need to bother, as Oliver here was just musing about death and how it takes people without negotiation. He stated that if death was negotiable, the members of people club who are mainly men of means would negotiate the death of their own, or even mobilize for war if it was about strength. He in another track also eulogized Johnny Wood, a good friend of his who died in a motor crash and posited that …mberede nyiri dike, Johnny esoro ugbo ana naba, onwu ana atuegwu, onwu ana atu uche egbu ewooo. This means that death is so fearless and so stupid that it does not have a rethink before going for anyone.

Lets talk about some of other Oliver’s hits, that are away from praise singing. Who can forget the great track, Biri Kam Biri, which literarily translates to live and let live. In times like this when the world is so much in need of love, people like Oliver should be praised for dedicating tracks to ensuring peace in the world. In that hit, Oliver sang and urged all to try to live in peace with others, stating that; onye azola uwa azo, uwa ga basi onyeobula; lets not struggle because the world is a big place and can accommodate all.

Without wanting to write a long epistle, or wanting to espouse all of his album or tracts as they are too many of it, I will only want to leave my readers of this years tribute with this solid tracks of his; Uwa aburo ebe ezimike, where he insisted that the world is not a resting bplace, but a place where mortals come on a journey and retire later. Sounds like preaching the gospel to sinners to bear in mind that there is a better home somewhere beyond.

He it was who in another track canvassed the need for every man to own his own house. Saying; Nwoke ruo ulo nke ya, akpo ya landlord, oza, Nwanyi ruo ulo nke ya, akpo ya landlady oza, ochoro iku flower okubazie, maka na ulo bu nke ya, ocho ikpa ewu na okuko, okpaba zie maka na ulo bu nkeya… simply he was saying that if a man built his own house he becomes a landlord, and whatever he wished to do in it, including rearing animals he did.  In another line he posited that any man who lived in another man’s house should not plant flowers, as if his landlord quits him, he will not relocate with the flowers.

Quite Ironically, the palatial mansion of the great sage has continued to rot in Ezinifitte, Nnewi where his remains were also buried. During my visit this year in September, the very imposing edifice is still standing strong, but looks so very deserted as members of his family prefer to stay in an adjoining smaller house. Even the tomb of the great music maestro has remained uncemented, but rather used as a place to pack used rags. Oliver De Coque must be a very unhappy man in his grave, but we still remember him because he taught us great lessons through his music.

ENDS.

Nnewi gas fire: Angry river gods responsible for Explosion

More facts have surfaced as to the reason behind the gas fire explosion that took the lives of several people in Nnewi on the eve of Christmas in Chikason Gas plant.

An elder of Nnewi town who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said that the foremost Nnewi industrialist has been warned that a high caliber disaster will visit his factory as a result of his factory’s encroachment of a certain river, known as Mmili Ele, where a river god worshiped by the town inhabits.

Our source who said he will not like to be named said that Chief Chika Okafor, the Managing Director of Chikason Group had acquired the land which currently houses his group of companies some years back, but indigenes were surprised that because the land was located on the outskirts of town, Chikason encroached to the river’s bank.

“If you have been there, you will see that he has a very expansive space of land there, but maybe because he needed to expand his company and add more factories, he decided to widen it by fencing in a large expanse of land that ran into the Mili Ele into his company.

“He was even warned of the consequences of doing so by the chief priest of Mmili Ele, but maybe he did not take the young man seriously. If you go there now, the dreaded Mmili Ele has been depleted in size, and looks almost like a small stream crossed only by a small culvert-like bridge. So I think the river god only fought for itself.

It was gathered that Chikason only started taking the threat of the Chief Priest seriously when recently a known Man of God prophesied to him that a huge disaster was about to come over his company, and even went ahead to prescribe a week’s fasting for him and staffs of the company.

According to our source, even former Governor Chris Ngige had experienced the power of Mmili Ele when he was governor of the state and sought to construct a bridge and road over the river.

“He tried his best, but the road always went bad even before the construction ended, and when he was advised on what to do, he did it and since then, the road and bridge across Mmili Ele has remained in good shape.

“During that period, a sacrifice had been performed by some white men who were constructing the road, and a very huge crocodile had been caught and taken away by the white men who were working there, and since then, there had been no problem on the road” He said.

Meanwhile, Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joe Akabuike, who visited the victims of the fire disaster at National Orthopedic hospital in Enugu has said that Gov. Willie Obiano sent him to reassure the hospitals that Anambra government would pay every kobo spent on treatment of the victims.

“Gov. Willie Obiano is deeply concerned and had also sent me to give him up-to-date information on the condition of the victims sent to the two federal referral hospitals in Enugu. And thank God all the victims are doing well and worthy of note is the pregnant victim, who is now conscious and she is responding very well to treatment,’’ Akabuike said.

Okonkwo Hails Nullification of Anambra Central Senatorial Election

Senator Annie Okonkwo

Senator Annie Clement Okonkwo has hailed the nullification of Anambra Central senatorial election by the Court of Appeal, which set aside the victory of Senator Uche Ekwunife.

Okonkwo, who was the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) nominated candidate after the party’s primary election in 2015, said the constant beam of truth would always outshine the human burden of lies, darkness and deceit, whether political or otherwise.

According to him, “Uche Ekwunife as entitled as any other aspirant in that contest, certainly was not and should not have been the flag bearer of the party in that election.

“Now that the scales should have fallen off the eyes of the deceived, the manipulated and the manipulator, courtesy of our dedicated judiciary, the last hope of the oppressed for every committed democrat, we hoped that common sense would have prevailed even as an afterthought for personal recompense and public conscience.

Okonkwo said: “We are aghast, that citizen Uche Ekwunife who ordinarily should be sobered by this clear constitutional declarations given the wisdom of her political experiences, appears unperturbed and unmindful of elementary party internal democracy norms as evident in her obvious contemplation to re-run in the yet to be scheduled re-election as the candidate of our party PDP.

Okonkwo, however, said: “It calls for emphasis and we therefore so emphasise, that the party primaries by the PDP to select candidates for that election after the most rigorous, painful and costly processes for any senatorial zone in this country, arrived at Senator Annie Okonkwo as the most popular and validly nominated candidate of the PDP, ultimately endorsed and published as such by INEC, and expectantly wished by Anambra Central electorates to wear the victory cap, but for the reckless impunity of Aso Rock overlords then, which providence and nemesis has through our able judiciary mercifully crushed.

“This judicial liberation for our people will not just be as short-lived as the impostors and their sponsors, but deserve to be sealed permanently as an atonement for the biggest electoral terrorism Anambra Central has ever suffered.

“We therefore call on our teeming supporters and stakeholders to tarry patiently, and rightly ignore the annoying noise from habitual betrayers, because in politics, noisemakers will always have their space, but the will of the people will certainly always have their way,” the statement added.

Good wine soothes, heals the body, says Canei wine distributor

pic: R-L: Mrs Beatrice Akwanamye, sole distributor, Canei Wine; Mr Oselloka Offor, and others during the unveiling of Canei Wine.

Experts say a glass of good wine can provide a soothing effect that can help relax and heal the body from all manner of anxiety.

This much was gathered recently, during the south East launching of Canei Wine, a brand of sparkling wine produced in Italy.

The launch which was combined with a customer forum attracted dignitaries from across the state, and bore testimonies from consumers who took time to state the unique taste of the wine.

Speaking to herald the commencement of the ceremony, the sole distributor of Canei Wines in the South East, Mrs Beatrice Akwanamye said Canei is a specially made wine that is in a class of its own and has a healing effect that has come to be trusted.

She said that in a very short while after being introduced into the market, Canei Wine has received a large acceptance from the public, and has even gone ahead to displace some known wines in the market.

“Canei Wine is a semi-sparkling wine brewed in a town called Canneli in Italy, with less than 9 percent alcohol content, and suitable for everyone.

“It comes in seven different flavours, giving one a large range to choose from. We are here to ensure the effective marketing of this wine, and we call on our partners and the general public for patronage.”

Mr Oselloka Offor, former Managing Director of the Anambra Broadcasting Service(ABS) who unveiled the wine called on all who desire good drink to always patronize the drink.

Several marketers of the wine who were at the function pledged their support to the wide distribution, saying that the brand is one that sells itself.

Highlight of the event was the wine tasting and raffle draws in which guests were treated to the taste of the champagne and also given the opportunity to win bottles and cartons of it.

Efforts to elimination Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV grossly inadequate – Group

Journalists Alliance for the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV in Nigeria, JAPiN, a group working for the prevention/elimination of mother to child transmission of the disease by 2030, has said that Nigeria’s efforts to meet the deadline is grossly inadequate.

The group in a communiqué issued after a two-day national meeting held in Enugu and signed by the national coordinator, Mr Sola Ogundipe stated that Nigeria has been left behind in efforts to mitigate the burden of HIV and AIDS through PMTCT because of poor aggregation and coordination of efforts.

Part of the communiqué reads, “JAPiN notes a significant decline in funding of PMTCT activities and other HIV interventions by international donors in Nigeria, and that a huge gap in advocacy due to poor coordination is hurting efforts to redress MTCT situation.”

The group stated that there is a huge communication gap in PMTCT efforts towards eMTCT in Nigeria due to poor cooperation from frontline managers of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.

It therefore stated that PMTCT interventions in Nigeria should be guided by the new UNAIDS target of 90:90:90, which is to ensure that 90 per cent of the global population is tested for HIV, 90 per cent of those who test positive have access to treatment and for 90 per cent to be virally suppressed.

It also called that since HIV is not a stand-alone goal under Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, there is the need to sustain its visibility by prioritising interventions towards meeting related goals and targets, using the broader Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) scheme.

“There is Need to document milestones, gaps, lessons and prospects towards eMTCT using the mass media as first line approach, and also the need to remove bottle-necks to PMTCT coverage by the media,” the group suggested.

Anambra Central Senate: Consider Ekwunife gone – Umeh

Immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and the candidate of the party in the March 2014 National assembly election for Anambra Central senatorial district, Chief Victor Umeh recently granted interview to some journalists where he spoke about his recent victory at the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu.

Umeh said with the nullification of the election of his opponent, Uche Ekwunife and calling for fresh election, he is confident that she will never return to the senate. He added that he is not going to the senate to fight for juicy committees, but to provide clear representation for his zone and the entire Igboland. IKEUGONNA ELEKE was there for FIDES.

Excerpts:

Congratulations on your recent court victory.

Thank you. I can only say it is an act of God not man.

Your opponent said the judges played father Christmas by giving you what you did not ask for in your petition, can you react to this?

I don’t think I need to join issues with Uche Ekwunife, on the Court of Appeal judgment. That judgment is the final judgment and there is no point reacting to what she has said.

For the purpose of not misleading the public, let me say that in my petition, of all the prayers, I asked the court to make any order it deemed fit in the circumstance of going through the petition,

That is an omnibus prayer and if the court feels unsatisfied, with what has been showcased at pretrial that nullified the election, if the court is satisfied that neither the people who conducted the election nor the respondents and the petitioners were able to show that the election was conducted in full compliance with the electoral act, the court can now invoke its inherent powers particularly as I asked the court to make any order it deemed fit in the circumstance of the petition.

I don’t want to join issues with her because she doesn’t know law, she does not understand the litigation and the processes there of.

What is your advice to her then?

Let us leave it at that, the court has ordered for reelection and we have to concentrate on issues surrounding the election. The Court of Appeal is the final court vested with the powers to determine issues, bothering on national and state house of assembly elections, so there is nothing like going beyond there, If I were her, I won’t say anything.

How do you feel with this judgment?

I am very happy. The court of appeal cancelled the election and asked us to go back. I went to the tribunal and said one thing, the day I served the petition that I have come to the tribunal to challenge election banditry and impunity.  And that any time there will be an election in Anambra, It is my utmost desire that the people should be allowed to cast their votes without intimidation and molestation, and the votes will be counted and recorded for every candidate and let the winner emerge from there.

The process where people will use the Army and federal authority and powers to overrun the people of our state, I said I will never accept it anymore, and that is the point I have proved.

The election has been cancelled for the obvious reasons of the brigandage associated with that election. So those who have celebrated that they won before now have to come back to face the people, and I am very happy that there is a new regime in Nigeria, a regime that is intolerant to brigandage and impunity. The era is past where people will be muscled down through federal might, my opponent will no longer have undue advantage over me and over other candidates because of federal might. INEC must be independent and neutral, in the rerun.

The Nigerian Army must be neutral and there will be nothing like the first lady in Nigeria calling businessmen to deliver a particular candidate, it can no longer happen. There will be nothing like a president saying that a party must win, like it happened on 28 March. And these I think I have been able to achieve in this election.

So if anyone who say she is popular should come to the people again, lets see how many votes they will get. If she get the votes like she is now saying and she wins, so be it. So what I want is a clean process, and I can stand here and tell you authoritatively that she is already out of the race, and she has nothing to gain in this election.

Did you attempt feeling the pulse of the people on the day of the delivery of judgment?

Yes, People of anambra state and particularly Anambra central jubilated when that Anambra Central election was cancelled. If the mandate she enjoyed was given to her, they won’t be celebration. As the candidate that ran for APGA, as the candidate that went to the Court of Appeal to get that election nullified, my phones, have beenjammed with congratulatory messages and calls, cheering to be part of the process to  ensure that the right candidate emerges to represent them since after that judgment.

What is your next line of action?

We will humbly go back to the electorates, with the achievement of APGA in the state and my proven track record and resilience to fighting for justice and the right of my people and Igbo people in general. I will tell them I am not going to the senate to bandy words with anyone, the bible said that by their activities we shall now them, I am not someone that is not known by the people in Anambra State and Igboland.

They know what I can do. She has been there for six months and even at the trying moments and she did not raise her voice. The wave of protest that ravaged the South East would have necessitated that one senator from the South Est should have stood up and using the role of the senate to bring to the notice of Nigerians a matter of urgent national importance. None of them did it, we need someone who will go there and stand for his people, and that is the difference I will make.

 Anything that affects my people, Nigerians will hear about it, and I will invite the senate to take action that will preserve and protect my people. I am not going there to look for juicy committee where you can make money. We want people that can go for quality, bold and courageous representation.

If I go there the committee I will prefer is that committee on federal character where I will know how my people are represented. When we start the campaign the issues that I will bring forward will make them see the things that will separate us.

ANAMBRA PDP CHIEFTAIN PLOTS TO ELIMINATE EX POLITICAL THUG

An Anambra resident, Mr. Ikeh Edeh has cried out to the public over the alleged determination of a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State to kill his brother, Mr. Ugochukwu Edeh.
Ikeh told DAILY POST that Ugochukwu fell out with the politician, (name withheld) after he (Ugochukwu) refused to play a part in a thuggery role during the 2007 general elections.
He disclosed that the trouble became pronounced on the 21st day of November, 2015, during his grandmother’s burial at Nara, when some gunmen stormed the funeral venue in an apparent plan to murder his brother.
According to him, “our family members were laying to rest our grandmother, Mrs. Rebecca Nwankwo, who passed on at the age of 104. While the ceremony was on, during the night of songs, some gunmen stormed the venue and ordered that we produce our brother, Mr. Peter Peter Uchechukwu Edeh, who is also a grandson to the deceased. However, Uchechukwu was not around because he did not come home for the burial.
Asked what could have caused the squabble between Ugochukwu and his assailants, he disclosed that he was among the students recruited “to form a gang of armed thugs, who were supposed to work for the politician between 2006 and 2007,” adding that “Ugochukwu turned down the offer and joined a group of like-minded students to create public awareness campaign against exploitation of poor and vulnerable students by politicians.
“Within that period of 2007, he was kidnapped and tortured for four days before he managed to escape with multiple wounds. They are after him because they feel he would leak some of their secrets, as they ended up committing so many heinous crimes within that period.”
Ikeh, who equally narrated his ordeal in the hands of the gunmen, further stated that he was thoroughly beaten up and ordered to lie face down at gun-point, stressing that “they threatened to kill me unless I produce my brother. They felt that we were hiding him and for that they kept shooting sporadically.
“In fact, at a point, our mother ran out pleading with the armed men not to shoot me; she repeatedly offered herself to be killed instead of me or Ugochukwu. Four of my sisters, who equally ran to the scene, were crying as our mother kept shouting ‘kill me if you must kill somebody’”.
He noted that although the assailants left after several minutes, it was still unclear what would be their next line of action.

Breaking news! No Reasons Given as Oshiomhole Fires Head of Service, PermSec

Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has fired the State Head of Service, Mr. Jerry Obazele, whom he had ordered to proceed on compulsory retirement.
Oshiomole’s CPS, Peter Okhiria, in a statement, said the governor also retired the Permanent Secretary, Information and Communication Technology Agency, Mr Dan Aigbavboa.
Another officer hacked by the governor, according to the statement, is the Director Software, Edo State Information and Communication Technology Agency, Mr. Toju Onaiwu.
He asked him to proceed on suspension.
Okhiria in the statement, quoted the governor to have said that “All members of the Edo State Pensions Board are hereby directed to report to the State Civil Service Commission for proper investigation and disciplinary action in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.
“Members of the Pensions Board are advised to steer clear of their offices until investigations are concluded.
“Meanwhile, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has appointed Mrs. Gladys Idahor as the new Head of Service, Edo State.”

I will beat Umeh again - Ekwunife

As the stage is set for a fresh election in the Anambra Central senatorial zone, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Uche Ekwunife, has said that she will emerge victorious against her major opponent chief Victor Umeh, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Addressing journalists yesterday in Awka, Ekwunife said that no matter how many times the election was conducted for Anambra central senatorial zone, she will beat Umeh over and over again.
She noted, “I am not disturbed by the noise being made in government quarters concerning the outcome of the Appeal Court judgment, I am very optimistic that whenever the election is conducted I will win.
Advertisement
“I beat Victor Umeh in the last election, but I want to tell you that in the re-run election, I will beat him again and beat him silly.”
She described as laughable the rumour in some quarters that she is no longer the candidate of the PDP for the March, 2016 re-run election into the Anambra Central Senatorial district and called on her opponents to be bold enough to face the election, instead of resorting to cheap blackmaiL.
Meanwhile, the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance,(APGA), Sir Victor Umeh, yesterday said the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has no moral ground cry over any form of injustice, stating that it died following the loss its loss at the last general elections.