THE NATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2014
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CARTOON & LETTERS
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IR: Mark Twain, in his famous quote, submitted that “twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by those you did.” It is sad enough that some members of the international community have been bickering over the recent signing into law of the antigay law by the President Goodluck Jonathan. There have even been some obfuscating threats from shrouded quarters that foreign aids to this country will cease. I will like to ask the pro-gayrights in Nigeria and Africa if they have really thought through the repercussions of letting every tide from these Western rascals get the best of us. Soon enough, every conceivable evil might become enshrined within our laws as rights if we keep canvassing against the very basic laws that have held the larger majority of humanity together for thousands of years. In essence, robbery, assault and rape might, before long, become permitted by law. Where were these western rep-
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go to set and stopped thinking only about their pockets. There is no worse definition for wickedness. I mourn at the gross irresponsiSEND TYPEWRITTEN, DOUBLE SPACED AND SIGNED CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS AND REJOINDERS OF NOT MORE THAN 800 WORDS TO THE EDITOR, THE NATION, 27B, FATAI ATERE ROAD, MATORI, LAGOS. bility of whoever or whatever board approves such movies and E-mail: views@thenationonlineng.net music videos for public consumption (Do we still have a films and video censor board?). Little wonder our newspapers are regularly flooded with rape stories of worhave rubbed shoulders too far! A robates when Nigerians were lockwith virtually every element that rying dimensions with an all-time comical south-western dictum has ing heads over child marriage bill makes her a woman starkly exhigh incidence record. Our society it that when courtesy and social a few months ago? posed to the world. The producers is constipating with moral filth and interaction is done to an unprinciIf this multiplicity of licentiousgave the movie a caption that rithe way out has become, seempled extreme, they breed problems. ness is anything to reckon with, diculously depicted females from ingly, the unleashing of moral With the recent dive into music vidthen we are, indeed, at the thresha particular region of the country crimes on fellow humans. Now is eos and movies with highly offenold of human destruction. as sex objects. That there is a marthe time to call our entertainment sive cum explicit images, we are in From music tracks, to music vidket for soft porn (I can find no betindustry to order. Even in the for some troublous times. If none eos and then to movie production, ter name for such explicit movies) United States, Hollywood does not or a very few people are talking, there has been a steady increase in is no reason enough to throw caurecognize adult movie stars in its then our children and the coming the faith that Nigerians now have tion into the air and expose our awards ceremonies. We must sepagenerations will curse us for the in our local entertainment minors to such obscenities. Even rate adult movies from nominal calamities that will befall their economy. More so, it is a delight many young adults barely have the home videos and not create an evil days. to see our own Nollywood stars moral strength to resist the amoral confusion by intertwining both. While walking through a major rubbing shoulders with their Holsuggestions that trail the thoughts Nollywood must cease from restreet in Gwagwalada, FCT Abuja, lywood counterparts in various after seeing such pictures, how leasing Nollynude motion pictures I stumbled upon a movie poster movie classics. However, while it much more the movies. It is high and our music video producers outside a sales outlet and was bafis good development that we are time our movie producers began must apply caution to the images fled. Staring me in the face was the making this progress and gaining putting the entire viewing audithey let out to our public space. picture of a scantily clad young lady global recognition, it appears we ence into consideration when they Let’s preserve the little sanity we still enjoy in our society.
EDITOR’S MAIL BAG
From Nollywood to Nollynude?
Sapele roads need urgent expansion
IR: Sapele is among the early town and cities in Nigeria. It was in fact one of the preferred destinations of the early Europeans who either came to do business or live in Nigeria. The town was famous for its rich timber reserve, a potential which was critical to the establishment of the African Timber and Plywood, ATP in its territory, the second largest timber and plywood industry in Sub Saharan Africa. Ironically after many years of unfettered economic growth and prosperity Sapele however became one of the unfortunate victims of long years of military rule, as the economic fortunes of the town took a nose-dive in the 1980s. This was as most of the blue chips company in the area which included AT&P, the major labour employer in the town closed shop. Leading international brands like Kingsway, Kaycee, Singer, Bata, Lenard’s etc, also followed suit. This was accompanied by the closure and conversion of the Sapele Seaport into a naval academy. With the departure of these lead-
ing business concerns and coupled with the closure and conversion of the Sapele Sea Port to naval academy the town became a shadow of its old self. It was only until recently, perhaps since the return of democratic governance (1999) that things started looking up for the town. To cut a long story short, the last few years has seen Sapele gradually returning back to it glory days, as there have been an upswing of business activities in the town, a fact that can be identified in the town’s fast growing hospitality industry, prominent presence of most financial institutions in the country in the town, eye popping shopping malls, the sprouting up of eateries and leisure centres etc. Business and commercial activities in the town has also been significantly boosted by the entrant of Seplat Petroleum Company which bought over Shell’s BP oil wells in the locality. Just as there has been an upsurge of business activities in the town in the last few years, so also as there been visible expansion of its population size. One factor that signifi-
cantly contributed to Sapele’s population explosion in recent years was the prolonged ethnic war in Warri, as a good number of families relocated to the town owing remarkably to its famed peaceful and friendly ambience. However, the steady upsurge of the town’s population has also come with its own challenges as its public facilities particularly its roads are presently been overstretched. Suffice it to say that all the major roads in Sapele are today facing the huge challenge of vehicular congestion this is as most of the major roads in the town have become too small and narrow to handle the pressure of vehicles that are constantly plying it, a situation that has made traffic gridlock a common feature in most major roads in the town. The road traffic situation in Sapele is made worse by the large number of heavy duty vehicles that are regularly plying major roads in the town, it is either they are conveying petroleum products or bitumen from ASCA at Ogorode, or they are conveying heavy duty materials to
and fro from Seplat flow stations at Shell Road or Oton. This is also not talking about the haulage trucks that regularly convey finished products from Flour Mills at Ogorode. The truth is that the traffic situation in Sapele is getting worse by the day, and something urgent needs to be done before the situation gets out of hand. It is against this background that I want to appeal to the Delta State Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to come to the aid of Sapele residents by way of the state government embarking on the expansion of some major roads in the town to ease the suffering motorists and other road users are daily subjected to. Sapele is about the only major town in Delta State that is without a dual-carriage way. Other smaller towns even some villages in the state enjoy this gesture of the state government. As they say, ‘’what is good for the goose is also good for the gander’’; Sapele roads needs urgent expansion! • Ohwevwo Ufuoma Eugene Sapele, Delta State
• Joshua Oyeniyi, Lagos
Re: Long road to business fame
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IR: My attention has been drawn to an error in the story entitled “Long road to business fame” which appeared on page 35 of Wednesday October 2, 2013 edition of this newspaper. The name of the interviewee was erroneously given as Ademola Ajayi instead of Oluwaniyi AkinOladapo. Also, there ought not to have been a referral to Thrillhouse Nigeria Limited in the story. These errors owes to the fact that the interview was conducted online hence some of the claims were not verified. I wish to state that the story was not written to malign or cause acrimony between the parties. The error is deeply regretted. • Hannah Ojo, Surulere, Lagos.