I wrote my latest novel at 85 — Oladejo Okediji

                                                                                           Oladejo Okediji

Celebrated novelist, Oladejo Okediji, in this interview, tells KAYODE FALADE about his life as a writer

Where and when were you born?

I was born in Oyo but I have chosen 1929 to be the year of my birth. My birth was not registered. But I chose the date because I was baptised in the Methodist Church in March, 1930. And on the certificate it was written as infant. I just chose some few months before, hence I chose October 26, 1929.

When did you choose this date?

I chose the date in 1947, when I was in Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan.

What circumstances surrounded this?

Somebody was born in our family in Oyo on October 27, and I felt I am older than the person, so I chose a date back.

Were your parents Christians?

Patience Jonathan’s attitude cost us defeat — PDP chief

                                                                                       Mrs. Patience Jonathan

Bayelsa State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Osom Makbere, has said President Goodluck Jonathan lost the March 28 presidential election due to international and domestic conspiracies.

Makbere, who is also a lawyer, stated this in an exclusive interview in Yenagoa on Friday.

He said the division in the PDP fold and the overbearing attitude of the President’s wife, Dame Patience, also contributed to the president’s loss.

Giving insight into the failure of the President at the poll, Makbere said, “History has stated that no failure, defeat or loss is a product of a single factor. Jonathan’s loss could be blamed on a multiplicity of interwoven causes.

Businessman faults assassination claim, says friend wooed wife

Victor and Adebayo

A businessman, Adebayo Orekoya, aka Bobby Ibadan, says his friend, Adelakun Victor (Ade Lexus), planned to seduce his wife, Pearl.

He said the claim by Victor that he wanted to assassinate him, was a ploy to distract the police from the truth.

He explained that some men arrested and tagged assassins by the police in Lagos State were actually sent to monitor Victor’s movement so that he could get him (Victor) red handed when he made a pass at Pearl.

PUNCH Metro had reported that the police arrested 46-year-old Adebayo after he allegedly sent a gang from his hometown in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to Lagos to kill Victor at a bar.

IFC, MasterCard expand electronic payment agreement

The International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank Group, has signed an agreement with MasterCard Incorporated to establish a risk-sharing facility, which is expected to provide millions of people in emerging markets access to electronic payments.

A statement by MasterCard described the agreement as a crucial step in the organisations’ ongoing collaboration to increase universal financial access by 2020.

“Electronic payments lower the cost and increase the security of transactions, benefitting small businesses and consumers; financial institutions in developing countries are keen to expand services but are often held back by collateral requirements necessary to cover settlement risks,” the statement added.

US embassy saves N20m on electricity charges

                                                                    US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle

The United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, on Wednesday explained how his office had been able to save N20m in electricity charges each year.

Speaking at the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Mentoring Series Earth Day Programme in Abuja, Entwistle noted that poor electricity supply was not helping the nation’s economic development efforts and the environment.

He said, “One area of ongoing concern is Nigeria’s power utility system. We are all frustrated by the sporadic power outages that negatively affect both our personal and professional lives. These disruptions affect nearly all businesses, but are most detrimental to manufacturing companies.