NIgeria’s Ibrahim Ahmed from the the Voice of America’s Hausa Service has been announced as one of the winners of the DAvid Burke Award for distinguished journalism.
Announcing the winners of the 2015 award, The Broadcasting Board of Governors said the 2015 winners represent each of the BBG networks and have tackled topics ranging from extremism in Nigeria and in the Middle East, to corruption in Azerbaijan. Many of them have done so at great risk. The award recognizes exceptional integrity, bravery, and originality in reporting.
“Our 2015 Burke Award winners represent the best of U.S. international media,” said Chairman Jeff Shell. “These brave men and women have tackled issues of critical importance in some of the most dangerous locations on earth.”
CEO John Lansing agreed, adding, “Every day our journalists overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to bring exceptional reporting to audiences in media-restricted countries. It is with honor and humility that we recognize these outstanding individuals who risk their livelihoods to provide accurate, uncensored information to those who need it most.”
Photo: BBG
This year’s winners are:
The Staff of Azerbaijani Service’s Baku Bureau, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, for their revealing investigative reporting in the face of beatings, harassment and even forced closure by the Azeri government
The Producers of Alhurra’s Delusional Paradise, from the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, for their compelling and powerful series that provides a voice for the living victims of violent extremism.
Shohret Hoshur, from the Uyghur Service at Radio Free Asia, for his excellent and exclusive reporting on Xinjiang and the Uyghur nation, despite threats to family members in China
Jose Alpizar, from the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, for his ingenuity and dedication in developing an effective distribution system for Marti content in Cuba
Ibrahim Ahmed, from Voice of America’s Hausa Service, for his intrepid reporting from Boko Haram targeted territory in Northeastern Nigeria
Awards will be presented at a special ceremony in Washington in December.
A total of seven awards were given to Nigeria at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), which was held in South Africa over the weekend.
October 1
Of the 28 categories, Kunle Afolayan’s ‘October 1′ got best Nigerian film, best actor in leading role for Sadiq Daba and best costume for Adeola Sagoe.
Comedian, Ayo Makun’s ’30 Days in Atlanta’ won best comedy film while Kemi Akindoju got best young promising actor for her role in ‘Dazzling Mirage’ in a joint win with a Ugandan actor, Hassan Insigoma.
Destiny Ekeragha won the best first feature film by a director for the movie ‘Gone Too Far’ and the ‘Legacies of Rubbies’ won Nigeria her first AMAA prize in animation.
Full List Of Winners
Best Short Film: Twaaga – Burkina Faso
Best Animation: The Legacies of Rubbies – Nigeria
Best Documentary: Egypt Modern Pharaohs ‘Nasser’ – Egypt
Best Film in an African Language: Timbuktu – Mauritania
Best film by an African living abroad: Fevers – France/Morocco
Best diaspora short film: Sound of Tears – Canada
Best diaspora documentary: The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution – USA
Best diaspora feature: Supremacy – USA
Best Production design: iNumber Number – South Africa
Best costume design: October 1 – Nigeria
Best Make-Up Njinga: Queen of Angola – Angola
Best soundtrack: Triangle Going to America – Ethiopia
Best visual effects: iNumber Number – South Africa
Best Sound: Lobraz Khan – Mauritius
Best Cinematography: Lobraz Khan – Mauritius
Best Editing: Timbuktu
Best Screen Play: Le President
Best comedy film: 30 Days in Atlanta
Best Nigerian Film: October 1
Best Child Actor: Layla Walet Mohammed and Mehdi A.G Mohammed – Timbuktu
Best young promising actor (Joint winners): Kemi Lala Akindoju – Dazzling Mirage Hassan Spike Insingoma – Boda Boda Thieves
Best actor in a supporting role: Samson Tadesa – Triangle Going to America
Best actress in a supporting role: Ama Amphofo – Devil in a Detail
Best actor in a leading role: Sadiq Daba – October 1
Best actress in a leading role: Lesliana Pereira – Njinga: Queen of Angola
Best first feature film by a director: Destiny Ekeragha – Gone Too Far (British-Nigerian)
The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Attahiru Jega, has been nominated winner of this year’s edition of the Charles T. Mannat Democracy award.
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems, IFES, based in the United States, administrators of the award, will present the award to Mr. Jega and other awardees at an elaborate ceremony in Washington D.C. on September 29.
Every year, IFES, a leading pro-democracy organisation that advocates improved electoral systems around the world, recognizes accomplishments of individuals in advancing freedom and democracy.
The organisation does this by bestowing awards on these outstanding individuals in honour of past chairs of its Board of Directors: Charles T. Manatt and Patricia Hutar, and Senior Adviser, Joe C. Baxter.
Mr. Jega would be honoured under the Charles T. Manatt Democracy Award category.
Three individuals are honoured each year in that category: one U.S. Democrat, one Republican and a member of the international community who demonstrate unwavering commitment to democracy and human rights.
Mr. Jega is the international figure chosen for the award this year, and he is being honoured for leading INEC to conduct one of the most credible elections in Nigeria’s history, even in the face of intimidation and sabotage by some of his own staff and officials of the past administration.
Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Congressman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) are to be honoured alongside Mr. Jega.
They will receive the awards at a special ceremony, co-chaired by IFES Board Director and Baker & Hostetler LLP Partner, Ambassador Tom McDonald and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP Partner June L. DeHart on September 29, in Washington D.C.
“Chairman Jega’s leadership was instrumental to Nigeria’s successful general elections in 2015,” said IFES President and CEO, Bill Sweeney.
“He deserves full credit for his efforts to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process under extreme logistical challenges, such as terrorist threats from Boko Haram, where failure could prove the catalyst for predicted election violence.”.
Mr. Jega’s expert management of the 2015 general elections positioned him as a credible election administrator, IFES said.
In continuation of the list of successful Nollywood movies, here are the top 5 Highest Grossing Nollywood movies of the decade. Yes! They very much are worth the hype!
Interestingly, recent efforts have shown significant improvement in picture, production and post-production quality. This records are waiting to be upset in coming months as the race in churning out even better movies with fine scripts and quality production hots up.
Enjoy the current ranking of the top 5 movies of the decade. Please note that revenues from special screenings, DVD sales, online streaming and theatrical screenings outside of Nigeria are excluded from this gross total.
5.Last Flight to Abuja (2012) – Directed by Obi Emelonye
Based on true events. A set of everyday Nigerian travelers’s board the last Flamingo Airways flight scheduled to fly from Lagos to Abuja on a fateful Friday night in 2006. The plane cruises at 30,000 feet, tranquil and on schedule. But like a bolt out of the blue, through a mixture of human error, technical failure and sheer bad luck, the plane rapidly develops major difficulties that sends it teetering on the brink of disaster. As the pilots fight with the controls of the stricken plane, a series of flashbacks unravel the twists, turns and leaps of fate that put each passenger on the fateful flight. Young lovers, an elderly couple, a corporate party, a sportsman on the threshold of greatness; all the passengers are caught up in the nightmare scenario and sense the final moments of their lives approach. All… except one! What does he know?
The film which was shot in Lagos, received 5 nominations at the 2013 Africa Movie Academy Awards and won award for the category best film by an African based abroad. The movie raked in some 57 million Naira from Nigerian cinemas.
The Last Flight to Abuja
4. Ije (2010) – Directed by Chineze Anyaene
Unprecedented in scope, “Ijé” tells a tale of Chioma, a child growing up in the Nigerian countryside, who warns her restless sister Anya about the trappings of the American dream. Ten years later, Anya is accused of killing three men in a Hollywood Hills mansion–including her record-producer husband. Chioma travels from Nigeria to Los Angeles and, with the help of a young, unproven attorney, discovers that the dark secret her sister wants to keep hidden might be the only thing that can win her freedom.
The film received several nominations and awards including the awards for Best Editing at the Treasure Coast International Film Festival 2010 and Best International Student Film at the Swansea Bay Film Festival 2010. It grossed N59 million from the Nigerian cinemas.
Ije
3. Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) – Directed
During the mid-to-late sixties, twin sisters Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) return to Nigeria after their education in England, they make decisions that shock their family. Olanna moves in with her lover, the ‘revolutionary professor’ Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his houseboy Ugwu (John Boyega) while Kainene takes over the family interests and pursues a career as a businesswoman, falling in love with Richard (Joseph Mawle), an English writer.
As the Igbo people struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic, the sisters become caught up in the shocking violence of the Nigerian Civil War and a betrayal that threatens their family forever.
The movie, an adaptation of Orange Literature Prize winner, Chimamanda Adichie’s book – Half of a Yellow Sun was entirely shoot in Nigeria with Academy Award winner, Nigerian Hollywood actor Chiwetel Okafor (starring as Odenigbo) as key actor. It is reputed has Nigeria’s movie with the highest budget of all time. The movie raked in 60 million Naira from Nigerian cinemas.
Half of a Yellow Sun
2. October 1 (2014) – Directed by Kunle Afolayan
The film which is set in Colonial Nigeria, narrates the story of Danladi Waziri (Sadiq Daba), a police officer from Northern Nigeria who is posted to a remote town of Akote in Western Nigeria to investigate the frequent female murder cases in the community, and have the mystery solved before the Nigerian flag is raised on October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day.
Kunle Afolayan consolidates his position as arguably Nigeria’s best movie director alive. The movie got 17 nominations within six months of release into the cinemas. It won 13 of the nominations including The Best Movie and the Best Directed Movie at the Multichoice Africa Magic Viwers’ Choice Awards.
In the cinemas, it already caught up with the record of Half of a Yellow Sun released a several months earlier, recording N60 million from viewership alone.
October 1
1. 30 Days in Atlanta (2014) – Directed by Robert Peters
Akpos wins a 30-day holiday for two to Atlanta, Georgia. He takes his cousin (Richard), an IT specialist on the all-expense paid trip. Akpos flings his unique personality, showing-off his smartness and foolishness in an exciting mix of rhetoric and witty humor.
Romantic comedy film produced by Ayo Makun and directed by Robert Peters. The film was shot on location in Lagos and Atlanta. It premiered on 31 October 2014, making it the most recent movie on the list. It has been declared the highest grossing film of all time in Nigerian cinemas, although the film was met with mixed to negative critical reception.
It is reported to have grossed a whooping N137 million from the cinemas in Nigeria alone.
The following are the highest-grossing Nollywood Movies in Nigerian cinemas. Revenues from special screenings, DVD sales, online streaming and theatrical screenings outside of Nigeria are excluded from this gross total. Films before 2000s are also excluded from this list as their gross totals have not been inflation adjusted.
10. Phone Swap (2012) – Directed by Kunle Afolayan
It narrates the story of Mary who works under a very stringent boss and Akin who is very bossy and distants himself from people around him. They both bump into each other at the airport, leading to their phones being swapped. This leads to an exchange in their destinations and the need to help carryout each other’s assignments.
Phone Swap was shot in Lagos and made in partnership with Globacom and BlackBerry. The scripting stage for the film took two years, while the production and post production stages took six weeks and three months respectively. The film received critical acclaim and was highly successful at the box office. It received 4 nominations at the 8th Africa Movie Academy Awards which includes the category Best Nigerian Film and won the award Achievement in Production Design. Altogether it won 13 different local and international movie awards from twice as many nominations. It is believed to have grossed over N21million from the Nigerian cinemas.
Phone Swap
9. Weekend Getaway (2012) – Directed by Desmond Eliot
A2012 Nigerian romantic drama film directed by Desmond Elliot, starring Genevieve Nnaji, Uti Nwachukwu, Ini Edo and Ramsey Nouah. It received 11 nominations and eventually won 4 awards at the 2013 Nollywood & African Film Critics Awards (NAFCA). It also received 2 nominations at the 2013 Best of Nollywood Awards with Alex Ekubo eventually winning the award for Best Actor in a supporting role. The film was a box-office success in Nigerian cinemas generally because of its star-studded cast. It raked in about N23 million from the cinemas in Nigeria.
Weekend Getaway
8. Flower Girl (2013) – Directed by Michelle Bello
A romantic comedy film set and shot in Lagos, Nigeria.It revolves around a story of Kemi (Damilola Adegbite) who is dying to get married to Umar (Chris Attoh); a young man who is desperate to get ahead in his career. When their relationship hits troubled waters, Kemi seeks the help of movie superstar Tunde (Blossom Chukwujekwu) and they hatch a plan to get Kemi what she wants.
The movie boasts of 9 awards locally and internationally including Best African Film – Black International Film Festival U.K 2013. It grossed about N30million from the cinemas.
The Flower Girl
7. The Figurine (2009) – Directed by Kunle Afolayan
The movie narrates the story of two friends who finds a mystical sculpture in an abandoned shrine in the forest while serving at a National Youth Service Corps camp, and one of them decides to take the artwork home. Unknown to them, the sculpture is from the goddess ‘Araromire’ which bestows seven years of good luck on anyone who encounters it, and after the seven years have expired, seven years of hard luck follows. The lives of the two friends begin to change for good, as they become successful and wealthy businessmen. However, after seven years, things start to change for the worse.
The original idea for a thriller film came long ago from Kunle Afolayan himself and Jovi Babs and it was to be titled Shrine. The script took nine months to be finalized and the development stage took five years. The film was shot in Lagos and Osun State for three months. The movie clinched 5 Awards at the African Movie Academy Awards 2010. It grossed about N30 million at the cinemas.
The Figurine
6. The Return of Jenifa (2012) – Muhyideen S. Ayinde
Following the huge success recorded by the first part “Jenifa”, the main character Jenifa (Funke Akindele) returns with more rib-cracking spectacles as she battles adapting to the finese of city life. She gradually leaves the notorious call-girl engagement for a career in dancing; suddenly her whole life came crashing in – she has been tested HIV positive… or so she thought. Interesting movie with many nominations and a few wins. Cast in Yoruba language with English subtitles, Returnr of Jenifa grossed N35 million at the cinemas.
December, 2014 | Uyo, Nigeria – There was plenty of Christmas cheer at the Uyo Township Stadium in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria during the run up to last month’s holiday season, where a new record was set for the largest group of carol singers.
Ibom Mass Choir
A 25,272-strong choir took the title after singing a medley of traditional Christmas songs that included The First Noel, Joy To The World, O Christmas Tree, Hark The Herald Sing, Once In Royal Davids City and O Come All Ye Faithful.
The new record beats the previous record set by a choir of 15,674 carol singers known as CENTI in Bogota, Columbia back in December 2013.
August, 2014 | Lagos – HALITOSIS or bad breath, is an unpleasant odour of the mouth present on exhaled breath. According to medical experts, this very embarrassing condition which can be acute (occasional) or chronic (long-lasting), could be caused by several factors including food, poor dental hygiene, tobacco products, health problems, dry mouth, mouth infections, dentures or braces and medications.
Bad breath has caused otherwise well qualified people to lose employment opportunities, caused job losses, and friendships/marriages to crash. The saying that ‘only your best friend will tell you that your mouth smells,’ is probably true in some countries but not in Africa. The best they do is to avoid you completely. In their search for a solution, two students of Doregos Private Academy, Ipaja, Lagos, Eveshorhema Sophia Samuel-Alli and Ibukunoluwa Ruth Oladeinde, carried out research on African walnut (Coula edulis), a member of the tree nut family common in Nigeria. At the end, they discovered that apart from its cancer-fighting properties, rare antioxidants, benefits for the heart and circulatory system, weight control, improved reproductive health in men, brain health and diabetes, walnut could also cure bad breath. In this chat with Vanguard Learning, they spoke on the project titled Walnut: Sustainable Solution to Halitosis, the 2014 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held in Los Angeles, USA and the special award they received.
INSPIRATION:
According to Eveshorhema, the idea for this project came while on a school trip to a rural area in Nigeria where the host community served them walnuts.
“When I woke up in the morning, I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet but my breath was already fresh. Then I remembered I had eaten walnuts the previous night.” To confirm her suspicion, she ate more nuts the following night and awoke with fresh breath again and that made them to carry out further research.
The experiment:
“The Halitosis project has to do with mouth odour and we used a common Nigerian snack, the walnut, to cure mouth odour because it is a very embarrassing problem. Your best friend won’t tell you that your mouth is smelling so we had to find a solution to it.
Consent forms
“We conducted this experiment using 35 volunteers who were students of our school. we sent out parents consent forms and when we received the parents’ consent, we continued the experiment. The volunteers were divided into four groups. The duo then made two different walnut products.
Walnut chewing gum: “We made walnut chewing gum by adding resins and sucrose to chopped walnuts.
Walnut mouthwash: “Also, we made a walnut mouthwash mixing chopped walnut, water and 10 per cent lime as preservative.
One group was given whole walnuts to eat; thev second group was given walnut chewing gum; the third was given walnut mouthwash while the last group was given nothing so they were the control group.
“They took the walnut morning and night. We then observed them and recorded the results. They did not brush their teeth for the duration of the experiment. They were going only on walnut so we would be able to see the improvement,” said Eveshorhema Samuel-Alli.
“After this, we conducted an experiment using Lead tri-oxo nitrate (v) in which the volunteers were made to blow bubbles into a solution of lead nitrate and water before and after the experiment.“Before they took the walnut and walnut products, they were made to blow bubbles into the solution and then we recorded how long it took to turn the solution black. What turns the solution black is hydrogen sulphide and that is what causes mouth odour. So if it takes a short time, that means the mouth odour is actually very bad. Then after the experiment, they were also made to blow bubbles into the solution and this time, it was noticed that there was significant time lapse before the solution turned black.
When the control group who had bacteria in their mouths, blew bubbles into the solution, it turned black while it remained clear when the other groups blew bubbles into it. So we knew that the walnut was actually working to cure halitosis.”
Bacterial culture:From the results obtained, the duo suspected that some chemicals like alkaloids, oleic acid and tannins in the African walnut must be killing some of the odour-causing bacteria in the mouth. So they swabbed the mouths of each volunteer, grew the bacteria and counted the number. They found out that those who had the walnut treatment had fewer bacterial load.
“This project actually won us a Life Science Award of $1,000 in the Medicine and Health Science category, courtesy, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society.”
“After this, we conducted an experiment using Lead tri-oxo nitrate (v) in which the volunteers were made to blow bubbles into a solution of lead nitrate and water before and after the experiment.
“Before they took the walnut and walnut products, they were made to blow bubbles into the solution and then we recorded how long it took to turn the solution black. What turns the solution black is hydrogen sulphide and that is what causes mouth odour. So if it takes a short time, that means the mouth odour is actually very bad. Then after the experiment, they were also made to blow bubbles into the solution and this time, it was noticed that there was significant time lapse before the solution turned black.
When the control group who had bacteria in their mouths, blew bubbles into the solution, it turned black while it remained clear when the other groups blew bubbles into it. So we knew that the walnut was actually working to cure halitosis.”
Bacterial culture:From the results obtained, the duo suspected that some chemicals like alkaloids, oleic acid and tannins in the African walnut must be killing some of the odour-causing bacteria in the mouth. So they swabbed the mouths of each volunteer, grew the bacteria and counted the number. They found out that those who had the walnut treatment had fewer bacterial load.
“This project actually won us a Life Science Award of $1,000 in the Medicine and Health Science category, courtesy, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society.”
September, 2014 | Lagos, Nigeria – Globacom Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. (GCON), has bagged the ‘Telecom Investor of the Decade’ award at the 10th edition of the annual Nigerian Telecom Awards held in Lagos on Saturday night.
His companies, Glo Mobile and Glo 1 also swept a total of three awards: Best Telecom Operator of the Year – (Data), Most Innovative Telecom Operator of the Year and Best Submarine Company of the Year.
The awards coincide with the reemergence of Globacom as the second largest telecommunications operator in Nigeria, according to the latest figures released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
The Telecom Investor of the Decade award was the highpoint of the award ceremony. The award was presented by the Chairman, Board of Directors of the Nigerian Telecom Awards, Chief Alex Akinyele, Vice Chairman and former Ogun state governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. The award was received on behalf of Dr. Adenuga’s by the Director of Mike Adenuga Group, Mr. Niyi Adewunmi.
According to the organisers, Adenuga was nominated on account of his “immense contributions to the growth of the telecommunications sector in the country” and was unanimously adjudged winner by a panel of assessors and judges.
The organisers said no single investor in Africa has invested more in telecoms in the continent than Adenuga, noting that, he merited the special award “due to the great sacrifice he made to ensure the re-invention of the country’s telecoms industry.
”He is an astute, world-class business expert with worldwide business interests and one of the biggest employers of labour in Nigeria,” the organisers said.
On the award of the ‘Best Telecom Operator (Data)’ given to Glo Mobile, the organizers explained that the company is the only integrated network that boasts of a transnational cable backbone, Glo 1. “Today, the multi-million dollar facility and the network’s nationwide optic fibre cable have enabled Globacom to offer the most cost-effective and reliable internet,” the citation read.
The organisers said the award of the ‘Most Innovative Telecom Company of the Year’ given to Glo Mobile was well deserved on account of an array of novel products and services the company has introduced in the last one year. They said the company has kept up with the tradition it established at inception with the introduction of per second billing when other operators said it was not possible.
The organisers said no single investor in Africa has invested more in telecoms in the continent than Adenuga, noting that, he merited the special award “due to the great sacrifice he made to ensure the re-invention of the country’s telecoms industry.
In the citation read for the award of the ‘Best Submarine Company of the Year’ given to Glo 1, the organizers noted the massive growth recorded in the area of broadband in the last one year following the catalytic activities of Glo 1.
“It (Glo 1) has continued to deliver transmission capacity that is radically changing Africa’s economic landscape by providing unprecedented high speed internet services and making telecom services much faster, more reliable and cheaper for consumers,” the citation read.
The ceremony was also graced by Globacom’s top executives including acting coordinator, Business Solutions, Mr. Ike Oraekwuotu; Head, Glo Gateway, Mr. Stephen Stretch and Mr. David Maji, National Sales Coordinator.
Meet Francisca Okeke, Professor of Physics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She recently received the L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award for her significant contributions to the understanding of daily variations of the ion currents in the upper atmosphere which may further our understanding of climate change. She was also the Dean in the faculty of Physical Sciences at her University, from 2008 to 2010.
Professor Okeke spoke with us about her background and inspiration, the cultural challenges she overcame in achieving success and how she uses her position to encourage and inspire young women scientists in Nigeria.
Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke in her lab
What challenges did you face, in particular, with regards to the stereotypes of women and the culture in your country, Nigeria, when you decided to get involved in science?
In the past, the core sciences such as physics were regarded as male domains where women were expected not to be seen but to be heard. People used to think that when you get into these core science subjects, like physics, the characteristics that are most worthily accepted for women in our society, including passivity, emotionality, intuition and receptivity would no longer be possessed by that woman. Therefore they fought against women trying to embark on studying these core subjects.
But, my own case was a little different; my father was an old graduate of mathematics who was my mentor, so I did not face that in my family because he was supportive of everything about science. Not only did he encourage me, he was my mentor. He planted and watered the seed of my academic excellence which we are celebrating today. He laboured and inspired my love for science in general, and mathematics in particular. That love for mathematics later metamorphosed into a special love for physics.
Professor Francisca Nneka Okeke
What other challenges did you face as you progressed in your career and have you noticed any changes since you started out in this career with regards to attitude towards women in Physics?
In our University, the University of Nigeria, I know the stages and the war that went on before I became the first female head of physics. After that, I became the first female Dean in the Faculty of Physical Sciences. It wasn’t very easy but they saw some good qualities and I was voted into the Deanship.
What this means it that as women, we have to be focused and determined and courageous, because, one with courage is a majority, not quarrelsome. We will eventually get there with determination and commitment.
There have been many changes during and after my leadership as Head of Physics as well as Dean of Faculty of Physical Sciences. When I started, there used to be only two ladies in the Physics department. But while I was the head, I was instrumental to the employment of three other female staff. While I was the Dean, my priority was employing women who are qualified in the faculty, in Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Chemistry, Statistics and Computer Science. Now we are many women in the faculty of Physical Sciences.
I always encourage women who are leaders to try to encourage fellow women rather than being too stern and frightening.
What remains as the biggest challenge faced by women and young girls in science in Nigeria and what can be done to encourage young girls to consider further study in Science?
It’s encouragement. Where and when it is possible, we need to let the guardians and parents know the importance of women participating in science.
I will talk specifically about the village because, though there are some enlightened people there, the situation is worse. Sometimes you have girls who are very brilliant but are forced into early marriage. We can let parents be aware of advantages of their daughters becoming scientists and that they can gain more from the girls when they are scientists than when they get married as early as 16, 17 or 18. Like it happened a few years a go, we can call social gatherings with a talk by someone on ‘women in science’. We can give them examples, maybe by playing movies of successful women in science. This can work wonders.
We need to get guidance counsellors for these young women because some of them should have opted for these courses but since they don’t have the background and counselling, they say “this is a male subject so I can’t do it”.
Another angle to this is to lead as a model, by example. I have so many postgraduate female students and many of them have gotten PhDs through my guidance, counselling and encouragement. But if I don’t let them come near me, they will be scared. And once they are scared of you, they are scared of the subject. We need to tell them that this subject is not as difficult as they think. If it’s possible, get women to teach women. ‘Seeing is believing’. They will eventually see that it is practical and that this is a subject that can be dabbled into and not fearing it because ‘people say…’
Finally, as women scientist, we have to establish good relationships with younger women scientists and even among ourselves, so we can all get along with each other. Leading women scientists must develop a leadership style that will be highly prized. This L’Oreal-UNESCO Award given to me is a big challenge; it has strengthened me to continue to encourage girls and women to participate in the development of science and technology by offering these core sciences courses in schools and universities. This invariably furthers the development of a Nation.
Oct, 2014 | London – At a ceremony in London, Dr Shiiwua Manu was awarded the Marsh Award for International Ornithology for his exceptional work in advancing the knowledge of birds in Nigeria.
Dr Shiiwua Manu receiving his award from The Duke of Edinburgh
Dr Manu is head of the A P Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI), the Biological Conservatory of the University of Jos, Nigeria. Under Dr Manu’s guidance up to eight West African students per year enrol in a MSc programme in Conservation Biology, with the aim of building much needed biodiversity conservation capacity in this part of Africa. The programme has been running for 12 years and has been hugely successful, with many alumni now working in renowned international conservation agencies operating in Africa.
APLORI also hosts many researchers from Nigeria, other African countries, and around the world. These researchers work on a broad range of topics, from the ecology of the birds of the Jos Plateau, to broader questions about bird migration and wintering ecology of long-distance intra- and intercontinental migrants. The institute also supports research on other biota, including plants.
Additionally, APLORI undertakes community development work in the institute’s vicinity, to help educate local people about the region’s biodiversity requirements, as well as to promote sustainable living alongside the birds and other wildlife supported by their immediate and wider surroundings. Many of the local people are employed in APLORI, and this contributes significantly to the local economy and fosters invaluable goodwill towards the conservation efforts of APLORI.
Dr Manu oversees all of these initiatives, skilfully navigating the bureaucracy that can impede such endeavours in Nigeria. He thus ensures that APLORI remains a powerful force for conservation in West Africa.
The award was presented by The Duke of Edinburgh at a ceremony hosted by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) at the Mall Gallery in London.
Dr Shiiwua Manu said, “I am most grateful to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), UK , for this humbling recognition. The A P Leventis Ornithological Research Institute (APLORI) University of Jos Nigeria provided me the enabling environment for achieving this recognition. All my colleagues in APLORI as well as the Laminga Community (our host), from where we operate, contributed immensely to this recognition. I am also grateful to my family for supporting me always. I thank you all for bringing this propitious and wonderfully exhilarating occasion to be.”
Andy Clements, BTO Director said, “The Marsh Awards for Ornithology enable BTO to recognise the excellent work of ornithologists at a variety of scales, all of whom are partners with BTO in ensuring science contributes to conservation. Dr Manu Shiiwua is an exceptional winner of the International Award, and his institute in Nigeria is a key partner in BTO’s work to understand the ecology of our migrant birds in Africa.”
POSITIVE NIGERIA 