Nigerian musician Teniola Apata, better known as, Teni the Entertainer is enjoying all the acclaim, fame and wealth that music offers.
Her ‘Case’ and ‘Billionaire’ songs fell on fertile minds and hearts as has others. She is the 2018 Headies ‘Rookie of the Year’, 2018 Best New Artiste at the Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, as well as the Most Promising Act to Watch at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards in 2018. She is also a 2018 BET Awards ‘Best New International Act’ nominee. Surely, her stock is rising…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Few people, however, know that Teni’s father, Simeon Apata, was a retired Army Brigadier-General with the Nigerian army. He was also a civil war veteran.
Simeon Olaosebikan Apata
Apata’s legacy is that he founded the Apata Memorial High School – an elite military-style private boarding school in Lagos, Nigeria in 1980.
The school, reported to have about 1550 pupils and 150 teachers, is regarded as a leading school in Oshodi-Isolo local government and one of the best in Lagos state attracting wards of the Nigerian elite. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Those in the know also say while alive, the army man confronted armed robbers and killed some whose menacing acts in his locality were a source of worry. While making sure his area was a safe haven it might have cost him his life when he was assassinated by gunmen on January 8, 1995. His death stunned Lagos and left a vacuum in his home.
Of that experience, Teni said her ‘Wait’ song was of the incident and in memory of her father.
Teni Apata aka Teni Makanaki
“Wait tells the love story between my mum and dad. I got the inspiration when my dad passed and my mum was crying, wishing he could have stayed back,” she said.
The Apata Memorial Schools, in Isolo, now managed by his three wives are thriving and while Teni said she wants to be a “billionaire” even though her “papa no be Dangote or Adeleke,” folks say she sure is an ‘Ajebutter’ (refers to someone who has been over-pampered) and not an ‘Ajepako’ (hustler).
Before we begin with the history of Ibadan, let us set some facts straight. Ibadan, (pronounced E- baa- dawn) the present capital of Oyo State, is the third-most populous city in Nigeria (with over 3.5 million dwellers) after Lagos and Kano.
Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, is the third-largest city in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano. The city is popularly known for its rich and fascinating history, culture and amazing tourist destinations. One of the most visited tourist destinations in Ibadan is the University of Ibadan Zoological Garden which was established in 1948. It is home to a wide array of animals comprising mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Mum-Zi was a member of Chief Akkiri’s harem in Akwa Akpa (now Calabar), who would later be the father of her daughter. Pic credit: Twitter
Who Was Mum-Zi – The Youngest Grandmother in the World?
Mum-Zi was just eight years and four months old when she gave birth to a baby girl in 1884.
From Nigeria, on an island called Akwa Akpa, now known as the city of Calabar, Mum-Zi’s daughter followed her mother’s footsteps, becoming a mother at the age of eight years and eight months thus making Mum-zi the youngest Grandmother in the world…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Over the years, it has not been uncommon to find young parents out there but what is perhaps unusual is to find young teens – as young as 17 – as grandparents.
In recent times, most people at that age are looking to complete their education or to graduate from high school. The thought of even becoming a parent is rare, thus, having grandchildren is often out of place.
But this was not the situation for Mum-Zi and her daughter, as well as, other young girls in the 19th Century.
According to Lyall Archibald’s 1936 book, The Future of Taboo in These Islands, Mum-Zi was a member of Chief Akkiri’s harem in Akwa Akpa (now Calabar), who would later be the father of her daughter.
Since the 16th Century, Calabar had been a busy international seaport, shipping out goods such as palm oil.
Historical accounts state that during the Atlantic slave trade, it became a major port in the transportation of African slaves, with most slave ships being owned by Bristol and Liverpool.
Some missionaries would later record the challenges of poor water supplies, malaria, and the presence of some tribes who were sometimes not too welcoming to evangelists and other slave traders.
What was common, however, was the fact that chiefs kept a harem of wives and slaves.
The harem is basically a female backyard or household largely reserved for princes and lords of this world.
In most parts of Africa and elsewhere, a harem, in terms of royal harems of the past, may house a man’s wives and concubines, as well as, their children, unmarried daughters, female domestic workers, and other unmarried female relatives.
Mum-Zi was one of the many women and girls who lived in a harem belonging to Chief Akkiri. After giving birth at 8 years and four months, with the chief being the father, her daughter would also become a mother exactly eight years later. She was reportedly impregnated by the same chief who happens to be her father.
She gave birth at an age slightly older than that of her mother’s, as she was 8 years plus 8 months. Nevertheless, this remains one of the shocking moments in history.
Ever since the 1700s, a number of cases have been highlighted to show how girls and women across the world suffer just because of their gender.
Among these forms of gender-based violence is child marriage, which denies children the right to be children and take away from them the opportunities for education and a better life. It also exposes them to risk of violence at the hands of their usually older and powerful husbands.
A recent report by Girls Not Brides revealed that globally, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children and 17 per cent of them, or 125 million, live in Africa.
It added that about 39 per cent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are married before the age of 18 and all African countries face the challenge of child marriage.
According to the report, Niger has the highest number of child brides, with three out of four girls married before they are 18.
The Central African Republic follows. There, the legal minimum age for marriage is 18, however, girls can get married at 13 years if it is approved by a court and/or if the girl is pregnant.
In some cases, earlier marriage is allowed if a parent consents to it. At third place is Chad, which has a rate of 67 per cent.
Some of the drivers for child marriage in these countries are poverty, upholding social and religious traditions, as well as, conflict, which forces many parents to consent to child marriage as a way of protecting their girls from violence and sexual assault.
