Dakota Johnson grew up surrounded by love. In addition to her mother and her father, who managed to maintain a warm relationship after the breakup, another “parent” came into her life: her stepfather Antonio Banderas.
It was he who, in her day, paved the way for her to the world of cinema and taught her what it meant to live with an authentic Spanish passion. After achieving success in her profession, Dakota always thanks her “second” dad for his support. This loving relationship between stepfather and stepdaughter is endearing, even to the most hardened of cynics…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
“I come from a family of many marriages and I was very lucky. I received an ‘extra’ father that I realized that, over time, he is actually one of the most influential people in my entire life,” Dakota Johnson once said about Antonio Banderas. The Spanish actor met his mother, Melanie Griffith, during the filming of the film Two Much. Their decision to be together was instantaneous. At the time, Griffith had two children from previous relationships.
Banderas managed to become a true member of this family. According to the actress, the children saw his adoring attitude toward his mother and over time they began to see him as a second father, sweetly calling him “Paponio,” a mix of the words “Papi” and “Antonio.” Her stepfather brought a bit of Spanish madness to their stable lives, Johnson said. And most importantly, he taught the children discipline.
In 1996, the family celebrated the arrival of another daughter, Stella. Banderas, who until then had not had children, became the father of three at the same time. Furthermore, he soon faced the complexities of adolescence. Like all teenagers, Alexander and Dakota demanded freedom, but their stepfather was unwavering. At that moment, the actor realized that his job was not to be his friend, but rather a person who “kept them safe.”
The popularity of Antonio and Melanie was another difficulty to overcome. His son and youngest daughter couldn’t stand the public attention. Dakota, on the other hand, was different; She quickly accepted his position of always being in the limelight. Antonio admired the wisdom of his stepdaughter.
Banderas was the first to discover young Dakota’s acting talent. He invited her in 1999 to appear in the film Crazy in Alabama, which he directed. In the script, the girl only had a few lines, but she took her work so seriously that she demanded a private acting teacher. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Johnson recalled that working on the same set with her mother and stepfather was incredibly fun. The only thing that bothered the young actress was that she had to take care of Stella, who was very little at the time.
Is her talent inherited? It is unlikely, although the individual components of it could well be. Dakota said she inherited strength and dignity from her grandmother, and humor from her mother. She learned respect from her biological father, but everything vibrant and bright about her seems to come from her stepfather. Thanks to him she learned to understand Spanish and to love flamenco and ham.
Additionally, Johnson considers her stepfather one of the best actors of our time. She only realized this when she became an adult and immersed herself in the profession. The important thing about Banderas, according to Dakota, is that she never tires of trying to improve herself.
But the most significant thing is that she revealed to him the magic of the world of cinema. Antonio once said of his stepdaughter: “She is my daughter, I love her. I have carried her on my shoulders, traveling around the world.” Yes, he insists on calling her her daughter, and he is as proud of her success as if it were his own. When the actress rose to fame, she shared her professional opinion about her talent. Banderas stated that she was a multifaceted artist and that she just needed an opportunity to prove it.
After almost two decades of marriage, Griffith and Banderas announced their divorce in 2014. The couple managed to separate lovingly and amicably. Similar phrases are often used by celebrities after the breakup of their relationship. But for this couple, they weren’t just empty words. They really were still together as a family and continued to meet only to chat or for some celebration.
Antonio said that seeing his children he realized that it was not in vain that he and his ex-wife lived together for so many years. It was definitely worth it. During an event on the red carpet, Banderas was asked how she feels about her ex-wife now. The actor responded without hesitation: “I will love that woman until the day she dies on me.”
The divorce did not affect Banderas’ relationship with her children. They often see each other on a daily basis, go out together, and accompany each other on the red carpet. Emotional speeches are also dedicated to receiving film awards.
Gen. Diya was crossed examined at the Human Rights Violation Commission (HRVIC) on the coup plan 1997 to overthrow Gen. Sanni Abacha, He bluntly denied the fact that he was part of the plan but he admitted he knew about the plan. He further explained that he was afraid of being killed by the Coup Master Planner if he revealed the plan.
Gen. Diya Oladipo then was appointed as Chief of Defense Staff. He was appointed Chief of General Staff in 1993 and Vice Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council in 1994. In 1997 Diya and dissident soldiers in the military allegedly planned to overthrow the regime of Sani Abacha. The alleged coup was uncovered by forces loyal to Abacha, and Diya and his cohorts were jailed. Diya was tried in a military tribunal, and was given the death penalty. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Nigeria has seen the rise and fall of many military regimes since she became a sovereign state in 1960 and this, at every turn, has altered the direction of the country.
A second coup since independence which happened on July 29, 1966, would see to the brutal death of Nigeria’s Supreme Commander, General J.T.C Aguiyi-Ironsi (the nation’s 1st military head of state) and his friend, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, who was the sitting and 1st Military Governor of the Western Region…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Aguiyi-Ironsi was a guest at the Government House, Ibadan, as he came to hold a meeting with traditional rulers in the Western region. Ironsi arrived Ibadan the previous day and unknowingly, he met his death during the counter-coup which is generally believed to be a retaliation to the January 15th 1966 coup in which prominent Northerners in power were killed.
The Northerners were believed to hold a grudge since the first coup as they lost leaders including Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Nigerian Prime Minister) and Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the Northern Region). They tagged it an ‘Igbo Coup’ as no Eastern casualty was recorded in both the military and public service as even the West lost Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola in the coup. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
This counter-coup of July 29, 1966, led by General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma was tagged the bloodiest coup by many in the history of Nigeria. Ironsi and Fajuyi’s death which still remains a controversial debate among historians because how they were killed isn’t clear but both bodies were found in a bush in outskirts of Ibadan. Read a comprehensive account of how Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed here.
Aside from the Head of State and Western Military governor, many other casualties were recorded in the army and most killed or maimed were Easterners, particularly Igbos. This will be one of the many reasons the country would go into a civil war the following year as the Eastern region tried seceding.
54 years after, we remember this gruesome act done in the Brown Roof City and how much has happened or changed since then.
General Sani Abacha is perhaps Nigeria’s most enigmatic head of state. He reigned from 1993 until his death in 1998. General Abacha was born in Kano state, northern Nigeria on September 20, 1943. He hails from Kanuri in Borno state.
He passed out of the Nigerian Military Training Centre in Kaduna where he proceeded to Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England before being commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 1963.
He is held by some as Nigeria’s most successful coup plotter. When he was still a Second Lieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in Kaduna, he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian counter-coup from the conceptual stage. He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup the previous January as well…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Abacha fought for Nigeria in the country’s civil war against Biafran secessionists continuing to rise through the army ranks.
He was instrumental in the 1983 Nigerian coup d’état which brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power as well as the August 1985 coup which removed him from power. He announced the coup which removed the government of Shehu Shagari.
When General Ibrahim Babangida was named President of Nigeria in 1985, Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff. He was appointed Minister of Defence in 1990. With Babangida’s resignation, an interim government headed by civilian President, Ernest Shonekan was formed.
Sani Abacha became the first Nigerian soldier to attain the rank of a full General without skipping a single rank in 1993. In the same year, he moved for the ultimate.
Shonekan resigned and transferred power to Sani Abacha in a move widely believed to be another bloodless coup. In September 1994, he issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts, effectively giving him absolute power. Another decree gave him the right to detain anyone for up to three months without trial.
Abacha is noted for helping restore peace and democracy to Sierra Leone and Liberia after the civil wars.
On his administration of the Nigerian state proper, he established The Petroleum Trust Fund aimed to address major economic issues facing the country at the time. Between 25-100km of urban road in major cities such as Kano, Gusau, Benin, Funtua, Zaria, Enugu, Kaduna, Aba, Lagos, Lokoja, and Port Harcourt was planned to be constructed each. A N27.3bn contract was awarded for road rehabilitation in the first quarter of 1996.
There was a restructuring of major insurance companies that supported SMEs across the entire country.
Abacha mandated the PTF to publicise its accounts as it was the second-largest public corporation at the time. In 1997, the account of PTF showed that it disbursed N24.3bn on roads, N21.2bn on security, N7.8bn on health, and N3bn on other projects. Other disbursements include N2.2bn on water supply, N936m on food supply and N476m on education. It realized a total of N1.049bn from various investment activities.
It’s curious the sums which emerged after his death that he stashed in overseas accounts as the Abacha administration became the first to record unprecedented economic achievements overseeing an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
He also reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997. His Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund is also hailed for infrastructural projects and interventionist programmes in education, water and health.
His wife is credited with setting up the National Hospital in Abuja viewed as Nigeria’s foremost national hospital, which was initially set up as a hospital for women and children before its upgrade.
Nonetheless, Abacha was ruthless with groups he considered hostile to his administration between 1993 and 1998. There was a crackdown on the civil rights groups, media and pro-democracy groups.
It was also under him that Nigeria became a perpetual importer of petroleum products as the refineries packed up. The emergence of the ‘foul fuel’ which damaged car engines and released a repugnant smell was in his time.
General Sani Abacha earned the title ‘Thug of the Year’ from Time magazine in 1995 after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa. Abacha developed the habit of working only at night. Availing himself to be seen publicly rarely while being averse to granting interviews.
The events of his death on June 8, 1998, at the presidential villa in Abuja are murky and while the official account is that he suffered a heart attack, other accounts say he was in the company of two Indian sex workers flown in from Dubai when he died. He was buried on the same day, according to Muslim tradition, without an autopsy. This fueled speculation that he may have been murdered by political rivals via poison.
Foreign diplomats, including United States Intelligence analysts, believed that his drink or fruit (apple) was laced with a poisonous substance while in the company of prostitutes.
Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha with whom he had had seven sons and three daughters.
In March 2014, the United States Department of Justice revealed that it had frozen more than $458 million believed to have been illegally obtained by Abacha and other corrupt officials.
On 7 August 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced the largest forfeiture in its history: the return of $480 million to the Nigerian government.
Stashed sums in other accounts have been discovered with the Nigerian government working to have the funds returned.
