The Tragic Story Of Captain Hadiza Lantana Oboh, Nigeria Airways’ First & Only Female Pilot
This is the tragic story of Hadiza, a girl who had the dream of conquering the skies. She did achieved her dream before she was cut down in her prime by the very people she fed, clothed and trusted with her own life. The late Captain Hadiza Lantana Oboh was the first and only female pilot of the defunct Nigeria Airways.
LOVE, FAMILY AND MARRIAGE
Hadiza was single and lived alone in her residence where she enjoyed every available luxury and was hardly visited by friends, relations or associates. She seemed to have been very much focused primarily on her career and might have been very introverted.
FLYING CAREER
A hardworking and focused lady, Captain Hadiza Oboh was reputed to have checked out as a Flight Officer (F/O) aboard a Boeing 737 of the Nigeria Airways in 1984 .
By 1989, she was already a well-established pilot and remained an aviation superstar all through the 1990s. She was always a point of reference and source of pride for all women associations in Nigeria and Africa.
THE PLOT AND THE MURDER
The cold-blooded murder of Captain Oboh still sounds like a scene right out of a movie, even 22 years after her unfortunate exit from the world. On that fateful day, around 8.00 pm on the 8th of February 1998, Captain Oboh drove straight from the airport to her 40A Bourdillion Road home in Ikoyi, a high-brow part of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial center. A very lively lady, she was full of sparkle and was probably famished after a hectic day (pilots are some of the most worked and stressed-out professionals), she made for her kitchen to prepare a quick meal to line her stomach.
Inside the kitchen, she set a pot of soup on the electric cooker. She was never to taste of the meal she was cooking. Unknown to one of Africa’s few female captains, her domestic servants were already putting finishing touches on how to send her to the Great Beyond. As stated earlier, Captain Oboh was single and lived alone. The only people staying with her at her Ikoyi residence were her domestic servants and were males. They worked as the gateman (Abdullahi was the maiguard or security watch), gardener in addition to handling some other household tasks.
As she approached the entrance of her posh residence, Abdullahi flung open the big gates to her residence and she drove in, parked her Santana car and strode in. As Hadiza entered her well-furnished duplex, she did not suspect a thing. She headed for her bedroom while one of the domestic workers helped her with the flight bag. Hadiza had one habit which is quite common in many Nigerian homes with domestic ‘househelps’: her workers had access to her bedroom. However, this was to have very devastating consequences for her.
On the various occasions when the domestic servants assisted her with her bag into the lavish bedroom, they saw foreign currencies scattered all over the place. That was the beginning of the nightmare. Her workers were attracted by the money which she sweated for. On that fateful day, which would be her last on earth, as the servant dropped her flight bag in her room, they noticed more foreign currencies littering the beautifully-arranged bedroom. In addition to the money, Hadiza’s room was also full of designer wears, jewel-studded bracelets, gold chains and many others. She was a woman of class and fashion, a very classy pilot with an eye for the very best. Her wardrobe contained the best money could buy. Her residence was also equipped with the latest and most sophisticated electronic appliances and gadgets of that era. It was these glittering items that made the neurons in the brains of her workers to misfire and they conspired. They conspired to kill Hadiza.
After she relaxed for a while in her room, she stepped into the kitchen to prepare a meal. While she was in the kitchen savoring the aroma of the dish, Abdullahi sneaked out and opened the gate for the three other conspirators who entered the expansive compound. One of the brains behind the plot was Peter Iduwu Eche from Benue State. Trained as an auto-electrician, in 1993, Captain Oboh also employed him as a gardener and gateman. He was hired because Oboh had fired Abdullahi for gross misconduct. While Peter was working for her, he was residing in the boys’ quarter inside the compound.
However, when Peter travelled to his village in Makurdi, Oboh decided to re-employ Abdullah pending the return of Peter. That mistake would prove most deadly. When Peter returned, Abdullahi moved swiftly and worked on his brain. He hinted Peter of his sinister agenda to kill Hadiza and co-opted Peter into the bloody mission. Abdullahi was reported to have said Oboh should be killed because:
‘…she get plenty money and property.’
Without thinking of the consequences, Peter agreed to the plot. In fact, he went a step further by organizing for and arranging the four assassins who would take part in the operation. The meeting point for the killers was the spot outside the house where Abdullahi was selling his petty items. When Oboh arrived her residence that day, the plan was for the killers to melt into the environment and lurk around and wait for signals. Once they saw that madam was comfortably inside, Abdullahi sneaked out of his post and flung the massive gates open and the other agents of death entered. Their plan was thorough and detailed. The assassins gained access to the house via the rear kitchen door. As they entered, Hadiza was inside the kitchen, cooking.
Like a crazed cat, Abdullahi took a leap and bounced on her. In his hand was a rope which went straight to the neck of Nigeria’s only female captain. Hadiza shouted, pleaded and struggled but was overpowered. As the pilot gave her last kicks in a desperate attempt for survival, the very person she hired to protect her, Abdullahi, increased the grip and tightened the rope around her neck cutting off blood supply to her brain and probably severing her brain stem in the process while other assailants attacked and restrained her. The bitter struggle went on for a few minutes, and after the macabre drama, all was left was the lifeless body of one of Africa’s most illustrious daughters. In this manner of murder, Captain Hadiza would have died very quickly. The assailants did not stop there. They took her corpse and did a most unthinkable thing. They carried out an act that would shock many for centuries to come. They headed for the septic tank (locally referred to as the ‘soak away’),where they dumped her body. They then made for the bags of cement and fully cemented the tank. Inside the kitchen was the rope they used in killing her.
With Hadiza’s body vaulted away inside the septic tank, they moved to the next stage of their orchestrations: they embarked on a proper looting of her house. They carted every valuable thing in her residence, from her gold jewels to her expensive wears to the hard currencies she laboured for, they cleared everything. Even her car was not spared as they turned it into an unpainted taxi. Peter then abandoned the boys’ quarter and started living in the main building formerly occupied by the deceased pilot. So each time a visitor or friend came to check on Hadiza, Peter and the rest would answer saying:
Madam don travel and we no know when she go return.’
Disappointed, the guests would turn back thinking Hadiza must have travelled or was on her busy flight schedules again. However, as far as Peter and the rest were concerned, they were very sure they had already sent Oboh a journey she would never return from and they had inherited all her property. They were the new big boys, the new bosses. But they were soon to run out of luck. In the house next to Oboh’s was a policeman on duty who noticed very strange movements in and out the premises of the late captain. The policeman approached the residence, asked of Captain Oboh and as usual, they played the same track: Madam no dey house.
THE SUSPICION AND INVESTIGATIONS
But the policeman did not buy the story. Most likely acting on a tip-off, the residence was suddenly swarmed by police officers and security agents. Peter and others were arrested and bundled to the Ikoyi Police Station. Abdullahi had vanished so it was only Peter and others who were in police custody. Interestingly enough, when the police arrested them, no one knew Oboh was dead and buried in a pit of waste. They were arrested for stealing and unlawful removal of property which formed the basis of their investigation. Peter told the police that Captain Hadiza had travelled overseas and they believed him. Remember, there was no GSM in 1998 on the scale it is now and it was not an easy matter of just calling Oboh on phone or calling her relatives on phone. In May 1998, about three months after she was killed, the Nigerian Police was still appealing to the public to assist with information to locate the prime suspects connected to Hadiza’s murder.
When the police arrived her home, the pot of soup she was making was still on the cooker, all dried up. The air -conditioners were dead and on the floor of her kitchen were still visible the stains of her blood. The rope used in strangulating her was found between the kitchen and her sitting room which was now empty, with every valuable item looted. The only thing that was left in her sitting room at that time was her enlarged photograph, and it was covered by dust and cobwebs. The septic tank was still open, with its gaping hole and the half-used bag of cement was still there. The police gave an explanation that they did not move or touch any of the items at the scene because they still needed them for their investigations and for the prosecution of the suspects. You know, it was almost three months after. All the compound premises, right to the gate was already taken over by weeds and gone were the days of her well-manicured lawns. At that time, Mr. Paddy Ogon, an ASP, said:
‘…the public still needs to do more because Abdullahi lives in their midst. The image of the police is at stake. This is one of the celebrated cases the Nigeria Police is handling in recent times. Let me assure you that all hands are on deck to track down the remaining suspects, most especially Abdullahi…the police must follow the case to the end and make sure the killers of Oboh are brought to book.’
When he was asked on what the police was doing to nab Abdullahi, he said:
‘We cannot disclose that, but let me assure the public that the police would soon get Abdullahi. I can assure you, it is a matter of days and months. ’
Abdullahi was named as the person suspected to have masterminded and orchestrated the whole thing. He was later nabbed after an intensive manhunt.
As the case dragged on, it assumed a bigger dimension as no one knew of Hadiza’s precise whereabouts or heard from her. More questions were asked by her relatives and colleagues and pressure piled on the police as the case had already gained public attention and Nigerians were curious to know exactly what happened. Angered by the snail speed of the investigation, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, who was the Commissioner of Police, called for the case file, studied it and forwarded it to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba. An exasperated Tsav told journalists at a media briefing that the case had gone beyond theft and it was incumbent on the police to establish the whereabouts of Captain Oboh.
The Grisly Discovery
Once the SCID took over the case, the pace changed. On various occasions, the crack team of detectives led Samuel Okaula, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (later promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police as at December 2012) visited her residence. On one of their visits, Okaula was eagle-eyed enough to notice that the septic tank had a fresh coat of cement. He called the attention of others to the fresh layer of cement and the half-used bag of cement that was lying in the vicinity. Okaula’s instincts went on an overdrive: he became very suspicious. Okaula and his men returned to Panti with speed to further interrogate Peter.
The following day, the SCID team was back at Oboh’s house. Okaula ordered his operatives to open the septic tank. What they saw shocked them beyond disbelief and left an entire nation speechless. Immediately they opened up a section of the septic tank, what confronted them was the body of Captain Oboh – decomposed. The next sad phase was the recovery of her corpse.
Back at the base in Panti, the SCID team were very sure they had Peter, Abdullahi, Itoro Akpan (he was Oboh’s driver) and one Denise Osama (received the stolen goods and property of the late pilot) in their custody. Peter finally confessed and in his confessional statement, he said:
When I hear madam dey shout and plead with dem not to kill her, I cry but I no follow kill her.‘’
Nigeria’s Inefficient Courts
On the 1st of June, 1998, all the four suspects were arraigned at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for the following:
• Conspiracy
• Armed robbery
• Murder
As the police team was waiting for further advice and direction from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), they got the most shocking news of their lives: the High Court had ordered the release of two of the accused on bail with two sureties. But that was not to be. The suspects gave names and addresses that never existed to the courts. That was how the two suspects vanished and disappeared into the thin air. Apparently embarrassed, the Ministry of Justice ordered that the suspects be re-arrested and charged again for conspiracy, armed robbery and murder but till today, that never happened. The suspects simply melted and bolted away. To the utter consternation of the court, the sureties who processed the bail also used fake names and addresses. Till today, nothing has been done. And that was how Hadiza Lantana Oboh, a small girl who rose to the pinnacle of aviation career in Nigeria was killed by her domestic servants and her nation’s legal system could not get her justice, even in death, 17 years after. Hadiza Lantana Oboh was a trailblazer, an amazon and an inspiration to many .
*Source: National Mirror*
Thursday, May 28, 2020
AFDB President, Adeshina reply to allegations against him
Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has responded (dated April 8, 2020) to the allegations against him courtesy of Premium Times. Read below…
Allegation No. 1
Not provided
Allegation No. 2: Appointment of Mrs Chinelo ANOHU-AMAZU
ADESINA: Ms Chinelo Anohu-AMAZU was recruited through a globally advertised, open and competitive recruitment process. The search process was carried out by a top notch external recruitment firm, Russell Reynolds of the UK. She was one of two top candidates (both women) recommended to me as President to consider for appointment by the panel. But, I can state categorically that the allegations made against her are untrue and defamatory.
Allegation No 3: Appointment and promotions of Martin FREGENE
ADESINA: Mr Fregene is NOT my brother-in-law. There is no evidence he is. Second, Mr Fregene is a world-class geneticist, internationally renowned for his work on plant genetics of cassava, and who worked earlier at CIAT, Colombia, one of the CGIAR centres, and subsequently as Director at the Danforth Plant Science Centre (probably the second largest private agricultural research centres in the United States).
He returned from the diaspora to Nigeria to work as Chief Technical Advisor when I was Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria. He was hired as a consultant by the Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Jennifer Blake, to support her in the development of the Bank’s Feed Africa strategy. I approved the recommended hire which was entirely within my power to do.
Allegation No. 4: Mismanagement of the TAAT programme
ADESINA: Allegations against me concerning the TAAT are belied by objective and solid facts demonstrating no violation by me of the Code of Conduct.
TAAT is an initiative of the Bank developed to help take agricultural technologies to the scale of millions of farmers across Africa.
Although some staff made some mistakes in the procurement process, this is being investigated by the Bank and no findings have been made yet. There was no impropriety.
The president does not get involved in contractual issues in the Bank, except in cases involving matters that may affect the image, reputation and interests of the Bank.
Allegation No. 5: Appointments and promotions of Mrs Maria MULUNDI
Allegation No 6: Direct contracting and appointment of Victor OLADOKUN
ADESINA: We went to the university together and have been very close friends since then. There is nothing in the Bank rules that says that being a friend of anyone in the Bank who gets recruited at the Bank is against Bank rules.
Allegation No. 7: Contracting of Kapil KAPOOR
ADESINA: The African Development Bank, under my chairmanship of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) Heads, was tasked to help further develop my proposal to the group on how we can work collectively to leverage global institutional investors to invest in infrastructure and other sectors.
Kapil Kapoor, who was previously the Director of Strategy and Policies of the Bank, prior to his appointment as the Director General for Southern Africa, had been leading this work working closely with all other MDBs.
Kapil was essentially doing this work on top of his regular work as Director General. He retired from the Bank at the end of August 2019.
Allegation No. 8: Appointment of Emmanuel EZINWA:
ADESINA: The allegation that “A Nigerian, Mr EZINWA was found guilty of sexually harassing a colleague during his probation period; and despite his misconduct, (I) requested that Mr. EZINWA’s contract be confirmed, thus forcing the HR Director, Mrs Frauke HARNISCHFEGER resign is false.
The truth is that I do not know Mr EZINWA and have never met him in the Bank. The President does not get involved in any staff appraisals except for Vice Presidents and direct reports.
The then HR Director, Mr. David Ssegawa, evaluated the staff and there was nothing about sexual harassment.
Mrs Frauke HARNISCHFEGER was not the HR Director in 2018. The HR Director in 2018 was Mr David Ssegawa, who evaluated the staff and recommended the staff, as per the standard procedures of the Bank, to the President. Ms HARNISCHFEGER joined the Bank in 2019, one year after a confirmation recommendation made by the predecessor HR Director.
Allegation No 9: Preferential treatment for Nigeria and Nigerians
ADESINA: I did not introduce an organisational chart with a Nigeria Country Directorate. The decision to open a Nigeria Country Directorate was taken by the Board of Directors under my predecessor, the former President of the Bank, Donald Kaberuka.
Allegation No 10: Awards received by the President and costs borne by the Bank
ADESINA: I received the World Food Prize ($250,000) and the Sunhak Peace Prize ($500,000) in recognition of a life of accomplishments in the field of agriculture. Although they were individual prizes, they brought great credit and prestige to the AfDB.
I brought further credit to myself and the Bank by donating these two cash awards for the establishment of the World Hunger Fighters Foundation, a foundation that has garnered contributions from others and now funds the Borlaug Adesina Fellows Fellowship for young African Agribusiness Innovators.
The expenses of the World Food Prize event, including musical entertainment (musical groups from Nigeria and the Glee Club from Purdue University (my alma mater) were defrayed by the World Food Prize Foundation.
Allegation 11: Settlements for staff separations
ADESINA: The allegation that somehow the former Chief Economist, Mr Celestine Monga, departed the Bank with improper payments is false. The Chief Economist was not dismissed. Contract non-renewal is not dismissal of staff.
Allegation 12: Resignation of Mr David SSEGAWA
ADESINA: Mr Ssegawa was the HR Director. It is not true that I, as President, allowed him to resign when there was an investigation. There was absolutely no investigation of David Ssegawa when he resigned, nor was one contemplated.
Allegation No 13: Resignation of Mr Michel-Cyr DJIENA-WEMBOU
ADESINA: The allegation that I allowed the country manager to resign when he was under investigation for corruption is false. The President does not run country offices. They are under a Director General and overall oversight of a Vice President.
Allegation No. 14: Appointment of Mr Charles LUFUMPA as acting VP and Chief Economist
ADESINA: The allegations against me over the appointment of Charles Lufumpa as Acting Vice President and Chief Economist are patently false. My conclusion after careful review of the case of Charles Lufumpa is that the investigations conducted were very faulty and cannot prove the allegations made against him. My review also showed a well-orchestrated effort to make Mr Lufumpa a scapegoat for failures of others to do their job.
Allegation No. 15: Disregard of rules concerning leave of absence of VPs or travel of management.
ADESINA: The President does not monitor or manage time off for staff as that’s done by the Human Resources. The truth is the Vice President had personal medical issues that he had to get attended to (his private life must be respected) that required him to be away for extended periods, as needed, and he travelled with full knowledge of the department of health of the Bank which was monitoring him while away on medical reasons.
Allegation No 16: Political lobbying of Heads of State
ADESINA: It is alleged that as President I basically bribed and corrupted the 16 African Heads of State and governments in the ECOWAS region to support my candidacy for re-election.
The allegation essentially impugns the integrity, leadership and honesty of 16 African presidents and ECOWAS. This is a fanciful and baseless allegation.
Summary
In summary, every single one of the 16 allegations against me in the Disclosure remains unsubstantiated. I have not violated the Code of Conduct. The Ethics Committee should so find and dismiss the matter
Monday, May 25, 2020
Buhari to probe Kyari office
Presidency aides silent amid intrigues
A wave of apprehension is sweeping through Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as President Muhammadu Buhari begins a probe into the office of the late Chief of Staff Abba Kyari. The investigation may lead to all appointments and approvals made by Kyari without Buhari’s permission being cancelled. This is as pundits said the volte face by the president in directing a reversal of over 100 decisions by Kyari could create more problems than it is trying to solve.
Also, a source within the Presidential Villa suggested that the power block that produced the new Chief of Staff Ibrahim Gambari might be the force fighting back.
Sleep might have already begun eluding many officials in the MDA’s on account of contracts okayed without Buhari’s approval. If this is what the president is targeting with a view to shoring up his sagging profile, analysts say trouble looms for those who cut illegal deals with the late CoS.
Sleep might have already begun eluding many officials in the MDA’s on account of contracts okayed without Buhari’s approval. If this is what the president is targeting with a view to shoring up his sagging profile, analysts say trouble looms for those who cut illegal deals with the late CoS.
Though no reason was given for the president’s action, reports suggested no less than 150 memos that didn’t have his authorisation may have been uncovered.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina declined to confirm or refute the report. “I’ve seen your text. I’ve seen your text,” he simply said and ended the call. Also, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu did not reply to a text message seeking a confirmation on the development.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina declined to confirm or refute the report. “I’ve seen your text. I’ve seen your text,” he simply said and ended the call. Also, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu did not reply to a text message seeking a confirmation on the development.
Thursday, May 21, 2020
We’ve spent N800 million to test 16,000 people for coronavirus, says Lagos govt
We’ve spent N800 million to test 16,000 people for coronavirus, says Lagos Government
Lagos State government on Thursday said it had expended about N800 million in carrying out 16,000 COVID-19 test in the state so far, disclosing that each of the test, which had been fully paid for, costs between N40,000 and N50,000.
The Commissioner for Health in the state, Professor Akin Abayomi, made this known while fielding questions from newsmen on situation report in the fight the state is waging against spread of COVID-19 at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Secretariats, Alausa, Ikeja.
He, however, said the state was poised to undertake 1,000 people per day very soon in the next one or two months.
“We have so far performed 16,000 COVID-19 tests in Lagos, which is much higher than anywhere else in Nigeria.
“We are planning to test up to about 1,000 people per day very soon and in the next month or two, we are going to be ramping up our capacity to test.
For now, the government is providing testing free of charge and the government pays about N40,000 to N50,000 per test.
“But as we ramp up our testing, we are going to try and use some means of subsidy for the test, either through insurance or through some contributions from donors or from development partners .
“For now, the state government is providing COVID-19 testing free of charge and all citizens who need to be tested for COVID-19 either because they are not feeling well or had a close contact can get it done free of charge at any of our testing sites on the four laboratories,” Abayomi said.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Something Practical steps on COVID-19
Finally something practical and honest from the :
Head of the Infectious Disease Clinic, University of Maryland,
USA:
1. We may have to live with C19 for months or years. Let's not deny it or panic. Let's not make our lives useless. Let's learn to live with this fact.
2. You can't destroy C19 viruses that have penetrated cell walls, drinking gallons of hot water - you'll just go to the bathroom more often.
3. Washing hands and maintaining a
two-metre physical distance is the best method for your protection.
4. If you don't have a C19 patient at home, there's no need to disinfect the surfaces at your house.
5. Packaged cargo, gas pumps, shopping carts and ATMs do not cause infection.
Wash your hands, live your life as usual.
6. C19 is not a food infection. It is associated with drops of infection like the ‘flu. There is no demonstrated risk that C19 is transmitted by ordering food.
7. You can lose your sense of smell with a lot of allergies and viral infections. This is only a non-specific symptom of C19.
8. Once at home, you don't need to change your clothes urgently and go shower!
Purity is a virtue, paranoia is not!
9. The C19 virus doesn't hang in the air. This is a respiratory droplet infection that requires close contact.
10. The air is clean, you can walk through the gardens (just keeping your physical protection distance), through parks.
11. It is sufficient to use normal soap against C19, not antibacterial soap. This is a virus, not a bacteria.
12. You don't have to worry about your food orders. But you can heat it all up in the microwave, if you wish.
13. The chances of bringing C19 home with your shoes is like being struck by lightning twice in a day. I've been working against viruses for 20 years - drop infections don't spread like that!
14. You can't be protected from the virus by taking vinegar, sugarcane juice and ginger! These are for immunity not a cure.
15. Wearing a mask for long periods interferes with your breathing and oxygen levels. Wear it only in crowds.
16. Wearing gloves is also a bad idea; the virus can accumulate into the glove and be easily transmitted if you touch your face. Better just to wash your hands regularly.
17. Immunity is greatly weakened by always staying in a sterile environment. Even if you eat immunity boosting foods, please go out of your house regularly to any park/beach.
Immunity is increased by EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS, not by sitting at home and consuming fried/spicy/sugary food and aerated drinks.
Head of the Infectious Disease Clinic, University of Maryland,
USA:
1. We may have to live with C19 for months or years. Let's not deny it or panic. Let's not make our lives useless. Let's learn to live with this fact.
2. You can't destroy C19 viruses that have penetrated cell walls, drinking gallons of hot water - you'll just go to the bathroom more often.
3. Washing hands and maintaining a
two-metre physical distance is the best method for your protection.
4. If you don't have a C19 patient at home, there's no need to disinfect the surfaces at your house.
5. Packaged cargo, gas pumps, shopping carts and ATMs do not cause infection.
Wash your hands, live your life as usual.
6. C19 is not a food infection. It is associated with drops of infection like the ‘flu. There is no demonstrated risk that C19 is transmitted by ordering food.
7. You can lose your sense of smell with a lot of allergies and viral infections. This is only a non-specific symptom of C19.
8. Once at home, you don't need to change your clothes urgently and go shower!
Purity is a virtue, paranoia is not!
9. The C19 virus doesn't hang in the air. This is a respiratory droplet infection that requires close contact.
10. The air is clean, you can walk through the gardens (just keeping your physical protection distance), through parks.
11. It is sufficient to use normal soap against C19, not antibacterial soap. This is a virus, not a bacteria.
12. You don't have to worry about your food orders. But you can heat it all up in the microwave, if you wish.
13. The chances of bringing C19 home with your shoes is like being struck by lightning twice in a day. I've been working against viruses for 20 years - drop infections don't spread like that!
14. You can't be protected from the virus by taking vinegar, sugarcane juice and ginger! These are for immunity not a cure.
15. Wearing a mask for long periods interferes with your breathing and oxygen levels. Wear it only in crowds.
16. Wearing gloves is also a bad idea; the virus can accumulate into the glove and be easily transmitted if you touch your face. Better just to wash your hands regularly.
17. Immunity is greatly weakened by always staying in a sterile environment. Even if you eat immunity boosting foods, please go out of your house regularly to any park/beach.
Immunity is increased by EXPOSURE TO PATHOGENS, not by sitting at home and consuming fried/spicy/sugary food and aerated drinks.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
WARA : NIGERIAN LOCAL CHEESE CURDS
WARA : NIGERIAN LOCAL CHEESE CURDS
written by ( Unknown )
Wara is simply delectable locally made Nigerian cheese curds mostly made from fresh cow milk.
It is presumed to originate from Wara, a city located in Kwara state. In different vicinities, it goes by various names such as; Cottage cheese in America, Paneer in India, Woagachi or Wagassirou in Benin republic, Mashanza in Zaire. In the simplest form, wara is made by curdling milk (animal based milk such as cow/goat milk OR plant based milk such as soya milk). The solid part (proteins & fats) is separated from the liquid part (water and whey) after the curdling process and pressed together.
It’s a sold piece of curdled milk with a squeeky feel usually eaten alone, as a snack once fried (this is known as Beske) or as an addition to various cuisines. Once prepared it’s usually white, unsalted and uncolored . It’s often sold within a day of manufacture due to the poor shelf life of the cheese.
Types of Wara
There are two major types of wara you’d find sold here in Nigeria
1) Wara “Milk” (Main) : This is made from fresh cow milk
2) Wara “Soya”: This is made from soy milk. Another name for this is Tofu
Health Benefits Of Wara
Wara (Milk Version) is a diary product therefore it contains the same nutrients you can find in yogurt(See nono here) or milk. It’s rich in fat, protein and a little amount of carbohydrate and also contains vitamins & minerals such as; calcium, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc, Sodium, Riboflavin, Vitamin A, Vitamin K2. It also contains good bacteria known as “probiotics” which helps regulate the flora in the gut.
While there are several health benefits, there are also several negative health effects associated with eating too much cheese. To avoid such negative effects, moderate consumption is key.
Wara Soya (Soya bean milk version also known as “Tofu”or “Bean Curd”) is a plant based product therefore it contains the same nutrients found in soya bean milk. It is a good source of protein, iron, calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamin B1 and phosphorous plus it also contains all eight essential amino acids. From a nutritional and health perspective, wara soya is an excellent food. It is also thought to provide the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soya beans.
How to make wara – Production Of Wara Cheese (Fresh milk version)
To make wara the traditional way, you’d need ingredients such as; Freshly squeezed cow milk, Plant extract from a certain leaf known as “bomubomu” or “ewe bomu bomu”. Botanical name for this plant is Calotropis procera and the common name is Gaint milk weed. This acts as a coagulant to make the milk curdle. You’d also need a special conical shaped woven basket usually used to separate the curds (coagulated cheese) from the whey (clear liquid).
Other acidic substitutes that act as a coagulant include; white vinegar, lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar magnesium chloride.
Procedure:::
To make wara, 5 litres of milk would give you about 1 kilogram of cheese
Step 1: The first step is to prepare the juice extract from the leaves. To do this, you finely chop about 7 bomubomu leaves and place in a bowl. Pour about half cup of warm water over the leaves and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Pour the fresh cow milk into a pot. Turn down the heat of the burner and slow cook. This usually takes 15-30 minutes
Step 3: Sieve the liquid in step 1 above into the milk in the pot. Once you do that, you’ll notice the curds would start to separate from the whey immediately. If they don’t separate, add more juice.
Step 4: Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. After sometime, the whey (liquid) would get clearer while the curds (solid) would get larger.
Step 5: Now it’s time to strain out the curds from the whey. You get the woven basket or a pap/cheese sieve and pour everything inside and strain. The whey protein is very important as well as nutritious for other things so don’t discard it.
Step 6: Leave the whey to drip out of the cloth or basket and squeeze the excess liquid out. The sellers usually add water to it to keep it fresh. And your wara is ready. You can fry it to make Beske or add to your salads or dishes.
written by ( Unknown )
Wara is simply delectable locally made Nigerian cheese curds mostly made from fresh cow milk.
It is presumed to originate from Wara, a city located in Kwara state. In different vicinities, it goes by various names such as; Cottage cheese in America, Paneer in India, Woagachi or Wagassirou in Benin republic, Mashanza in Zaire. In the simplest form, wara is made by curdling milk (animal based milk such as cow/goat milk OR plant based milk such as soya milk). The solid part (proteins & fats) is separated from the liquid part (water and whey) after the curdling process and pressed together.
It’s a sold piece of curdled milk with a squeeky feel usually eaten alone, as a snack once fried (this is known as Beske) or as an addition to various cuisines. Once prepared it’s usually white, unsalted and uncolored . It’s often sold within a day of manufacture due to the poor shelf life of the cheese.
Types of Wara
There are two major types of wara you’d find sold here in Nigeria
1) Wara “Milk” (Main) : This is made from fresh cow milk
2) Wara “Soya”: This is made from soy milk. Another name for this is Tofu
Health Benefits Of Wara
Wara (Milk Version) is a diary product therefore it contains the same nutrients you can find in yogurt(See nono here) or milk. It’s rich in fat, protein and a little amount of carbohydrate and also contains vitamins & minerals such as; calcium, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc, Sodium, Riboflavin, Vitamin A, Vitamin K2. It also contains good bacteria known as “probiotics” which helps regulate the flora in the gut.
While there are several health benefits, there are also several negative health effects associated with eating too much cheese. To avoid such negative effects, moderate consumption is key.
Wara Soya (Soya bean milk version also known as “Tofu”or “Bean Curd”) is a plant based product therefore it contains the same nutrients found in soya bean milk. It is a good source of protein, iron, calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamin B1 and phosphorous plus it also contains all eight essential amino acids. From a nutritional and health perspective, wara soya is an excellent food. It is also thought to provide the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soya beans.
How to make wara – Production Of Wara Cheese (Fresh milk version)
To make wara the traditional way, you’d need ingredients such as; Freshly squeezed cow milk, Plant extract from a certain leaf known as “bomubomu” or “ewe bomu bomu”. Botanical name for this plant is Calotropis procera and the common name is Gaint milk weed. This acts as a coagulant to make the milk curdle. You’d also need a special conical shaped woven basket usually used to separate the curds (coagulated cheese) from the whey (clear liquid).
Other acidic substitutes that act as a coagulant include; white vinegar, lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar magnesium chloride.
Procedure:::
To make wara, 5 litres of milk would give you about 1 kilogram of cheese
Step 1: The first step is to prepare the juice extract from the leaves. To do this, you finely chop about 7 bomubomu leaves and place in a bowl. Pour about half cup of warm water over the leaves and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Pour the fresh cow milk into a pot. Turn down the heat of the burner and slow cook. This usually takes 15-30 minutes
Step 3: Sieve the liquid in step 1 above into the milk in the pot. Once you do that, you’ll notice the curds would start to separate from the whey immediately. If they don’t separate, add more juice.
Step 4: Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn. After sometime, the whey (liquid) would get clearer while the curds (solid) would get larger.
Step 5: Now it’s time to strain out the curds from the whey. You get the woven basket or a pap/cheese sieve and pour everything inside and strain. The whey protein is very important as well as nutritious for other things so don’t discard it.
Step 6: Leave the whey to drip out of the cloth or basket and squeeze the excess liquid out. The sellers usually add water to it to keep it fresh. And your wara is ready. You can fry it to make Beske or add to your salads or dishes.
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