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March 06, 2007
Dog's dinners prove popular in Nigeria
The famous reverse news headline "Man bites dog!" is old news to some restaurants in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.
By Senan Murray
BBC News website, Abuja
"Welcome to animal kingdom where man pikin dey show dog pepper," says Chibuzo Eze in Pidgin English, meaning: Welcome to place where the son of man is giving dogs a hard time.
Mr Eze then hungrily gets back to tugging his chunk of dog meat.
He is standing under a mango tree in "South Africa", the name of an open-air restaurant hidden behind the living quarters of a Western construction firm in Abuja.
"It is called South Africa because behind those high walls you'll find rich Europeans and outside here is Soweto, where we, ordinary masses, struggle with dog meat," Mr Eze explains with a smile playing on his face.
'Improves your sex life'
Mr Eze says he eats dog meat because "e dey protect person from all those nyama-nyama disease them" - it gives you immunity from different diseases.
A few yards away Bassey Umoh, South Africa's owner and chief chef, pokes at larger chunks of sizzling meat barbecuing on wire gauze over an open fire.
Mr Umoh, or Oga Bassey (oga is Pidgin English for boss) - as the "South Africans" fondly call him, says he has been selling dog meat since he completed a two-year apprenticeship in the business some 30 years ago.
He also eats the meat he sells.
"Eating dog meat gives you a special protection against the most potent juju (charm)," he claims, reeling off the benefits of dog meat.
"Dog meat also improves your sex life. And if you eat dog meat, you cannot be poisoned."
But not everyone is convinced by Oga Bassey's arguments.
"The very idea of eating dog meat is absolutely disgusting," says Mary Iroanya, an office worker in the capital.
"The talk about dog meat curing diseases and giving protection against charms and the rest is mere superstition.
"People who eat dog meat only use those excuses to convince themselves that what they are doing is okay."
Her colleague Adeola Osinuga is also less than convinced by such claims. "Besides, I cannot eat dog meat because dogs are like pets," she says.
Easy target
Oga Bassey, however, says his cuisine is in high demand although his business is not doing so well because dogs are becoming scarce now in Abuja.
"Everybody is eating dog meat openly now, that is why dogs are scarce," he says.
Many Abuja dog owners complain that their dogs have gone missing, probably ending up in the likes of Oga Bassey's big dog pepper soup pot.
Most Nigerians keep dogs not as pets, but as guard dogs.
And instead of keeping them in kennels, the dogs are usually left to wander about freely, making them an easy target for people to kidnap and sell to restaurant owners like Mr Umoh.
But Mr Umoh says he does not buy stolen dogs. He, however, admits that it is often difficult to tell whether some of the dogs sold to him have been stolen.
"We have heard of people stealing dogs to sell. Our policy here in 'South Africa' is that we do not deal in stolen merchandise. So, we normally quiz our customers to be sure they are selling their own dogs," he explains.
"Moreover, 'South Africa' is not the only dog-meat joint in Abuja," Mr Umoh adds.
Indeed, there are three popular dog meat joints in this district on the western edge of Abuja alone.
Also as a rule, there is always a dog-meat pepper soup joint in every army or police barracks in Abuja.
Nigeria's riot police seem to have a thing for dog meat too as a popular dog-meat joint called Obalende sits in the middle of their barracks in Nyanya, another Abuja suburb.
Another popular dog-meat spot is "Zimbabwe", an open-air joint next to a small river on the outskirts of Abuja.
Unlike "South Africa", "Zimbabwe" is, however, notorious for its gamblers, pick-pockets, prostitutes and bootlegged spirits.
Culture
Another dog-meat eater, Beke Nnkwo says he was introduced to the cuisine as a cure for malaria.
"People who eat dog meat have no business with malaria," Mr Nnkwo says. "So, I was introduced to the meat as a cure for malaria and I can testify that it works."
Medical opinion, however, seems to differ.
"Dog meat, to the best of my knowledge, is not any different from any other meat. The claim that it cures malaria is definitely not true," says Dr Yakubu Nyandaiti a consultant at Nigeria's University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
"It cannot be true either that it boosts human immunity," he says.
For Mr Nnkwo, however, an Igbo from south-eastern Nigeria, eating dog meat is a question of culture.
"I hear they eat frogs in certain parts of the world. But I tell you, no matter how you cook or dress a frog, I can never eat it.
"But dog is different. So, eating dog meat is a question of culture for me."
Dog meat is also eaten in Plateau and Gombe states in the north and it is becoming quite popular in other parts of the country including Kaduna and Adamawa with Abuja as the newest entrant.
Asked how tasty the meat is, Mr Nnkwo beams and says: "Oh la la! You don't know what you are missing."
Posted by Publisher at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2007
Nigeria sack youth coach
The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) have sacked their under-20 coach Godwin Uwua after only a year in charge.
By Oluwashina Okeleji,
BBC Sport, Lagos
Nigeria sack their youth coach Godwin Uwua
The move follows criticism of his side's performance at the 2007 African Youth Championships where he led his side to the runners-up spot behind hosts Congo.
Uwua, who took charge in March 2006, also led his side to qualification for this year's World Youth Championships taking place in Canada.
However, his managerial acumen came under severe criticism from the media and fans back in Nigeria.
According to NFA chairman Sani Lulu, the decision was taken in order to prevent a disastrous outing at the world stage: "We decided to take action before it was too late.
"We need to get our acts together before the World Youth Cup in Canada," Lulu told BBC Sport on Monday.
"This team is the foundation of our football and adequate attention needs to be given to them.
"This was not a witch-hunt of Uwua, he has done his bit and now is the time to go a step further."
Ladan Bosso, who assisted Uwua in Congo, has been appointed caretaker coach.
"Bosso will stay in charge for the time being until a substantive coach is appointed," Lulu added.
Nigeria finished runners-up at the last World Youth Championships in Holland, losing 2-1 to eventual winners Argentina in the final.
The Flying Eagles have been drawn to face Japan, Scotland and Costa Rica in Group F of this year's World Youth Championships scheduled for Canada from 30 June - 22 July.
Back in 2003, Godwin Uwua was dismissed by the NFA from his role as the under-23 coach just six months before the start of the All-Africa Games.
The NFA said Uwua was sacked because he was employed by a domestic club while under contract with the national team.
Posted by Publisher at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
Nigeria endorses Islamic leader
The authorities in northern Nigeria have held the final ceremony to inaugurate the spiritual head of the country's estimated 70 million Muslims.
By Alex Last
BBC News, Nigeria
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sada Abubakar, received the staff of office which formalises the government's recognition of his position.
He became sultan after the death of his elder brother, Sultan Maccido, who died in a plane crash last year.
The ceremony took place in front of a crowd of thousands.
He was handed the staff by the state governor in the ancient city of Sokoto. Then members of the nobility, wearing turbans and ceremonial robes, cantered up on horseback to salute him.
The ceremony was attended by the president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and his bitter political rival, vice president Atiku Abubakar, who is campaigning to become president in elections in April.
The ceremony, with its staff of office, dates back to colonial times, and is a deliberate show that it is the government that ultimately endorses his appointment.
The 20th Sultan of Sokoto comes from a line of leaders who date back 200 years to the once vast Sokoto Caliphate, which spanned a huge swathe of West Africa.
Though his position now is largely ceremonial, he still retains considerable influence - crucial in a country which has witnessed bouts of sectarian and ethnic violence.
Posted by Publisher at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)
