Restaurant Critique

 By: Haneefah Adamu, Halima Sogbesan & Amina Kollere.

 RESTAURANT CRITIQUE

What you are about to read is an account of our collective experiences of our visit to the AUN clubhouse, Amina, Hanyfah, and Halima. On one sunny afternoon, our professor, Dr. Samuel Tesunbi, treated us to lunch at the club. While there, we took the opportunity to critique the restaurant.

The AUN University Club restaurant is regarded as one of Adamawa’s finest restaurants. The architecture of the club is splendid, with a very large and spacious parking lot. The absence of valet services gives patrons a chance to drive around freely, with no hassle.

RECEPTION:

Upon entering the AUN club, the restaurant is the first thing you see through the glass door. There are no doormen or people waiting to take your coat, but then again, the clubhouse is no 4-star restaurant.  Sitting at the counter are two expressionless, weary-looking receptionists glued to their computers as they sort out the takeaway orders. An incoming customer that wants any attention at the reception would have to walk up to the receptionist to make requests or ask questions. The reception is feebly decorated with three wood carved figurines standing on a small mahogany table, the reception has a very high roof which makes every sound resonate and there is no music to eliminate the noise while a person sits and wait for his or her order.

AMBIENCE:

The blue painted, well-lit restaurant sitting area has eight wooden tables with four lightly foamed, closely knitted metal chairs that don’t allow free and comfortable movement. The ocean blue paint on the wall doesn’t complement the furniture and the dark grey tiled floor or the off white painted ceilings, which then gives the eating area a dull ambience.

Instead of the two displaced paintings, the décor should be themed to complement the overall appearance of the restaurant. Though there are five air conditioners in the restaurant, it still feels drafty and stuffy, especially as more people come in the restaurant for lunch. As for the floor, it is relatively clean, but it could have been cleaner, and the most shocking of all is, the presences of  flies in the restaurant!

STAFF & PROFESSIONALISM:

Upon entry, we did not get ushered to a table; we just roam around to find a table to settle ourselves in. After taking a seat, a shabbily dressed waitress (all waiters are professionally dressed in 4-star restaurants) with a smiling face presented us with a menu. An average order with less than ten customers in the restaurant takes up to 20 minutes. While we were waiting, we were conversing and watching television with nothing to nibble on. 

MENU:

The menu consists mostly of African dishes with few foreign dishes. With the wide variety of faculty and staff coming from all over the world, we think the entrees should be more diverse. We notice that there is a fine selection of drinks and beverages, ranging from soft drinks, beers, wines, and spirits, but there are no natural juices on the beverage menu. Not everyone likes artificially flavored drinks. Water is not free at the clubhouse; a medium sized bottle costs N150, and a big bottle costs N200.

FOOD:

The waitress comes with tablemats, glass cups, cutleries, and water.. The big bottle of water we have ordered is not cold.  We order fried rice and boneless chicken with green salad (N1550), beef burger and potato chips (N1150), and Jollof rice and peppered chicken (N1150), which came 20 minutes later.

The fried rice is well cooked and the vegetables are really crunch. The chicken is properly deboned, well spiced and sautéed that it awakened every taste bud on the tongue. The salad, with English dressing, is not as enjoyable because the lettuce isn’t crispy.

The potato chips have been fried to a golden brown and the burger has visible lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. However the top of the bread looks burnt, this is not too attractive. The chips come with ketchup. The chips taste great. It has just the right amount of salt, and it is dry enough to be enjoyed. The beef burger is also good. The beef is well spiced, and the tomatoes and onions taste fresh. The lettuce on the other hand tastes like it has started wilting. The bread is also really soft and enjoyable.

The Jollof rice is not as enjoyable. One of us who ordered the Jollof rice thinks she could have cooked the same, or better, standard of Jollof rice in her kitchen. She believes the chicken was well spiced but too tough (they probably under-cooked it). She also did not think the food was worth the wait

Still, our colleague admits that the meals hot and edible, though we had to keep batting away flies as we ate which was as difficult and uncomfortable as Jackie Chan fighting off goons in the movies.

BATHROOM:

There are his and hers bathrooms at the university club restaurant.. However, they are not something to boast of. For a place that receives many patrons, this may need some revisiting. While the toilet provides running water, a clear mirror, tissue and a hand wash, there are ants by the sink, on the wall, on the floor, and the toilet bowl. There is no air freshener provided.

Overall, two of us agree that the restaurant has a very good culinary service, except for some professional services and maintenances, which are in dire need for improvement. The third person disagrees with the culinary services and thinks it isn’t worth the while. We give the AUN Club Restaurant one star!

Congestion Calls for Execution in Edo State

By Amina Kollere

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole recently signed the warrant for the execution of two prison inmates on death row while their appeal is still pending in court! According to the Edo State attorney general, they are alleged murderers, and in order to handle the issue of congestion in the state prison, they should face execution.

I was utterly mortified to hear this so called justification for taking people’s lives. Is this how insignificant our lives are in the eyes of our ‘leaders’? Politicians and people in high places of power commit crimes on a daily basis, but they don’t get so much as a slap on the wrist; however, a groundnut seller steals N5 and it becomes the crime of the century.

The Amnesty International and The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) intervened and asked Governor Adams Oshiomhole to withdraw the death sentence. It’s good to know that when our leaders don’t have our backs, NGOs do.

I remember the prison swap that took place last year in Egypt between the Palestinian Taliban group and the Israelis. The Israelis swapped almost a thousand prisoners for just one of their own, a young military man. I thought it was commendable that they cared so much for just one of their own. With the situation in Edo, I feel nothing but shame for my nation-state. This goes to show that Nigeria is not a sovereign nation, but a geographical location where natural selection takes place. The weak get trampled on by the powerful, and the powerful get more power at the expense of the weak.

We call ourselves civilized? Killing prisoners because of congestion is as barbaric as it can get. We might as well go back to the Stone Age and start wearing hides and skins. That is more civilized than what we’re becoming.

Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International’s Deputy Programme Director for Africa, says, “The decision to sign a death warrant on these two prisoners shows a deep disrespect for the judicial process as the inmates are part of an ongoing appeal. The execution of a prisoner when their death sentence is still under challenge in the courts is a flagrant violation of human rights.”

It appears that the culture of ‘unfair Justice’ in Nigeria is worse than I imagined it. A couple of inmates accused of murder with their appeal still pending are to be executed. The government in Nigeria doesn’t care much for the third arm of government, the Judiciary, and it’s time the Chief Justice did something about it. Shouldn’t the decision to execute a prisoner involve the federal government? I think it should. Already, people die on a daily basis in the North Eastern part of the country due to terrorist attacks. Apparently, the governor is not satisfied with the death toll and is generously offering more.

The death row problem in Nigeria is not just in Edo state. Amnesty International is reporting that approximately 920 people are on the death row in Nigeria. Is it normal to have so many people on death row? If they were all politicians, I’d have no problem with that number. However, since we all know they are mere civilians, I think the judicial system in Nigeria is seriously flawed, and someone needs to do something about it.

At its 44th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights adopted a resolution calling on African states that still retain the death penalty to observe a moratorium on the execution of death sentences with a view to abolishing the death penalty. The resolution also forbids the application of the death penalty in conditions not respectful of the right to a fair trial guaranteed under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other relevant international norms.

Here’s a thought governor, if you have an issue with congestion, why don’t you look into the less complicated cases? I’m sure there are innocent people locked up. Why don’t you set them free instead of being too eager to take people’s lives? Or here’s another idea, why don’t you have contractors taking care of these prisons?

Give us a reason to be calm

By Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan

My fears for the country have been heightened once again, and I think every Nigerian falls into my category. Just few weeks ago, we mourned from shocking deaths; the gruesome killing of about 40 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, in the most callous of ways, and the lynching of 4 students of the University of Port Harcourt in Aluu for irrational reasons.

Though the Mubi attack was attributed to the dreaded Boko Haram sect, some factions claim that the perpetrators of the attack were students who were upset about the school’s recently concluded student union elections. Boko Haram was out of the question for the Aluu lynching because it was obvious that an irresponsible crowd was to blame. So, after some weeks of inactivity of the dreaded Boko Haram, I thought that the prayers of numerous Nigerians had been answered. I thought the period of bomb attacks in Nigeria was over. However, I was in for a shocker as Sunday, October 28, presented another mournful day for the country; a suicide bombing attack on the Saint Rita’s Catholic Church at Ungwar Yero in Malali, Kaduna North LGA.

A spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Yushau Shuaib, has placed the death toll at 8 people and the number of injured, 145. Most of those affected are women and children. Though the sect has not claimed responsibility for the attack, from descriptions, it is safe to say that the attack was Boko Haram styled.

Eye witnesses say that the suicide bomber drove a tinted Toyota car. After being denied entry into the church premises by the security personnel, pretending to be reversing out of the church, he rammed his car into the church building and then an explosion followed. Some reports claim that he crashed into the children’s section of the church, injuring and killing innocent children that had done no one any harm. I mourn with the parents who lost their children, and I sympathize with those parents who are nursing the wounds of their kids. How will they explain to these little angels that they were attacked because of views I refuse to understand? I fear for this and so many other reasons.

I fear that no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The whole of Nigeria has ascribed responsibility of the attack to the notorious Boko Haram. However, the group has not claimed responsibility, proving otherwise. How are we sure that an upcoming terrorist group is not hiding under the guise of Boko Haram? Should we still be scared of subsequent attacks?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that, “Unconfirmed reports said at least two people were killed in reprisal attacks by Christians after the bombing.” That could have been an innocent me, my sister, my friend or any other person that had nothing to do with the blast. It is scary that Muslims and Northerners may have to pay the price of a group’s wrongdoings, and so, I fear that the killings are making it more difficult for people of different religions to tolerate opposing views. To know how bad the situation is, all one has to do is read comments below news articles on news websites, and the hatred is apparent. Many of these comments call for reprisals, and it is scary that these are not opinions of just one or two, but many.

At this point, I say with no remorse that the government is not helping us deal with these issues well. So far, key players in Nigerian politics have told us to be calm; they (the authorities) are on top of things. How do you tell families that have lost loved ones to be calm? Be calm and that’s it? I think it is high time our government recognized that it is its responsibility to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. I hate that since 2009 when the terrorist activities started I have harboured choking fears about the security situation in the country. As my little siblings leave for school, I would utter a prayer to God begging Him to bring them back safely. As my father dresses up to work, the same fears are expressed, and it is no different when my mother goes to shop at the market. I know I am not alone in my fears. So let President Jonathan stop telling us how “barbaric” and “cruel” the attacks are. We know that. We get it! Let Jonathan not tell us that the culprits of the attack are against the unity of Nigeria. We obviously know that. We get it! What he should do is let us know how he intends to deal with the security challenges of the country. Till then, government officials should stop preaching calmness to us. It is unrealistic to be calm during times like these. Let them give us a reason to be calm. Until they do, we will all be fearful of what Nigeria has become.

Salvation at last!

By Haneefah Adamu

Nigeria, the giant of Africa, gifted with natural resources, from the cocoa of the East to the crude oil of the South and the peanuts of the North, with a population of over a hundred and fifty million, seventy percent of which constitute a possible manpower which can drive the nation to even greater heights. However, according to UNDP, Nigeria ranks 156 globally in terms of unemployment despite the rising figures of literacy in the country.

Unemployment is second only to poverty among Nigeria’s socio-economic ills. Most of the victims of unemployment are graduates of tertiary institutions.

Generally, quality education has a direct bearing on national prestige, greatness and cohesion. The knowledge and skills acquired help determine the degree of patriotism and contribution to national development, but recent statements credited to Minister of Finance Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala saying, “Nigerian graduates are unemployable” comes in a bad taste.

Every year, over 300,000 youth graduate from Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, and, as the number grows annually, more people will join the unemployment line. According to Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, “Nigeria’s unemployment rate is spiraling upwards, growing at 16 percent per year. The youth of the nation are the most impacted, with a youth unemployment rate over 50 percent.”

As a graduating senior, one who is about to join the labor force of a country with an alarming rate of unemployment, it only makes me ponder more, and ask myself, ‘is this where hope ends?’ ‘Is there no light at the end of the tunnel?’ Recently, Nigeria has been listed among the "Next Eleven" economies and as the world's 39th largest economy; Nigeria is poised for greater prosperity. However, I do not see a role cut out for the youth in helping Nigeria reach such goals and realize even bigger dreams.

Following a great deal of cries, complaints and dissatisfaction by the masses over unfulfilled promises of poverty alleviation and job creations made by past governments, then came salvation. In an interview, the Education Minister, Professor Rukkaya Rufa’I said, she would make graduates of tertiary institutions self-reliant and self-employed. An evidence of this statement is the collaboration among the Ministries of Education, Finance, Youth and Development, and Women affairs and Social Development. This alliance has led to the creation of ‘The Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria’ (YOU WIN) program and vocational workshops in tertiary institutions all over the country.

YOU WIN is designed to generate jobs by encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurial youth in Nigeria. The initiative will attract ideas and innovations from young entrepreneurial applicants from all post-Secondary institutions in Nigeria. Generally, it provides a one-time equity grant of one to ten million naira to 1,200 people aspiring to start or expand their businesses.

The vocational workshops in the tertiary institutions help students sharpen and acquire skills.

Often we criticize our government for not doing enough, now they have done well. Kudos!

Presenting this week's opinions

Hello all! I am Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan. I have had a wonderful time serving as this week's editor. Amina Kollere, the co-editor for the week, has assisted in ensuring that our posts are of impeccable standards. This week's opinions are thought provoking and, of course, interesting. As usual, we hope you have a good read. Enjoy!

Diversity: Liability or Asset?

By Haneefah Adamu

Nigeria is highly diverse and rich in its culture. From North to South, Nigeria’s rich heritage speaks volumes of the resourcefulness and diligence of the people.

After the amalgamation of cities from the fringes of the northern deserts of Africa down to the coastal cities of the Atlantic waters in the south, Nigeria came to being. As one of the most indigenously diverse nations in the world, its diversity is mirrored in a spectrum of principles and aspects, views and counterviews and discipline and tolerance. This 1914 amalgamation fused together over a hundred million people, with over two hundred and fifty ethnic groups that spoke over four thousand dialects.

Ninety-eight years ago, the amalgamation could have been argued as a mistake during the time when the issue was still open for debate or when the man behind the genius idea, Lord Lugard, called it an experiment and also acknowledged that, “The North and the South are like oil and water, they will never mix”.
It is true that oil and water never mix, but we can barely run a powerful engine
without oil and water. Therefore, I do not see the fusion of Nigeria as an experiment or a liability, but something far better which was meant to be and which will take Nigeria to even greater heights of realizations and true victory.

Prior to 1914, citizens could not have imagined what life would be with the blend of citizens from the north coming together with that of the south to live as one. In 2012, we cannot imagine it any other way. The thoughts and beliefs of our forefathers about the amalgamation should not be a basis for judgment, because they had little or no clue what the future held, and as for our generation, we only have relic stories or second hand narratives of what life was before 1914 and a few decades later.

The marriage paved the way for the departure of the British from Nigeria and ultimately, a sovereign Nigeria.

With diversity such as Nigeria’s, it’s cumbersome to maintain. How many other countries can boast of people with such diverse attitudes and values? It prepares us for the world at large, as we’re already able to accept that people are different and have their peculiarities. I believe that our daily lives have become fully Nigerian and we are all products of one society. We should, therefore, focus on seeing the beauty of diversity rather than see it as a threat and be tolerant of one another because there is strength in numbers. And only then we can use our numbers and diversity to our upmost advantage.

Our amalgamation is the best thing that happened to Nigeria. Let’s face it, no tribe can exist without the other because in brotherhood we stand. I believe that purposeful leadership can tackle the challenges which diversity poses for governance. In fact, we need to appreciate that our cultural and social diversity constitute an asset rather than a liability.

Patience Jonathan and the Perplexing Second Chance

By Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan

I am made to believe that the Office of the First Lady is not recognized by the Nigerian constitution. However, the celebrity status of the First Lady is enough to convince anyone that the position is a ceremonious one with many privileges, the most recent being possible candidacy for position of Permanent Secretary. I was, therefore, not surprised when Nigerians noticed the absence of our First Lady-turned-politician from public arena for about six weeks and asked questions regarding her whereabouts.

Ayo Osinlu, the First Lady’s aide, explained to the media that Mrs Jonathan had to “rest” after hosting the laborious African First Ladies Summit in July. The presidency said no more on the subject, leaving the people with unanswered questions, therefore, giving room to media speculations. Few weeks into the First Lady’s mysterious absence, different “discoveries” were made on the First Lady’s whereabouts. First, the media reported that Mrs. Jonathan was in Germany receiving treatment at one Horst Schmidt Klinik in Wiesbaden for numerous ailments.

The First Lady was alleged to have been hospitalized for treatment of terminal diseases, such as cancer of the uterus and the Parkinson’s syndrome. Her Body Mass Index (BMI), slurred speech, and slow movements were symptoms that were fed to the public as indicators that she had these diseases. I dismissed the credibility of these news reports when the speculated list of ailments extended. In addition to the previous list, the First Lady was supposedly treating complications from a cosmetic surgery she had in Dubai; she was getting treated for food poisoning and, in fact, some speculated that she had died. You can always trust Nigerians, they will connect the dots. Overnight, people concluded that the Aso Rock Presidential Villa had been cast under a dark spell. This spell was said to have claimed the life of a president and/or a first lady. Examples of the death of Late Abacha, Stella Obasanjo and Yar’Adua were cited to make the nonsense believable. Was it Patience’s turn? Nigerians asked.

While these speculations continued, the presidency remained mute about Dame Patience Jonathan’s location. Instead, to pacify the enquiring minds, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on October 7 aired President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to the First lady in Germany. She was not dead after all.

Patience Jonathan finally silenced cynics with her arrival at Abuja on October 17. She was received amid celebration at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport by politicians, state First Ladies, and female ministers. Mrs Jonathan was happy to be back to Nigeria and she had a few words for those that had spread the rumors. She said, “…I will use this opportunity to tell those few ones that are saying that anybody that goes to Villa or Aso Rock will die. They mentioned Abacha, Stella Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and other people. But those people, why didn’t they mention those ones that went there with their families and succeeded and they still came out alive?

“At the same time, I read in the media where they said I was in the hospital. God Almighty knows I have never been to that hospital. I don’t even know the hospital they mentioned. I have to explain what God has done for me. I do not have terminal illness, or any cosmetic surgery much less tummy tuck.”

I was just about to castigate the rumor mongers before some more words of the First lady struck me. “…I will use this opportunity to thank my beloved husband and my children and my staff in general and all Nigerians for standing by me during my trial time. God has given me a second chance to come and work with women of Nigeria, children and the less privileged.”

Mrs Jonathan is causing some confusion here. Apart from the fact that many people who welcomed her at the villa wore shirts with “you will live long” inscribed on them, Mrs Jonathan talked about “a trial time” in her life and God giving her “a second chance”. What is Mrs Jonathan not telling the Nigerians she has come back to “serve”? I may have understood the First Lady better if she just slightly hinted at her whereabouts for six weeks. Don’t we deserve to know how she was getting really comfortable with the nation’s money?

This is another issue that is shrouded in detestable secrecy. It has become typical of the presidency to keep health issues secret. The Patience Jonathan case has some similarity with that of Late President Yar’Adua, whose unstable health was kept secret until his death. My prayer for the First Lady is that she remains in good health. However, let Mrs. Jonathan tell the truth about her condition to Nigerians. Until she does that, her “second chance” will continue to remain a perplexing issue.