Entertainment
Barrister Beatrice Weds Dumbari
Marriage as instituted by God is the coming together of a man and a woman in a Holy Matrimony in obedience to what is recorded in Genesis 2: 18-24, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they shall become one flesh.
This is exactly what transpired between the son of Tuasaro Deezua, Dumbari and the daughter of a chartered accountant, Chief Barikpoa M. Nwinee, Barr. Beatrice in her father’s compound in Ueyaagu, Kpean community in Khana local government area, Rivers State.
God showed his interest in their marriage, by personally fashioning the second female Barrister produced in Kpean, Barr Beatrice Nwinee and delivering her to her heart throb, United States-based, Dumbari Tuasaro Deezua.
A writer says that “a river that forgets its origin will dry up,” and in order that their marriage may not dry up, the event started on February 16, 2013 with the Ogoni Traditional Marriage known as ‘Koo’ meaning ho r n , in which the bride was dressed in three traditional outfits – The ‘Koo’ dressing, dressing of the bride in covered clothes for husband to identify and bride’s final dressing in search of herr husband.
Before her appearance, a traditional music called ‘Ekwini’ is played to welcome her, so that she could show her beauty in ‘Koo’ attire to her husband. It was also meant to welcome all that have come to honour her day. While she danced in with all her age mates dressing like her except for the ‘chaka chaka’ on her waist that differentiates them.
Sequence of the event included
The ‘Koo’ dressing/ dancing:
This is a maturation ceremonywhere the maidens are usually kept in a fattening room for a period during which they are lavishly fed and luxuriantly taken care of; their bodies adorned with ‘Biogor’ and an accompanying ‘Koo’ peculiar hair style. Also her hands, neck and legs are beautifully designed with red beads, her breast and waist parts are wrapped with beautiful red george-wrappers leaving her stomach and navel open for the admiration of her husband.
Covering of bride with some of her age mates from head to toe and all dressed in two Computer george wrappers above her kneels with lace blouse whereas, the bride was specially dressed in Senior Raw silk wrapper, lace blouse, a red beaded cap, red heavy neck and hands beads:
The Groom makes his choice known to all, by correctly choosing who his wife is.
This is done just to test if the man actually knows what his intentions are before he came all the way from the United States, down to Kpean community in search of a wife. If peradventure he makes a mistake and chooses the wrong person the marriage would be cancelled on the ground that he did not know whom he really wanted to marry.
She appears in another attire displaying the African Culture, in two heavy Queen Indian wrappers with lace blouse to match and a white beaded cap, white heavy neck beads and a cup of wine set to search for her husband:
At this time, she is being accompanied by all her friends appearing in ‘krim, krim’ yellow and blue star wrappers called the ‘ashebis,’ dancing with her to the centre stage, then waiting in two parallel lines for her to move from one end to the other in search of her husband. When found, she knee ls before him and serves him for the first time with the wine she carried around in search of him. Then he follows her to dance along with them to their already prepared sitting position.
The handing over of Barrister Beatrice Nwinee to Mr Dumbari, was a time of tearful joy in the eyes of her mummy, Mrs Leyira Barikpoa Nwinee, who held her tight to her chest for a moment. Her siblings and friends who will miss her after the marriage, also shared in the tearful mood.
The bride when asked why she accepted Dumbari of all that bombarded her with marriage proposals answered that he was straight forward, not manipulative, honest, and had strong family values and also cared about her deeply, not minding the distance between them.
The church wedding took place the next Saturday, February 23, 2013 at the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Mbonu Street, D/Line, Port Harcourt where the couple were solemnly united spiritually as they declared their marriage vows before all the ministers and members while the reception was held at the Port Harcourt City Council Hall, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt. The celebration blew the minds of all that were still single to wanting to marry as soon as possible and was highly grand.
In attendance were dignitaries from all walks of life, including the Member representing Khana I Constituency, Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Legborsi Nwidadaa, Dr. & Dr Mrs Christian Nwinia, China-based, Dr. David Baridakara Nwinee, Prof. Idemyor, Prof. Ben Naenee, Engr Mr & Mrs Nwilene, Dr & Barr Nwidadah among others.
The Chairman of the reception was the Commissioner for Social Welfare, Mr Joe Poroma.
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
Entertainment
“French Up Your Career” PH, 2025 :Consul General Of France Harps On Proficiency In French
The Consul, General of France in Nigeria, Laurent Favier has encouraged French Learners to improve their skills on the language, as there are lots of opportunities up for grabs on the job market with fluency in French Language, saying that there are many other career paths which are often less well known to learners of French.
Participants at the “French Up Your Career” event held in Port Harcourt.
Favier who disclosed this during the just concluded third edition of the seminar tagged “French Up Your Career” organized by Alliance
Française, Port Harcourt explained that learning French doesn’t mean adding a language to your resume. It rather provides learners with new opportunities. Irrespective of their area of interest, be it diplomatic and International relations, international development, translation and Interpretation or journalism.
According to the Consul General, it was important to create awareness for young Nigerians in Port Harcourt who desire to have better understanding of how been fluent in French can create diverse career opportunities for users of the languages in Nigeria and the world at large, emphasizing that proficiency in French could possibly make learner a bridge between Nigeria and fast-developing regions.
“You previously heard this morning about how you can improve your French skills. This afternoon you will discover how being fluent in French can provide a significant edge on the job market and lead to professional careers that you may not have even considered before,”
“This event comes at the right time, as it launches the celebration of the richness and diversity of French-speaking cultures, which will mobilize us for more than a month throughout Nigeria and alongside other French-speaking countries,” Favier added.
He further highlighted that French is spoken by over 300 million people across the world, saying that, it’s one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.
“There are many neighbouring African countries to Nigeria ,who have French as one of their primary languages of communication including Cameroon, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So, what does this mean for you as students here in Nigeria?” He asked
“These sectors in which the French Embassy is often mobilized are the business and marketing field for example, as French is often the preferred language in many multinational companies, particularly those in the energy, oil and telecommunications sectors. I’m thinking as well in technology and IT,” he said
He noted that French-speaking countries in Africa are investing heavily in tech, innovation, and infrastructure, revealing that companies in Tech are looking for bilingual professionals to assist with software localization, customer support, and managing projects in French-speaking regions.
“The French embassy is not only mobilized to help learners discover promising sectors. We are also providing our support and expertise in
training teachers and optimizing university programs,” he summed up
Also, the linguistics cooperation attaché, French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange, who also gave a lecture at the seminar, in an interview with Newsmen said that the main purpose of the seminar was to be more informative and supportive to those who want to make a skill out of French Language,saying that as the linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy it is her duty to promote French language through culture.
She cited traditional stereotypes as a major challenge affecting the growth and development of French in Nigeria, as school, teachers at the primary and secondary level in most cases teach French using the traditional way, where students learn French, but could not put words and grammar together as a skill for communicate.
“French is important. I don’t see French as colonization, l see French as a key to embrace globalization, l hope that learners will be inspired and ready to embrace the global village,” Losange said.
She however said that the French Embassy is working to ensure that equipments to facilitate the learning of French is put in place to enable learners improve their skills fast, which in two to three years learners should be able to communicate with French, advising learners to be intentional with learning the language, through social media and other workable devices to advance their skills for certification and better opportunities.
Highlight of the event which had about 250 participants in attendance was the eloquence award ceremony where students were awarded for their eloquence in French language by the Director, Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs.Marina Lacal alongside the Linguistics cooperation attaché of the French Embassy in Nigeria, Magaly Losange.
After two edition of the seminar it was the turn of the Alliance Française, Port Harcourt to host the Third edition.
It would be recalled that the first edition of ” “French Up Your Career” event was organized at the Alliance Française Lagos on October 23, the second one at UNILAG on November 24, 2024 respectfully.
Popular Nigerian comedienne, Tomama has revealed how she waited for Afrobeats superstar, Wizkid outside the bathroom.
She shared this while recounting her encounter with the singer at a recent event with heavy security.
In a video posted on her Instagram page, Tomama explained that she waited by the bathroom in an attempt to have a one-on-one conversation with Wizkid.
She stated that she positioned herself near the restroom, hoping Wizkid would eventually use it, giving her the perfect opportunity to speak with him.
“Wizkid, I saw you, and I waited for you to pee, but you didn’t even stand up from where you were sitting. You just stayed there. All your crew members standing around got up to go pee. I was standing by the bathroom, waiting for you to come pee so that you would notice me,” she said.
Content creator and actor, Mr Macaroni has opened up about his financial struggles, saying he was both a victim of a scam and a failed investment in 2021.
He revealed that after losing all his savings, he resorted to borrowing to settle pending commitments and slipped into N500 million in debt.
He admitted that he is financially reckless and generous, impacting his financial stability negatively.
In lengthy post shared via his X handle yesterday, Mr Macaroni wrote, “Sometime around 2020/2022, I was a victim of a scam and simultaneously a failed investment that cost me all I had saved at the time. It shook me deeply but I told no one about it. If you know me well enough, you would know I do not like to share my problems. I could be going through the worst and at the same time helping others solve their own problems but I just would never share mine.”
“After I lost all the money I had then, Trouble started when I had to borrow money from different sources to settle all pending commitments and also fulfill certain responsibilities I have always believed were mine to fulfill. I make money in millions so I never thought borrowing money to pay back with interest could ever be a problem. But I got too comfortable and it took me a long time to realise that I was using the money I was earning to pay back interests. Also, my financial recklessness did not help. Please don’t borrow money! But if you must, please be responsible.”
The actor stated that 2024 marked a pivotal moment in his acting career but it was also the most challenging year for him as he faced over half a billion naira in debt.
Mr Macaroni revealed that his frustration grew worse after he was betrayed by someone he considered “a friend and sister.”
He added that with the support of family and friends who stood by him during his trying times, he now “feels better than I have felt in the last three years!”
The comedian stated that he decided to finally share his story to encourage others who are going through challenges.