Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

Title:   Biafra: The horrors of war, The story of a child soldier

Autor: Okey Anueyiagu

Reviewer: Ifiok Essien

Publisher: Brown Brommel

Pages: 277

WHEN Okey Anueyiagu wrote Biafra: The Horrors of War, The Story of a Child-Soldier, it struck a nerve in the readers. It became a storytelling so critically assuring and involving that it has become difficult and hard to imagine anyone reading it without being mesmerized. The book provides a genuinely radical new highlight and insight into that sordid war and fits so tightly with great illumination at this riven and pivotal moment in the history of Nigeria and of the world. Living with that war and actively participating in it, breathing it and sucking in all the evilness of it, exposes Okey to all the pulses of his life and the lives of the millions that perished in that war with immense and indescribable relevance and indelible memories. Okey has pulled off something remarkable, something ‘unmissable,’ unforgettable, timely and timeless.

The book portrays a classic case of one generation’s cry from the heart to another’s elusive quest for a life of bliss and tranquility; a breathless nuance of sadness, bitterness, cries and soullessness.

From reading the book, one walks away with exhilaration, questioning ourselves about, and of a story we have long thought we knew, but knew only a little. The book begins with the author’s childhood in the ancient city of Kano, Northern Nigeria, and ends in Eastern Nigerian villages and towns with the attendant loss of 3 million Igbo and Biafran lives in the bloodiest war in recent modern times. In illustrating a vast chronicle of events in the author’s early school years, the 1966 military coups and his conscription into the Biafran army, the author uses mesmeric cadences in outlining and holding sweet and horrific experiences captured with meticulous attention to every shift in this endless story. In conjuring all the intricate narratives culminating in the crisis and ultimately leading to the civil war, Okey, cleverly creates with a moody melancholy, a narration of events as if they needed to be captured and secured before they would crumble. From the beginning of this book, the author starts to weave the story with such interconnectivity prowess linking yesterday’s events with tomorrow’s outcome, with many of the themes and dynamics of the events in such dexterous and intriguing styles. This book’s simple language and skillful style immerses the reader spontaneously and breathlessly in the terror and immorality that was the Biafran war with the consequential agonies and hardship that the author and others from Biafra suffered. In reading this book, I discovered that the uncomplicated moral universe allows me and perhaps so many other readers to read it as a thriller with real-life values and stakes. I could not stop reading this book and not wanting it to end. I find the narrative to be so swift and engulfing. I keep following the author and his family as they flee from Kano escaping certain death, and from one crisis onto another-like from one frying pan into another.

While reading through this captivating book, I can determine that the book’s purpose, though fiercely polemical, is also not meant to subvert expectations of the readers,or question the writer’s intention or vision. It is indeed a positively propulsive book intended not only for those who lived and died through and in the harrowing experience of the war, but for the rest of Nigerians and the world who are wondering and worried about what is happening and become of our world today, and may never have felt the fear, the agonies and desperation in their own bodies like the Biafrans did. I believe that if you have read this book by Okey Anueyiagu, a child prodigy of the Biafran war, and you have ever loved a child; yours or anyone’s, you would fight with the last breath you have to see that the child be allowed a good future. You would give the last drop of your blood to ensure that the child is never allowed to starve to death and be left to be eaten by vultures. In this book, I find the author delicately with pure deliberation, sketching his internal life and the lives of others and with such richness and clarity of style believably projecting readers into lives that are not theirs. Long after I finished reading this book, I have stayed up every single night thinking and feeling something close to bodily pain and excruciating agony about the sufferings and desperation of the Igbo and Biafrans. Okey has written a great book, a masterpiece that beckons its real and imagined ghost into the reader’s real body, flesh and soul. His book has filled me up with sorrow that has changed the texture of existence for me. I had never thought or imagined anything like this story before.

It was a historic moment when Concrete Communications hosted the virtual unveiling of 100 Songs, including the popular Aja Kubo, composed and performed by renowned culture activist and multi-talented artiste Benson Omowafola Tomoloju. The collection has been released via Google App. The unveiling, which was held in Lagos penultimate Saturday, attracted members of the Kakaaki Performing Troupe, friends and colleagues from across the country, the UK and the USA. It was meant to archive some of Tomoloju’s songs while promoting his cultural evangelism, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

FOR about four hours, the Concrete Communications studio was alive. From video screening of selected songs of Tomoloju to reflections by few individuals behind the project and reactions from audience via webinar, the unveiling literarily turned into a huge reunion of sort and homage to the multitalented artiste.

A former Editor of The Guardian On Sunday and a member of Kakaaki that Tomoloju founded in the 80s, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo, moderated the session. Setting the tone for the evening, Executive Producer and CEO, Concrete Communications, Semoore Badejo, said the journey of the musical project started with him and Ewenla trying to generate publicity for the studio. He stated that since he had always loved Tomoloju’s Aja Kubo, written for the play Jankariwo, they decided to do it and send to the artiste for comments.

“He reverted with volumes of comments so we said the owner must come to do his thing. We felt he had done a lot and that we needed to document him. Some people don’t know him as a singer, and we thought we should showcase this icon. The first challenge was hoping he would agree, but when we told him, he said he would pray over it. He did and later got back to us. When we started, we were the ones running after him because of his pace. He composed and voiced all the songs. Here is an excellent product for you. If not for COVID, the unveiling would have been done since,” Badejo recalled.

He disclosed that the choice of app over CD was to make Tomoloju a citizen of the world without leaving Nigeria, adding that the N1000 cost to download the app was deliberate. “Our mission is to get across to the world. We would rather reach out to millions of people than a few thousand. The app is mobile literature; it comes with lyrics and the inspiration behind each of the songs. You can give people this app. It is not on i-phone yet, but it would soon be in about three to four weeks,” he said.

According to the Producer, Ropo Ewenla, the project was conceived as a means of expanding our collective memory. “There’s a tendency not to archive our products. Still, we hope this project will expand folkloric knowledge we can bestow to our children. This project is beyond music and art. It’s history, and we have not even scratched the surface. I’m happy and fortunate to be part of the project; it’s cultural evangelism, and this is just the beginning,” he added.

Project Coordinator, Mr Jahman Anikulapo said the essence of the project was archiving and letting people know that Tomoloju is the creator of the various songs that have been adopted by other artistes, the Kegites Club and white garment churches among others.

Overwhelmed by the goodwill and support from his younger colleagues, former Deputy Editor The Guardian, Tomoloju said that ‘the roles are reversed. These are the people who run my life; I don’t know why they are calling me their teacher. I don’t know what to say because some of it might sound like self-adulation. But, it’s exciting for me to go back in time and scoop out some of my old works.’

“Not only scoop them out but process them into some exciting form of music that I call eclectic. “Why 100 songs, you may wonder? I want to be empathetic to students who come to my house or theatre base to make me sing directly to them when they wanted to do my theatre productions. They travel from all corners of the country. Now, they can have these songs. They are songs from about six or seven plays of mine.

“I expect people in Jamaica; Brixton or where is it, to connect because the reggae we produce here in Africa is not copied reggae, it’s authentic reggae. You find reggae in our local symphonies, percussion. You find that some of the Orlando Owoh music productions are reggae based. But, I must tell you, I love reggae,” he said.

He recalled that some of the songs were composed for ‘my students as a form of cultural pedagogy in the educational process. This was at Saka Tinubu Memorial High School, where I started as a teacher. I also adapted novels, particularly of Peter Abrahams to drama and we also produced Soyinka’s ‘The Trials of  Brother Jero’. Some of these songs came from when I was teaching, and I used them to minimise tedium that literature was for students in those days. And having internalised some, they respond spontaneously.’

He used the occasion to reiterate that the late Reggae star Ras Kimono never offended him for adopting his song Aja Kubo.  He said the late reggae artiste never offended him because he took permission from him to use Aja Kubo as one of the tracks in his hit album. He stressed that Ras Kimono is not here now but that he came for authorisation which he gave him urging that the matter be laid to rest. According to Tomoloju, art is dynamic and whatever came from Ras Kimono is a ‘manifestation of the dynamism of art and we have to align ourselves with that reality.

“On issue of copyright authorisation, I have appealed to people about Ras Kimono. At a point in Maryland, Lagos under the bridge, he saw me driving and his driver overtook me and he stopped and said, ‘Uncle Ben there are things we want to talk about but take it easy’. Forget about all these things that people say, he really meant to pacify any situation that he considered critical about him and I appealed to people that this controversy should cease.

“Ras Kimono is not here now, he came for authorisation and I gave him. But, trust journalists. If I were in the position of late Wale Olomu, I would have done the same. I would raise a storm also. So, let the matter rest. Art is dynamic. Whatever came from Ras Kimono is a manifestation of the dynamism of art and we have to align ourselves with that reality,” he added.

He also noted that he wasn’t angry with the Kegites Club for adopting the Kakaaki anthem. “I can’t be angry; I was ‘Fellowrised’ at Unilag,” he said, adding that he does music “for love, not for any special honours.”

Among those who witnessed the ceremony included Prof Duro Oni, Ayo Bankole Jnr, Teju Kareem, Toyin Akinosho; veteran filmmaker, Tunde Kelani; Steve Ayorinde, Lilian Agbeyegbe, US-based scholars, Akin Adesokan, Kole Ade-Odutola and Lai Adeniji. Others were writer and editor, Molara Wood, Lookman Sanusi, Tomi Ogunjobi, Funmi Ajamofua, Akeem Anishere and Kayode Tomoloju.

At the last Emergency General Meeting /Monthly reading, ANA Ekiti State chapter elected a new chairman, Dr Sola Balogun of Theatre and Media Arts Department, Federal University, Oye Ekiti. Balogun succeeded Akogun Tai Oguntayo, immediate past chairman who was recently elected National General Secretary of ANA.

The Ekiti election also saw the emergence of Dr. Gbenga Daramola as Vice Chairman while Mr Gani Salau emerged State Secretary. Others  elected were: Mr Demola Atobaba as Financial Secretary, Miss Eniola Akinola as Assistant Financial Secretary. Other officers include Mr Adeolu Ajobiewe (Treasurer) Dr Olaide Nasir (PRO), Miss Toyin Bade-Afuye (Welfare Officer), Mrs Elizabeth Balogun,  (Assistant Welfare Officer), Mr Femi Adeosun (Assistant PRO) Miss Tolu Afolabi (Assistant Treasurer) and Mr. Sunkanmi Adesitan (Auditor).

In his acceptance speech, Dr Balogun promised to continue from where his predecessor stopped in lifting ANA Ekiti to greater heights. While soliciting the support all members, he pledged an open door policy during his tenure as Chairman.

By Janefrances Chibuzor

As part of efforts at sustaining the environment, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has concluded a two-week open free virtual summer school for over 100 children and teenagers from across the country. It was organised by its Environmental Education Unit.

According to the foundation in a statement, the purpose of the virtual school was to engage the teenagers during the lockdown in environmental education and prepare them as ambassadors for environmental conservation. “NCF since its inception has been keen on environmental education for school children up to tertiary institutions. This has necessitated its establishment of Conservation Clubs in schools and Bird Clubs in the communities across the nation,” it added.

Head, Environmental Education Mrs. Bidemi Balogun, said that the school revealed that learning is not restricted to physical classroom for children. This, she said, is the new normal everyone must embrace going forward.

“The NCF Eco Summer School was set up in continuation of the conservation club activities. The idea came up as a result of the pandemic that has placed restriction on large gathering especially children. The two weeks have been fun with the children, their participation was highly encouraging and impressive. We had exciting activities with them. Some of the materials are available for them to go over to aid continual learning. We were able to touch on most aspects of the environment,” she added.

Speaking on telephone, a 12 year-old boy, Ohigbai Aigbavboa said: “My experience in this summer school has been very fantastic. Now, I have become much better in arts and crafts, and I have learnt the importance of recycling, bird watching, butterfly and biodiversity. I want to say a big thank you to NCF Eco Summer School for the services they provided to us all,” he said.

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

Twenty-two years after leaving Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Mr. Sylvester Aigbogun will hold his debut solo exhibition tagged Shanty Aesthetic, on Friday September 4. The virtual show, which will be hosted by Eventful Ltd, is an attempt at capturing the beauty of the random aesthetic expression of shanty dwellers as well as the Lagos party scene. Considering the title of the exhibition, can there be any aesthetic in a shanty? Aigbogun’s current collection provides answers to the poser.

No fewer than 25 paintings will be on display featuring colourful works ranging from figurative to impressionism and semi abstract. With these paintings, Aigbogun demonstrates his skillful application of shades and lights of colours to complement composite imageries many of the paintings depict. Interestingly, colour is the most important motivation for his paintings. In Shanty Aesthetics, he explores the idea that ‘we are all predisposed to making design decisions irrespective of status or position. A shanty can be described as a small, badly built house, usually made from pieces of wood, metal, or cardboard, in which poor people live.’

“They are generally built with recycled materials, which still bear the original colours they were manufactured in, different sheets of coloured plywood, metal, cellophane in bright colours – red, blue, white, green, orange, pink, rust, black etc. This body of work is my attempt at capturing the beauty of the completely random aesthetic expression of the shanty dwellers. The Lagos party scene is unrivalled for its display of colour. Here, there is no random or accidental beauty.

“Everything is coordinated to perfection yet, the aso-ebi wearers find a way to be unique, to draw attention to their interpretation of ‘uniform’. The modern Nigerian woman uses colour as skillfully as any artist, creating shapes, highlights and shadow that previously did not exist. Whether executed with precision or completely accidental, colour affects how we perceive beauty,” he said in his brochure. Beyond capturing colourful beauties among shanty residents, Aigbogun speaks thousands of words via his treatment of portraits such as Diana and Matilda.

The artist’s rendition of his paintings is characteristic of the Yaba Art School that is famous for its usage of bright colours.

The exhibition, which will run till October 4 ,will feature paintings such as COVID-19 series (when the market reopened, finding the way through the maze, social distancing) Aso-ebi series, Asake, Our younger sister’s engagement, Diana, Matilda, No rhyme, all rhythm, Bush radio and Looks like rain. Others are Green city, Living off the grid and Nkemdili.

Agriculture is a viable business if effectively managed. The sector in Nigeria was worse hit during the lockdown . The sector’s players have had to develop ways to ensure stability and remain afloat against the odds. The Chief Executive Officer,  Truvis Agro Services Limited, Debo Abodunrin, is one of them. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, he shared his experience during the lockdown and how they are restrategising for profit in COVID-19 agric era.

Challenges of running a farm in Nigeria

As with any other business in Nigeria, farming comes with its challenges.But sometimesthe challenges are not as clear cut as other businesses. In farming, asides the usual issues around infrastructure, finance and regulatory bottlenecks, you are also saddled with climatic issues, quality and standard issues around input, value chain enhancement issues, traceability and issues around market forces and price control.

The many years of abandonment of the agriculture as a business in Nigeria have required a lot of work to be done by the new entrants to catch up with the rest of the world. Lack of set standards, for example, has been a major deterrent to the country reaching its potentials in the lucrative export market. Quality of inputs and failure of extension services has impacted on yield per hectare adversely. While lack of standard measurements has impacted price regimes in many sub sectors of the industry, the current land use act has not allowed the country unlock the unquantifiable potentials of farmlands and access to finance continues to be a major challenge because of the act.

Lack of investments in processing plants that can be built around farm clusters that will reduce the massive post-harvest losses the country suffers is another big challenge. The scenario right now is that goods are exported at ridiculous prices to re-exporting countries, such as Turkey, Holland, Singapore and even China where they are reprocessed and re-exported to Europe and America and other export destinations as the countries loses trillions of Naira in the process.

Restrategising for profit in post-COVID agric sector

COVID-19 is an unprecedented occurrence. Like every other business, it hit the agricultural sector by surprise and initially no one really knew what to do. The sector in Nigeria was worse hit during the lockdown. We had crops in the field on our farms across several states: in some locations farm hands could not get to work. We did not want to put our farmers’ lives at risk.

Once the initial panic and shocks calmed a little and once we realised that our business continuity was essential to life post-COVID-19, we began to strategise on how to ensure continuity. I must at this point express our gratitude to the Federal Government that immediately designated agriculture and the food sector generally as essential services because this immediately granted us free movement across the country. The moment this designation occurred, we immediately began to restructure our operations. In the first place, we invested making farmsteads available for our workers to reduce their movement and hence undue exposure to the pandemic. Secondly, we invested in extending our storage facilities as we realised that finished products may not move as fast as it usually does and finally. We adopted new health and safety measures as well as COVID-19 protocols on our farms. The above measures helped to stabilise our operations and we are grateful to God that none of our team was infected and our operations went on smoothly throughout the period. The biggest effect of the lockdown on our business was mainly the general economic slowdown which reduced demand for our products and some bottle necks we faced in managing the logistics of finished products.

Voyage into commercial farming from Oil and Gas

I actually started my career in Oil and Gas before moving on to the financial advisory sector as a consultant, which exposed me to a lot of other sectors while doing research and advising clients. From there, I went on to the telecoms sector and co-founded the telecoms consultancy service and it metamorphosed into the first family centric Mobile Virtual Network Operator, with its NOC operating from Oxford England. While working in financial advisory, my interest in agriculture was rekindled. I saw a lot of investments going into the sector but very few if any were turning profits. Most of those who remained in the sector saw it as a hobby to retire into and not as a business. But all of the research and analysis we carried out proved that agriculture is a viable business if effectively managed. That led us into establishing the Truvis Agro Services Limited (TRUVAGRO), created as a solution to the disconnect between farm produce and industrial input. The nexus between the two is what creates an agribusiness. We have developed a home-grown Input-Output-Process-Offtake (IOPOTM) model that ensures farm produce gain easy access to industrial markets, thereby deepening the value chain and enhancing sustainability for large and small-scale farmers.

Using technology to peddle our trade

Technology has become a critical factor of our success at Truvis Agro Services Limited. It is what has given us an edge and helping us manage the pandemic era. Before now, we had invested massively in irrigation which enables us to farm all year round, but more importantly we adopted UAV (Drones) assisted “Precision Farming”. This has been the most significant game changer in terms of our bottom line. By using drones to monitor our farms, we were able to improve crop yield by almost 40 percent, save time and reduce overall costs by 30 percent. The drone technology not only allows us assess soil quality; it also helps us in mapping large farm estates, and we are constantly able to identify the topography of the land even before cultivation. One of the most outstanding outcomes of the technology is our ability to successfully grow crops like fennel and sesame in the Southwest for the first-time history.

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

Barely few weeks after the inauguration of the Central Implementation Committee for creative industry intervention by Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Otunba Segun Runsewe who is chairman of the Committee, has drawn up a comprehensive list of sub-Committees to capture the entire gamut of the sector, with intent to address the needs and expectations of the players.

The 13 sub-Committees are drawn from Culture and Tourism, Media, Nollywood, Writers, Travel professionals, Tourist boat operators, Hotels, Resort owners, Artists, ICT, Fashion designers among others.

Director-General National Council for Arts Culture (NCAC) Otunba Runsewe stated that time has come for the industry to build bridges and work together for the speedy growth of the sector and to benefit Nigerian people. He praised the minister for the selfless and committed service to the industry and for helping to reposition the industry by putting together the framework to address the immediate and future impact of COVID-19 on the industry.

He noted that the creative sector is very broad and massive in content and context, hence the need to approach the implementation of post COVID-19 interventions with all hands on deck in  order to avoid rancour and divisive  sentiments, which could jeopardise the progressive intentions of the Federal Government and stall efforts to build a formidable and competitive industry.

The all-inclusive and broad composition of sub-Committees on the implementation of creative industry intervention Otunba Runsewe has attracted commendations from stakeholders in the industry.

President, National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mrs Susan Akporiare shared the vision  behind the setting up the 13 sub-Committees, adding that it’s only Runsewe that has proven over the years  to give  answers to the many challenges confronting the industry in Nigeria.

“I am more than excited and must commend the minister for appointing a workaholic and an achiever in Runsewe to implement the post COVID-19 interventions. He is the right man for this job and the unveiling of the sub-Committees revealed the strategic agenda to keep the industry united and vibrant post COVID.” Nanta president explained.

To John Likita Best, a frontline industry player and Trustee of Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria ( ATPN), Runsewe has by the effort shown he is a game changer and grassroot industry administrator with  enduring mobilisation abilities and eyes to see tomorrow.

“We know he will bring about the needed changes and as he has done in the past, this dream to carry everybody and all shades of opinion along is a master stroke. We know him and will support this process to succeed,” Mr Best added.

Arts Editor of The Nation Newspapers, Mr Ozolua Uhakheme stated that the effort is a strategy out of the box and an indication that Runsewe has a grounded understanding of the fragile and sensitive nature of the industry, which has struggled to make socio-economic impact in the trajectory of the national rebound economically.

“‘We in the media know Runsewe will not fail the industry and the nation at large. He has discharged his national assignment with creativity and sense of responsibility. His records in the culture industry speak volume, particularly the robust approach and response to COVID-19 impact on the industry without which the cultural agenda would have lost focus. We pray that the various committees will live up to expectations because Runsewe is self-driven and would expect some serious inputs and hard work. My fear is that Runsewe is a sprinter on ideas and it takes a measure of commitment to catch up with him,” he noted.