The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • How Oke won $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature

    How Oke won $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature

    The Prof Ernest Emenyonu-led four-man panel of judges – Dr Razinatu Mohammed, Tade Ipadeola and Prof Abena Busia – has disclosed why it recommended Ikeogu Oke’s The Heresaid, as winner of this year’s The Nigeria Prize for Literature. Last Monday, Oke was announced winner of the $100,000 prize, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports. 

    This year’s Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Literary Prize attracted 184 poetry collections. Of these, 101 entries were disqualified at the initial weeding carried out by the board of assessors.

    But, at the final phase, the panel examined the strengths of each of the three books: Ogaga Ifowodo’s A Good Mourning, Tanure Ojaide’s Songs of Myself: Quartet and Ikeogu Oke’s The Heresaid.

    To choose the winner was not come easy for the panel. According to the panel, the decision was made after diligent considerations and objective application of the guidelines and criteria. The decision, the panel said, is based on “its apt topicality, relevance, artistic heft and the pursuit of artistic provenance. In a world increasingly threatened by encroaching totalitarianism and even bare-faced tyranny and intolerance, the wit, wisdom and message of the The Heresaid are infinitely crucial.

    “It is our hope and goal that the kind of vibrancy which we have found in the collections of poetry submitted is a vital evidence that NLNG is making unprecedented difference in the intellectual development of Nigeria and Nigerian today,” it added.

    International consultant Abena P. A. Busia, in his report, said: “This has been a surprisingly difficult decision as each collection has very strong merits to recommend it for this prestigious prize. The three volumes, though very different, are the work of three extremely accomplished poets who, in fact, have significant aspects in common. I single out as the most salient of these traits a firm belief in the place of poetry in the service of social justice, and the desire, shared by each of them, to forge a poetic form that can contain the often difficult subject matter of the worlds they interrogate, within their structures. I discuss them here in alphabetical order by author.”

    On Oke, he said: “This is a bold and wonderful experiment whose great strength also could have been its great weakness. That Oke manages to create a poem that keeps quite strictly over 100 pages to the lyric pentameter and still holds the attention of the reader is a singular achievement. The experiment in lesser hands could have led to a deadening of the senses. The volume itself is structured on a great conceit; a bold venture in defence of the art of poetry itself. The narrator is a griot narrating a great battle between supporters and detractors in defence of the humanities, and has succeeded in creating a modern epic. The mastery of form is a tour de force exemplary of the dedication to the craft the poem is inscribed to defend. It would have been wonderful if this work had not only been published in print, but had been released with an audio version because, indeed, its singular achievement is its sustaining of narrative that displays the arguments of the contending parties, and yet at the same time keeps so clear the voice of the griot. And we can indeed hear the musicality in the rigor of the lines, and the absoluteness of the rhyming scheme of heroic couplets sustained throughout the work.  In the end, if there must be a choice, my selection goes with this collection for the technical feat it performs. The deciding factor was the inclusion of the music, which I attempted playing and in doing that it brought home to me how very carefully the performativity of this work has been thought through; Oke has made ancient forms new again.”

    The other finalists are Ifowodo and  Ojaide.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature has since 2004 rewarded eminent writers, such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2005, poetry), Prof Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2005, poetry); Ahmed Yerima (2006, drama) for his classic, Hard Ground;  Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) with her book, My Cousin Sammy; Kaine Agary (2008, prose); Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children’s literature) with his book The Missing Clock; Chika Unigwe (2012 – prose), with her novel, On Black Sister’s Street; Tade Ipadeola (2013; Poetry) with his collection of poems, Sahara Testaments; Sam Ukala (2014; drama) with Iredi War; and Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (2016, Prose) with Season of Crimson Blossoms.

    The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly among four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.

  • Behold the new poet laureate

    Behold the new poet laureate

    Few days before the announcement of this year’s Nigeria Prize for Literature, Mike JImoh met Ogaga Ifowodo, Tanure Ojaide and Ikeogu Oke, who were shorlisted. Oke won the crown with his book The Heresiad.

    After a heavy three-course lunch that should otherwise send a non-cautious reporter to sleep, Oke got us on the edge of the sit.

    He had arrived dressed as a Zulu warrior, complete with an Ogbuefi cap, without Shaka’s short fighting sword though, but with a spotless flywhisk nonetheless. His was one sartorial expression that caught you off guard.

    The Heresiad has similarly taken the literary establishment in Nigeria by storm. Nearly 550 lines in heroic couplet, it is Miltonian in scope and took the poet 27 years to write. “I started writing it in 1989 in Calabar,” Oke told me. At the time, he didn’t have the award in mind. Of course, the Nigeria Prize for Literature was still years away. With each passing day, week, month, year, Oke wrote lines upon lines, like a bricklayer, adding a few more blocks until the building is completed.

    Like Lucifer after his fall in Milton’s Paradise Lost and his cohorts making a case for the dethronement of man, the characters in The Heresiad also argue for and against the death of an author who has transgressed a ruler. It is impossible not to think of Salman Rushdie as a model for Zumba, Oke’s embattled protagonist.

    Hear Zumba in one of his moments of distress: “The contours of his worries thus surveyed,/ Our author, Zumba, bent his knees and prayed:/ ‘Gracious monarch, please don’t take my life -/ Spare a thought for Mercy – that’s my wife -/ And our children who, without a crime,/ May lose their father long before their prime.”

    On and on it goes, nearly 600 lines of rhymes going back and forth on whether to kill or spare a writer. In the end, Zumba is saved. It is impossible for any reader not to marvel at Oke’s hard work in The Heresiad, especially the rhyme scheme so effectively deployed. Oke himself acknowledged the influence of Alexander Pope, 18th Century English poet who famously invented heroic couplet.

    “Pope is a poet I read and admire so much,” Oke insists.

    That style is precisely the problem some critics see in The Heresiad. No contemporary poem should be written the way Oke has done. It is like taking writing, poetry this time, several centuries back, to the time of Pope.

    Odia Ofeimun, an accomplished poet, admits that Oke has done enormous work with The Heresiad.

    “Ikeogu is one of our most-enterprising poets and The Heresiad is a particularly ambitious work,” he told me.

    “It comes at you as a laboured text in pursuit of the kind of 18th Century poetic diction that Henry Wardsworth Longfellow damned in his introduction to the Lyrical Ballads. He has turned his back on the poetry of everyday speech to rummage in what he calls, but I would not accept as, heroic couplets. What he has done yields a stylistic dead end that I would not recommend as a model for Nigerian or African poetry in 2017.”

    Asked about that, Oke rose stoutly to his own defence, insisting that “poets should exercise faith in themselves, in their creativity. I don’t think that artists should work according to the prescription of other people. Do your work and have the boldness to produce it and put it out there for people to judge.”

    Oke feels it is an honour to be shortlisted with Ifowodo and Ojaide, whose works he is quite familiar with and who he admires. He also says that if he wins, all well and good. But if he doesn’t, life will go on.

    Life will also go on for Ifowodo and Ojaide if they win or not. When we met Ojaide at the same venue, life seemed to be going swimmingly. Like his contenders, he has been chaperoned all week by staff of LNG at the swank hotel overlooking the ocean, very much like cosseted progenies, making sure everything went well; making sure they lacked nothing.

  • Lagos unveils Football Forever

    Lagos unveils Football Forever

    The Lagos State Government has unveiled the Football Forever statue at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    The statue is a 22ft tall sculpture of four players, two aside, standing on an eight feet concrete pedestal, announcing and showcasing the prowess, commitment and passion of Nigerians for the beautiful game.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by his Special Adviser on Arts and Culture, Hon. Adebimpe Akinsola, described the statue as a monument of great value that describes the passion Lagosians and Nigerians bestow upon sports and football in particular.

    He said: “Our love and passion for football is an open secret, it is acknowledged as the most popular sport that the helps to keep our nation united even in critical period. This artistry of the round leather game depicts a strong pedigree the sports has attained the pride attached to it by Lagosians and Nigerians in general.’’

    ‘’The monument seeks to educate the Nigerian youth and all visitors to Lagos State that our passion for sport is not only captured by iconic infrastructure facilities and competitions but include giving oppourtunity to expose artistic representation of its value creative minds.’

    Ambode added that the monument reveals Lagosians dexterity in the game of football and projects our fitness and readiness for glory as it conveys vital sport education knowledge and the promotion of sport tourism in the state.

    Adoring the creativity behind the statue, the Special Adviser, urged  sport enthusiasts to draw inspiration from the monument.

    On the significance of the sculpture, its sculptor, Mr Ade Odunfa, said the inspiration behind the statue is to express the significance of football in the country’s unity.

    According to him, football is a game every youth wants to engage in, hence this monument gives them inspiration to pursue and express their soccer artistry and be committed to the beautiful game.

  • Nigerian wins MacArthur fellowship

    Nigerian wins MacArthur fellowship

    Njideka Akunyili Crosby, 34, a Nigerian-born visual artist working in Los Angeles, California, United States, is among winners of this year’s $625,000 MacArthur Fellowship (genius award). In this interview with Los Angeles Times, Akunyili shares her expectation.

    Los Angeles-based painter Njideka Akunyili Crosby, who grew up in Nigeria but has spent the last 17 years studying and working in the United States, has won the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award.

    Her large-scale artworks often address the dualities of living between two or more cultures and, as the MacArthur Foundation put it, “the complexities of globalisation and transnational identity in works that layer paint, photographic imagery, prints, and collage elements.”

    Akunyili Crosby said in an interview that her work “explores the different histories you carry with you and how you navigate straddling two or multiple disparate spaces”. She plans to use her award money to travel to Nigeria for research.

    “I’d like to go back and spend a substantial amount of time there. Taking photographs is important for my work,” she said. “Also, a big part of my practice is about exploring what painting means for me. How can you expand this tradition of pigments on a surface? So, it’ll be nice for me to be freed up financially to just spend time in my studio without the pressure of having to make finished work. I can just experiment.”

    The MacArthur spotlight on a painter, writer, opera director and theater artist all working in Los Angeles coincides with a new classical music season noted for something of an “L. A. Phil Effect.”

    It also follows two remarkable years in the visual arts scene, during which the city has seen the opening of the Broad museum, the Marciano Art Foundation and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, with plans moving forward for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the motion picture academy’s museum, a new building for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and expansion of the Hammer Museum.

    A previous Nigerian winner is Dr Funmilayo Olopade, acclaimed oncologist and medical researcher with the University of Chicago Hospitals.

    Other recipients include Dawoud Bey, Kate Orff, Annie Baker, Rhiannon Giddens, Tyshawn Sorey, Jesmyn Ward, Mac, Nguyen and Sharon.

  • WAKAA…pricks nation’s conscience on Independence Day

    WAKAA…pricks nation’s conscience on Independence Day

    A two-hour thrilling musical drama WAKAA The Musical presented at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja  stirred up some questions on the commitment and credibility of our political leaders, among other social vices plaguing the country’s socio-economic development. The 79-man crew production by Bolanle Austeen-Peters was the concluding command performance to round off a 10-day tour of Abuja, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.  

    After a successful ten-day performance tour of Federal Capital Territory Abuja, WAKAA The Musical, stunned the high profile guests at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja with satirical messages especially on politics, good governance and corruption. The presentation could not have come at a better time than when the nation is marking its 57th independence anniversary celebration. Its timing is as relevant as the quality of guests that included Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, his wife, Dolapo Senate President Bukola Saraki and Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed among other top government functionaries.

    The family oriented two-hour performance, which had a full capacity audience, is a satirical piece on Nigeria’s socio-political life that explores the scheming intrigues, betrayals and games of survival of the fittest. Amidst laughter and dancing to some lyrics by popular Nigerian musicians, some critical issues such as electioneering campaign fraud, unfulfilled promises and cross-carpeting of politicians were jocularly thrown at the guests. Even the popular Ajeku iya nio je released via social media by one of the senators attracted thunderous applauses from the audience.

    Little wonder, Vice President Osinbajo could not help but acknowledge the performance as incredible.  Wakaa The Musical is making its first outing at Abuja after successful outings last year July at The Shaw Theatre, London’s West End and the Terra Kulture Arena, during the Lagos @ 50 celebration early this year.

    Executive Producer WAKAA The Musical Mrs Bolanle Austeen-Peters described the production as a satire on the nation’s political space laced with message of hope, triumph of good over evil. She said WAKAA The Musical has been on stage at Abuja for then days and that it has been amazing. “Though arts have been on the back seat in the past, but it has been taking shape of late. The industry is nothing to be ashamed of,” she added.

    The two-hour musical drama which recorded a full house opened with a powerful dance drama featuring dancers and singers, followed by a love scene with Tosan and Kike as lead players. The musical then shifted smoothly to a university setting, the Emeritus University that witnessed the graduation of students who had individual plans on what to do after school. The trials, successes and experiences of Nigerian graduates were relived in the drama especially by five of the cast Patrick Diabuah (Tosan), Nengi Adoki (Kike), Dolapo Philips (Ngozi), Justin Ezirim (Cletus) and Jolomi Amuka (Rex).

    The ever-changing political landscape of the nation was the focus of subsequent scenes of the drama that highlights the emptiness of electioneering campaigns by politicians, unfulfilled promises, rigging, and corruption as well as cross carpeting of aspirants.

    Amidst rendition of some popular songs by Nigerian musicians such as Chief Ebenezer Obey, Lagbaja, Flavour, Fela Anikulapo Kuti among others that complement the situations in the performance, the musical took the audience to the political turf where intrigues, unfulfilled promises and cross carpeting were the order of the day. Typical of the Nigerian politicians, Bimbo Manuel (Chief Sagay) and his deputy Mawuyon Ogun (Mama Ke) who contested for governor of Savannah State exhibited the ‘chop I chop’ political philosophy. From unfulfilled campaign promises to inducement of electorates with cash gifts, looting of treasury and wasteful spending of public funds, the politicians on the platforms of Generating Party, Brainy Party and Savannah for Progress showed the stuff they are made of.

    But it was time to celebrate the rich Nigerian culture during the wedding ceremony of Ngozi featuring the colourful Efik dancers and backed by Flavour’s hit song Ada.

    The younger generation was, however, not spared as the drama also mirrored, among others, the consequences of living fake life via social media (Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Tweeter)  as represented by Rex, a medical doctor who checked out of Nigeria to join his facebook lover Cassandra in London. Unfortunately, Rex who merely got a security job later became a stooge for Cassandra who contributed to his deportation. On return to Nigeria, Rex had lost all. Instructively, Rex was a typical example of Nigerians and indeed foreign aliens who felt it is greener out there only to hustle to make a living in the UK.

    Apart from the humorous nature of the satire, the musical is a loaded package that captures every aspect of Nigerian life. It is a clarion call on Nigerians, especially the politicians on the need to demonstrate patriotism and commitment to the cause of the electorate who gives their mandate in trust. The effects and backdrop employed in the musical are as instructive and illustrative as the costuming of the cast. Of particular interest is the smooth change of scene done by stage hands effortlessly in few seconds.

    All said, Wakaa The Musical has simply raised the bar in theatre circuit in Nigeria. It would be recalled that the show was held at Terra Kulture Arena in Lagos in the last 50 days of Lagos@50 celebration this year, which according to Austeen-Peters, is a testimony of their steadfastness and acceptance by stakeholders in the industry. The curtain was drawn with a strong resolution that together Nigerians can build a nation they will be proud of using Timi Dakolo’s song.

  • Alakija’s foundation empowers widows, orphans

    Alakija’s foundation empowers widows, orphans

    Rose of Sharon Foundation (RoSF) owned by  Africa’s richest woman, Mrs Folorunso Alakija has empowered over 1000 wdows with skills.

    The programme was held at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH),  Lagos.

    Guest speaker at the event, the wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode,  said for widows to survive,   they should have sustainable  income.

    She said widowhood might not translate to be harrowing, if women were equipped with skills.

    She urged struggling widows to shun the  feeling of helplessness and apply the initiative to hold their families together.

    “Widowhood can be a nightmare and a life of isolation when women are unlucky with the harsh realities of life. One of the worse things that can happen to a widow is to lack a means of income and the best is to have a means of livelihood. This initiative is commendable because it is about the best thing that can happen to a widow for welfare development. It is about teaching them to fish instead of serving them the cooked fish. I wish to assure you that the state government will continue to pursue welfare improvement for women,”  said Mrs Dapo Thomas, who represented Mrs Ambode.

    The participants, who included orphans and unemployed graduates, were  introduced to export opportunities in livestock and crop farming.

    The programmes involved  make-up artistry, tie and dye, decorations, fashion designing, millinery, and confectionary catering, among others.

    Mrs Alakija said the trainings have been structured to create the conditions for widows need to lead their lives with some stability, support and resources to assume the role of a principal provider.

    Over 1000 widows, she said, had been rehabilitated since the inception of the programme, noting that they have become bold, assertive and with restored dignity and self-esteem.

    According Mrs Olusola, who represented Mrs Alakija, the introduction of agricultural training and customer relation management skills was targeted at  expanding their revenue windows and empowering them to become practical employers of labour.

    She said: “These women like the proverbial tea bag have been thrown into the hot water of life buy we believe that the little support, emotionally, financially and skill wise will make them thrive and become stronger to achieve their dreams. This is what motivates the foundation. We are living witnesses to the transformation in the lives of some of our beneficiaries who have been empowered in earlier editions of the enterprise development and skills acquisition programme. Women who could barely feed themselves have now become employers and provide for their children.”

    Agric export expert, Mrs Eno Agada, advised the participants to make the most of local products highly sought in some international markets, saying export is a potent revenue spinner.

    She said: “We exposed them to export of some products which they largely lack the knowledge of their usefulness and profit they can make from them. They can do cassava flour, which is locally produced, sesame seeds, bitter kola, coco beans, coco butter and shear nuts.

    In Europe, shear butter is like crude oil. In Malaysia, palm oil is like crude oil. So, export is very lucrative once they get their documentation right.”

    Executive Director, Relate Africa Joseph Ogundare, who spoke on the importance of healthy customer management, said simple ethics of courtesy were crucial to gaining and keeping a good customer base.

    “The message for them is on how to use customer service to improve their business. If you get it wrong with customer service, regardless of your investments, you will continue to lose money and as long as you continue to lose customers. They should learn to treat their customers well, learn to always smile when dealing with them and be very neat and organised because everyone wants to do good business in a disorganised environment,” he said.

  • Art as campaign tool against human trafficking

    Art as campaign tool against human trafficking

    Worried by the menace of human trafficking and child labour situation in the country, Next To None Initiative, a non-governmental organisation last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The desire of the NGO is to engage the arts as a vehicle to drive the global campaign against trafficking in persons and other related crimes.

    The MoU signed between the Director General (NAPTIP), Julie Okah Donli and the Founder/Chairman, Board of Trustees, Next To None Initiative, Barrister Ndukwe Sam Obu, is aimed at ensuring that parties carry out public enlightenment on the ills of human trafficking through entertainment and sports.

    It will also enable the NGO to shoot a documentary and movies on the issue. The documentary is expected to be premiered on or before 12 months from the date of signing the MoU and will be shot in Nigeria and outside.

    Given the support from NAPTIP, both the documentary and films would be shot in five countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Dubai, Switzerland and some African nations. The movie shall be premiered on or before 18 months from the date of the agreement.

    Also, the agreement allows both NAPTIP and Next to None Initiative to  collaborate effectively towards getting sponsors for the project, while NAPTIP has undertaken to provide necessary assistance towards procuring travel documents for the movie and documentary crew.

    Aside documentary and movie, there would also be novelty match that will feature renowned celebrities in sports and the creative industries. Speaking on the reasons for chosing entertainment and sport as vehicles for the campaign, Obu noted that engaging top celebrities in the entertainment industry will draw greater attention of the youths.

    According to him, the entire idea was to use the games youths identify with most to preach the gospel against human trafficking.

    “You know the way it is; if you have a Professor coming from the Oxford University to deliver a lecture on human trafficking in Nigeria, I can bet you that not even the bread seller in the street will know about it. But if popular musicians and footballers such as Shakira, Christian Ronaldo or Lionel Messi are coming to play, they will be enthusiastic to and listen or watch them perform,” he said.

    Consequently, the NGO is already in partnering relevant Ministries, agencies as well as some Nollywood starsthat have been part of their activities over the years.

    He believed that creating opportunity for the youth to interface with successful players in the entertainment industry will bring them to the understanding of the evils of prostitution, and the fact that with hard work, they stand greater chance to succeed in Nigeria.

    Obu described as worrisome, some revelations about modern day slavery and concluded that the only way out for Nigerian youths who are scattered abroad is to catch them through the games they love most.

    “We strongly believe that there is no other way and manner we can achieve taking this message to the global stage than through the medium of entertainment. Human trafficking has become so serious that world media outfits now run documentary on it. Even world leaders condemn the trend. So, why would they not be interested in watching films or documentary on it coming for the first time from Africa?

    “We have structured the documentary to represent the social strater and institutions. We intend to bring on board, representatives of the three  arms of government as well as some state governors to lend their voice to the project.”

    And to reach the target audience, Barrister Obu assured effort would not be concentrated at major cities. according to him, remote towns, especially those notorious for housing commercial sex workers, as well as various tertiaryinstitutions and secondary schools across the country would be visited to educate them on the issue.

    Next to None Initiative was the recipient of NAPTEP Hero’s about three months ago, for its campaign against trafficking in persons. In its 10 years of existence, it has also received several other awards for its committment to the course of combatting the problem of trafficking in persons.

    To finance the project, a legal practitioner, movie producer and a motivational speaker, Obu said he had enjoyed the support of good-minded organizations and individuals in previous projects, and this, in view of its importance to human dignity and existence, will not be an exception.

    “One thing about charity work is that you must frist of all, have passion for what you are doing. Secondly, when people see how serious you are in what you are doing, there is no other reason to fear how things will be done.

    Following the MOU signed on October 3 with NAPTIP, over 15 people \ have indicated interest, not just for sponsorship through donations of equipment needed to shoot the films.

    “We also have volunteers who desire to be part of the project. Everybody, including my relations living abroad, will contribute their quota to see that we achieve success, and by the time we start reaching out to people, we are optimistic we get more hands.

    Donations can come through donation of vehicles for movements, even microphone or any other thing that will add value to what we are doing. As contained in the agreement ealier signed, NAPTEP, a very formidable agency, will also join hand with us.  I am also sure that the international commitee, knowing that what we are doing is first of its kind in Africa, will definitely support us.

    “Locally, we are going to reach out to churches, institutions and banks for support, but since it is an 18-month project with effect from this October, we don’t expect to gather finances before we start.

    “In the area of documentary, I don’t need to be sponsored to go to a nearby school to shoot a documentary. All we need do is let the principal or head of the institution know what we want to do with the school.”

    Obu said the proceeds from the sales of documentary or movie would be channeled to helping victims of trafficking.

    He wondered why Africans should be championing trafficking of fellow Africans or connives with European counterparts to sell their sisters and brothers. These questions and several others, he said, would be highlighted in the movie.

  • Lagos holds first art biennial

    No fewer than 43 countries will gather in Lagos ON October 14 to participate in the inaugural Lagos Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Railway
    Compound, Yaba, Lagos.

    Lagos Biennial Artistic Director/founder of Akete Foundation, Folakunle Oshun, stated this at a briefing in Lagos.

    He said the event with the theme,   Living   on   the   edge,will end on November 22.

    Other venues are Ilukwe House, Jaekel House (Museum) and other places in Lagos.

    Oshun said Living on the edge  explores the crises in  historical and  contemporarycontexts.The exhibitions are framed around the   concept of superimpositions, and   examine parallel histories and counter  narratives with   the character of the  city of Lagos  as catalyst.”

    According to him, the Lagos Biennial is long overdue and will saver as platform for cultural exchange between Nigeria and the participating countries, as well as a platform for Nigerian artistes to engage with the world and showcase their talents.

    “This is one of the biennial on the African continent that doesn’t just encourage an international audience but also international participation and that is a reflective of Lagos as a cosmopolitan city.

    “Lagos has the talent, people in art, in literature, in music, the list goes on and on from Chinua Achebe to Fela, Wola Soyinka. We have these big names in Nigeria. Biennial is not just about fine art or visual art, there is a lot of literature, a lot film involved. We have these pockets of talents,with flashes of light everywhere.

    “So, it is just about doing African thing. We also want to get invited to Venice, Italy, to document, so we go out their and say come let’s talk, think and dialogue. Our leaders are talking about this in the UN and we are always castigating them. As artists we say we have the solution, lets come together and see if we can do better than the politicians.”

    The Lagos Biennial 2017 is organised by the Akete Foundation and has been endorsed by the Lagos State Government.

    Part of the activities will be a book reading, art exhibition, cinematography, dinner reception at the rooftop of Goethe Institute on October 13, audio-visual installations, etc.

    However, he said there was no open call for this maiden edition because of the timing and funding. “When you do an open call you must be able to fly everybody in and fund them. But for this we just made selection through our curatorial team and advisory board. And for the next edition we would have open call. So, the Lagos Biennial is open to everybody, it is something that we should embrace and should own.

    “Living on the edge, theme of the biennial speaks in many different ways,” said Oliver Enwonwu, the President, Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), who is also a member of the Lagos Biennial.

    “Why Lagos at this point in time? I think it imperative because Lagos is growing in the cultural scene. I would like to say Lagos is on fire, every weekend we have exhibitions.

    The exhibition catalogue is becoming more exquisitely published, better quality images, critical text being written by many scholars, we have the growth of the auction houses, and with such a domestic scene.

    “It is also very imperative that we bring in the biennial these little occurrences into more focus and project them into wilder audiences and more global platform.”

    Enwonwu said: “The biennial tells you who is the cutting edge artist. It tells you those who will  bring in something deferent, it will talk about the geographic boundary, psychological boundary that the organisers and curators are trying to break and push forward.

    ‘’These are very interesting occurrences, I hope it will be something sustainable, bring more privet people getting involved, most especially sponsors, when the government get involved because I think it is a good way when we are talking about economic diversification of Nigerian, and of cause to cerebrate our rich cultural heritage, to celebrate Africa, the people and of cause one way of bring our culture into contemporary manner to global platform all over the world.”

    Legacy   1995,    a   historical   and   environmental   interest group   in   Nigeria   is   the   main  partner  for   the   Lagos Biennial   2017   and   will   be   granting   access   to   monumental and   historic   architecture   in   the   city   of   Lagos. Biennial   Team Folakunle   Oshun   Artistic   Director/Curator,    Amira   Paree –   Co-Curator,    Erin   Rice   ,  Consulting   Coordinator   Artist Talks,    Akor   Opaluwah ,  Coordinator   Artist   Talks,    AminatLawal-Agoro,   Project   Manager, Sola   Akintunde, Co-Curator.

    Participating   artists  are Jelili   Atiku, Rahima   Gambo, Ayo   Akinwande, Lena Athanasopoulou, Sam   Hopkins,  and   David   Lale, Saba   Zavarei, David   Palacios, Arrigo Reuss, Lamis   Haggag, Dunja   Herzog, Jess   Atieno, Abdulrazaq   Awofeso, Rita   GT, Niyi   Olagunju, Phoebe   Boswell, Kainebi Osahenye, Adeola Olagunju, Ranjeeta   Kumari Yara MekaweiEca   EpsObuh   Christopher   Nelson Amina   Zoubir  Olivia  Jasinski, Tito Aderemi-Ibitola, Kathleen   Hearn, Jerry Buhari, Youngjoo   Yoo, Poku   Chereme, Maie   Okafor, Amol   Pati, Tori Wrånes,Taiye   Idahor, Januario   Jano, Ro   Caminal,Ala   Kheir,Wura-Natasha-Ogunji, Sébastien   Mazauric, Fati   Abubakar, Delio   Jasse, Kris   Russo, Simon   Daniel,   Tegnander   Wenzel, Silas   Mensah and Mawuenya Amudzi.

     

  • Taxation as veritable tool to nation’s wealth

    Taxation as veritable tool to nation’s wealth

    For any organisation, community, state or country to make any meaningful progress, it must have a regular cash flow. Nigeria as a nation has been depending solely on its crude oil as a major source of finance since independence. However, with the current stature of the global economy, most countries that depend solely on oil may soon be facing a tough economic woe because some of the buyers of this product have found alternatives.

    One area that Nigeria has not been able to explore as a means of survivor is its tax regime and administration.

    TundeOgunsakin, a former Assistant Inspector General of Police has come up with a comprehensive compendium that literarily diagnosed all the basic information that one needs to know about taxation. The book, A Review Of Effective Tax Regime In Nigeria, as the name implies gives a deep insight into the effective tax regime in Nigeria as well as making recommendations aimed at paving way for a flourishing tax regime that will drive a formidable economic growth and development in Nigeria.

    As a member of the panel of Education Tax, known as The Federal Government Panel On Education Tax constituted on January 3, 2000 by former President OlusegunObasanjo, the credible detective and erudite scholar, Ogunsakin uses most of the rare data and immense experience he garnered through the activities of the panel in the writing of the book.

    In the introductory chapter of the 141-page book, he explores different definitions of tax and taxation to wet the appetite of the reader. According to the Chamber Dictionary, as quoted by the author, tax is “a contribution to revenue exacted by the state from individuals or businesses, a burden, drain, or strain. It is also defined as compulsory contribution towards a country’s expenses raised by the government from people’s salaries, property and from the sale of goods and services. Tax is equally defined as a compulsory contribution to the support of government on persons, property, income, commodities, transactions and services at a fixed rate mostly proportionate to the amount on which the contribution it levied.

    Backed with empirical data, his emphasis hinge on Colonial Era and the introduction of taxation in Nigeria. The Raisman Fiscal Commission’s recommendation of 1958 was critically appraised in tandem with resource distribution/allocation in Nigeria. Readers will be riveted with the author’s style and the information shared in the book.

    Ogunsakin stressed however that though it is the obligation of the government to impose tax, it also has its limitations. He says government can only levy taxes on income accruing in Nigeria. He noted that the perception of individuals on tax varies because while some view it as a social justice or means of encouraging investment, others view it as a tool of injustice and social disequilibrium.

    Historically, according to the author, government has the obligation to provide both social and security amenities for the general well-being of the society, the obligation could however be discharged from tax generated revenue.

    The author traces the subject of colonialism and the introduction of taxation in Nigeria where Royal Niger Company introduced custom duties in the Southern Nigeria because of its sea but could not do same in the North because it doesn’t have the sea. But after amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates, the Royal Niger Company realized that the money generated from custom duties, an indirect tax from the south was not taking enough care of colonial administration. It was forced to look into other forms of taxation to sustain its vision.

    The book extensively explained different types of taxes such as company’s income tax, personal income tax, education tax, capital gains tax, petroleum profit tax, value added tax, withholding tax, stamp duties among others.

    As a veritable expert, he dwells on tax law and policy, reviewing the composition of FIRS, state board of Inland Revenue and major stakeholders in the Nigerian tax system.

    The author did not hesitate to discuss the various problems of taxation in Nigeria. He makes a clear distinction between tax avoidance and tax evasion. Statistically, Ogunsakin reveals the extent of tax avoidance and evasion in Nigeria, enumerating the reasons for tax avoidance and evasion.

    The author diplomatically explains the problems of delayed, converted or diverted tax payers’ fund by collecting banks.

    One of the most informative parts of the book is chapter four where the author unravels the mystery behind tax enforcement processes and procedures in Nigeria. He states that taxes are charged in accordance with the provision of the law, thus enforcement proceedings could be described as steps taken under the statures to enforce payment or tax where a taxpayer defaults. The tax authority, according to him, must take utmost care to ensure that the person sought to be taxed is not one who is exempted from paying tax, though it is left to the taxpayer to claim applicable deductions and reliefs.

    Ogunsakin’s book has come at a time when tax evasion seems to be on the rise and there is therefore the need to embark on a robust capacity building drive in the area of tax collection strategies by tax authorities and enlightenment campaign to encourage the Nigerian populace and institutions top pay tax.

    The author, Ogunsakin was promoted in 2014 as Assistant Inspector General of Police. Prior to his promotion he was the Commissioner of Police for Rivers State where he brought peace to a once political turbulent state. He was a member of the presidential task force on education tax funds 1999 -2000. His concerted efforts ensured the panel to recover N7.8billion unpaid tax to the Nigeria Government.

  • Poetic jibes on state of the nation

    Poetic jibes on state of the nation

    Dead Lions  Don’t Roar’, a book containing epic poems by Tolu Akinyemi reminds one of a line in Benin-based Osayomore Joseph’s song, ‘Where there is life, there is hope’.

    In the 118-page collection of poetic wisdom for the discerning are 113 poems, which clearly show that dead lions don’t actually roar but only the living can step into dead men’s shoes. If Men Were God, a two-part poem extols the power of God above the frailties of men. “If men were God/There would be no more us/Long dead and buried/Forgotten with the times…” the poet writes as he goes further to re-echo the supremacy of God in part 2.

    Celebrating his mother’s unblemished career in the civil service and the lives she shaped, Akinyemi pays a tribute in My Mother. “My mother/Her husband calls her blessed/Her children’s delight/Looking for that virtuous woman/Wander not afar/She lives in our time…” he eulogies.

    Who Will Tell Sister Vicky is a word of confidence to Vicky and any spinster who thinks she has been spent by years of unfruitfulness. “With new day comes a renewed vigour/A little flesh and some cleavage as take away,” and you are “Still competing with the spinsters,” he exhorts. Blame Not The Devil is a food for thought for those who would always blame their misfortune on the spirit of evil. “…/The man who raped the two year old/Was the latest victim of the devil?/Easy it seems to pass the blame,” when “A little discipline,” would had halted the irresponsibility.

    In The Other Room, the author recognises the traditional role of women to aspire to any height side by side with their husbands. Inspired by the altercation between President Buhari and his wife and the former’s reaction confining the later to ‘the other room’, the author writes “The puzzle of the other room remains a mystery/Similar to the moonlight tales of the old/A facade none can tell/An imagination of the tale bearer/What happens in the other room should not be said out of the other room.”

    Brother Smart is to the eligible bachelors in town. He writes, “Who will marry brother Smart?/The most eligible bachelor in our church/Single to stupor if I can say/Who will save brother Smart from using his pension fund to send his children to school…”

    Talent is a call to self-discovery. Hear Akinyemi: “Do what makes you happy I make bold to say/Your talent is yours to use/In the cemetery many a talent have gone…”

    While Education focuses the poet’s slam on its lost glory, he also believes “Ignorance is not the option at all…” Cap Without A Head reflects human insatiability. The poet writes: “I hate the job they seem to mutter/The job that was a dream for years for us/Toiled day and night before it came to pass/ Still a dream job for lots of friends….”

    In the The Wedding Party, the poet offers a critique on the issue, which young couples prefer to the marriage itself. He denounces: “A glamorous wedding without a marriage/All for the glam and glitz it brings/They outdo themselves as if it were a competition/The day after and the debtors are here…”

    Akinyemi stokes the polity with The Thieving Politician, taking a swipe on politicians looting people’s funds and turning back to be celebrated by same people. He writes: “Celebrated by the same people they raped to stupor/Looted funds to splash around/Wealth amassed even for generation unborn/Infrastructural decay they are blind to see/All they care for is me, myself and I.”

    Age as a subtheme of the book benefits those who think age is all it takes to lead. Tolu Akinyemi puts it succinctly: “Age is just a number/A calculator of our time on earth/Age does not equate to wisdom/The elders say the young ones cannot have as many rags as they do/I once lived with a young man/With an age that contradicted his wisdom…”

    Where Are The Men? Poses a lot of challenges to youths who are enmeshed in baby mama saga. “The boys are on the loose again/Donating sperms as they deem fit/Not ready for commitment/Baby mamas abound in every nook and cranny…” writes the author.

    One would think that the poem 2Face is a tribute to the popular Nigerian musician, Innocent Idibia. It is “not the popular Nigerian musician,” but “The sister who lies between the Angelic and devil/The wife material in day time and devil reincarnate at night…” the author notes.

    He warns of evil of Domestic Violence, noting, “Once beaten, always beaten/Life is for the living/Run while you can/No hope in the land of the dead/Better to be single and alive/Than to be married and living in bondage…”

    Dead Lions Don’t Roar is the hit title of the book in page 58. Here are extracts: “Dead lions don’t roar/As tranquil like the still waters/Their legendary status now history/A history soon to be forgotten/In the graveyard lay many unsung heroes/Six feet under the ground therein abode great potentials…/Use your gifts while you can…”

    In Pay The Price, the poet thunders: “No pain, no gain/To earn the price/Truly, there is a price to pay/You tell me about your faith/To make the impossible become reality/I will ask you of the works to bless/Neither fiction nor magic…” he scribbles.

    In The Married Bachelor, the book literarily spikes another oyster in Western style of marriage known as live-in lovers. It wonders: “The husband material is no longer an option/The single sisters open their mouth agape/We hoped he was still single and searching, they chorused aloud/Truth be told. He has been taken without a shadow of doubt/No ring on the finger, no way to know…”

    The Parody of Life satirizes existence. Akinyemi writes: “Exuding innocence we came to the world/With purity and virtue we joined the fold/Without a care in the world we lived our lives/Before the footprint were etched in our hearts…”

    Beauty Is Not Enough is captured in page 72, but “The kind of beauty anonymous to the spinster…/If only beauty was enough/The spinster next door would have been married off/With curves and vital statistics to envy/With a face as of Angel…/Alas beauty seems no longer enough …”

    United We Stand is timely poem for agitating regions to form a common political front for the unity of the country. It is dedicated to men, women and children who lost their lives during the Westminster Bridge and Manchester bombing attacks in March and May 22, 2017. “The news headlines makes a gory viewing/From Brussels to Paris to London/Bombs they throw at us/Raping the World of its innocence…” he notes.

    Change is an allegory that mocks the present government which promises hope for the citizens only to dash it; social life of the people aren’t seen no improvement yet. The lines of the verse reads: “The anthem where there is a quest for power/Change in itself is not a ruse/A language habitually tainted/Tainted by corruption of men/Promise of change all a dream…”

    While Huggies inspired by Ayo Zubair, incessant hugging seen by the author as cheerful giving, No Issues – first composed as a song by the author and his crew of Aaron Lee and Jake Robson correlates the poem on the tongue; “No matter the issues/Just say no issues.” and you will have it.

    Bleeding Heart expresses utter disgust with the society where justice turns rare good in the land, the falcon no longer knows the falconer and things fall apart, a refrain associated with Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. “My heart bleeds/Bleeds for hurt done to me/My heart sucks/Sucks as there is no one to fight my cause…/Justice seems not in sight,” writes the author.

    The last two poems are Red Clover and What a Cook. Red clover contains mostly the  ‘over’ cadences. Hear the author in the 4-8 lines of red clover: “In my Red rover/We had a stopover/It was late and I told her to sleepover/My plans was to roll over/If only she could stay over….”

    While What a Cook conveys a lesson in condition, “You always think your father’s farm is the biggest/Not until you see another man’s farm/The neighbour in the other flat/Thought his wife was the best cook in the world/An illusion to say the least…” sums it all up.

    Dead Lion Don’t Roar, a collection of poetic wisdom for the discerning, makes an interesting read. A paper pack, the poems are concise, easy to digest, travel friendly and express deep feelings and noble thoughts in beautiful and simple language. Get a copy and read up!