The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Expert advises on safe floors

    Expert advises on safe floors

    Safety expert Mr. Tomasz Wolski has urged facility managers and property owners to consider floor safety as paramount in their services. He said floor treatment was very critical as slip and fall accidents were common occurrences at work places, event centers, homes and other high traffic facilities. The effect of a slip and fall accident, he said, can be fatal.

    He spoke at a three-day training programme organised by No-Slips Limited, the Nigerian representative and service provider for Surestep non-slip floor treatment in Nigeria. The training programme held last weekend in Lagos. Tomasz, a Polish, is a certified global Surestep trainer and safety professional.

    “Floor safety is important because we walk on floors every day. Safety and health are the two most important aspects of human well-being, so why won’t we care about it. Very often people forget about floor safety, but I think that our floors should never be unsafe,” he added.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of No-Slips Limited, Mr. Charles Igbinidu, said people do not take floor safety serious because much attention has not been on slip and fall accidents in Nigeria.

    “People need to start taking floor safety very seriously. All over the world, people are constantly experiencing slip and fall accidents and every one of us can testify to that because, at some point in our lives, we have experienced it. Many people sustain permanent injuries and sometimes victims may die.

    “It’s unfortunate that people don’t like to talk about it and there is no accurate record of how many times people slip and fall,  but, the statistics available to us showed that the rate of slip and fall accidents in Nigeria  is alarming. People fall and get injured daily at homes, offices and other public places,” he said.

    He also stressed the need for facility managers and property owners to take responsibility for the safety of their guests, noting that the safety of their clients should be of utmost importance to them.

    “It is very important for facility managers of commercial buildings and other property owners to be aware of the dangers of untreated floors and make their floors safer for their guests. It is their duty to provide their guests or customers with a safe and friendly environment.”

    “As a matter of fact, everyone, who walks on any kind of floor, should be conscious of slip and fall accidents and do everything possible to prevent them from happening,” he added.

  • Celebrating Edo heritage in Traces of Time

    Celebrating Edo heritage in Traces of Time

    As part of activities marking the coronation of Oba Ewuare II of Benin, Crowne Art Gallery, Benin City, Edo State, has held a joint art exhibition entitled: Traces of time.

    It featured works by Pius Owolabi and Emosivbe Kamere. Other works exhibited were collections from Crowne Gallery, which included modern and antiquities.

    The exhibition, which ran from June 22nd to July 2nd, was a collaboration between France-based Miss Bose Fagbemi, curator of the exhibition, and Mr. Omoregbe Erediauwa to provide a platform for upcoming artists to showcase their creativity.

    Erediauwa is the proprietor Crowne Art Gallery, Benin City.

    Most of the works (paintings, sculptures and mixed media) by the two artists mirrored the socio-cultural and economic life of the Edo people over time and space. From royalty to commerce, social, environment, nature and culture, the artists interrogated different aspects of the peoples’ life within varying time and spaces, using various media of expression.

    Also, the works of the gallery, which are on display, but produced by different artists, did not veer off the central theme as there were works such as Oba beaded, a mixed media work on the late Oba Erediauwa, Regale by Uju Chodobe, a mixed media showing Benin residents dancing during one of the festivals, and String of Benin culture by Stephen Ludah.

    Two works (Oba Ewuare II I and II), by Kamere stood out among the lots as they celebrate the rich heritage of the Benin royal crown as captured in the full regalia of Oba Ewuare II during his coronation. One of the paintings was a monochrome, while the other was rendered in red colour oil on canvas. This signature was also very visible in Itsekiri Dancer, which captured the rhythmic dance steps of the Itsekiri dancers as well as the energy and body movement. The colours were on the spot, showing the white contrasting the multiple layers of the wrapper, but complemented by the red bowler hat. Other works by Kamere included Oba market, Rhythm, Dance, Life mysteries, Dignity of labour and Blossom.

    Owolabi’s collection, however, extended beyond the regular elements to address issues of hope, faith and sweet messages of drum beats. Though Owolabi may have found chipboard a friendly medium than canvas, but his messages and images were never lost. Interestingly, Owolabi like Kamere, also produced a portrait of an Oba of Benin entitled: Oba Erediauwa. 

    But one common thread that ran through both artists’ collection was the traditional vibrant colour scheme their Alma Mata, Auchi Polytechnic, is known for. Good morning, Sweet talking, Composite Lady and Ever green, were some of his works on display. Head Zonal Office, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Princess (Mrs) Ivie Uwa-Igbinoba who declared the exhibition open said the exhibition is in line with NCAC’s manadate to develop and promote arts and crafts industry through specialised exhibition and expo.

    The two artists, Owolabi and Kamere expresed gratitude to the organisers of the exhibition, saying it is a rare opportunity to be part of the show considering the logistics that are involve in putting up an exhibition of this size.

     

  • ‘Art was part of my growing up in the palace’

    ‘Art was part of my growing up in the palace’

     In this interview with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, Cronwne Art Gallery proprietor  Mr. Omoregbe Erediauwa speaks on his interest in promoting art, why he founded the gallery and his vision for the gallery, among others. 

    At the beginning

     

    “It has to do with my background. In the family I grew up, you find art everywhere. And growing older, I now have the maturity to see, like and collect.  Again, it is a personal thing to collect works and it got to a point when storage became a challenge. That brought the idea of setting up an art gallery in 2014.

    Initially it was primarily to provide a space for my collection to breath. But much later I wanted to partner artists for a larger collection for public enjoyment. Also, such collaboration would afford me the opportunity to learn fast on the demands of the project because you would find people asking you the right questions to make you improve.

     

     

    Vision of the gallery

     

    “To serve as a reservoir where people can get as much authentic information about Edo heritage. We read a lot about Edo heritage from different sources, so we want this gallery to serve as a place to confirm such information. In the long run, if it is possible we should be able to buy back our objects in foreign museums and private galleries. The ground floor is dedicated to modern art while the top floor is for antiquities.”

     

    Preserving and documenting  the objects

     

    “I am collaborating with officials of National Commission for Museums and Monuments in the areas of preservation and documentation as well as authentication.

     

     

    Art business in Edo State

     

    It is unfortunate that the state of art business is low. Hopefully, the present administration has a strong passion for art. Oba Ewuare of Benin also has the same passion. He even has a foundation. However, the bronze guild in Igun Street, Benin City, is inactive. Most of the youths are only interested in travelling out to Europe.

    There is a suggestion that in order to revamp the bronze casting guild in Igu, the guild should be redesigned as a vocational school that incorporates academic and craft business. This will prepare the young ones for the future instead of the craze to travel to Europe.

     

     Projections

     

     

    “We don’t have resident artists for promotion yet. But we are starting off with the joint art exhibition featuring, Pius Owolabi and Emosivbe Kamere. So, we are providing this as a platform to promote young artists, may be, twice in a year. It ran from June 22 to July 2.”

  • Group hosts open day for visually-impaired pupils

    Group hosts open day for visually-impaired pupils

    The Federal Society for the Blind, Cappa, Oshodi, Lagos, has organised an Open Day for parents and members of the public. The event was organised for them to see how their wards have developed over time.

    Chairman, Council of Federal Society for the Blind,Asiwaju Fola Osibo, said the main objective of the society is to rehabilitate and restore confidence in visually impaired persons, to be independent and be financially empowered.

    “For those, who are academically inclined, we encourage them to further their education. Those, who want to go into production of various crafts on their own like shoe-making, tie and dye, bag making and bead making are also trained. We also train them to operate the computer. We have churned out lawyers, doctors and engineers, who are blind and they are all doing very well in their professions,” he explained.

    Established in 1955 by a group of philanthropic minded people, the society seeks to ensure that people who go blind as adults or in their adolescence are given desired care and attention.

    The school Principal, Mr Nicholas Obot, said: “We call our students visually impaired because we believe no one is blind. You cannot be totally blind; you can only be blind in some areas.”

    A pupil at the center, Gloria,  said of her experience: “The experience here is wonderful because back home you are redundant, but being here you have the skills to do your things yourself, even to read and write. I want to also use this medium to those that want to commit suicide, those wondering why God has forsaken them, that they should put their faith in God. I always put my faith in God.”

    Mariam Alasa, a visually impaired pupil at the centre, described her experience as amazing. “The experience here is amazing to the extent that I don’t think about going home. It is nice staying in an environment with people like you, who are able to get things done in spite of their challenges,” she said.

    Asiwaju  Osibo  advised  parents, who have visually disabled children, not to keep them at home, but enrol them at the rehabilitation centre where they can be trained to become independent  and contribute meaningfully to the society.

  • Alakija lifts 900 widows

    No fewer than 900 widows have received the Rose of Sharon Foundation’s interest-free loans with flexible repayment plans to help them start their businesses.

    This support, according to the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, is to bring stability to their lives.

    Mrs Alakija, who spoke at this year’s International Widow’s Day empowerment luncheon in Lagos, last Friday, said through the foundation’s intervention, widows have been relieved of economic distress occasioned by the sudden loss of spouse and denial of access to partner’s resources by extended relatives.

    The foundation, she said, had empowered widows with soft loans with friendly-repayment plans, award of scholarships for education continuity for their children and skill acquisition opportunities.

    Mrs Alakija said the best means for widows to stay afloat, their terrifying challenges and avert vulnerability was to attain financial freedom, self-sufficiency and creation of sustainable streams of income.

    She said: “Widows, including those in Nigeria and around the world, are absent statistics unnoticed by researchers, neglected by national or local authorities, and mostly overlooked by civil societies. Their challenges go unnoticed but we, at the Rose of Sharon Foundation, are spiritually mandated and committed not to allow their plights go unnoticed. We are determined to fight for their rights and provide succour to them. The greatest need of a widow is economic empowerment because most are stripped of their husbands’ financial and material resources at the demise of their spouses. The result is that they have to support their families without assistance. They are forced to withdraw their children from school. Moreover, the daughters of widows may suffer multiple depredation, increasing their vulnerability, and the sons get into bad companies.”

    According to her, it is imperative for the society to discard concepts of widow’s discrimination and deliberate infliction of pain through hostile actions. She challenged the government to treat the plight of the bereaved as significant, noting that legislative provisions protecting widows should be sincerely implemented and improved.

    “There are laws that forbid maltreatment of widows and those vulnerable while the public have also been warned that to report such cases to authorities. I think the problem is enforcement and for the public to be courageous enough to make reports. It would be nice if government gives widows concentration. The government must take responsibilities and quell hostility towards widows,” she said.

    The Grand Matron of the Foundation and First Lady of Lagos, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, donated N1 million to  widows.

    Represented by the Director-General, Lagos Pension Commission, Mrs Folashade Onanuga, she reiterated that the government’s efforts should focus on displacing harsh traditions of isolating widows still being practised in some communities.

    “The plight of widows as an ostracised group is a human rights catastrophe. Depending on the part of the world you come from, the treatment meted out to widows differs but widowhood makes women vulnerable. Unfortunately, there are few laws in Nigeria that specifically protects widow’s rights. States, particularly, those in which obnoxious practices are endemic must enact laws and engage appropriate agencies to being oppressive rites to an end.”

    Mrs Onanuga said the state has ensured that in the event of death, the immediate family of any of its staff were given access to a death benefit of minimum of 320 per cent of the annual salary of the deceased to ensure the family has funds to cope with the shock.

    “In line with the pension reforms law, we engage the family member and let them know that the immediate family must not suffer,” she said.

    The CEO of No Left Overs, an indigenous bean cake enterprise, Mrs Ayodeji Megbope, took the widows on an inspirational and insightful journey of expanding a business from insignificant to stardom regardless of fund constraints.

    Mrs Megbope, who has achieved international appeal for her home-grown delicacy, urged the widows to look inwards for potential, overcome the fear of starting and adopt a consistent standard in their business operations.

    “Diligence is very important and to eradicate the mindset that somebody has to give you something, you must continue to wait for someone to lift you without lifting yourself first. Look within you for your potential. Starting a business is not the critical thing but growing it is hard work. We have to believe in the team we work with and empower them to the best,” she said.

  • Behind Her Veil unveiled

    The publishing industry received a boost with the release of a new fiction novel titled: Behind Her Veil, written by Daniella Madudu.

    The 48-chapter book is plotted round the sensitive issue of child betrothal and marriage in the North and allied experiences. It tells touching story of the protagonist and heroine, a 12-year-old Sallamatu, whose journey began in her little village in the North where she was married off as a child bride to Alhaji Mustapha, a much older man who turned out to be a cruel and abusive husband.

    The outcome of her teenage pregnancy resulted in complications with the dreaded Vesto-Vaginal Fistula (VVF)

    The book follows her through each phase of her life and the challenges she faced. We are also introduced to several interesting characters as the story unfolds such as childless couple waiting for a miracle, a persistent lover and true friends.

    Behind Her Veil is built around themes, such hope, faith, betrayal, forgiveness, atonement, suspense, love and, most importantly, a message of restoration.

    It was written by a multi-talented young lady, Madudu, who is passionate about writing and has another book Words from the soul, a collection of poetry, to her credit.

    Apart from being a practising lawyer having been called to the Nigeria Bar after graduating from the  Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, she is an entrepreneur, poet and a budding artiste with a couple of songs to her credit.

    The story is divided into three parts depicting the life cycle of a butterfly as Sallamatu’s life unfolds.

    They are part one captured as the Caterpillar and the Cocoon spread out in chapter one to 14, part two christened the half-winged butterfly and the moth expressed in chapter 15 to 32 and part three captioned the beautiful butterfly and the fire found in chapter 33 to 48.

    Unveiled at a public presentation in Yaba College of Technology Staff School, Lagos, the book is already generating interest among  literary works lovers.

  • Runsewe endorses Press Gallery for AFAC, NAFEST

    The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Director-General, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, has approved Press Gallery as a platform to showcase its flagship programmes, the African Arts and Craft Expo (AFAC) and National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), billed for August and October.

    He made this known when the Press Gallery team led by its Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Isiaka Mustapha, a visited him  in Abuja.

    He noted that the invitation to cover NCAC’s events would only be extended to  worthy professionals in media practice.

    Runsewe said with the reportage by  Press Gallery, he had no doubt that the Africa Arts And Crafts Expo 2017 would be well covered.

    He said: “Having distinguished yourself with outstanding reportage, I have the strong belief that with you on ground during the forthcoming AFAC and NAFEST, the entire world will be adequately informed through your reliable and dependable coverage network.’’

    He added that guests, governors and commissioners’ contacts would be given to the team to link them up with the council’s activities during the event, noting that time had come for Nigerians to celebrate their own, especially performing media organisations, such as  Press Gallery.

    Runsewe praised the editorial team of Press Gallery led by Mustapha for giving the council coverage, despite the short notice.

    “You have been giving prompt coverage to all our events and we are so excited. Take it from us that we shall partner you in all our activities,” he promised.

    Mustapha expressed his gratitude to the DG for being a committed father and supporter of Press Gallery media organisation, saying: “It is indeed, a great day for me and my team to stand before you and your highly committed management team to express our support and appreciation for all your kindness and sterling attributes.’’

    Isiaka added: “As a body, we couldn’t have stood without your support, generosity and magnanimity while we were building our permanent corporate headquarters, which you declared open in 2013. You remain one Nigerian who is detribalised and a man of honour and integrity in all dimensions.”

    He congratulated Runsewe on his appointment, adding: “We are here to felicitate with you on your new appointment as director-general of the National Council for Arts and Culture. Like the transformation you recorded in the tourism industry, it is our belief that your tenure in the culture sector shall also reach enviable heights.’’

  • ‘Culture is Nigeria’s new oil’

    Representatives of 21 professional bodies and associations in the culture sector have met in Lagos on how to reposition the sector for growth. It was the first stakeholders’ meeting convened by National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC) Director-General Otunba Segun Runsewe, who assumed duties in April. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME was there.

    For hours on June 17, they met in Maryland, Lagos, to brainstorm on how to move the sector forward.

    At the Stakeholders’ meeting convened by the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) for cultural industries, its Director-General, Otunba Segun Runsewe, told participants that Nigeria’s future depends on the culture sector, adding that it is capable of generating huge revenue like crude oil.

    He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the NCAC and Bank of Industry (BOI) on a N300 million fund was part of the council’s strategies to empower artistes in the creative industry.

    According to him, any artiste wishing to benefit from the fund should forward a proposal through his association to the council.

    The MoU not only guarantees funding for the artists spread across the country, it also remarkably comes with the provision of a closed and condusive work-friendly environment that knocks off overhead costs for the artists, which by implication means an easing of the repayment of loans obtained, and this in addition to the Bank of Industry activating its partnership agreements with countries and foreign counterparts and unlocking them for the artists.

    The deal, which attracts a single digit interest rate on short – medium term loans of three to four years gestation period is further guaranteed by the Dangote Window initiative that backs the seed fund with prospects of raising the same sum to up to N1 billion.

    Under the terms of the agreement, NCAC will shortlist visual artists, potters, weavers, fabric makers, fashion designers, and other craftsmen to the BoI, while the bank will deploy facilities as well as trained personnel for the evaluation and eventual certification of the beneficiaries of the facilities.

    He described culture as the new oil that would boost the revenue-generating base of the economy, especially as oil price continues to drop in the global market. He also said the narrative must change from the old negative perception about culture to a much more positive one, and that the new thinking is ‘our culture, our pride’.

    Runsewe said the council would soon launch a campaign for the proposed ’37 wonders of Nigeria’ designed to highlight the potential of an iconic cultural manifestation in all the states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The sites, he said, were selected as iconic locations with rich cultural wealth for development. He said part of the council’s interventions included rebranding NCAC’s flagship programmes, such as the African Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC) and National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) this year.

    To allow for adequate planning by participants, dates and venues have been fixed for the two major events. AFAC will hold in Abuja in August with about 22 participating countries, while Kaduna State will host NAFEST in October.

    Runsewe said the council was poised to launch the culture of keeping to time, saying it is a frame within which to get things right as a society. He noted that the  sector has abundant resources from which the people could seek and sustain a decent living and command international respect through creative innovations.

    He assured that his administration would re-organise the council’s programmes and activities along an entrepreneurial perspective and  explore the merchandising opportunities associated with them.

    “We shall be putting in place mechanisms that would transform the sector by empowering our artistes, craftsmen, and women to take control of the industry.  We would try to build infrastructure and the capacity of the industry and ensure sustainable development in the sector,” he added.

    Runsewe  continued: “If we don’t get culture right, we can’t talk of tourism. Culture is the key to change in every society and a vehicle for moving the society forward. We have everything but we are not connecting to it. Our culture is what should hold us together and we must change the narrative and talk about our strength and opportunities to grow the country. We must believe in ourselves, speak for ourselves and celebrate our own.’’

    The DG, lamented that NCAC was relegated, yet it is the engine room of the   sector as one of the oldest parastatals. He observed that Nigeria does not need more than four parastatals to drive  policies in the sector, adding that there were  overlaps of mandates among the agencies.

    In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, it was resolved that Nigerians should take more seriously the habit or culture of excellence and high quality in production of goods, especially cultural products. It also resolved that sustained investment in arts and culture is important because, ‘’if we say that our arts and culture is good and valuable, others, especially foreigners, will follow us to find values in them’’.

    The communique stressed the need to re-orientate Nigerians in positions of authority to appreciate and invest in the country’s arts and culture. Other resolutions include the need for NCAC to make use of the cultural attachés in various embassies to brand Nigeria and launder her image,

    • That the NCAC should execute all the laudable programmes it recently introduced and
    • That the agency should periodically convoke the stakeholders’ meeeting based on its success.

    The meeting was attended by many representatives of professional bodies and associations, including the media. They included Arts and Culture Writers Association of Nigeria(ACWAN), Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Association of Nigerian Tourism Writers (ANJET), Society of Nigerian Theatre Arts (SONTA), National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Abuja Literary Society(ALS), Nigeria Book Fair Trust (NBTF), Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), National Association of Travel Agencies (NANTA), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON),Deejays Association of Nigeria (DJAN), Guild of Nigerian Dancers (GOND), Abuja Body of Comedians (ABC), Reading Association of Nigeria (RAN) and the National Cane Weavers Association of Nigeria (NCWAN).

  • ‘Why some artists can’t draw’

    ‘Why some artists can’t draw’

    Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria President Segun Adejumo has been in practice for three decades. He is a full-time studio artist, gallery owner, and consultant, among others. He curated this year’s Lagos Art Expo organised as part of the Lagos @50 celebrations. In this interview with Udemma Chukwuma, he talks about the art profession and how school curriculum is affecting artists’ contributions to the industry.

    Guild of Professional Fine Artists President Mr. Segun Adejumo has decried the content of  schools’ curriculum for training of artists, especially fine artists, saying it is defective.

    He blamed art schools for the poor quality of many unemployed graduate artists, saying that they offer training not rich enough to equip artists to meet the demands of the profession.

    He observed that many artists  could not draw after years of training in higher institutions.

    Adejumo said: “There is something wrong with our educational system. People who would have been better as zoologist, chemist or accountant are forced to study other courses.”

    He noted that university lecturers, for instance, simply lecture and do not teach, which he said, is one of the problems affecting the students.

    “I always tell people that teachers and lecturers are different. Lecturers lecture and don’t explain much to students. But a teacher explains everything to students to assimilate and work upon. It is not the lecturre’s job for you to pass, but it is a teacher’s job for you to understand and pass. If a teacher has a student that does not pass, the teacher is a failure. If a lecturer does not have a student that do not pass, who cares, because he is not there to teacher but to lecture.

    “The university system is designed for students to use their brains and interact with things by themself, not to be spoon-fed. So, teaching and lecturing are two different things. Unfortunately, many young ones go through school without picking anything from the institution.”

    As a full time studio artist Adejumo said he had seen many artists who could not draw, yet they studied Art. This, he said, was an embarrassment to the profession.

    “There are hundreds of them all over the place. This set of artists cannot even fit into the advertising agencies to handle graphics. They went to art school but they end up doing something else. Imagine Art schools setting objective questions for Fine Art students. Whereas as a vocational subject, you need to know what the student is capable of doing,” he added.

    According to him, art ‘is something that requires minimum skill level  to qualify to study it apart from being intelligent. Some students these days take art as their last resort, not as preferred choice. So you end up with people who have no clue about Art, no drawing background as well as talent.’

    He urged any school offering Fine Art to conduct another interview for students wishing to study Art because there should be a different way of approaching Fine Art courses.

    “They must have a drawing foundation. You can lie about anything in art, but you cannot tell lie about a drawing. Drawing is prerequisite of great rendition of any kind of Fine Art. I don’t know about conceptual art, but for Fine Art, you need drawing as a basss,” Adejumo noted.

    Ten years ago, he opened a studio called One Draw Studio to help artists improve their drawing skill.

    “The name One Draw came from experience. Most artists can paint but can’t draw. As a fact, a lot of them don’t have sketch pads and don’t have that drawing culture. If you want to know an artist, ask him to show his work process, which tells how he arrived at the finished product. The One Draw Studio project was borne out of the need for artists to engage in studio practice in one drawing a day,” he recalled.

    Five years later he opened One Draw Gallery, a place where works produced in One Draw Studio are sold. “I have owned a gallery before and I came to find out that if you own a galley as an artist, you tend to suffer because you will not be able to work and be busy chasing clients.

    “But things have overtaken that and we are not longer One Draw Studio anymore. We are more like an office. We have gone from that to a week intensive drawing. It became annual general project of one week of intensive drawing. The drawing project gave birth to the gallery. We came up with One Draw Gallery, which is into consultancy in art, studio projects, drawing and painting workshops as well as sale of the artworks,” he said.

    Adejumo stressed that potential artist needs certain draughtsmanship to be a successful fine artist, which cannot be taught.

    “People think artist is all about drawing, it goes beyond drawing. Drawing is a basic tool artist needs to express himself. It is difficult to tell a story as a sculptor or as a painter without knowing the story full well. It is difficult to be in any profession without learning those things that has to do with the profession,” he said of the art profession

    According to him, earning regular income as an artist is a bit difficult, which was a reason he opened the gallery. To him, ‘being an artist is not a business that gives you regular income. I wanted to give artists the opportunity of another art outlet apart from the avenue to express themselves and to sharpen their skills in drawing and regular drawing based sculptors. It is also to give them the opportunity of an alternative art space where they can show their works.’

  • Groups partner on youth development

    Groups partner on youth development

    Blaugrana Group International in partnership with WhiteHouse Group is developing platforms to attract over 1,000 youths for talent development.

    WhiteHouse Group President Mr. Austin Eruotor said the two groups were passionate about developing talents in all areas, especially for youths.

    “From our research, we have discovered that young people are becoming more interested in literature, music, arts and sports. Thus, we are coming together to help them live their dreams for the good of us all and the betterment of our society,” he said.

    At a breifing, FCBESCOLA, Lagos licensee, Mr. Leslie Oghomienor, said there was a need for the reorientation of the youth because some stars,  in entertainment, sports, academics and politics, failed to maximise their potential because of character deficits and attitudinal challenges.

    “As an employee and employer, I have seen very brilliant, intelligent and smart people, great talents and superstars who are nowhere because of their attitude, character and mindsets. In any area, the wealth of gifted talents in Nigeria is enormous. Our interest is in  helping our young people to become better and good leaders and respectable individuals by teaching them acceptable values based on global leadership ethics without compromising our cultural, spiritual and traditional norms and values,’ Oghomienor said.

    According to Eruotor, the first outing of the project is football competition scheduled for the third week of August in Lagos. It would be the take off point with over 1000 youths drawn from all the local government areas. Aside a gold trophy, there are cash prizes to be won ranging from N250,000, he said.

    The programmes will offer the participants the opportunity to display their skills, talents, knowledge and attitudes and they would be guided towards making sound life changing positive career/professional decisions, which will offer long-term benefits for them.

    Mr. Larry Kubeinje said it was a novel step in the right direction to help young people grow into worthy ambassadors of our great country Nigeria. “Developing the youth today, is guaranteeing a peaceful, stable, and viable Nigerian future,” he added.

    The project, designed to be a yearly event, would cater for youths below 17. The areas include Agege, Badagry, Aja, Epe, Makoko, Ajegunle, Mushin, Ikorodu, and Isale Eko.