The Nation Newspaper

Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

  • Behold her ‘feet of grace’

    Behold her ‘feet of grace’

    Dr Irene Titilola Olumese was a nutrition scientist with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for 15 years. She suffered lungs related disease for 20 years, which later resulted in lung transplant. But her resolve to stay alive opened her up to a greater challenge, which has since defined her life and destiny. In a chat with SEYI ODEWALE, she explains how what suddenly changed her course of destiny began. 

    She walked into the reception lobby of the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, that Tuesday with  two men, her husband, Peter and a family friend she held a walking stick that she used to support her gait. Spotting a pair of black trousers and a red, beautiful flowery blouse, the bespectacled Dr Irene Titilola Olumese was full of life. Nothing actually gave her away as an amputee. The former United Nations’ International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF’s) nutrition scientist has learnt to carry her cross gracefully and resolved to use her story to change the lives of many hopeless Nigerians, who otherwise would not have had the opportunity of living a meaningful life because of their permanent disability:

     

    My background

     

    I’m a nutrition scientist. I worked for UNICEF for 15 years as a nutrition professional. I stopped working in 2007 because of my health. I’m married to Dr Peter Olumese. We have two sons, who are in the university in the United States (US).

    For 20 years I suffered from chronic respiratory disease called bronchitis. It is a disease of the lungs. This is when the lungs do not work as they should.  This meant that I was coughing nonstop, everyday for those 20 years. It was really a bad cough with a lot of secretions. Sometimes, you find it difficult to breath because of the coughing and in addition, I had a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis. What happened was that the muscles of the upper part of my face got weakened.

    The combination of the two made respiration very difficult and I kept having recurrent chest infection because I could not move out the secretions in my lungs as I should. For the first 10 years, it was on and off the hospital, I still continued with my job even though I was coughing every day. It was manageable, having frequent antibiotics therapy, using a lot of ventilation to dilate the lungs. I was using the bronchodilator or ventilators to dilate my lungs. As the years went by, it got worse.

    By 2006, I was working in Cairo, Egypt, and with the heat and dust there it got worse. I had worked in Ghana before then, when the lungs actually collapsed. I was in the northern part of Ghana when  I was evacuated to Accra, the capital, and from there to Geneva, Spain, where I had the second surgery on the lungs. I had the first surgery on the lungs in 1993 when we recognised the fact that there was a problem then.

    In 2007 the lungs became so bad that I became oxygen dependent. I had to have oxygen bottle with me. I needed supplementary oxygen as my lungs were no longer able to hold enough air for me. Since I was working far away from home in Cairo, I had to have oxygen cylinder in my office.

     

    Working and living with oxygen

     

    Well, the oxygen cylinder in the office then was a big one. It could go for four or five days in the office.  And at home I had oxygen concentrates from which I extracted oxygen. So, I had to wear oxygen mask around my nose. Then in between, I had a  spray that sprayed on. But by 2007, that was insufficient. So, I had to return to Geneva because that was where my family was staying. I had a huge oxygen reservoir at home. At the beginning, the reservoir would last for a week. So, every Wednesday the hospital had an arrangement to refill the gas at home. We had to pipe the house and laid them carefully so that people would not step on them. But the situation continued to deteriorate. Then I needed two reservoirs and later three to last a week. Going out, I had smaller bottles of oxygen with me. At first, I could go out for four hours because one bottle would last four hours. Later it reduced to one hour. I could not go out of the house for more than four hours because I had two bottles with me. So, wherever I was going I had to be back within the space of four hours. Of course, we had incidence of when the oxygen would finish and that became a bit of problem for us. That was how we continued to manage the situation. My children were in school, my husband would go to work and both were taking care of me.

    By 2010, the situation got worse and the doctors told me that there was no longer a medical solution to the problem.  So, I needed to put on a ventilator to be able to sleep and be sure that my lungs would work. It was at that point that they told me that I needed a transplant. It was the only option I had to live. So, in 2010 I did a medical check up; it was an extensive medical examination that I had to do to ensure that I was a suitable candidate for a transplant. And then they put me on the waiting list. We waited for another three years. It was in April 2013 that they called us that they have found a suitable donor for me. I had to be moved into the hospital immediately because I had been told that I had to live within a four-hour radius of the hospital. So, they sent an ambulance because I lived some 60 Kilometres to the hospital

     

    My surgery and its effect

     

    So, I went in for the surgery on April 13 and the session was done overnight till the morning of April 14. And that was the only part that I knew of. I didn’t wake then. It was my husband and the doctor that told me what happened. They said the surgery went on very well and I got very strong lungs. But 48 hours after the surgery I began to have complications. My limbs got very weak and my organs started shutting down. I began to have renal failure and I went into medical coma and I woke up from that coma four weeks after. They told me everything that happened when I was in coma. When I woke up they told me that I had very strong lungs, but the news was that while I was in coma the complications involved poor circulation of blood to my hands and feet and in the process the tissues died and there was the possibility that they would have to amputate both my hands and feet. That was quite a bit of shocking news to hear after living with the problem for 20 years and getting the solution and another problem came up.

     

    Challenges involved

     

    It was a challenging period emotionally coming to terms with that. It was God’s grace that sustained us at that time. Even though they gave us about two weeks to make a decision, but it was not a matter of decision making, it was obvious that if I wanted to live to keep the lungs-the precious gift God has given me, I had to do it. It was at that moment that God ministered to us through a friend of my husband that He would give me the ‘Feet of Grace’ that would take me to places my natural feet could not. And that it would be beyond my imagination. When my husband was away in Somalia the word came and we just subjected ourselves to the process. But in the interim, I began to get some feelings back into my hands. So, God saved my hands, it’s just a miracle. On the 30th of May, 2013, I went back to the theatre and had my two legs amputated below the knees.

    I came out of that. First of all, I began to recover the use of my hands, learning to hold something, feed myself and write again. At the same time, I began the healing process for the lungs. After these, we began to think of what was to happen next. Definitely there was going to be a new definition of ‘normal’. What really happened was that I had a remarkably fast recovery rate from my surgeries. In fact, the doctor said mine was the first amputation they were going to do in that hospital that did not require going back to the theatre. In fact, the wounds healed within two weeks. In fact, they told me that they had no reason whatsoever to stop me from my rehabilitation process.

    Initially, after any amputation, you are advised to go home to return after six months to be able to fit into the rehabilitation process. But in my case I was able to start immediately and a month after my amputation, I was able to stand up on my ‘feet’. I was able to stand on my new legs, which are now called the ‘Feet of Grace’. Remember, God told me that He would give me  Feet of Grace that would take me to places my normal feet could not take me to. So, I went through the process of learning to walk by taking my first steps after amputation. Interestingly, at the rehabilitation center where I ought to spend months, I spent a few weeks to learn how to walk with my prosthetic legs. I walked my first metre, my first 20 metres and slow and steady I could walk with the support of a walker and later crutches, and later I could walk my first kilometer.

    I was taught so many things in the rehabilitation. Things like how to adjust to my new status; how to sit down; how to stand up when I fall down; how to ascend the stairs and descend same as well and how to get to the bathroom. So, all these I went through and we had to do some adjustments to the house to suit my new status.

    For me to begin to redefine life was important to me and it made a whole lot of difference to my mental health not to be dependent on people, but to be independent. I thought about those living in poor communities where all the services I enjoyed were not available. My prosthesis alone cost us almost 35,000 Swiss Francs. I began to think about what to do next. I knew definitely I could not go back to where I was working before, because my routine then at the UNICEF involved travelling, which I knew I could no longer do again. I now said if had this opportunity why did I not turn it to opportunities for others as well? So, I began to check what kinds of opportunities are available to amputees in Nigeria. Who is supporting them? How are they getting prosthesis limbs? It was in the process of gathering information that I realised that there was a huge need here and that we can contribute as well. That was what informed the Feet of Grace Foundation.

     

    Her advocacy

     

    At the beginning, what we wanted to do was to raise funds from our friends and channel the fund to support those who have no money to purchase prosthesis. So, we started to put the foundation together in 2014 and by 2015 we had the first charity walk in Geneva, where we called our friends together to walk. We were sponsored to walk. Initially, I told them that I was going to walk five kilometers, but eventually, I could only walk three kilometers, which was remarkable for somebody who just recovered from surgery less than a year ago. It was indeed, a feat. We did that to raise funds to be able to give Chidiebere, a 10-year-old boy a leg and a 42-year-old lady her leg. At the end of the year, we were able to do two more women, Vivian and Agana.

    This year we have been able to do one more and supported a wheel chair bound widow to get her a wheel chair. As we began to work we realised that it would not be sufficient for us to give limbs, but the circumstances around the people we are supporting required that we began to look at the possibility of leveraging, for example, the 10-year-old boy wanted to go to school, but he comes from a very poor family. His father is dead; his mother was the only one catering for him. He lived in squalor in Enugu. He wanted to go to school. He desired to be a doctor, but that was not going to happen if he did not go to school. So, we decided to look for sponsors because our funds capacity could not do that at that moment. So, the Feet of Grace has to network to be able to get sponsor for him. One of the women we were supporting had to die because she had no money to buy her drugs because she was diabetic.

    So, we had to look at how we could alleviate poverty among women. Hence, the widow I talked about, we gave her a seed fund to start her business. We see ourselves being able to mobilise funds from friends and general public by presenting stories of these people, who would not otherwise have the opportunity. The story of what happened to me has positioned me to become the voice of these voiceless people to be able to speak on behalf of an amputee. And being an amputee myself, I know what the challenges are. And I can speak from the authority of that experience that life as an amputee can be challenging in all as it is with those complications that go with an unfavourable environment. And just beyond providing prosthetic limbs and poverty alleviation opportunities where possible, I’m also looking at advocacy. How do we create handicap friendly facilities? How do we make an environment to be handicap friendly for people like to be able to move around? I should be able to go to the bank without being supporting me. I should be able to go to the rest room without a member of my family going with me. An amputee wants to be independent. He does not want to be a burden to anyone. Advocacy would ensure that we are able to mobilise institutions, agencies and governments to do the needful for us to have handicap car parks just like it happens in western countries. These are some of the things we want to engage in as the Feet of Grace Foundation expands and pursue its goal. On Saturday, July 23, the Feet of Grace Foundation was launched as a registered NGO in Nigeria. We got incorporated in January by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

     

    Succour for my travails

     

    My family and friends were very helpful. We have a great network of friends. They were very supportive. And if I had not experienced what happened to me I probably would not have given the project a cursory look for that matter. But having experienced it first hand, made me to put all that I have into it.

     

    Genesis of my lungs’ problem

     

    There are some things you cannot explain. I did not know how it started and what the cause was. We cannot say what triggered it. What I knew was that the cough started and it was not congenital. But during our investigations we found out that I had a cyst between my heart and my lungs. But an X-ray we did then in 1992 did not show that, that was what it was. It was just that I had a cough and it was not going and one of the requirements for me to be employed by the UNICEF. That was when we saw that there was something there. When I had the cough for about three months and it was not going that was when my doctor linked the cyst as being responsible. So, in 1993, I had the first surgery. It turned out to be a benign tumour. But after it was removed a few other things started happening. By end of that year I had myself being seriously allergic, yet the cough persisted. By 1994 the allergy became too serious. I was reacting to so many things. I remember towards the end of that year I just finished a meeting and went back to my office when I suddenly had my pupils got dilated; it was as if the whole room was flooded with light and I could not see. That was the beginning of the signs that we began to see of the second condition-Myasthenia Gravis. It became whirl pool of problems and in the midst of it I had my first son in 1994. I managed the situation to have my second son in 1997 and in 1998 everything just happened again with the myasthenia gravis. I literarily lost the use of my upper arm. I could not comb my hair because of weakening of the muscles. That was when the diagnosis was made. My doctors at the UCH, Ibadan did the diagnosis in addition to the lungs’ problem, there was another one-neuromuscular problem. That was when they told me that it myasthenia gravis.  I later went to the US where a battery of tests was done on me. They later confirmed the earlier result. They also told me that it was a degenerating disease and that in the next couple of years I would not be able to move. But I said that was not for me. So, I came back home, but my uncle was sending my drugs to me every six months until I could get a suitable location here to get them. I was on medication everyday to ensure that my muscles were working.

     

    Getting a donor for the lungs

     

    Unfortunately here, the culture of donating body organs before one’s death is not here. Everybody wants to go to the grave with every organ of their body intact. To the best of my knowledge, its kidney transplant that people are familiar with here. When I told somebody that I had lung transplantation the response was ‘is it possible to transplant lungs? Yes, I said it is. It is possible for people to donate their organ while alive. It’s just to indicate that whenever they die a particular organ of their body should be given to whoever needs. And the harvesting of such organs is done only when the recipient is around. The donor must be kept on life support facility until the recipient comes around. That was why they told me that once you are on the waiting list you just have to be around and there are numbers they must call to get you. You must be within a certain radius to be able to reach you.

    If I were in Nigeria it could have been worse. First of all the oxygen supply that I used or seven years could not have been easily available. I did visit Nigeria during those periods. It was a lot of organisation for me to be able to stay then. I came with my battery-operated cylinder with oxygen concentrates.

    In fact, that was part of the divine intervention. For us to have been in Switzerland at that time was just divine intervention. We never planned to move out of Nigeria then. My husband had a good job at the UCH then.

     

    Cost of getting a prosthetic limb

     

    Now it cost about N1 million to get limb of prosthesis. And this depends on size. It changes with age of the recipient, especially for children, the size changes with their age. Our concern is to give a good balanced limb, which will not affect the gait of the child when he or she walks and will not give him or her pains on the back. The kind of limbs that we give we always ensure that they are not too tight, shorter than the height or too heavy. But an adult can use the limb for so many years, particularly, when there is no catastrophe. For an adult, it cost an average of N1.5million per limb, going by the current rate of Forex.

     

  • UNIC Lagos, movie icons partner for climate change

    UNIC Lagos, movie icons partner for climate change

    With climatic change across the globe, the  movie industry has added its voice to the global environmental campaigns.

    Notable movie icons under the aegis of The Golden Movie Ambassadors of Nigeria (TGMAN) joined the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos in its climate change campaign at Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    The council came alive when  the environmental advocates moved round, creating awareness on the impact of man-made activities against the environment. The awareness campaign, which was led by TGMAN President, Saidi Balogun, and the National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, moved from LASU-Isheri Road through Idimu to Egbeda area.

    The train, attracted motorists and pedestrians, actors, actresses, producers and directors, engaged members of the public,who were obviously excited to see and engage their movie icons, in Yoruba, pidgin-English and occasionally, Hausa language.

    The campaign, which calls attention to impacts of environmental degradation, was anchored on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 states: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts’, informed and educated members of the public about climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning”.

    With mounted sound system on a small truck, the procession stopped intermittently at major bus-stops to address the public. As the campaign procession meandered through the streets, information and education materials were shared to the public.

    At the Egbeda terminus of the SDGs awareness campaign train, Soremekun said climate change remained a threat to all. He observed that the economy and people’s livelihoods were suffering due to unpredictable weather as lakes were drying up and dry land were getting drier while flooded plains were increasing. This, according to him, had serious health implications. He, therefore, urged the public be vigilant as flash floods have been predicted in some states.

    Balogun urged the public to take tree planting as a way of life. He added that tree planting was the best gift anyone could give to himself. “Trees break the devastating effect of storms; reduce erosion and flood; and provide cleaner and healthier air for the well-being of the people,” he said.

    According to Soremekun, the campaign was an outcome of a deal between TGMAN and UNICLagos a few months ago, noting: ”it is the first in the series of collaborative activities to leverage on creative arts and the movie industry for the promotion of sustainable development in Nigeria.”

     

  • Menu for the mind

    Menu for the mind

    If knowledge is power, then the power of knowledge may well be the missing link in Nigeria’s quest for positive change and development. This is the kernel of a new book, The Humanities and Societal Change, by the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL).

    The publication, edited by NAL Fellow and General Editor Professor Moses Akinola Makinde, is a compilation of five papers, four of them delivered to mark NAL’s 2015 Convocation, while one is its Annual Lecture this year.  The book’s title was the theme of last year’s celebration of cerebration.

    The case for knowledge-based governance is presented by Makinde whose paper in the volume was the Convocation Lecture delivered at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, on August 13, last year. His words: “Nigeria has an abundance of intellectuals in the humanities, like members of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, who can lead successive governments to govern well, in freedom and virtue, if only they are reckoned with and their works are read, especially by men and women in governments.”

    According to the General Editor’s Note in the book, “The second and third papers were delivered at the Scientific Sessions at the same Convocation by Professors Abdul-Rashed Na’Allah, Vice Chancellor, Kwara State University and Yomi Akinyeye FHSN, FNAL. The fourth paper was a speech delivered at the Fellows’ Night at the Academy’s dinner on August 12. The fifth paper by Prof Is-Haq Oloyede was the Annual Lecture delivered at the Kwara State University, Malete, Kwara State, on February 18, 2016.”

    Makinde’s paper titled: Reflections on the pains of growth, offers a useful “conceptual clarification”. His explanation of change: “The word ‘change’ does not entail forward motion alone. It could be backward motion like turning the hands of the clock forward or backward – backward like Nigeria’s case of oil boom to oil doom. Therefore, while growth involves moving forward, change necessarily does not. It could be forward or backward change.”

    Interestingly, this background helps to properly situate the self-styled government of change headed by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the demonstrably discredited previous administration under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan.

    Makinde describes corruption as “the most notorious problem in the Nigerian polity today and, consequently, a problem that has contributed in no small measure to Nigeria’s pains of growth.”

    He makes the point that “the only Head of State who was not removed by the military is General Buhari,” adding that “he was removed by the military who feared General Buhari would purge the military for corruption.”

    Makinde argues that the change symbolised by President Buhari is critical to “achieving the much desired goal of leading Nigeria from the desert to the Promised Land.” He supports his position that Man is the instrument of change with references to Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

    It is food for thought that Makinde, a retired Professor of Philosophy, recommends what he calls “Abraham Lincoln’s option”. He says: “We must first acknowledge our sins, confess, repent and then ask God for forgiveness. This is the noble path America had taken in 1861 by the proclamation of Abraham Lincoln. Nigeria must follow suit. In a document contained in a book titled Shaping History through Prayers and Fasting, a former president of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, during his presidency, had “proclaimed three days of national humiliation, prayer, and fasting. His first proclamation (out of three) was requested by a joint committee of both houses and congress, and the day set apart was the last Thursday in September, 1861.”

    The subject of change is approached from another angle by Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, a Professor of English, in his paper, “Myth-Making and Myth Breaking – Roles of a Hausa Singer: Nigeria and the Impact of Oral Tradition in Election Politics for Change, 2011 – 2015.” The paper focuses on the songs of a Hausa oral poet, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, composed for change.

    In Na’Allah’s words: “When the results of the 2011 election did not favour his preferred candidate and the party (and they lost the election), Rarara castigates, and showers vituperations on the Election Umpire, Attahiru Jega, through the evocation of negative images, diatribes and tropes. On the other hand, when his party and candidate won the 2015 election, Jega was presented in flowery and uplifting, elevatory poetry.”

    It is fascinating that Na’Allah’s paper suggests that Rarara’s poetry played an influential political role, and gives it credit for influencing “the political will of the Chairman of INEC to provide an electoral strategy such as the Card Reader that will protect the sanctity and integrity of the people’s will in the Nigerian electoral processes and outcome in the 2015 Elections.”

    In his paper, Yomi Akinyeye, a Professor of History at the University of Lagos, discusses technological advances and their “side effects which only the humanities can tackle”.  According to him, “The disciplines of history, philosophy, sociology and political science have all preoccupied themselves with the societal problems that have arisen out of technological development within the state.”  His conclusion: “In the final analysis, it is the humanities that will assist man and society to cope with all the consequences of technology.”

    In her paper, Akachi Ezeigbo, a NAL Fellow and Professor of English at the University of Lagos, looks at “The Humanities as Change Agent” from a literary perspective. She focuses on “how the humanities can assist in bringing about the change that Nigerians yearn for today and proposes a new strategy or approach to studying and applying the humanities must be found to continue to be relevant in the 21st century.” Importantly, her paper calls for “the establishment of a national humanities centre as an Institute of Advanced Study in the humanities.”

    The last paper in the publication, by Is-Haq Oloyede, a NAL Fellow and Professor of Islamic Studies, is titled: “Utilising religion for national integration and development.” Oloyede, a former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, and ex-President of the Association of African Universities (AAU), is a recipient of a national honour, the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

    Oloyede addresses “the nexus between Religion and Development”, arguing that “it is not religion that is destructive”.

    According to him, “Rather, it is human beings who in their desperation to gain due and undue personal and sectional benefits that find religion and ethnicity as potent tools because of the emotional attachments that the two provoke in the overwhelming majority of the populace.”

    It is important to note that Oloyede emphasises “the importance of religious integration and religious understanding as a sine qua non to national integration in a religiously pluralistic and ethnically diverse country like Nigeria”.

    The NAL publication is an intellectual menu for the mind. It is a useful contribution to a nation seeking positive change.

  • Broadcasters inaugurate new officers

    Broadcasters inaugurate new officers

    The Yoruba Broadcasters Association of Nigeria has inaugurated its new executives that will run the affairs of the association for another four years.

    The swearing-in of new executive members from Southwest and national executives took place at the Multipurpose Hall, Radio Lagos/ Eko Fm, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Present at the event, which was attended by broadcasters from all the Southwest states, were: Adefunsho Ademigbuji (President); Module Ademiju, (Treasurer); Michael Olushaye, (Social Secretary);  Bakare Rasheed, (Secretary) and and Segun Olujimi, as Public Relations Officer.

    Father of the day, Oba Taiwo Oluwalambe of Ojokoro Land, however, tasked the new executives to live beyond expectations and help promote Yoruba unity in the society through their various mediums.

    Speaker Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudasiru Obasa, who was represented by member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Tunde Braimoh, called on parents and teachers to ensure that Yoruba language remains the medium of communication to children and pupils at home and in schools, adding that the efforts would help children to learn both the language and its cultural values.

    He said a day had been set aside in the state House of Assembly where only Yourba is allowed all through the business sitting.

    Dignitaries at the event were Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, represented by Oba Babatunde Adeleke, former PMAN president, Admiral Dele Abiodun and Sulaiman Ayilara Aremu, popularly called Ajobiewe.

     

     

     

  • Safeguarding culture from extinction

    Safeguarding culture from extinction

    Schools are institutions where learning takes place.  Such learning include our cultural heritage, which also encompasses the language we speak.  In this age of globalisation, where the world is highly interconnected and within reach, it is very easy to lose sight of who we are as a people, especially if our identity is not projected to the world at the same rate at which other cultures diffuse into ours.

    The internet gives us immediate access to happenings around the world, which incidentally does not include our culture.   Our children incidentally, through the internet are really learning faster than we can actually keep up with them.  It, therefore, behoves us as a people to do whatever is necessary to preserve our culture for posterity and prevent it from being extinct.  Cultural extinction arises when the way of life of a people no longer exist; this way of life include our language, religion, food, social habits, music and art.  With over 250 ethnic groups and over 500 languages being spoken in Nigeria, the question arises as to how we can effectively and efficiently do this, bearing in mind the very nature of our multi-ethnicity and pluralism coupled with the many needs of the Nigerian society, which are competing among themselves for the limited available resources.  It, therefore, means that cost effective avenues need to be explored and used for this to be achieved.  While we may not necessarily be able to stop the constant intermingling of cultures and its consequent diffusional effects, we can, however, at least, keep records for the purpose of history so we can always read it up and tell our story ourselves and not have others tell it for us.  Cultural learning means that our culture has to be taught and our schools as instruments of formal learning are great places to do this.

    Why bother the schools we may ask?  The answer to this is we need to use what we have in a way that can give us better and sustainable results, bearing in mind that a school is an institution or place where instruction is given for the purpose of learning. It is also an instrument for change being cognizant of the fact that the broad objectives of our national system of education not only include the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competences both mental and physical as equipment for the individual to live in and contribute to the development of this society, but also the inculcation of the right type of value and attitudes for the survival of the individual and the society.  The school, we must remember though a system, is actually a sub-system to the supra system called Nigeria and as such, has interactions as we all know with this larger system, Nigeria.

    Although our schools are already involved in teaching our children our culture, the purpose of this paper is to effectively and efficiently make use of the opportunities schools as instruments against cultural extinction. At present, it is compulsory for students attending public and most private schools to learn either Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba language, which are taught in these schools and compulsory for senior secondary school children to register and sit for during their senior secondary school certificate examinations.

    While these are good moves to make these languages relevant we, however, need to remember that these are only three languages out of over 500 languages.  We need to then ask ourselves how we can make sure that the remaining languages not taught in schools do no go extinct.  How do we justify emphasis on three major ethnic languages out of over 500?  This is a perfect recipe for cultural extinction if that is our objective. Furthermore, language is just one aspect of culture as stated earlier so we need to look at the broader picture which include food, dance, art, religion and social habits.  Commendation goes to our schools for teaching students at the pre-school, elementary and secondary level our culture through Cultural and Independence Day celebrations, which they mark with elegance encouraging children to dress in different cultural attires to represent our cultural diversity. Howbeit, we also know that as parents, who form part of this school society, we are usually found guilty of choosing the most readily available cultural attire to dress our children in and are only forced to do otherwise when the school chooses a particular tribe for a child, which they must comply with.  This simple example illustrates the power which the school has to be able to assist in keeping alive integral parts of our existence.

    What role should the school play and how can she play it so that we are not guilty of neglecting any Nigerian culture?

    Geographical location is a good place to start.  What this means is that every school should teach the students in their schools the language spoken where they are located with the collaboration of the community and make the culture of that community the integral part of any cultural celebration they want to have.  They will also be responsible for documenting everything about the culture of that area. Collaboration with the community is a must have because that is where authenticity will be guaranteed and internal or external criticism will not exist and even if it does, it can be easily rectified and corrected. The documentation ought to be done by the schools because it will be taught throughout the existence of that school. In other words, there should be a syllabus for it which will run for six years of both elementary and secondary school as the case may be. The responsible agencies will have to play their role.   Documentation of the culture should come not only in hard and soft copies but also in audio visual forms with copies of all forms sent to the local government councils, state and Federal levels for proper archiving.  Schools should be given a reasonable time frame to do this which should run in years and also be expected to submit a cultural aspect yearly. Documentation and posterity are no strange bed fellows as documentation is done for posterity and posterity needs documentation to trace its roots.  Have you ever searched for information that hits at the core of Africa and in particular Nigeria about who we are?  The majority of us don’t even know where to start. We rely mostly on the internet, which unfortunately has insufficient information because we haven’t put it there and anyone who puts it there apart from us will most likely misrepresent us. Available write-ups are either too expensive or not readily available and accessible. Our identity should be at our finger tips and within reach; cultural consciousness can help us do that.  As a people, we have fantastic stories to tell, folklores and legendary ones all waiting to be heard from the different ethnic groups which our diversity has created. As fans of legendary stories, how many do we know? A quick check and we discover that our knowledge of Nigerian legends, especially pre-colonial Nigeria is limited to a handful; Moremi, Queen Amina, Usman Dan Fodio?  Furthermore, if our culture is not properly documented, it will be like the case of “Dinosaurs, Did they really exist: Fact, legend or myth?”  It has been said that two of ours are already extinct. Rumour or fact:  A rumour means probability and a fact means reality; we should be concerned.  It is our duty to ensure that cultural extinction does not happen to the cultures we still have and if in reality two are already extinct it should be a constant reminder of what can be lost.  Every generation owes it to the next to tell the story of what happened in their time.  Our children and generations after them should always be able to look back through properly documented history and not question the truth or otherwise of their identity

    The International World Heritage Day

    The nation as a whole and schools in particular, should be encouraged to celebrate the World Heritage Day, a yearly event that takes place on the 18th of April.  This event was set up in 1982 by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983 with the aim of creating awareness of the importance of the cultural heritage of human kind, and redouble efforts to protect and conserve the human heritage.  The celebration is usually centered round a theme which the schools can use to represent the culture of that community.  This year’s theme was titled “The Heritage of Sport”.  There is no society that does not have a local sport and if the suggestions of this paper were to have been in place, the local sport of each community would have been taught to the children and celebrated on that day.  One might say the date may pose a challenge as it sometimes falls within the second term holiday.  However, it could be viewed in a positive light as it will give children and parents ample time to get necessary materials and the event can be celebrated post factum.  The essence of all this is to be part of ensuring that our heritage is celebrated and kept alive.  As a nation, we should not contribute to cultural diffusion which happens when schools represent other cultures that do not belong to the community where they are located and in most cases completely ignore and neglect them which is not their intention.  As stated earlier, it is a communal and grass root effort, therefore in areas where there are no schools and the people have a culture different from the locality of the nearest available school, the local government council through its wards and units would play the critical role of cultural celebrations and documentation.

    There is an urgency to prevent the extinction of a vast majority of our culture as the world is highly interconnected and information and cultural diffusion is happening very fast and will most likely keep spreading.  Our rural communities are reducing demographically and at a quick rate.  Furthermore, our aged ones who grew up in the village and know these cultures very well are being replaced by those who have spent most of their lives in the city.

    As a nation that has one of its broad objectives of national system of education as inculcation of national consciousness and national unity we need to explore and use all avenues to ensure that we achieve this.  This paper is not exhaustive and it is hoped that it has reminded us of the need to prevent cultural extinction through the help of our schools.  Cultural education in schools is not new we can however use it in a way that can be beneficial to national unity as every ones identity is important in this society of ours that is very diverse both in culture and ethnicity.

  • Edo North art expo: Boost to youth empowerment

    Edo North art expo: Boost to youth empowerment

    Edo State Commissioner for Education Mr. Gideon Obhakhan has described the recently concluded Edo North Art Expo 2016 as a timely boost to the war against the increasing rate of youth restiveness and unemployment in the country. He said the expo would not only reawaken art consciousness and creativity of the youths, but would also reveal its essentialities in contemporary society.

    “Let me reassure all of us that Edo State Ministry of Education is in support of psychomotor domain of learning that embraces manipulation of skills which give birth to arts and crafts. The ministry recognises the role of art and craft to nation-building to the extent that two of its departments are now assigned to handle arts related matters,” he said.

    The commissioner, who was represented by the Chief Inspector of Education, Etsako West Local Council, spoke at the maiden edition of Edo North Art Expo, which held on July 12 and 13 at the main auditorium, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi. The theme of the expo was Reawakening the art consciousness of Edo North. It featured no fewer than 40 exhibiting artists, and performances were organised by Merit Interior Gallery in collaboration with School of Art and Industrial Design, Auchi Polytechnic. Curator of the expo was Dr. Helen Uhunmwagho, while Otunba Usman Charlton Magaji, the Samari of Auchi Kingdom, was the chairman of the event.

    Obhakhan reassured that Edo State is irrevocably committed to ensuring quality and all- round education for her citizenry. This drive, he said, has informed government’s commitment to the massive renovation of schools across the state in order to make learning environment conducive for pupils and students. According to him, this has, no doubt, raised the tone  the public schools and boosted the morals of the teachers.

    “Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME), which are now the fulcrum of any emerging economy, mainly involve artistic works. Therefore, if the high rate of unemployment of our youths must be dealt with, artistic skills must be acquired and encouraged alongside the conventional cognitive domain development of the individuals. Our youths must recognise that self-sustaining disciplines like the arts and crafts are long lasting, compared to the popular white or blue collar jobs that are no longer there,” he noted.

    In his paper, Engaging cultural production as social activism: multidimensional approaches to regional advocacies in an art world, Prof Frank Ugiomoh of University of Port Harcourt stated that in many cultures of the world, art is appreciated in such a way that its activities evolve into global annual events or two-yearly and three-yearly events.

    Ugiomoh cited platforms such as Dakar Art Biennale and Life in My City Projects as examples of consistent art events that have succeeded in attracting participants from across the globe.

    He noted that regional spaces such as Auchi and the Northern Edo cultural space can overcome their provincial setting through the expo, adding that all it requires is a commitment and a funding plan. According to him, the gains remain inestimable and it is important to buy into a project like the Edo North Art Expo, which aims to re-awaken the region’s art consciousness.

    “This annual project may not be able to build this consciousness in the desired way where supporting events are not organised through the year. To this end, I encourage diverse activities centred on art that would engrain and build community consciousness regarding the subject and its cultural value. This is where a multidimensional approach comes to play in the set agenda for this vision.

    “The Northern Edo region is endowed with regards to the practice and appreciation of the arts right from time. The initiative set forth by the current programme is well seated in the cultural history of the region. The siting of the Polytechnic in Auchi thus is a boost to this agenda. However, a variety of activities aimed at sustaining and building the consciousness of the people is required to sustain the initiative,” Ugiomoh said.

    He observed that in Nigeria, there is no gainsaying the reality that Lagos has a domineering hold on cultural production and allied activities. But that the status of cultural production of Lagos makes other epicenters of culture in Nigeria inactive. “However, they indeed are inactive when the inventory of activities in Lagos are placed side by side other cities in Nigeria,” he said.

    Proprietor, Merit Interior Gallery, Mr. Chris Ogiebo recalled the challenges he went through to seek sponsor of the expo, describing it as monumental.

    He pledged that the expo will hopefully be an annual event that will bring artists, connoisseurs, art lovers and collectors to discuss and share ideas. “We intend to use this event to cause a revolution. Not a blood flowing revolution, but a mind-renewing revolution that will open Edo North to the creative world. This is timely, especially now that the Federal Government is diversifying our economy. If the cultural element across the country is properly harnessed the revenue will surpass that of oil,” he said.

    Dean, School of Art and Industrial Design, Auchi Polytechnic, Mr. Oladapo Afolayan said Edo North is not new to art and craft world  as it parades an array of famous art and artists both modern and post-modern cultures. He stated that in contemporary Nigeria, Edo North  have records of the first generation artists such as Mama Ugiomoh (traditional textiles) and Ms. Clara Ugbodaga-Ngu (painting), General Bolivia and Waziri Oshioma and a host of high-life musicians.

    “Auchi Art School is ever in the good news of contemporary art scene. We also parade so numerous artists, who are creating waves and are cynosure of Nigerian art. We could hardly count five contemporary Nigerian artists in any area of art specialisation without Auchi alumnus mentioned,” he added.

  • StarTimes redefines pay TV with 2-in-1 Combo Decoder

    StarTimes redefines pay TV with 2-in-1 Combo Decoder

    Digital television company, StarTimes, has launched the first of its kind 2-in-1 combo decoder in Nigeria, in an unprecedented move to change the Pay TV landscape in Africa and offer surplus entertainment access to subscribers.

    The new innovative product is equipped with the latest decoder technology to combine effectively for the first time the features of both digital terrestrial (DTT) and digital satellite (DTH) digital television technologies on a single device.

    StarTimes Nigeria Marketing Director, Mr. Oludare Kafar, while unveiling the new decoder in Lagos, said: “The 2-in-1 combo decoder is a game changing product from StarTimes and it was deliberately designed with latest global technology to lavish subscribers with unprecedented access to digital television and entertainment. Interestingly, this new combo decoder works with both antenna and dish and offers channels on both for the price of one. It also grants our esteemed customers access to over 100 channels across the genres with an enhanced high definition (HD) picture quality.”

    Kafar noted that the digital television company’s desire is to “offer multiple access to subscribers to enjoy both digital terrestrial and digital satellite television channels and offerings on the same decoder and grant ease of access to switch between the options conveniently because our customers deserve utmost comfort and convenience. We strive to ensure that with a single decoder customer enjoys access to all digital television channels and contents available and this new decoder is expected to replace the traditional single decoder model.

    By default, both the DTT and DTH have comparative advantages but with combo, StarTimes subscribers enjoy the combined strength of both.

    DTT is embraced as a model for its affordability, low weather interference, portability, more local channels, easy to set up and mobile friendly while DTH is desired for its sharper and clearer images, higher number of international channels, resilience and widespread strength in remote areas.

    Mr. Israel Bolaji, StarTimes Head of Public Relations, added that StarTimes will continue to offer subscribers the best in class of pay TV experience with world class channels for drama, sports, kiddies, news, music and religion. We are keen to continuously enhance access and improve digital television experience for our subscribers.

    “As a digital TV company, StarTimes’ desire and commitment is to ensure Nigerians continue to enjoy the best of digital television entertainment and experience with a plethora of enjoyable programs in higher definition (HD) images at very pocket-friendly bouquet rates. On StarTimes, Nigerians can enjoy fantastic movie channels like ST Yoruba, irokoworld, irokoplay Amc movies, ST Zone, Orisun, ST Yoruba, and Bollywood channels like Star Plus and Zee Cinema. Music channels like ST music, Nigezie and MTV Base; documentary channels like IDX, Nat Geo Gold and Discovery science; news channels – Al Jazeera and Bloomberg; ST Novela, Wazobia, Fox; Jim Jam, Nickelodeon, Baby TV, Fine Living and many more, Bolaji concluded.

     

     

     

  • ‘Musicians must touch the souls of their audience’

    ‘Musicians must touch the souls of their audience’

    For over four decades, Nigeria’s first woman federal permanent secretary, Francesca Emanuel, has remained an inspiration to young talents in music and theatre. She is one of the early members of the famous Steve Rhodes Voices and a co-founder of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), Lagos. EVELYN OSAGIE speaks with the octogenarian on her passion for the industry.

    My thoughts on music

    music speaks to the soul, so performers must touch the souls of their audience. Depending on my mood, every type of music appeals to me. I’ve always tried to be around whenever there is music in the air – it doesn’t matter what type of music.

    Although my instrument is voice, I see myself as a lover of Jazz and all kinds of music. But I love Jazz more. In 1964, I sang Jazz with the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC). I used to do many programmes at NBC then – on children, women, drama, in Pidgin English, and a music programme where I had a Jazz programme with Fela, who played the saxophone and I sang Jazz. I later sang with Tunde Kuboye’s wife, Fran.

    Each type of music has its standard, whether it’s classical or modern. Even the Apala players have standards and when you see them performing their songs, there is a standard that they maintain. They work as a team. There is harmony. People don’t just come in and do whatever they like.

    Today, sometimes, when you listen to some music, you’d wonder what the performers think of their audience. If they think highly of their audience, they have to improve themselves and give us something that is acceptable, not just dish any nonsense to us.

     

    My thoughts on music development in Nigeria

     

    The music industry and musicians have come a long way. One person who has done a lot for the development of music in Nigeria is Benson Idonije. He clocked 80 last month and was highly celebrated by the art community for his contributions to the industry’s development. I was one of those who welcomed him to the club of 80. He deserves a national honour. He has got lots of experience; and  still has a lot to teach the younger ones.

    His person echoes that every type of music is important. And it depends on how you look at it: for those who are performers, it depends on the kind of standard that they keep. It doesn’t matter what type of music, but standard is important. And that is why I respect Idonije. And the fact that he insists on good music, values and standards, which are what is absolutely necessary if we want to continue to hear the kind of music that we love and which we want others to also enjoy depending on how we present it – but presentation with standard.

    My journey into music and drama

     

    I have always loved music. I have been involved in both worlds since I was a child. I was introduced to singing and drama in church. And then when I went to secondary school – Holy Child College in Lagos – we had a Reverend Sister who was very good in drama and singing. She had a beautiful and powerful voice. She helped to develop my voice when she noticed my talent. She always featured me at a festival of arts. In fact, I went ahead to win solo soprano voice at a festival.

    And, then, when I went to the University of Ibadan, Wole Soyinka and I met in the 50s. The university had various societies – like musical, drama and others. We did a lot of drama together. I sing as well. I later went to England where I completed my degree. In England, I met Soyinka again and we did a lot of acting together. When we came back in 1960, I was one of Soyinka’s 1960 Masks.

    Other members were Olga, Steve Rhodes’ eldest sister, and Segun Sofowote. We did a lot of plays by Soyinka and other writers like JP Clark.

    Also, I am one of the co-founders of the MUSON (Musical Society of Nigeria); I did a lot of solo performances until I retired from the stage in 1970, only to go back last month to sing at the memorial concert of a very dear friend, Olga Miller, one of the co-founders of MUSON. I went back to do her that honour, even though I said I wasn’t going to go back on stage.

  • Exploring Untapped Treasure

    Exploring Untapped Treasure

    After a lull, art works made from ceramic are beginning to find their way to exhibition halls.

    A group exhibition of ceramic works titled: Untapped treasure by staff and students of the Industrial Design Department of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has opened at the Grillo Gallery, YABATECH, Lagos. It features  functional and decorative pieces of ceramic.

    The exhibits range from wall to floor tiles, flower vases, table decorations, lamp holders, cups, jugs, throw pillows, office table and table trays.

    Interestingly, most of the works’ designs are rooted in Nigerian culture, with partial glazing or painting to retain the natural state of the clay. Though fanciful in some instances, the works are strong and functional.

    Organised by the department, Untapped treasure showcases the ceramic works produced by some staff members and students.

    The show, according to Dr. Grace Kokoeka Soyinka, will be held  yearly to sustain students’ interest and grow awareness about ceramic.

    “Ceramic art is for the lion heart because if you are not strong enough you will chicken out…Ceramic has embraced many aspects of man’s needs. We are determined to go to the next level in tapping into the opportunities of the new dawn of economic diversification,” she said.

    Dr Soyinka, however, identified processing of clay as one big challenge confronting students.

    According to her, the processed clay is got from Clay Company at Oregun, Lagos.

    Untapped Treasure is a revelation of the many hidden opportunities artists can tap into using clay as the main raw material. In fact, given adequate support, artists can produce household items, thereby, promoting local production and youth empowerment.

    Falayi’s piece, Transmutation is a bust of half human and a mountain that shows the symbiotic relationship between man and his environment.

    Also, Akano’s From the rubbles highlights the values of what comes out of the earthquakes and the planet. It signifies that man was made from unprocessed clay and rubbles.

    Among the exhibitors are the immediate past Head, Industrial Design Department Mr. Temitope Falayi; Benjamin Akano, Mrs C. Igbinadolor, Mrs Patience Euba, Dr. Grace Soyinka, Ogunleye Leke, Ayishat and Stanley Ukwuoma.

    Untapped Treasure will run till the first week of August.

     

  • A trusted relationship

    A trusted relationship

    At the grand opening of Nigeria’s first-ever certified private museum, DIDI Museum in Lagos, in 1985, the guest list was impressive.

    Prominent traditional rulers, including the Emir, Ado Bayero of Kano, Oni Sijuade of Ife, Oba Erediauwa 11 of Benin and Obi Ofala Okagbue of Onitsha were in attendance and they brought with them priceless antiquities from their various kingdoms as gifts for the new museum.

    Their gestures were a culmination of the long-standing relationships DIDI Museum’s owner Chief  Newton Jibunoh had established with these prominent traditional rulers as ‘the true custodians of culture and art in Nigeria, especially,’ as Chief Jibunoh put it, “these antiquities and art works are produced and kept in their royal palaces.”

    Also at the opening were the former First Lady Mrs Mariam Babangida; the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, the Ambassadors of the United States, Cuba, as well as national and international celebrities and art lovers.

    Understandably, Chief Jibunoh has been touched by the transition of his mentors, patrons and custodians of culture and art; Emir Bayero, Oni Sijuade and most recently Oba Erediauwa 11. Their passing on has raised a big question in Jibunoh’s mind as to whether it is possible to continue the great momentum initiated by these custodians and, if so, in what direction?

    Chief Jibunoh received a very encouraging answer when he paid a recent condolence visit to Crown Prince Ambassador Eheneden EdaikenN’Uselu of the Benin Kingdom. The Edaiken N’Uselu suggested that Chief Jibunoh could collaborate with the Benin Kingdom to build a modern museum in Benin City.