Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

No fewer than 33 portaits of Nollywood stars, directors and producers are currently on show at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, according to Project Director Nollywood Portraits, Mr. Osahon Akpata. The solo photography exhibition tagged Ike Ude: Nollywood Portraits recently and will run throughout the Black History Month of February.

“We are very excited to join the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art in celebrating these Nigerian film industry personalities in the classic, elegant style Iké Udé has perfected,” he said. He added that the radical beauty of these portraits is intended to make a bold statement about the portrayal of our people at the highest art and cultural institutions in the world.

Akpata disclosed that on Friday February 11, there will be a virtual global launch of the exhibition featuring an interactive session with the artist, Iké Udé, and four Nollywood stars discussing their portrait experience, an exclusive preview of Udé’s documentary short, Nollywood in Focus, and a sneak peak of the exhibition.

Udé celebrates the luminescent beauty and mystique of Nigerian visionaries by turning his lens on the talented people who drive Nollywood, Nigeria’s $3 billion film industry. Known for his performative and iconoclastic style and vibrant sense of composition, Udé’s photographs use colour, attire and other markers to make elegant yet unexpected portraits. His photographs make a bold statement about the power of African identities, despite centuries of attempted erasure by Eurocentric art history and notions of beauty.

U.S-based Udé is from Nigeria but after three decades away, he returned to Lagos in 2014 to photograph its celebrities. The exhibition features 33 of Udé’s 64 portraits of Nollywood film stars, directors and producers, alongside—for the first time—some of the garments styled by the stars and a bespoke set, in which visitors can create their own identities with the help of on-site stylists.

“Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of African people across the globe to art, to history, to culture and to our common humanity. Whether he turns his camera on himself, flowers or the talented stars of Nollywood, Iké Udé presents a world of beauty, and most powerfully, a world that centres on African beauty,” said Ngaire Blankenberg, Director of the National Museum of African Art.

On display through February, the exhibition was originated by independent curator Selene Wendt and curated for the Smithsonian by Karen E. Milbourne.

In addition to Udé’s portraits, the exhibition will feature fashion, film clips and interviews with such Nollywood celebrities as Alexx Ekubo and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett.

“Iké Udé is a true visionary who presents himself and the world around him with a combination of extraordinary style, cutting intellectual humour and exacting detail.He reveals how each of us performs our identity, and in the case of these Nollywood stars, he takes us beyond the façade of celebrity. He invites us to see how they, themselves, want to be seen,” said Milbourne, senior curator for the National Museum of African Art.

The exhibition counters the isolation of COVID-19 and winter in Washington with a unique and regenerative visitor experience.

Scholars, literary icons, educationists, writers, students, cultural enthusiasts among others from all walks of life recently gathered in Ibadan, Oyo State,  to remember and eulogise a foremost businessman and administrator, the late Gamaliel Onosode.

The event was the public presentation of a book written in honour of the late tycoon which held at Musoro and Booksellers at Jericho in Ibadan.

The book was authored by renowned playwright, Prof. Femi Osofisan while the public presentation held under the chairmanship of former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Femi Bamiro.

In their separate remarks, all the attendees agreed on the virtues that set the late Onosode apart, noting that the character traits of integrity, punctuality, decency, commitment to duty among others are some of what the younger generation can learn from the late icon.

Prof Osofisan said Onosode remains one of the good characters that youths and younger generation can learn from unlike the array of valiants they are daily reading about and learning from.

He said: “He was one of the most decent men I had ever met. He was a man of absolute integrity. He was very simple, very charming and warm. Not at all full of his achievements, he was quite a great Nigerian.

“The project was pleasurable for me. The thing was just to decide on the style, that is to have only one witness, rather than all the people around him that I interviewed, I decided on just one major person, one major voice and that was all. The whole thing went very well.”

On the virtues the youth and younger generation can learn from the life of Onosode, the literary icon said “You need to have integrity, that is very important and to know that integrity matters because all people want is very quick results and think integrity doesn’t matter and they are all looking for money.

“But, you need to know that money is not the essence of life, and virtue, virtousness, integrity, decency, truthfulness, these are things that matter and if the young ones can imbibe that kind of virtues and character without being impatient for money and wealth, they will go places.

“In any case, it is good for them to know that there are examples of people who are like that. So, we have people who believe in hard work, integrity and still make it in life and they are heroes and no the valiant that we read about all the time around.”

In his remarks, a Professor of Classics at the University of Ibadan who is also the Head of Classics Department, Olakunbi Olasope described Onosode as a principled man who would go to any length to stand by his friends irrespective of their age or status.

Olasope, who was an interrogator during a “Conversation on Gamaliel Onosode” as part of the public presentation lamented that men like Onosode are hard to come by these days.

She said: “Mr. Onosode was a principled man. They don’t make men like him anymore. He was kind, considerate, firm and extremely disciplined. I don’t even know what to say, he was everything rolled into one. He was a beautiful soul. He would cry with you when you are bereaved or in your down moment. And he would rejoice with you when you are happy and he would always be there for you, he would support you emotionally, financially and whatever ways he could support you, he would always do so.

“You would always know that in him there is someone who has got your back, he was that kind of person. Nobody was too young to be his friend. But you must be careful of your diction, you must pronounce things properly and you must try to speak English the way it should be spoken otherwise, you will get into  a big trouble.

“For the younger generation, virtue that can be learnt from Onosode is integrity. You must be a person of your words and you must be punctual, you must keep to time. Daddy never suffered fools gladly. If he said 9 a.m, he would be there  no matter the cost. He was very dependable and I missed him. He was my personal friend. We used to go to Lagos to update him on what’s going on in the department of Classics and that’s the only degree he’s got and he learnt even all his business rudiment from Roman economy and Greek economy. He was okay with his classic degree and he went on to become the person that he became.”

Chairman of the occasion, Prof  Bamiro, recounted how Onosode helped the premier university create its first policy documents while serving as the Pro-Chancellor of the institution.

Lauding the various virtues of Onosode, Prof. Bamiro cited many situations of how Onosode in his wisdom helped his administration navigate the waters and storms of running UI, saying the first strategic plan developed for the institution during the time of Onosode as the Pro Chancellor became a standard for other institutions across the country to emulate at the time.

He said the values Onosode taught the institution still remains till date and had helped the institution remain on track as it had been developed and built on by successive administrators.

He identified Onisode’s love for mathematics and how the knowledge had been helpful to him while also harping on his value and management of time through punctuality among other virtues.

Reacting during the conversation on the deceased’s Onosode, the Chairman of The Nation Editorial Board, Mr. Sam Omatseye, said the highlights depend on who is reading it.

He recalled how Onosode was described as a man of miracles who medical doctors said it was over for but came back, adding that from the book many people see him as a rigid man.

He explained that Onosode inherited the rigidity to principles from his father which also taking a look into the marriage, name, personality and character traits of the late Onosode.

Also, a former Secretary of Council, UI, Mrs. Omotayo Ikotun described Onosode as a man who wouldn’t want anyone around him to suffer, adding however that one’s needs sincerity of purpose to work with him.

“He’s a stickler of time but would have given you all the opportunity to make things easy and convenient for you but if at the end of the day you didn’t deliver you will get his wrath.

“You can read him like a book. If you took an action on behalf of the University justly, he would stand for you and defend you. He didn’t think it was unmanly to cry publicly. He had human milk in him and show emotions anytime the need arises”, Mrs Ikotun added.

Speaking earlier in his welcome remarks, the Publisher, Dr Kolade Mosuro said the book “Gamaliel Onosode, Classicus, an Honourable Life” was published in 2020 but could not be presented due to Covid-19.

He said although, a presentation was made in Lagos, but it was subsumed in some other activities which necessitated the decision to give the book and Onosode a dedicated event.

He described Onosode as a man whose name evoked integrity, intelligence, humility and creativity saying the event was to discuss Onosode through a conversation around his attributes and to present “the book that looked at him from a human angle.”

 

 

 

 

Despite some breakthroughs in medical fields, breast cancer still remains a leading existential medical condition. With over a thousand cases recorded annually in Nigeria, breast cancer poses a medical risk to an average woman in the country. This may have informed some efforts being made by governments, public-spirited individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to tackle the menace; at least from its cradle stage.

One of the groups that are committed to tackling this health challenge is the My BodyMyAsset Cancer Foundation. Since its inception two years ago, the group has empowered over five hundred women during its cancer awareness programmes, sensitisation and community service to mobilise women in urban and rural areas across Lagos State.

Led by its founder and president, Mrs. Franca Eze, the foundation also delivers free screening, cancer education, weekly counselling and referral to professional medical teams to those with symptoms that are similar to that of breast cancer.

Using a raffle draw system to attract women across the country to participate in the screening programme, sensitisation and education on breast and cervical cancer, the foundation has reached out to underprivileged and underserved communities in Lagos.

Mrs. Eze said: “This is our second anniversary and this is the second time we’re giving out cooking gas. We sold tickets for the raffle draw.’

“The first time we did it, we lost money, people didn’t buy. But we still gave it out. And today, we are here. We have not made up to the money we used to buy the gas. But it’s better than the first one and we’re hoping that the next one will be better.

“The idea of the cooking gas is to get women interested in participating in the screening exercise. A woman who sees that this gas is possibly going to be hers for just paying 1,500, will want to participate in the screening programme, which is free.

“Apart from the screening for cancer, the organisation has also taught them a lot about toilet infection, how to take care of the body, proper hygiene during and after menstruation and a lot more.”

Mrs Eze, also a cancer survivor, noted that early diagnosis and medical treatment are the only known remedies for breast and cervical cancers.

She said: “I am a survivor. I never thought I’ll have cancer. No woman ever prays or ever imagine it will be her lot. I always tell people that praying against cancer is good, but examination is compulsory. In fact, our message is not even to people who are down with cancer. Our message is to people who feel they are well. Those are the ones we target to encourage them to check their health statuses. If you find out that there’s anything wrong, follow up with proper medical treatment. We don’t like people going to herbalists, alagbo, or apply anointing oil, and so on. I’m not saying those things are bad. If you’re undergoing professional medical treatment, you can back it up with all those. But please, follow professional medical treatment, back it up with prayer. Cancer shouldn’t be a death sentence.”

However, she lamented the challenges of funds, logistics, and other necessities as major hindrances to achieving the goals of the foundation. She called on the government and corperate organisations to come to their aid in the discharge of their responsibilities.

“I use my personal income to run this foundation. Also, everybody you see here has contributed financially in order to realise our objectives. I  plead with people to support us because it’s a noble cause. We also hope that individuals and organisations would sponsor some of our programmes,” she said.

The new collection of poetry by Nigeria’s preeminent poet laureate, Prof Niyi Osundare, GREEN: Sighs of Our Ailing Planet’ will feature in a reading/signing session on February 20.

Jointly organised by the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA and Roving Heights Bookstores, the session titled, An Evening with Prof Niyi Osundare, will have the poet laureate reading sections from the collection before a live audience that would converge at the Roving Heights’ outlet at Plot 2&3, Water Corpo-ration Drive, Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos. The time is 4pm.

There will also be a virtual broadcast of the event, according to the organisers.

Released in January, the anthology, published by Commonwealth Books in conjunction with Black Widow Press is a compilation of poems reflecting on the environment and the current spate of odds and challenges facing its survival, especially with the perennial disrespect visited on it by humans.

Inspired by the spate of environmental crises hitting the world, from the Amazon wildfire to the desert encroachment in North Africa to the shrinking of the Lake Chad basin in his home country Nigeria, the collection urges readers to reflect on the endangered beauty of nature.

“Of all my 20-something books of poetry, none has confronted me with a more challenging combination of the urgency of content and complexity of execution than this new one,” said Osundare, professor emeritus currently at the New Orleans University.

Said Osundare, “I daresay the existential imperative of its content has been responsible for the pain that came with its composition and the uneasy relief I now feel upon its completion.

“There is something deeply spiritual, almost religious, about the mission and the message of the poems, and the many ways they have turned out to be denizens of that vital interface between the ecological and the cosmic.”

Osundare, widely revered for his lyrical lines and verses, and about the most laureated poet of his generation, has published over 18 collections, four plays, a book of essays, numerous monographs and articles as well as over 70 journals and magazines across the world.

He has received many prizes and awards, including the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) prize, the Cadbury/ANA Prize (twice), the Commonwealth poetry prize, the Noma Award, Tchicaya U Tam’si prize for African poetry (Africa’s highest poetry award), among others.

 

 

 

 

A new book, Scars Do Heal, by UK-based Nigerian freelance interpreter, Kayode Akinropo that deals on issues of global themes such as family and divorce, polygamy and discipline, sex and power has been released on Amazon.

Scars Do Heal is a good story with depth and it is not overly sentimental. This suspenseful and encouraging narrative is a compelling read for reawakening, knowledge and fun. The book is a ‘must read’ for all lovers of great works of fiction. The tale is an encouragement to keep hoping for a brighter future because scars can heal.

According to the author, whether you are a Nigerian or not, whether you have ever travelled to Nigeria or not, ‘the novel will draw you into what it is like growing up in that great though imperfect country where your chances of succeeding in life depend so much on your family and the education system.’

The author takes up issues such as family and divorce; polygamy and discipline; sex and power; failure and success; love and neglect; violence and forgiveness and hard work and rewards with a view to educating the readers.

These are all treated honestly and with a lightness of touch that belies their seriousness. The novel is available for purchase on Amazon in kind and paperback versions.

Akinropo is a freelance interpreter/translator and a registrant with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), United Kingdom.

How better can pupils learn complex mathematical and other science concepts? How can teachers teach these subjects in ways that will make learning another play? Creative arts approach to teaching and learning has offered an answer.

Educationists, including teachers and students are embracing with enthusiasm a teaching and learning method newly introduced by Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative (FCAEI) in collaboration with the United States (US) Consulate, Lagos.

The method challenges teachers to come up with a creative art approach to teaching in class while also encouraging students to do same in learning abstract or complex topics or ideas. The method, which simplifies the learning process, was introduced under the ‘Ibadandun project’ by FCAEI. The US Consulate is supporting the initiative as part of its larger support for the training of one million teachers for better education.

A total of 100 teachers drawn from primary and secondary schools in Oyo State have been trained in the project.

Their students have also developed a number of designs and artworks that help them learn more practically and with excitement.

The one-year capacity building training, which commenced in August last year has had positive impacts on enrollment as it spurs student interest in learning.

At a boot camp held at Whiz-Kids International School, New Ife Road, Ibadan, Oyo state capital, students happily displayed their creative artworks developed in the last few months when reporters visited. They explained that the approach makes learning really interesting, adding that it leaves fond memories of concepts being learnt in various subjects, particularly in science and technology.

Deputy Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate, Lagos, Jennifer Foltz said the US mission in Nigeria was committed to supporting the educated populace of Nigeria by building the capacity of teachers.

She acknowledged the efforts of the U.S. Government Exchange Programme Alumni whom she said were supporting the project by serving as mentors and trainers out of their desire to give back to Nigeria.

Foltz said: “Teacher Training is essential to both experienced and new teachers, and this workshop has brought together one hundred passionate and dedicated educators in one space to learn, share, engage and equip themselves to cater to the 21st- century learner. Teachers must get the hang of innovative pedagogy and interactive assessment techniques to enliven the teaching-learning process for their students. It is a known fact that students who have well informed teachers tend to perform far better than their peers.

“The U.S. Mission is fully committed to supporting a more educated population by increasing and strengthening the capacity of Nigerian teachers through teacher training workshops and exchange programs like the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Programme, an intensive six-week professional development training at U.S. universities designed for outstanding secondary school teachers to develop expertise in their subject areas and enhance their teaching skills.

“It also achieves the goal through discussions with the Five Cowries and 1 Million Teachers’ teams. I have learned that you have all been working very hard throughout this programme. I am especially proud of the star teachers who have gone above and beyond to take what they have learned back to their classrooms.

“As former United States President John Kennedy said, ‘The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and dissemination of truth.’ It has been said that Nigeria’s young people are its greatest resource, and they can produce a more prosperous future for Nigeria.

We believe that by empowering you educators, we are empowering your students. We trust that you will seize this invaluable opportunity to learn and grow in your careers and share your renewed knowledge with your colleagues.”

The proprietress of Whiz-Kids International School, Ibadan, Mrs Funmi Olanrewaju, who also participated in the project, said it has been of great benefit to the students and teachers, adding that it has increased their hunger for locally made products.

Her words: “It has increased our creativity skill. It has improved team work. Before, they (pupils) liked doing things on their own, but with this project, they discovered that there are some things they can’t do on their own. It has also reduced hunger for imported products because there are so many imported things that we can produce by ourselves. It has reduced wastage.  We now value what we have more.”

The Mai Borgu, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Dantoro, Kitoro the IV has inaugurated a 15-man Central Working Committee to plan the cultural tourism ecology of the sixth edition of Gani Durbar Festival.

Also constituted to fully achieve far reaching agenda of the biggest culture festival in north central Nigeria were nine strategic sub-committees covering issues of finance and fund raising, accommodation, feeding arrangements, publicity, security, works, venue and protocol, events, sanitation and logistics.

The Emir of Borgu also approved the appointment of the chairman of the Central Working Committee in the person of Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, Conservator General National Parks Service, as well as those of the sub-committees, leaving no room for distractions.

Other members of the Central Working Committee, the strategic management soul of the festival, which brings together the whole Borgu ancient kingdom scattered all the West Coast of Africa are Hajia Zara Is, Dr Dauda Jikantoro, Alhaji Mohammed Mohammed, Alhaji A,A Umar, Alhaji Ya Mohammed Damisa,  Alhaji M. B Mohammed and Pharmacist Mohammed Sani Adamu.

Others are Alhaji Isa Idris, Frank Meke, Hajia Zainab Dantoro, Hajia Zainab Ibrahim, Abubakar Jubril and Mr Peter Nze, secretary of the committee.

Chairman, Central working committee and Kogunan Borgu, Alhaji Ibrahim Goni appreciated the Emir for the trust and confidence reposed in the Committees, assuring that the assemblage of the best brains and professionals to deliver on the mandate, will not disappoint.

He called on members of the sub committees to go into action and articulate detailed inputs that would improve the ranking of the festival on national and global cultural tourism calendar.

The next Festival Committees meeting is slated for the last week of this month and will take place at the Royal Palace of the Emir of Borgu Kingdom in New Bussa, Niger state.

Jos the Plateau State capital is known for arts and other aesthetically appealing activities from the precolonial era till date. Last Thursday was historic as it reenacted the proverbial Phoenix rising from the ashes of the creative pogrom in an effervescent exhibition organized by the National Gallery of Art (NGA). The exhibition will remain open to the public till today at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Jos.

Historically, Jos is known for its unique beautiful sceneries and unmatched landscapes replete with breathtaking flora and fauna, archaeological findings and material cultures of the various ethnic groups, tin mining activities and relics from colonial masters as seen in the Jos museum, pristine weather and a myriad of several other factors which led to the State being christened “The Home of Peace and Tourism.” The issue of peace is something that several people have longed for in the State due to pockets of violence which have fragmented the populace along ethnic, religious and political undertones.

Due to the sometimes sporadic conflicts in the State, various organisations create avenues to bring people together in order to enjoy the tourism potentials and entrepreneurial inflows to the State in order to maintain peaceful coexistence in the State. The visual arts through exhibitions have become a melting pot for people of various orientations and creeds to come together to have various discussions, which border on aesthetics, peace and tourism to make the State advance from the devastations of conflicts.

The visual arts programmes of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Environmental Sciences of the University of Jos started in 2013. Since then, staff and students have been engaged in the production of various works of arts ranging from paintings to sculptures, ceramics, textiles, jewellry and other works that have utilitarian appeals and flavours.

Guests and participants including management and staff of the University of Jos, traditional fathers and Chiefs, members of the civil society, heads of federal government agencies and parastatals all attended the occasion. This gives testaments to the fact that peace and tourism are propagated in the artworks on display. Jos has a pivotal role in the art historical narrative and discourse of Nigeria and this exhibition is a clear signal of such assertion.

This exhibition, the first of its kind as a collaboration with the growing Jos Art School is a modest effort of the National Gallery of Art, a parastatal saddled with the promotion of the visual arts in Nigeria and across the globe, at showcasing the visual arts to the wider public. It is hoped it will meet viewers’ expectation of the various nuances that there are in the visual arts. More so, art collectors, connoisseurs, and other lovers of the visual arts will engage with the works in deep reflective thoughts in order to advance in the society some of the issues raised by the staff and students which include but not limited to politics, religion, economic, social life, vices on campus and several other things which will need people to engage with academically with aesthetic aura.

The highly tactile paintings of John Oyedemi for instance, which celebrates the Durbar Festival of the north resonates with chiaroscuro like effects, drawing the viewer to a celebrative mood. The landscape of Jacob Onoja is replete with therapeutic appeals and subliminal effect, which is better experienced live than imagined. Moses Sekuk’s paintings explore deep-rooted theories of colours, form and space. The ceramic pieces of Yohanna Datiri are philosophical and show dexterity in product glazing and finishing. Graphics also dot the exhibition with accompanying illustrations as seen in the works of Adawus Angyol and Sunday Gyang, while the textiles show the use of indigenous motifs and symbols peculiar to Nigeria.

On the whole, the works show advancement in aesthetic dexterity and infusion of ideas between the old and the young. Mentoring moments can be better fostered through a forum like this exhibition as students rarely have opportunities to exhibit with their teachers. One of the takeaways from this exhibition is a statement espoused by Banksy when he mused that, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” This show with a global appeal is indeed a visual delight and kaleidoscope.

The synthesis of masters and students in a single space exploring various media in order to pass across poignant messages in the society through the collaborative effort of the National Gallery of Art with the Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Jos.

Dr. Onoja is a Senior Lecturer in Drawing, Painting and Art History,

Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Jos.

With an ambition to reach the unreached, Bruderhlife, a non-governmental organisation is changing the narrative of poor communities with caregiving and charity donations in Lagos and Nigeria at large.

Led by its president, Mary Oluwabamigbe Bruder, the NGO is resolved in its effort to provide basic needs to communities that are underserved by agencies and government welfare programmes. The German-based Nigerian said that the goal of the organisation is to ensure that no state is left out in its outreach programmes across the country.

According to her, the NGO has been able to cater for the needs of the aged, women and young children since its inception in 2017 with little support from the government.  She added that their mission has been sustained solely by sponsors from international communities such as Muriel Gordon Foundation, USA.

She stated that they have been able to empower underprivileged communities in Lagos, Kaduna, Borno, Bauchi, Sokoto, Maiduguri, and Ondo, among others.

Providing food items, clothes, shoes, wheel chairs, crutches, bed linings and in some cases cash to the underprivileged, the NGO visited six communities for caregiving charity walk during the festive period. They are three communities in Lagos State – Epe, Bariga and Gbagada while three in Ondo State – Abe Alala, Ebute Ipare and Debo Village, all in the Ilaja area of the state.

Speaking at their recent outreach programme at Kosofe Local Government Area, Lagos, she explained why her NGO stands out in caring for poor communities.

She said: “A lot of people are into charity. But the question is, do you have the passion? Are you into it for selfless reasons? You know, I see a lot of organisation on social media. But the question is, are you really reaching the poor. In our work, we don’t allow any middle person. We go direct to the poor. I try my best to ensure that our outreach reaches those it is intended for-the poor and the underserved of the communities we visit.”

While disclosing the ongoing work of providing health facilities and a school in Agbonyi, Ketu area of Lagos state, she called on government across all levels as well as corporate bodies to partner the organisation in the discharge of its responsibilities across the country.

The Rotary Club of Abule-Egba Metro, Lagos State, has empowered 31 widows with grinding machines worth over N2.7million and renovated two blocks of classrooms at Army Children School, Abule-Egba as part of its activities for the year and to honour their visiting District Governor, Remi Bello.

As early as 10 am, some of them had gathered at Rita Suites and Hotel, Abule-Egba, Lagos, venue of the ceremony, awaiting its take-off. Though they waited a little longer because of another event that coincided with this one, the widows were not deterred.

The Rotary Club of Abule-Egba had gathered the women specially to give them grinding machines as part of their activities for the year, but more importantly, to enable their visiting District 9110 Governor Remi Bello present the machines to the beneficiaries.

The club’s President, Afolaji Abolaji Paul, said the club gave out 30 grinding machines, which cost N90,000 each to enable the widows make a living with them. For years, he said     the club gave food to the widows but that they reasoned that it was better they provide the women with something with which they could make money, adding: “Teach a child how to fish instead of giving him fish.”

He justified the N2.7million the club spent to acquire the machines for the widows, saying: “They can make money with the machines.”

On the machines’ possible breakdown, Afolaji said a scheme was in place to monitor them for maintenance. Also, he said the machines have a warranty and Rotary logo to secure them, especially the latter against being sold by the beneficiaries.

He advised the widows to see theirs and use them for the purpose for which they are meant. He assured that more women would benefit from the club before he quits office.

Earlier, the club had inaugurated the two blocks of classrooms it renovated at the over 50-year-old Army Children School, Abule-Egba for about N5million.

Afolaji said the club had embarked on the project after a needs assessment. “When we came here, the classrooms were deserted and their toilets in poor state,” he recalled. He was glad that the pupils and their teachers were happy with Rotary’s gesture.

Bello, who inaugurated the projects, was equally happy. He noted: “Rotary Club of Abule-Egba Metro has done wonderfully well. I want to thank them for touching lives. You have lived to become an effective club. This is a functional club.”

He explained that education and empowermeht are part of the focal areas of Rotary International.”Rotary Club of Abule-Egba Metro has lived up to expectation. The role of Rotary is to execute projects that touch lives, one thing the club has done.

The school’s Headmistress, Mrs Omodunbi Modupe Yinka and Quality Assurance Control Officer, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Lagos State, Stephen Taiwo, who represented the Director, Basic School and Quality Assurance, Dr.Okorafor Scholastic, expressed gratitude to Rotary for the gesture.

Specifically, Mrs Yinka assured of the school’s management preparedness to maintain the facilities.