Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi has joined the ‘80s Club’. Born on January 4, 1942 in Ilesha, Osun State, he is revered for his contributions to scholarship, politics and diplomacy. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, he speaks on his love for the former US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK), art and philanthropy.

I look in the mirror every day and I’m aware that I am aging, skin and facial-wise. But you know, it creeps on you – you’d wake up one morning and you are 80. And the following day, you are 80 plus one. I am grateful to be here.

Looking back and feeling fortunate

Hmm! You and I were just discussing a little about my background. Five years ago, the answer would have been different from my answer today. This is because five years ago, we were eight. Today we are four; which means I’ve lost four siblings in the past five years.

So, yes, I consider myself lucky to still be alive. I consider myself lucky that God has given me the opportunities that He has in this country and in this world to have done things that can be ascribed to my name. But then, age comes with issues and those issues we don’t regard as part of our fortunes. We just regard them as part of what God’s grace brings along.

 Philanthropy: My motivation

I don’t know what motivates me but I just know when I open the newspaper and I see these needs I share whatever little I could. I don’t know what drives me. For instance, Evelyn, when I read your story about the girl, Indian, I’d never met you before or the girl that you wrote about, but I was touched by it. And I asked you what you wanted us to do and the rest is history. I suppose I am one who is easily moved. I’m an emotional person and suffering seems to touch that emotion. I wish I could do more: I wish I were one of the multimillionaires who can set up a million naira foundation to quietly take care of such. But unfortunately, I am not. So it’s just the little I can spare.

My handshake with President John Kennedy as an undergraduate student.

I still remember my trip to the US with fond memories. If you look at the picture in that frame, that was me in 1960. That Whiteman was the captain of the Pan Am flight that took me to America. That’s me, a village boy, so excited to be shaking hands with the pilot. And those were my parents when I was being given the ticket. You can imagine how I felt when I shook hands with the late United States President JFK.

I didn’t want to wash my hands for years. He had a lot of influence on me. You know, I was growing up and being formed. And there was JFK, an idol, a model. The whole world worshiped him. He was determined to protect the American interest. He led Americans into Vietnam, but he was so young. He spoke the language of the youth. He spoke the language of freedom. And all of a sudden, there he was. And there I was on the lawn of the White House, a village boy!  Eh…eh… Modaran! And there it was. That was a handshake that I can never forget.

Read Also: Akinwande Bolaji Akinyemi at 80

Indeed, there was grace in public service after all. I’ve tried to model myself after him. Unfortunately, coming from Nigeria with its own stumbling blocks and everything, I never got there. Nigeria has never been ruled by the best. We came close under General Yakubu Gowon. He tried his best: he was an acceptable face of Nigeria, giving his youths and the problems he was faced with. General Muritala Muhammed also; but every hero has its Achilles’ heel. And of course, my boss, IBB! Yes. He got derailed. IBB was welcomed by, I would say, 95% of Nigerians when he became president. He also meant well. He looked for scholars; thinkers, philosophers and brought them in. But he got derailed. He was sitting on top of a military establishment that he felt he depended on for his survival; and therefore, he needed to continue to negotiate with that military establishment and make concessions to them for him to continue. But you know, again the Yoruba has a saying that they keep chopping your trouser at the bottom and it keeps coming up; and you keep saying, ‘it’s just a little’.

Before you knew it, the trouser would have gone up the thigh. He kept making concessions to them until eventually, he didn’t capture them, and they captured him. And that’s such a sad story. And that is the story of Nigeria – we start off and then we get derailed. That is also the story of America – they kill off the best of them as well. I mean after all, they only allowed Kennedy two years plus.

 My love for art

I am not sure that you are right that I am an art lover. I’m illiterate when it comes to art; and I know that because I read people’s reaction to a painting or sculpture. I just know what I like and what I read into it. Whether it is a Ted Nwoko or a Wole Soyinka or Ben Enwonwu, God rest his soul. He sculpted that sculpture at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). It was initially behind NIIA. But when I became Director-General, I brought it to the front of NIIA – how can they put that kind of art at the back when people come to the place, they won’t see it. And I made sure they dug it up and brought it to the front. And you’d notice it is between the main building and the hall. There is no way you would not see it at NIIA, even if you were passing. I appreciate art and collect a few; but I won’t call myself an art lover or a collector.

Inspiration behind my art collection

I don’t know. And there was a time I could afford to buy them or commission artists to make something original for me; and they’d tell me I won’t find them anywhere else. You’ve seen some of them when we’ve walked around. They are still there. And of course, I expect that they have matured in value. But I never bought them to speculate. Well, after I’m gone my children can now decide what to do with them.

One man that I respect for his passion for art, who is also a great art collector, is Prince Yemisi Shyllon. He talks about it with a passion. He says art has value and I agree. I have been to his house. I have seen some of his collections. And he’s devoted his life to art promotion and collection. Now that’s an art lover. Look at the donation he’s made to Pan Atlantic University (PAU). I admire him a lot.  Only an art lover can do that but it has to be a passion.

I don’t have that kind of passion. I won’t take off deliberately from here to go to an art exhibition. If by chance I then come across something that is on sale, and it’s within my pocket reach, I’d buy it.

And again, this is where I thank God, Nigerians and those who have contributed to what I am. There was a time I could walk up to any artist and say, “Egbon, I like that but I haven’t got money to buy it; will you give it to me”. And he’d say, “Prof. take”. And that happened a lot in my life. I have faded out now; I wonder how many of these new or young artists even know who “Bolaji Akinyemi” is. And in any case things have become so monetised unfortunately, and they need to survive and that’s their talent and that’s what pays the bills. More should be done to support them.

Title: Business Success Secrets

Author: Chukwuka C. Monye Et al
Reviewer:

Publisher: Leaders Press
Pagination: 394

As the New Year begins, new business ideas come up. For prospective investors, the New Year is also a time to make investment decisions. It is just all about ideas. Every Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs started out as nothing more than a person with an idea – and ideas are a dime a dozen. The mindset, processes, and teams that you build are where the real magic happens. Leverage the wisdom within Business Success Secrets from Tamara Nall, et al, and discover your own success story.

Beyond the highlight reel: An honest, raw and real look at some of the best kept entrepreneurial secrets. Buried beneath the impressive awards and accolades of each successful entrepreneur lies the hard-knocks story of the grit, determination, and resourcefulness it took to mount the summit of a dream. What you don’t know is just how much they learned along the way.

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The book will help you to explore the various iterations of the entrepreneurial mindset and how to tailor each one to your own personal brand; and avoid some of the most common pitfalls and traps for business owners in today’s professional landscape.

You will learn that entrepreneurialism is a market that is open to anyone regardless of age, race, gender, or nationality; and discover how CEOs, presidents, and founders narrowly avoided major disasters to come out on top.

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One of the authors, Chukwuka C. Monye is a social innovator who has been committed to making lives better in Nigeria for over 20 years. He is a University of Oxford trained innovation strategist and has dedicated his career to building businesses, mentoring leaders, and impacting lives. He is the founder of Ciuci Consulting, one of Africa’s foremost operations management consulting firms through which he has transformed numerous private and public institutions.

As a social innovator, he has led and supported several social impact initiatives ensuring the projects he gets involved in ultimately lead to sustainable socio-economic development. He is an Amazon, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author for his contribution in the book – Business Success Secrets.

Writers  under the auspices of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos Branch, have tasked government on building libraries in all the local councils across the state.

According to them, the move would help improve education and the reading culture, especially of young ones.

They made the submission at the ANA Lagos convention with a mind of charting new paths of relevance, while hammering on their role as moulders of society’s conscience.

With the theme: The Throes of a Nation: Arts and the Pursuit of Relevance, the event took place at Julius Berger Hall, University of Lagos (UNILAG), the writers interrogated ways of making their voices more pungent amid the country’s teething problems.

“We need to have more libraries,” began Ifeanyichukwu Avajah, ANA Lagos chairman.

“It is a shame that an average citizen in Lagos State cannot conveniently come back from school or work and go to the library to read because there are none in his vicinity. There are very few libraries in the state as a whole.

“Nothing prevents the government from having a proper structure that would support the creatives. There should be a library in every local government. We have the zeal and the government has the power to create infrastructure. Reading campaigns are not the sole responsibilities of literary groups. Government must get involved too.”

While hinting that the theme, “The Throes of a Nation” was gotten, Avajah was optimistic about the plight of the Nigerian state.

He said: “There is a lot happening in these times and as creatives, we cannot keep quiet or stand aloof. The time, we are in presents a lot of raw materials for us, writers to dish out rich creative works. Look at reported cases of kidnapping or Lekki Massacre or Killer herdsmen. The theme, “The Throes of a Nation” was focused on the travails of our nation. After every bad situation, there is an expectation that something good would come out. In the talk of art and the pursuit of relevance, what is the role of the creatives in this space – ANA? How do we change the narrative? How do we redefine the reality that we find ourselves in? If more Nigerian can read and develop themselves, they would be able to think and can discern the good from the bad and make informed decisions during elections.”

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ANA Lagos chair informed that the groups was set up by campus arm of its association, beginning with UNILAG, while calling for partnerships between creative groups in order to achieve  more relevance. “We need to collaborate more with other creative organisations. So ANA has to find a place of relevance in that reading campaign and that is why we are setting up the UNILAG ANA. It is our desire that every institution would have an ANA presence that would help to push our reading campaign. As an umbrella association, we should be able to link up with the publishers, the writers, book promoters, the book clubs and the government, among others. Because out voices are diffused, we were not able to get the right kind of impact across to the government.”

A major highlight of the convention is a workshop on writing for children put together by the ANA in conjunction with the Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria (NBRP )which had as facilitators, NBRP President, Mr Richard Mammah; Mrs. Temiloluwa Adesina of Readland Leadership Children’s Centre; Farida Ladipo of Book worm Cafe and Josephine Oghenekewe Ogufere of African Writers Tribe.

While reiterating Mr. Avajah’s call for the establishment of more libraries, Mammah added that such move should not end with Lagos State but extended to LGA across the countries. According to him, having technologically savvy libraries in every local council will attract the young generation and promote the reading culture, especially in children. He, however, urged more writers to write for children foreign authored children’s book.

“When we go to the bookshop, we realise most of the books there are foreign authored children’s books. But those are Nigerian children we are raising with foreign books. So we are here to encourage more aspiring writers to take an interest in children’s writing. Another area of writing we would recommend is biography writing for children,” Mammah said.

For Mrs.Adesina, reading goes hand in hand with writing. There is no way we will have readers and not have writers. Nuturing the writing ability in our children is key to improving the overall reading culture.

Ladipo spoke about her brand, Bookworm Café, a bookstore that encourages children to read and write; while  Ogufere gave insight into writing for children. She said: “Writing for children is really amazing. You need to be specific so that it will make it easier for you to connect to your readers/audience. Continuous practice is what is needed.”

The event also had a spoken word poetry contest and the top three were Godwin (1st Position), Victoria Ebisike (2nd Position) and Jennifer Oriaku (3rd Position).

Director-General, National Gallery of Art (NGA), Chief Ebeten William Ivara, has condoled with the Abayomi Barber family and the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) on the death  of the progenitor of Barber School of Thought, Pa Abayomi Barber, who passed on at 93 on December 26.

According to a statement, Ivara said the management of the Gallery received the news of his passing on with a profound sense of loss. He added that the gallery was however glad that it was able to celebrate  this global icon in his lifetime by exhibiting some of his famous art works early last year and publish a major book on him.

The statement reads: “It is with a profound sense of loss but gratitude to the will of Almighty God, that we at the National Gallery of Art (NGA) received the news of the transition of Pa Abayomi Barber. We are glad, however, that we were able to celebrate this global icon in his lifetime by exhibiting some of his famous art works early this year and publish a major book on him. At that event, artists from different generations were on hand to pay homage to him. Selected art works of his prominent followers were equally exhibited at the event.

Read Also: Famous sculptors feast at Igue Festival

“Indeed, Abayomi Barber deserved more. He was best known for his ground breaking work at his studio in the University of Lagos where he developed his “Barber School of Thought” that has remained a reference point in visual arts in Nigeria  today. Deploying an iconoclastic approach to teaching, he allowed his students a free rein of their imagination and was able to bring out the best in them. Not surprisingly, he trained generations of students who not only subscribed to his school of thought but are passing down the philosophy to others. He can effectively therefore be described as a master artist, teacher, mentor and an entrepreneur whose ideas are being passed from generation to generation of artists.

“One of the interesting aspects of his life was his penchant for self-improvement and a large appetite to hone his innate skill as an artist. He was never satisfied. He always yearned for more and by so doing blazed a trail in visual arts. He was an avatar, a patriarch and path finder who will remain indelible in our minds.”

 

Ten-year-old Ndukwe Bryan Chidera would not stop smiling after winning ‘The Highest Business Potential’ at the just-concluded KidBiz Fair  organised by Kidpreneur Africa. The child photographer was one of the over a dozen child-owned business CEOs whose products and services were on display at the fair.

Bryan, who dazzled guests with his artworks exhibited at the fair, said although his love for capturing wonderful moments led him into the world of photography, his photo-journalist father and Mrs. Juliet Vincent-Obi, the founder of Kidpreneur Africa, inspired him to take his passion seriously. He hopes to capture more wonderful moments in 2022.

According to the founder of Kidpreneur Africa, Mrs. Vincent-Obi, today’s children need to acquire skills to develop and to meet the demands of the future. They need to begin today to look into the future and prepare early for the job that is yet to exist”.

She called on parents to embrace  children’s’ empowerment, called kidpreneurship, as a solution in the face of the pandemic.

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With a mind of raising thousands of ‘Kid CEOs’, Mrs. Vincent-Obi charged parents to allow their children/wards to participate in skill acquisition programmes to develop their talents and hone their skills.

The fair in featured a picnic and other recreational activities for children and their parents there.

For Mrs. Vincent-Obi, an educationist and a child entrepreneurship advocate, the KidBiz Fair was to provide young entrepreneurs, aged six to 15 years, with opportunities to display their entrepreneurial prowess and to learn how to launch their own startup businesses in the future. Her organisation has mentored over 2,000 kids and over 209 of them have started and are running their own business enterprises with the supervision of an adult.

She said: “Every child is unique and has some potential to make significant contributions in his/her families, society and nation. KidBiz Fair offers opportunities for children to develop brands, to create products or services, and to build marketing strategies. The things they have created are what we are displaying for sales and to customers at this event.

“Prior to the event, the children were taught the art of selling, market principles, marketing, branding, financial literacy, how the workforce drives the local economy, and how to make money from their products and services during Kidpreneur’s conference.”

Cash prizes were given to some of the children, like Bryan,  for their with outstanding performance. The categories included: ‘The Most Indigenous Business Idea won by Michael Stephanie (who makes scented candles); the Best Product was won by Adewale Joseph Bukumioluwa (who makes support pillows for breastfeeding mothers); the Best Stand at the fair was Tbam Kiddies owned by Bamgbola Tiwatope; and the Best Sales Pitch was won by Anyanwu Maxwell Munachimso, a child author of the book Kids Can Code.

 

RESIDENT of Okunde Bluewater Zone, Lekki community in Lagos have benefited from a free comprehensive medical checkup outreach organised last week by Cedars House of Grace. The three days outreach drew about 500 people who gathered at the church premises in Twin Water, Lekki from as early as 10:00 am. They were attended to by a medical team comprising doctors, consultants, nurses, dentists, lab technicians, ophthalmology, and other public health personnel.

A wide range of quality and comprehensive health care services such as eyes screening, laboratory test (urine and blood), blood pressure, blood sugar test, HIV, kidney, cancer screening, deworming of children, heart checkups among others.

Drugs worth hundreds of thousands were distributed after tests to beneficiaries with over 350 eyeglasses to those needing them.

The church also provided spiritual counseling for the residents.

A young hairdresser, Opeyemi Paul, who came with her child, said: “We are so happy that we can access medical care for free. I rarely go to hospitals. God will continue to bless them greatly.

“Other churches can take a cue at this benevolent act done to us,” she said.

In his words, the Associate Pastor of Cedars House of Grace,  Pastor Femi Oluokun said the medical outreach was carried out in the spirit of the seasons as Christmas is all about the love of God to mankind.

“It is our way of giving back to the community. We are an extension of God’s hands, touching the lives of the people and that is what Chrisman is. God gave his best to humanity and as the salt of the earth; it is our duty to do this.

“Love is a language everyone understands. You can resist my preaching but the show of love no one can resist it. To change the world for Christ, love is key. We are expressing God’s love within the community and as God gives

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Nigerian singer Kanwulia has expressed optimism of joining Nigerian musicians like Burna Boy and Whiz Kid in winning the Grammy award soon. The Afro-funk act said notwithstanding her desire to win the Grammy, she is honestly into music for the passion and to make her fans enjoy good music.

Kanwulia (Victoria Kanwulia Nwandu) who spoke on the sideline of Kanwulia Live with friends at Patio, Lekki Lagos said:  “But, honestly I’m in it for the passion and to make my fans feel something that they’ve never felt before. So, whether the Grammy comes or not, it’s not going to define my career. I’m going to keep making music for people that love my music.”

She said the evening at Patio which was at the instance of Volkano Productions, was to give other artists a chance because it has been very difficult for her to get the chance to perform, meet people, and excel in her career.

She performed various hits from her catalogue as well as some unreleased music. Her hits include Juru, Gbera, Bigger Things and her newest release, Take It All (Take It All) was recorded and shot in Atlanta, Georgia USA.  The essence of the single is capturing Kanwulia transition seamlessly into her womanhood and embracing her sex appeal. She ate up the visuals and performance not leaving a single crumb.

Four young musicians Kamar Tachio, Mimz, RnB Princess and Ganzy were on hand to perform some of their songs that attracted selected audience of relations, friends and fans including Mr. and Mrs Nwandu, Mr and Mrs Joe Obiago.

The essence of the evening, she added, was to bring a group of upcoming artists together, have them work, perform their music and hopefully gain some experiences. “Tonight is all about grooves, good vibes, networking and good time,” Kanwulia noted.

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She disclosed that her new single Till the sun goes down, which is more of Afro funk vibe will be released early next year.

On her journey so far, she said: “It’s been an incredible journey. I started singing since I was four. My parents heard me singing in church most of the time while growing up. Obviously that blossomed into school. And I have been going with the flow, going with the motion, taking every opportunity as much as I can. The biggest milestone for me so far is that I headlined Hard Rock Cafe Lagos in February 2020, before COVID-19 happened. I’m happy to be back on a stage performing at The Patio, Lekki Phase 1 today. All the acts that came today are amazing. I’m grateful to be here.”

To her, it was not a sweet smooth ride as an up-coming act because there were challenges of trying to breakthrough, get people to respect you as an artist and all that.

She noted that Nigeria can be very stressful, which adds another layer of stress to the already stressful life as an artist. “So I take it one step at a time,” she said.

Kanwulia, who hails from Delta State, expressed appreciation to her parents for their unflinching support saying, but for them, she would not have gone this far. “They have been instrumental in my career. They have been supporting me hundred percent. My dad is always on board. Earlier my dad wanted me to study law. But I fought him. And he allowed me to do music instead. So my parents have been crucial to my career, and to my success. Every gold that I hit, I attribute it to them because I wouldn’t have been able to do this without them.”

She described Niniola, Sheyi Shays and Simi as her role models in the industry.

 

 

Chief Executive Officer, OWAZA 24/7 Hotel and Suits, Lagos, Hon. Michael Chinonyerem Nwachi has joined forces with the security operatives in providing security in the hospitality industry in Lagos State. He also partnered traditional rulers and vigilante groups to cement a cordial collaboration between business owners and the people of the community.

Nwachi who was elected as the Vice President of the Seniorate Mess at the Naval Training Command, Apapa said that the purpose of identifying with the security personnel was to help in creating a synergy between the military and the public believing by so doing contributing his own little quota to national security.

“I was sworn in to raise the bar of the mess. I wish to work hand in gloves with them in providing security and building trusts in our society”, he stated.

He said that he was interested in ensuring that there was cordial relationship between the security operatives and the people. He however blamed the fracas that often ensue between men in uniform and the people on approach, while advising people to always cooperate with the security operatives and see them as part of the society.  He urged the men in uniform to always exercise caution while dealing with members of the public

He said that as a member of the navy family, he is more committed in assisting the security operatives in carrying out their duties. He noted that when there is adequate security especially in the hospitality industry people would want to do business. “When you are guaranteed of security, you will wish to come back as a customer”.

“I work hand in gloves with chiefs of the community to help keep law and order in this community. We have contributed to the employment of reasonable number of persons into our establishment,” he added.

He stressed the need for the government both at the federal, state and local government levels to provide adequate security for the people through the provision of more patrol teams, electricity supply as well as accessible roads.

 

 

The Guild of Nigerian Dance Practitioners (GONDP) has left an indelible and unforgettable memory in the hearts and minds of artistes, dancers as well as dance enthusiasts as it celebrated the first-ever Lagos Dance Festival.

The event, which held at Shodex Garden, with the theme Xpress Yoursel, was to empower young artistes and dancers and to showcase their talents, passion and energy through the spirit and art of dancing.

According to the chairman of The Guild, Lagos Chapter, Mrs. Dorothy Obiayo, the festival highlighted the legacy and bright future of the organisation with Artistes Forums Initiative.

The initiative aimed at empowering, mentoring and encouraging youths towards artistic development and career choice. The forums, she noted, are functioning in Bariga, Oworonshoki, Ajegunle, Surulere, Badagry, Lagos Island, and Lekki.

The event brought to fore talents and dance groups, mostly comprising young dancers, to display their skills and creativity in modern pop dance, break dance, Igbo cultural dance and Eyo cultural rendition, among others.

The groups that performed were Theater centric, Okachama Dance Troupe, Footprint of David, Boogie Bee Entertainment, Akuja Creative Art Company, Art castle Academy, Kings and Queens Dance Company and Oworo Dance Artistes.

Mrs. Obiayo praised the young artistes for their colourful performances and creativity.

She said: “Dance artistes are unique, because dance is a unique profession which has come to stay. The performers are relentless in their dedication to attaining perfection. We are hereby encouraged to put in that extra effort to upgrading our crafts, so as to stay tops and remain relevant.”

She also commented on the role of Artist Forums Initiative and its journey to redefine the dance industry and mobilise youths towards using their artistic skills to develop themselves and their community.

She said: “The relevance of the Artistes Forums can never be over-emphasised. It is a hub for artistic, intellectual and communal explorations. Based on our work location or environment of residence, dance practitioners are encouraged to join a Forum that is most accessible to them. The Guild believes that every dancer should be able to serve the community which nurtured them, while aspiring for the top.”

For Celine Opuwari, a professional dancer, young dance artistes need the leadership and mentorship of those before them in order to maximise their talents and become impactful in the society.

“The older ones have a wealth of knowledge. And as they go, if we the young ones don’t tap into their knowledge, it will be lost. What we have around us now that we are chasing are not things that can keep us going. So, we need to tap into the knowledge of those who have gone before us. Respect is very important in order to be successful,” she said.