By Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado-Ekiti

The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has said the state is hosting this year’s National Festival for Arts and Culture (NAFEST) to showcase Ekiti cultural heritage to the world.

Fayemi said his administration bidded to host the cultural fiesta to further enhance creativity in the tourism sector and to create a more-viable platform and market for young people in the creative enterprises.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, the governor spoke last week while addressing delegates at the 52nd National Technical Stakeholders’ Meeting of the Chief Executives of Culture in Nigeria.

The year’s NAFEST, which has as its theme Celebrating National Unity in Diversity, will hold in Ado -Ekiti between  November 13 and 20.

Describing the state as the most suitable place to host a national programme of such magnitude, Fayemi noted that Ekiti was awarded the hosting right because of its reputation as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria which has one of the most hospitable people in the world.

Fayemi, who noted  that his government has always given priority to culture and tourism, expressed delight that NAFEST would provide the opportunity for Nigerians to appreciate the role of culture in promoting national unity and integration.

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He charged stakeholders to use the meeting as a preparatory ground for   the most eventful festival which will create windows of investment opportunities for the economic growth of not only Ekiti State but Nigeria as a whole. Dr. Fayemi said: “As a nation, we need to appreciate the dynamic nature of our cultures and acknowledge NAFEST as veritable platform to further celebrate our unity in diversity.

“I, therefore, urge you to focus more on how we can redirect cultural activities towards revenue generation. We need to effectively tap into the economic potential of our cultural heritage and improve our grassroots development.

The Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said Ekiti State under Fayemi, had proved its readiness to offer something remarkable to the national and global audience with the level of preparation for the NAFEST.

He described the festival as one of the measures to cement the unity and harmony of the country as it is an avenue to showcase cultures and traditions of the various ethnic groups spread across the 36 states of the federation.

The Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism in Ekiti State, Prof. Rasaki Ojo Bakare, showered encomiums on Governor Kayode Fayemi for investing heavily in the sector which has launched the state on the global cultural map.

Prof. Bakare assured the delegates that “Ekiti State is 100 per cent ready to play host to both the nation as well as the tourism and culture publics across the world.”

Former President, Nigerian Publishers Association, Mr. Gbenro Adegbola, has said poor development of digital infrastructure constitutes a wide divide between Nigeria and the rest of the world.

Adegbola, who is the chief executive officer of 1st Veritas Educational Contents Delivery Limited, stated that the delivery of digital education was not as complex and delicate as viewed by many.

He spoke recently while delivering a keynote address titled “E-Publishing and the challenges of the digital divide in a developing country like Nigeria”, at a seminar on e-publishing, at the  Nigeria International Book Fair 2021, held at the Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He described digital revolution as a phenomenon that was gaining momentum, saying that the public should adopt it for necessary change.

Adegbola said:‘’As a general observation, it would seem that education and education delivery is far too delicate and, therefore, so conservative and resistant to the digital revolution. Probably not, because by its very nature, nothing can stop a revolution that is already gaining momentum.

“Things exist as they simply are, and not necessarily the way we think they exist. They will not change for us, so we have to be sufficiently adaptable and ready to discard and reassess pre-conceived notions.’’

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He urged educational psychologists to come up with plans that would engender development via education technology.

He stated: ‘’It would seem (that) people have been socialised into the need for some type of focused group environment that can motivate learners for positive engagement. This could be a worthwhile study area for our educational psychologists to focus on and draw out information and observation notes that will be of great help to the Ed-tech world.

“The development of digital infrastructure is still relatively poor when looked at against even smaller countries as Togo. I believe it is well known that this, essentially, is what constitutes the digital divide between us and the rest of the developed world.

“Revolutions, by their very nature, are extremely disruptive phenomena. The digital revolution has disrupted just about every other industry. From banking, to housing, commerce, even gaming and betting. Many industries that seem not to have felt the full measure of its disruption are merely deploying regulatory barriers to stave off the full effects of disruption on their industry. The educational world cannot be an exception.’’

He urged policy makers in the country to take into cognisance, the current reality for the required transformation of the economy.

By Victoria Amadi

As part of its efforts to ignite paradigm shift between the ruling elite and the Nigerian people as well as stir civic activism, Citizens Intervention and Accountability Network (CIAN), a non-governmental organistion has produced a civic empowerment project tagged Nigeria’s Next President.

The project, which is a book and audio resource tools, is being translated into Efik, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Pidgin English. This, according to the Chairman Organising Committee, Mr. Olawunmi Olaniyi, is to make the project accessible to wider audience and have greater impact on the general voting public.

Olaniyi, who spoke in Lagos recently, disclosed that Nigeria’s Next President will be presented to the public at Abuja on December 3.

He noted that the project is CIAN’s intervention and resolve to lend a helping hand and be a part of the solution to addressing Nigeria’s leadership recruitment process. He decried the rumblings in the National Assembly over section 52(2) of the Electoral Amendment Bill, saying the development portends the gathering of anti-democratic forces with a tendency towards a one-party state.

“Going forward, as a people-oriented organisation, we would not fold our arms, and leave this parliamentary coup unchallenged, especially at a time when the power sector has repeatedly become a graveyard of failed promises, at a time when emerging trends about those who assume power in Nigeria suggest accident of history,” he said.

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According to him, the time for action is now and Nigeria should not be held back by the lack of elite consensus on its leadership recruit process. “The momentum is growing and we can hear the rumblings of this call-to-action among the Nigerian people, even among the political and economic elite in communities, cities and across the country. A new Nigeria is now. A new Nigeria is possible where freedom, peace and justice will prevail for all,” he said.

In his remark, Director Information and Strategy CIAN, Dr. CandyFidel Onwuraokoye observed that the reluctance of governance, the pedestrian understanding of the currents of Nigeria politics and the indecisiveness of the government in the face of mounting national emergencies and crises, are alarming signposts on the highway to the imminent collapse of the Nigerian project. He said part of the fallout of the recently passed Electoral Act include issue of integrity of the electoral process, acceptability of election outcomes, and voters’ apathy and turnout as well as question of legitimacy of winners.

“If nothing is done, the leadership question will continue to be, the main challenge of the country. The dichotomy and the tension it has created have produced a disruptive impact that we can no longer afford to ignore. For this reason, the leadership question must be a priority in the Nigeria development agenda. Nothing short of that goal will deliver on the promise of a more  equitable, inclusive, just, and peaceful Nigeria,” he added.

Dr. Onwuraokoye said the goal of the project is to among others ignite a paradigm shift that will birth the process of galvanizing the people for eternal vigilance in the delicate construction of their destiny in addition to rallying them for participatory change they so desire in the polity.

Until August 8, 2018, Mrs Ighiwiyisi Jacob, Creative Director Hermosa Boda, a spatial design service, was a passive artist waiting to be inspired. But, the talent in her started to manifest when she fell in love with spatial art. Though raised in a family of art and artists-a daughter of legendary artist the late Erhabor Emokpae, August 8, 2018 was her turning point in art. With a strong support from her brother Isaac Emokpae, an established artist, Ighiwiyisi is certainly the latest chip off the old block.

Since that impartation, she has continued to increase her dedication to developing the gift that God gave her and has never looked back.

This has led to the production of a collection of exciting works of art, which will be on exhibition next Sunday at Gallery At The Landmark, Victoria Island, Lagos on August 8. Tagged I will not be lost, (a translation of her name Ighiwiyisi) the retrospective solo debut captures on canvass her personal journey in life, which traverses the lows and highs.

“There are many moments of my life captured on canvas. The idea is to find specific things that are common to humanity. Everyone understands grief, heartbreak, promises and prophecies,’’ she said of the themes of the works.

To her, the solo exhibition is to honour people who have impacted her life, her mother, brother, father, siblings, and husband, as well as her children.  Even random people who have made impacts- some negative, some positive but they have shaped her. “This exhibition is very much that. So, you will see things like Chapter Thirty-One that inculcates my father’s letter. Another work is Cheap Bleeding that captures the year my mother died. But, the idea is that I find that the specific thing that we go through is general.

“We may think they are unique to us but people go through the exact thing but differently. Everyone understands grief, heartbreak, promises and prophesies. We just have different ways of identifying.w So, as personal as this exhibition is to me, it is very general as well,” she noted.

Ighiwiyisi, a co-founder of the Gallery at the Landmark, recalled how she began to make drawings that she ordinarily would have paid an artist to make.

“We were fully booked and there was no one to do the artwork. I needed to put the design down for the production. I sat down to sketch. On that day, I sat down at the table and I was just drawing. I didn’t want to miss that moment. This is why the exhibition will open on August 8. I call it an impartation. I don’t see myself as an artist but as a channel-God draws through me,’’ she said.

With eight works on panel and four works on canvas, she explores impasto and expressionism amongst others. With emphasis on female portraits, art is her long-awaited catharsis.

“I want people to see themselves and appreciate the journey. I want people to use my journey to appreciate theirs. I want people who are almost giving up on life to see that it can still get better. You can be gifted and be mediocre. You must treat that gift properly, apply yourself to it daily. If you are gifted and you put in dedication, there’s no telling where you’d go,’’ she added.

I will not be lost which will run till September 8 will feature works like Who told you you were naked? Ezra, Volo, Still breathing, Chapter 31, Sofia, My invisible man, Only sleeping, With Me, Medium, Forward, Nomose and Noma.

Title:  Politics, Law and Diplomacy

Author:       Alaba Ogunsanwo

Reviewer:  Bukar Usman

Publisher:  Sibon Books Ltd

Year of Publication: 2020

Pagination: Pages: 1296

The book, Politics, Law and Diplomacy, by Alaba Ogunsanwo is dedicated to a veteran Nigerian diplomat, Edward Olusola Sanu. Ambassador Sanu, who is now over 90 years old, made his mark when he led the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to negotiate trade relations with the European Union (EU). The outcome was the Lome Convention of 1975. This is a fitting dedication as the book is an exploration of Nigeria’s relations with other nations.

Ogunsanwo ended his diplomatic career as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Brussels in 1999. He was a Professor of Political Science at the University of Lagos in 1983 and currently teaches in the Department of Politics and International Relations, Lead City University, Ibadan. He had his first degree at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and post graduate studies at the London School of Economics. He has been affiliated with other local and overseas educational institutions. It is with such formidable credentials of diplomatic experience and academic rigour that Professor Ogunsanwo penned his book Politics, Law and Diplomacy, the subject of this review.

Politics, Law and Diplomacy is Prof. Ogunsanwo’s collection of essays on various topics about the international system and the roles Nigeria played within that system at the West African, African and global levels. The book is divided into two sections, 39 chapters and 10  appendices. The essays were written and delivered at various fora between 2007 and 2019. Section 2 is devoted to diplomacy, international legal order and international institutions. The narrative, rich in data, discusses Nigeria’s relations with major powers, middle powers, smaller powers, and equal-level powers. It identifies some countries and examines Nigeria’s bilateral relations with each of them on trade, aid, foreign direct investment, political and security matters, regional integration, growth and development.

Nigeria’s interests, pursued through its consulates and other establishments, were outlined to cover economic, political, cultural, educational, religious, and commercial spheres. The author stressed that concerns for security and welfare as well as growing globalisation and interdependence, have made countries to relate with each other as a matter of necessity. As a result, Nigeria, like other countries, has no option than to belong to regional and many bilateral and multilateral organisations. That was why Nigeria in concert with other countries formed the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU); the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and enlisted as a member of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) upon attainment of independence in 1960.

Nigeria made enormous contributions in terms of human capital, material and massive mobilisation of public opinion to stamp out colonialism and apartheid in Africa. These are narrated as firsthand account in details with great expertise and insider knowledge by Professor Ogunsanwo. He was directly involved as the top Nigerian envoy in Southern Africa during the de-colonisation and apartheid era and reflected his physical involvement in steering crucial events at that material time. Having also served in several foreign policy review bodies of Nigeria, he can be regarded as an institutional memory in his own right. He observes that for all its sacrificial contributions in helping many African countries out of the woods, Nigeria has maintained a policy of not demanding requital from those countries for services rendered. This position, criticised by some Nigerians, is contrary to the practice whereby a country that plays a major role in helping another in times of war or social disaster usually demands economic or political compensation from the beneficiary country.

As both a political scientist and scholar, the author keenly observes significant changes in the international system in recent times, especially since the world moved away from the Cold War era in 1990. Given what some regard as a unipolar world that emerged from the ideological warfare, the policy of non-alignment diplomacy adopted by most developing countries became outdated and impracticable. Attention is now focused on democratisation, development and environmental protection. One could argue, though, that what we have now is a mere change of tactics among the former Cold War antagonists as trouble spots all over the globe still throw up their fundamental differences in one form or another and remain the underlying causes of much of the conflicts raging in those places.

Nigeria and the other developing countries in the increasing globalised world would need to redouble their efforts to add value to their products if they are to increase their participation in the world trade of industrial goods. In Africa, Nigeria has a unique attraction in having a huge market. It also has a higher risk of being a dumping ground of finished goods from elsewhere and therefore needs to adapt to ever-changing situations in the international system.

It is quite an impressive effort on the part of Prof Ogunsanwo to put up such a voluminous and enriching book of 1,296 pages to aid our understanding of the workings of the international system and the place of Nigeria in it. I am not surprised. I knew him from our days as students at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, to be the studious type as he paced from hostel to dining room to classroom and vice versa. There were no games for him. Only his studies mattered.

Some obvious editorial and printing errors have resulted in the omission of chapter 13, a repeat of chapters 15 and 16, and consequential mix-up in page numbering.

The book by Prof. Ogunsanwo, an academic-diplomat, is a valuable reference material to all who seek to know how Nigeria’s diplomacy was shaped and conducted from independence to date, the complexity in interactions in the international system as well as the delicate functioning of the multilateral organisations like the United Nations Organisation. I strongly recommend it.

Gbenga Badejo has been installed as the 54th president of Rotary Club of Ikeja at a colourful ceremony held last Sunday at the Sheraton Hotels and Suites in Ikeja.

It also witnessed the induction of the new board for the Rotary 2021/2022 year as well as presentation of awards to rotarians and non-rotarians, including 50 years of Rotary to Chief Olusegun Osunkeye.

In attendance at the induction were the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Engr. Obafemi Hamzat who was represented by Dr. Aina Oluwagbemiga, Dorothy Ufot (SAN) and Akinla of Erin Ijesha, Oba Isaac.

Badejo said he planned to continue with the club’s signature and legacy projects to achieve maximum impact in their adopted communities. According to him, ‘’some of my key projects for this Rotary Year are, building of Rotary Club of Ikeja Youth Community Centre for Leadership and Vocational Training- in collaboration with Lagos State Government, setting up of 20-seater ICT Centre for SOS Children’s Home, Micro Credit scheme interest free loans and renovation of a Block of Classroom with Complete furniture for Ikeja Junior High School.”

He added “we plan to build a games court that can accommodate handball, badminton and volleyball, supply medical equipment to LASUTH, give awards to health care professionals that have been adjudged to be excellent performers, visit and provide relief materials to orphanages and IDP camps.

He noted that the club would also host its annual SOS Children Village Xmas Party, offer free test Medical Services to the Oregun Community, and distribute mosquito treated nets, provide borehole for Olusola Model Primary School Hudson Wright Oregun, donate equipment for Artisans, train and retrain Primary School teachers as well as engage in tree planting.’’

Badejo graduated from University of Ibadan in 1984 with a Degree in Geography and emerged one of the best in his class. He capped his career journey as a Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants, with many record-breaking achievements to his credit.

He was humble enough to take up Accounting from the scratch and eventually qualified as a Chartered Accountant having trained at BDO Binder Balogun Badejo & Co, Chartered Accountants where he cut his teeth in accounting and consulting and later Ayorinde Thomas & Co., Chartered Accountants.

Ghanaian fine artist and musician Nyornuwofia Agorsor has spoken of the messages she hopes to pass on with her creativity and artistic works. The  mother of five in a recent interview said: “My message is all about the African knowledge, heritage and love for the environment.  In my music, I talk about how the West is continually pulling Africa down and making us feel less humans by taking away our knowledge system and replaced it with religion and servitude education. I also talk about our environment and protecting it. In my paintings, I use alphabets, numbers and symbols to send my messages.”

Narrating her journey into arts, she said: “I attended school to secondary level and I refused to continue because I realised our education system in Africa is servitude. It only encourages the pushing of files. It does not help in bringing out the creative genius in our societies who will exploit and add value to our human and natural resources. It keeps our minds very low and keeps us in servitude. And this has taken away our fundamental moral laws. I first came in contact with the arts, in the shrine.”

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According to Agorsor, she discovered she was multi-talented at a young age through service and education in the shrine. “I came to know myself and what I am capable of,” said Agorsor.

Speaking on her success story in the arts, she said: “My success story is having that freedom to create what I feel to create. I don’t create because am forced to do so”, she said.

On her music, she said: “I released my debut album Hugadem in 2018. I am currently working on my next album global warming”, she noted.

Agorsor, however, finds African women being harsh, noting that she would love African women to be patient in everything they do, “The African woman is bold enough to dream big. Fierce enough to protect her children and tender enough to soften situations. She doesn’t need to appear strong by being harsh or rude,” said Agorsor.