Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

Author Management Gems, Deji Ajayi is a management mentor with years of cognate experiences in human resources, administration, training and employee relations in private sector. In a book chat, he spoke on the uniqueness and challenges of his maiden book and what inspired the writing, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

What is the thrust of the new  book?

With over 25 years experiences in management in private sector, I realised that I should give back to the society. I decided to come up with this small memento which will serve as a sort of impetus and motivator to those coming after us.

It is really about mentoring and personal effectiveness. It is also about building good relationships while at work, while growing your career so that people would be able to manage their career successfully.

We have topics on various areas such as time management, how to manage, how to relate with your colleagues, how to build good relationships with your colleagues and your bosses so that you can achieve your target despite the time limit that you are given. And if you are not able to finish a certain assignment you try to find people who you can delegate to and also achieve that target. So, it’s about working with people; it’s about getting things done through people. There is also a topic on creating wealth, where people at work complain about not being able to be successful with the little they earn. The idea is that while you’re working, you can still make money from outside using your spouse, relatives and managing small businesses. I also talked about choosing a leadership style, tips on being a role model, tips on coaching and mentoring.

 Who are your target audience?

They are the future leaders in a company; the youth who are the future leaders in an organisation, those who are going to be motivated who need mentoring and guidance, to be successful in their careers.

There are lots of books with such scope but what makes this unique?

It is very simple to read, and I gave practical day-to-day examples from my own experience. It is localised. There is a session there that talks about home front maneuvers. I also talked about time management.

As a young manager, what would you say was your greatest challenge?

The greatest challenge was when you put people into the job without proper training. For example, I was a sales manager and was trained. They trained us around the country. But the nitty-gritty of the job was not really exposed until I got to the field. So, I had to learn on the field. Those people on the field are already ahead of you so you have to start running fast to catch up with them. I was coming from administration. So the best time you have is about three months of training, coaching, going to class, and so on. But, the nitty-gritty is that by the time you get to the field you have to run fast and catch up with those on the field.

 Would you say your experience inspired the book?

Yes. It is one of the things that inspired me to write the book. You have to motivate people to take their time and take steps to achieve their goals, not just throwing them into the field.

You talked on time management, creating wealth, leadership style, enduring credentials and ‘we and them’ syndrome. Why are these important?

Enduring credentials deals on what people don’t know about the credentials they should possess when they are starting their careers. For instance, a candidate goes in as an engineer and he just stays with his BSc. Engineering, not minding professional qualifications from relevant professional bodies. You still need to develop yourself further professionally, like those of us in Human Resources (HR), we went to the Institute of Management and Institute of Personnel Management. We went to SPHR School, which is the Society of Professional HR in London, UK. You develop yourself better on the job. So, you are not only good at that job, you are also good for professional institutes outside. You can also go to other organisations don’t stay put in that environment.

The We versus Them syndrome, there are so many aspects there. While I was still in the industry, we had people who worked in head-office and those who are in outstations or factories. Those in the locations or factories often have the feelings that those in head-office are always passing orders because they plan and set processes and policies, while those in the location or factory are to execute. So, those in locations see those of us in the head-office as ‘them’. We also have examples of those who are living on the Mainland and those who are living on the Island. The bosses live on the Island while other managers live on the Mainland. At times they fix meetings at 8am. It is easy for those on the Island to get to the office by 8am, but those on the Mainland are the ones that have to struggle with traffic.

What have you done differently to make the book available?

I have people who are in those industries. The HR managers are all over the place. They are the ones we are contacting, and we are going to use professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, to get across to those people to let them know that this book is out. Also, I lecture MBA students in University of Ibadan School of Business in Ibadan. So, I will go there to introduce the book to them.

After Management Gem what next?

There is going to be another book, maybe on talent management or sales or selling in Nigeria.

What were your challenges getting it published?

It was not so easy because I also work as a consultant who had to publish over five books. But the challenge there was that in most cases when we sent a manuscript to the publisher, he would have set some corrections. He will send them to some of his assistants to amend. By the time they send it back to me, we realise that some of those errors are still there. So it took time going back and forth, and I just realised that that’s part of the challenges of publishing. It is not about just rushing the bringing it out; it is about getting the best out. I also learnt something on the printing aspect. It is not just about printing; you also have to design the cover page separately.

Will there be a sequel to the book?

I have to write a sequel to this because people will be asking questions about what I have said and suggest areas that I needed to have added. You can never finish writing a book on management. For instance, I gave an example of choosing your leadership style; there are so many other leadership styles that you can choose from.

 

By Babatunde Olaide-Mesewaku

According to The Tourist Gaze anyone taking a moment to view different scenes, landscapes and townscapes or artworks, which are out of the ordinary, is a tourist. The tourist gaze, from a postmodern posture, conceptualises tourism as an engagement and experience rather than a specific form of travel. The implication of this is that everyone is a tourist much of the time whether he/she knows about it or not. Experiences such as annual ethnic or communal festivals celebrated to mark epochs or celebrate the culture and heritage of people which enable participants to explore what they do not enjoy on a regular basis without leaving their familiar neighborhood are a case in point. This view of tourism embraces the main elements of the traditional definition of tourism with variations in space and time one spends as a tourist in a particular destination. It therefore, caters for both international and domestic tourists, whether one engages in overnight stay or a few hour(s) of excursion.

Understanding domestic tourism

Tourism, first and foremost, is domestic. It is usually a product of the Eco-system. Domestic tourism is the tourism of residents within the economic territory of the country of reference. Many writers have referred to the term ‘residents’ in tourism literature with such commonly used terminologies as host, community, local communities, rural communities and hosting communities. In the context of domestic tourism, residents are providers of tourism goods and services at destinations and not consumers unto themselves.

Many writers have defined domestic tourism from various perspectives; while a school of thought defines domestic tourism as all trips over 40 kilometres outside one’s usual environment which can be day trips or overnight trips for any given travel purpose; another perceives  domestic tourism as the travel by residents of a country within the country, which can be same day or overnight within or outside the same state and territory but excluding travelling for work or school; and lastly another defines domestic tourism simply as tourism within one’s country of residents. Though these definitions inevitably appear diverse one particular element that transcends these definitions is the fact that domestic tourism is characterised basically by movement of tourists from one area of the traveler’s country to the other.

What is more, domestic tourism can be said to embody such approaches in tourism practices as Community Based Tourism (TBC), Ecotourism (ET), Pro-poor tourism (PPT) and Sustaining tourism-eliminating poverty (ST-EP). All approaches are geared towards possible reduction of poverty at the grassroots level with increased net benefits for the people. This objective is consistent with the United Nations Sustaining Development Goals. It is an outgrowth of the broadening scope of the idea of sustainable tourism which encompasses socio-cultural and economic, as well as environmental sustainability.

Why tourism in Lagos State

Lagos population, according to United Nations projection, would be 20 million in 2015 which would make it the third largest city in the world. This is 2021. Lagos is home to over 21,000 industrial establishments, 10,000 commercial ventures, and five industrial estates. The state accounts for 70percent  national maritime cargo freight; over 80percent of international aviation traffic and 50 per cent of domestic energy consumption; Lagos accounts for 80percent of the number of industries captured in 2019 was 318. Lagos, no doubt, offers enormous prospects for both inbound and outbound tourism because of direct flights from tourists’ generating regions of America, Eurasia, African markets as well as other component states of Nigeria to grow domestic and regional tourism. Its strong economy of being responsible for 30 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP with estimated GDP in 2020 hitting a record N32.150 Trillion and a sustainable infrastructural development make Lagos a strong catalyst for a flouring domestic tourism.

Conceptual model for Lagos domestic tourism

As a result of the interaction between tourists and the local people which is expressed in how tourism responds to particular assets in a destination, its accessibility to the local, its connectivity and its ability to linking consumers to producers characteristically makes domestic tourism malleable activities that are relevant particularly to reduction of poverty with potentials to providing a number of intangible and practical benefits to the local people.

As the word connotes, domestic tourism thrives more on harnessing of a destination’s tangible and intangible natural and cultural heritage in relation to how the community or the host live and explore their lives in relation to their economy, technology and sociology. Economy: be it fishing, farming, animal husbandry, farming, trading, palm-wine tapping which gives them source of livelihood etc; Technology: finds expression in various forms of local arts such as visual arts, painting, textile, carving, sculpting, pottery, ceramics, weaving and crafts, bead-making etc leading to empowerment and self-sufficiency, particularly for youths in rural communities and; Sociology as expressed in mode of dressing, food and cuisine, history, religion and festivals, social and cultural landscape, environmental ambiance, social institutions e.g. security, music, literature, and other intellectual expressions.

The harnessing of these local resources and assets into products of attraction for domestic visitor’s experience and consumption constitutes the factors that grow and stimulate domestic tourism. And when fully developed and projected they become attractions for the influx of international tourists. It goes without saying that the value of domestic tourism rests in the reality of the indigenous people’s ways of life and other stakeholders acknowledging the value of such in the preservation of tourism resources in the community.

Some of the basic characteristics of Domestic Tourism are that: It grows and develops  from the host community ecosystem or environment; attractions are not necessarily built, managed or existed for mass tourism destinations; it is dependent on natural capital (wildlife, sceneries and features) and culture which are assets to the host; it does not wholly rely on excesses that attract inbound international tourists like five star hotels, airports, quality highways among others; Domestic tourist is not out to consume highly standardised tourism products; domestic tourism is for small scale tourism that takes off with minimal investment; domestic tourists do not need to have lots of money to enjoy social life but the will to travel outside of their normal environment for leisure of participating in festival, picnics at the beaches or adventure to sites and sceneries

Key stakeholders in domestic tourism implementation

A stakeholder has been defined as ‘‘any individual, community, group or organisation with an interest in the outcome of activities, either as a result of being affected by it or by being able to influence it’’. Involvement of stakeholders in the domestic tourism approach will not be enough without being made to feel engaged and enabled to work together as a team.

The public sector, including supra-governmental bodies such as the UNESCO, the Federal and the State Governments and the local government and other quasi-governmental organisations: this sector becomes relevant in terms of appropriate legislation, policy formulation and regulation in the area access to funding and fiscal incentives; training and capacity building; land use planning and access to land; environmental and impact assessment; provision of infrastructure e.g. network of good roads, visitor attractions like museums, historical buildings, communication infrastructure etc. The tourism industry: this includes players in the hospitality industry, Entertainment and Arts, tourist attractions sites and other tourist services providers, the national/local tour operators, owners of shopping malls, restaurants and café, canteens, transportation associations etc. The private sector, who must act as partner, enabler, customer, marketing channel and financial analyst: this includes the banking sector, other financial institutions and local media outfits. The integration of the host community people as producers, suppliers, workers, participants and above all decision-makers

Strategic approach to implementing domestic tourism

To put in place basic structure for the development of domestic tourism and its growth, as pointed out above, two basic steps become imperative. The local governments must be adequately integrated. The local governments provide the basic structure for the growth and flourishing of domestic tourism in the state hence the creation or establishment of tourism departments at the local government level. The creation of tourism committee at each local government in the state is sine-qual-none. This is one technical aspect where a legislation/policy for the creation of tourism committee in each local government in the state becomes catalytic.

The committee and the department shall work in synergy in their respective local government to collect and collate data on both tangible and intangible cultural and natural heritage at their respective local government, coordinating the activities of local tour guides, operators and relevant NGOs in the local government areas; coordination, liaison, raising public awareness and undertaking activities like arts and cultural exhibition; provision of information to visitors via creation of Tourism Information Offices in the Local Government. Act as community based liaison for the implementation and execution of State tourism programmes at the grassroots level. Promote and encourage tourism initiatives at the local level by encouraging local government to build, own and manage visitors’ attractions like museums, galleries, cultural activities etc.

Promote tourism marketing via promotional campaigns, sponsoring and facilitating cultural and entertainment events. Capacity building, training and empowerment through skill acquisition in indigenous technology including training of tour guides operators and interpreters. Act as liaison office and network nexus for both the Hotel Licensing and Film Licensing Board respectively or any other agency operating under the tourism Ministry to collect and collate data to aid the agencies in carrying out their responsibilities in the State. Product development in various aspects of the State’s tourism resources even food that are discernible in each local government.

The unique tourist experience that is being consumed in a destination are usually delivered by the combined activities of travel agents, tour operators, transport providers, hotels, restaurants, attraction site managers, activity operators, handicraft sellers, general retailers and operators of many other ancillary services. This is why tourism has become probably the world largest employer of labour employing 1/11 jobs generated globally. The conscientious pursuit of domestic tourism in Lagos State will change the narrative of tourism and impact significantly the quality of life of the local people socially and economically. However, the challenges this model will normally face speak to  coping with the ravaging COVID ’19, technology, security, good road network to destinations, the nation’s economy, environment, politics, infrastructure etc.

By Opeyemi Samuel

The leadership of Yoruba Professionals Foundation (YPF) and Ilana Omo Oodua (IOO) recently organised a programme aimed at waging war against poverty, youth unemployment and crimes through industrialisation and agriculture.

The programme, with the theme: Promoting Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship in Yoruba Land, was geared towards reviving the industrialisation policy of the late Obafemi Awolowo in Western Nigeria.

It was envisioned by a pan-Yoruba professional body Yoruba Professionals Foundation (YPF), with Prof Banji Akintoye- led IOO as a major partner.

Last December, YPF and IOO trained 50 youths of Yoruba descent on Smart Homes Automation and Solar Technology with capacity to compete anywhere in the world. In January, the groups also trained 40 youths of Yoruba descent, including Kwara and Kogi states on Accounting Technologies and Digital Marketing.

And in continuation of their drives against unemployment and the advancement of knowledge-based entrepreneurship in  Western Nigeria, the Pan-Yoruba groups have completed the training of 45 youths of Yoruba descent on Advanced Paint Production and Application with the trainees exposed to how to produce commercially over  20 types of paints.

The training, done in partnership with an indigenous paint company, Comfort Paints Propman Ltd, was on the production and application of emulsion paint, satin or nylon paint, texcoat paint, matt paint, gloss or oil paint, flexcoat paint, matte eggshells, sheen, mamo satin and silk paint.

Other paints the trainees were made to produce included textured paint, pop emulsion paint, marble effect paint, marble trowel paint, base coat paint, graffitex paint, anti-rust paint, varnish paint and undercoat paint.

Aside from being trained on paint production, the trainees were also introduced to a three-hour session on Customer Relations and Management so as to aid their drive for business expansion and profit maximisation.

Speaking during the grand finale of the training and products exhibition session, a retired Professor of Romantics and Comparative Literature, Ade Kukoyi, who represented the leader of IOO, Prof (Senator) Banji Akintoye at the event, said the programme, as designed by the YPF, is geared towards reviving the industrialisation policy of late Obafemi Awolowo in Western Nigeria.

Kukoyi said: “My generation is tired already, so we are encouraging the younger generation to keep on with the battle. As you can see, the industrialisation plans of YPF are about sciences, technology and innovations.

“That was what Awolowo envisioned for the Yoruba Nation and started for the Yoruba people before our “enemies” subjugated his vision but by the grace of God, we are reviving everything and the journey to this redemption has started”.

General Secretary of IOO, Opeyemi Akinola said the organisation chose to partner YPF in order to ensure that Yoruba Land does not become another “South Sudan” after actualising its demand for self-determination within the Nigerian federation.

He called on the trainees to ensure they join in the crusade for self-determination for Yoruba people, saying the present 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as severally amended will continue to sustain unemployment until it is repealed and the people are allowed to come up with the constitution they want as a country of many nations.

Founder and President of YPF, Maxwell Adeleye said his team, alongside other like-minds, will increase the tempo of the Entrepreneurial Development Series being championed by the YPF in partnership with IOO and as supported by various individuals, corporate institutions and organisations towards promoting knowledge-based entrepreneurship in Yoruba nation.

He said the level of hunger and poverty,  mostly caused by unemployment, in Western Nigeria, is gargantuan and must be curtailed in line with the dictates of the 21st century, hence, the decision to adopt a knowledge-based approach.

“Hunger, starvation and poverty breed insecurity and civil unrest and the major cause of hunger and poverty is unemployment. Therefore, we want to use sciences, technology and digital innovations to wage war against poverty in Yoruba Land, hence we are here today.

“In our maiden edition at this venue in December 2020, we trained about 50 youths on Smart Homes Automation and Solar Technology. Today, they are thriving. In January 2021, we trained 40 youths on various forms of Accounting Technology and Digital Marketing. The trainees are now in town excelling.

“For almost one week, we engaged our trainees on how to produce and apply paints over 20 paints. By the grace of God, we shall monitor their progress and ensure they use their acquired skills to tackle unemployment in Yoruba Land”, Adeleye, said.

He thanked IOO, other sponsors and everyone who contributed to the success of the training. He singled out the Legal and Finance Director of YPF, Oladapo Kayode, Esq for his consistent dedication to duties and commitment towards the professional emancipation of the younger generation.

The Resource Person on Paints Production and Application, Mr. Samuel Adegboro, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Comfort Paints and his counterpart on Customers Relations and Management, Dr. Samuel Fasanmi, a psychometrician and personality development expert, charged the Trainees to maximise the skills they acquired on the platter of gold towards a better life.

They warned the Trainees against producing sub-standard products, appealing to them to make integrity and quality service delivery their watchword as they begin a new life in the world of entrepreneurship.

Responding on behalf of his colleagues, one of the Trainees, Hakeem Adebanjo, thanked the leadership of IOO and YPF for giving him and his colleagues what he described as a “life-changing opportunity”.

“I never believed what I read online was real until I got here. I am a Yoruba man working for a living in Abia State, South Eastern Nigeria, I had to travel down to be part of this free training worth more than a million. I am surprised and yet to believe that some Pan- Yoruba groups like YPF and IOO exist.

“On behalf of my colleagues, we thank you for giving us a future. We thank you, YPF and Ilana Omo Oodua for changing our lives. May history and posterity be kind to you,” Adebanjo said.

The Director-General National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe has described the late Alhaji Salen Rabo, the deceased President of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN)) as an outstanding Nigerian who contributed greatly to the development of tourism, arts and culture in the country.

Runsewe who gave this remark when he led a delegation of stakeholders and top management of NCAC on a condolence visit to Rabo’s family house in Abuja, said the deceased would be remembered for his hardwork, humility and professional diligence.

Runsewe regretted that Rabo died at a time his wealth of knowledge and experience were most needed for the development of the sector.

Consoling the family for the great loss, he urged them to take solace in the fact that Rabo died on a Friday and on the holy month of Ramadan. The implication of this according to the NCAC boss, is that Allah will grant the deceased eternal rest in paradise.

Mallam Suleiman Yahaya who gave admonition during the condolence visit corroborated the position of Otunba Runsewe by stressing that the best thing that could happen to a Muslim faithful is to die on a Friday and during the holy month of Ramadan.

In the entourage of the NCAC boss were Mr. Ali Badaki, Deputy President of FTAN; Hajia Bilkisu Abdul, President of National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP); Mrs. Sussan Akporiaye, President of National Association of Travel Agencies (NANTA) and top management staff of NCAC.

Members of the entourage took their turn to condole with the family of the late Rabo and to urge them to remain strong and be faithful to the Lord.

Responding on behalf of the family, Alhaji Tahiru Kareen Rabo, elder brother to late Saleh Rabo thanked Runsewe and his team for the visit, adding that it was a testimony of the love they had for the family.

Alhaji Tahiru Rabo said that he was grateful to Almighty Allah for the life of service his late brother lived and noted with satisfaction, the numerous testimonies about the late brother from various circles.

“While the death of my brother is no doubt painful, we however surrender to the will of Almighty Allah” Tahiru concluded.

 

Land Mark Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos, situated at the Atlantic ocean-view waterfront, is a unique art-tourism hub. From business to lifestyle and leisure, including hotel, beach and film house, the centre is increasingly expanding its clientele base. On Saturday, May 1, the opening of Gallery At The Landmark and Isaac Emokpae’s solo exhibition In My Father’s House will not only open fresh vista of recreational platforms, but also enrich its bouquet for the public, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME report.

One of Nigeria’s famous surrealist sculptors, the late Erhabor Emokpae, who transited 37 years ago, would have been the happiest man if alive today to witness the expression of his artistic dream in his son Isaac Iken Emokpae.

Until his death, Emokpae had communicated through painting, brush and chisel to express his philosophy about humanity and society. His art revolves around dualism, which deals on ethical, metaphysical, and theological speculations.

To the late sculptor, in ethics, ‘it is right and wrong, in metaphysics, it is mind and matter; and in theological, it is a continuous internal difference or confrontation between heaven and hell or good and evil.’

All this seems to have been imbibed by Isaac Emokpae; a University of Lagos trained creative artist and photographer under the tutelage of renowned artist Prof Abayomi Barber.

In like manner, Isaac Emokpae’s works are also defined by duality and expressionist cum surrealist features.

Though found footing in the art scene from the onset as a photographer, he has raised the bar with his exploration in the two-dimension artworks. On Saturday May 1, his solo exhibition In my father’s house, will be part of the grand opening of Gallery At The Landmark, Oniru Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos. The gallery, which is a project managed by his sister, Mrs. Ighiwiyisi Jacobs (Nee Emokpae), is to provide a platform with the buttress of the Landmark Centre, for established and emerging African artists.

The gallery project is a legacy thing to honour something that goes way back but has come instinctively. The exhibition which will run till June 4 will be curated by Hannah Oghene

According to Mrs. Jacobs, the vision of gallery at the Landmark is to be the incremental difference on a wider narrative about Africa and African art. “In the face of a narrative that is very often negative, the Gallery at the Landmark is intentionally positioned to offer an alternative interpretation to an age-old conversation.

“We are introducing window display that is common to most high streets in major cities of the world, which involve artist depicting a particular issue on the large windows. This is to raise the bar of fusing various forms of display to drive traffic. There will be theme and storyline behind the display. Inside the gallery, there will be exhibits while the opposite walls will serve as window display for audience. The idea is to present the works properly for the viewers. The display on the window and the exhibits inside the gallery will complement each other but not homogenous,” she said at a recent preview of the exhibition.

The window display will be executed by Hermosa Design Company known for its extravagant, elaborate thought-of-every-detail set design that can catch more flies than honey because they are so rich in props, crafts and even flourishing flora. The Landmark will be enriched by the wealth and creativity of the window displays that will populate the windows visible from the boulevard. It is a real head turner and crowd pleaser that will incite shock and awe and bring people through the doors of Gallery at the Landmark.

On the gallery/exhibition project as a legacy, she said: “I want to imagine that my father will be proud of an exhibition like this because it is a continuum of his dream, otherwise who is talking about him? Who is telling us more than what we see in the books? While he is not lost in his father’s shadow as an artist, he owes the spark to him.”

Thematically, Isaac Emokpae’s paintings however create a sense of ‘absolutionism’ and can be described as abstract expressionism. Emokpae is rare as an artist because he works from word to image. He often begins his process by describing a notion from fear to freedom and everything in between and then translates that to visual expression, hence, the reason for championing expressionism.

For Emokpae, COVID-19 provided time for introspection. “It was time when I looked back at those things that influenced me. There is no way I can say I am independent of my heritage. I find kindred spirit in the likes of Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti and Dare Art Alade who are shouldering a heritage. As a Benin man with that culture consciousness, I must carry it is a baton. One of the commandments I find stringent is honour thy father and thy mother. I tried to lift those ideals my parents stood for.

“The themes I talk about in the exhibition include family, love, respect, faith, success through hard work. If there is one thing I inherited from my father, it is that a message is effective when it is simple,” he said.

He will be exhibiting 20 two-dimensional pieces that are a fusion of traditional stain glass and painting. The title of the exhibition, In my father’s house, is a coinage from his childhood experience of his father before he died. “My father was the only person to be lied in state at the National Theatre, Lagos before he was buried. He was always there than he was at home.  Any time I want to hear him or see him, I just walk round the National Theatre because he is everywhere even where people don’t pay attention to. Inside my father’s house, there are many rooms and ideas.

“My late father has not been accorded the proper respect  he deserved, maybe because most of his works are not in private homes but public spaces.  When collectors don’t have any of his works to hold, his name becomes of little importance to them,” he lamented.

With this renewed efforts by Isaac and Mrs Jacobs, the narratives around Emokpae, his life and times in Nigerian cultural landscape will blossom especially on his contributions to the creation of National Festival of Arts and Culture, hosting of FESTAC 77, and even some of fhis unfinished projects like The Black Pot, an initiative for the promotion of Nigerian cuisines across the globe.

Emokpae’s works are featured in renowned collections such as Deutsche Bank, Germany; the Centre for UNESCO, Louis Francoise, Troyes France; The Wheatbaker, Lagos; AXA Mansard, Lagos and Nigeria Bottling Company, Lagos. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions that include an exchange between UAE and Nigeria at Alliance Francaise Nigeria; Transparent at Rele Gallery, Lagos and Reconstruction in Reverse at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He is a man of many parts. But his contributions to educational development, especially Journalism/Mass Communication, have etched his name on timeless marble. Welcome erudite scholar and accomplished journalist, Prof. Idowu Akanbi Sobowale. Widely celebrated as a “teacher of teachers”, the multidisciplinary journalist who turned 80 recently is credited with producing hundreds of scholars and journalists. In this interview with EVELYN OSAGIE, he recounts how he escaped death covering the Civil War, his take on succession calls, Imo attract among others.

My Nigerian civil war experience

As I’ve said, I don’t think secession is an option. It shouldn’t be. I also don’t think going to war is an option. It shouldn’t be, because those who have seen war or worse would pray that it never occur again. Throughout the Nigerian civil war, I was an active participant as a war correspondent. I operated in the three divisions of the war. The first division that was taken over by late Brigadier General Shotanmi; the second div., and Marine Commando, third division headed by Benjamin Adekunle. And in fact, I escaped death by whiskers at Ore, the day the Biafrans came and destroyed Ore. And we left just about five minutes before they routed every soldier that were there. They had stationed the soldiers that were to be taken to the front which had been taken from the various training centres and camped there so that they would be hearing the sound of gun. So that when it was time for them to move they would not be afraid. On this day, we (Yusuf Oladele, my photographer and I) had written our stories and given them to somebody who was coming to Lagos. Then, we went to Ondo, when we came back, we decided to go to Lagos with my motorcycle. We rode it at the first div. And as soon as we left, the Biafrans came and exterminated all the soldiers there. There was no way we would have escaped. In fact, we had not gotten to Ijebu Ode when news came that we got the news; and that they were on their way to Lagos, Abeokuta and Ibadan. And when we got to Ijebu Ode, it was said that the Biafrans were on their way to Ikorodu. Such were the stories until we got to Lagos; and the whole place was in panic.

At the third Marine Commando, I saw death face to face . And at the first div., we went to – I think it was either Ogboloeke or Ogboloafo that was a spot for long and protracted conflict between the Biafrans and the Nigerian troops. This day, they said they had left there for a while; then Shotanmi asked Yusuf and me to accompany him to see what the place was like. Not long after we got there and we were going round, we were in an abandoned school when a soldier came to tell Shotanmi that the Biafrans had returned. Then Shokanmi looked round and saw a jute bags and asked Yusuf and I to enter, cover ourselves and remain still. He said they would do their best to defend us and if they didn’t succeed, it would not have been for lack of trying. He, then, went out with the soldier, and later somebody else came and said that they had repelled them. We were asked to come out of the jute bag.I  had never been so afraid in my life like that day because that would’ve been the end. A time was when we were going to the war front with a bammy wagon, a big lorry, loaded with soldiers supply. We had to stand at the tail end with soldiers. We just got to a point and heard the explosion of a riffle. I think the cocked gun of  soldier standing next to me triggered off when we got into a bump , and its bullet went pass me by inches. It could’ve entered and blown off my skull but God saved me. There are so many instances like that.

When we got to Oron and wanted to take the pontoon to Calabar, we saw the pontoon someway off on its way to Calabar. And we were thinking of what to do: where to sleep, when we saw the speedboat that Major Isaac Adaka Boro used in crossing from Calabar to Oron. It was on the last day he would go to the front. And that was his last journey to the front because the following day he was announced dead. It was the same boat we took back to Calabar. Then in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, there was this storm which turned the boat and off into the air I went. Yusuf and others had thought that was the end, but when it moved and I landed, I landed on the edge of the boat and then they pulled me inside. There is no way anybody can forget such.

My first assignment in the North

I was in the North when the first coup started. And the first assignment I covered in the North was the visit of Ladoke Akintola to Sir Ahmadu Bello. It was the day I got to Kaduna on my way to Kano as the correspondent in Kano for the Daily Times that the first coup occurred. I was tired because we went by road for the Daily Times distributing paper. I was tired and sleepy when asked to go for sightseeing round the city for me to see how the city in the car. And as soon as we entered the car, I slept off. Then all of a sudden, the car came to a halt. I saw everybody crouching on the floor, chanting Rakandede Rakandede Rakandede at another car. And when the car sped off, they said that was the late Bello seeing Akintola off to the airport. So we went back home and slept. At 2am, we started hearing the sound of guns, and, the people I was staying with(Alhaji Mustapha, the northern editor of Daily Times and some others) said the thugs from the West had come. And that no Westerner in the North was going to go safe. That heightened my fear because I had just left the comfort of my state and region to come in that. Later at about 6am, we decided to go round and see what had happened.

When we were going, we saw the military or police in training with their white singlet and khaki shorts, standing in strategic places. We went to Bello’s house and when we got there, we saw a tall individual rapped with blood soaked white linen on the ground. That infuriated my host the more that the thugs had come with boldness to kill Bello, that: “everybody must be killed”. Still in the morning, about 7 O’clock, we went round again and the trainees had been replaced with stern-looking soldiers, manning even the offices that were not manned before. Then we went back to file our stories to Lagos. We got to the teleprinter; it was dead. We picked the phone to dictate the story; the lines were dead. Then, we decided to go to Ibadan; we got there and it was the same. Daily Times then had teleprinters in each of its regional headquarters – Ibadan, Enugu, and Kaduna. We contacted Enugu, and still nothing. Then not too long after, we saw military patrol vehicles with stern-looking soldiers. They stopped to disperse people anywhere they saw three persons standing. And everyone was still wondering what was happening when a little after seven, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu came on the line to say that a coup had occurred; and they had killed all the leaders of the regions. That was when everybody heaved a sigh of relief until later when people got to know that the death occurred only in the North and then in Ibadan with Akintola.

My take on the IGP saga

That would not be the first instance in Nigeria; they are too numerous. In the past, many had heard of their removal from office from the radio. I’m not sure it should be strange to Adamu himself, because he would’ve gone while the ovation was loudest.

My thoughts on the attack in Imo

It would not be the first time: in Abuja, they had done it, taking it to the Police headquarters and the UN office. It only shows there is no security in Nigeria at all.

My view on the way forward

I think Nigerians should now decide to take their destinies in their hands. We have been too dozy in this country. We are even afraid to ask questions, not to talk of taking actions. I’m not advocating violence because I’m scared of violence either because of what I saw during the war or because of what I have seen after the war. But it appears to me that we have not learnt anything; or we have not learnt enough from the occurrences of the past.

However, the major focal point is the leadership of this country: they should now be thinking of how to distribute the bounties that God has given this country, equitably amongst the various groups. The lawmakers in the various houses are supposed to, and I’m using my words advisably now, as supposed to be representing us. How much representation are they making? But unfortunately even those who didn’t know anything or have a hand in what happened or is happening are going to share from the repercussions of the neglect.

Why Lagos mourned Jakande

It couldn’t have been otherwise. When he was arrested by the military after the coup, market women and men in the state got together and went to the military. They said they knew that politicians were thieves; and Jakande being a politician must have been a thief, but they wanted to know how much he had stolen because they wanted to pay it back. If people could do that when he was alive, you can imagine how people would feel when they learnt that he had transited to the world beyond.

Let me give you more examples of how mindful of the ordinary person he was: he worked very hard. He never left office earlier than 8pm. Then when he got home – I’m giving you his schedule on a daily basis – when he got home, there was not moment for rest because scores of people, if not, in hundreds, would have been waiting for him. It was his habit of holding court every day. And that was why his commissioners, special advisers and permanent secretaries didn’t like going to his house in the evenings. Once you got there, you would not be able to leave until when the last person had left. And he would listen to everybody, whatever the complaint and would take copious note and send to the official directly in charge of that complain that was present, saying he wants a response in 48hours. And he would have told the complainant to come back in 48hrs for the feedback. He did that consistently throughout his administration. So if people who had benefitted from that, got emotional when he passed, it should not be a surprise.

Lessons for today’s leaders in Jakande’s example

Men like him cannot die. He would live forever. The examples are there for anybody who wants to learn to see. After his death, some media enumerated the things that he did in four years – only four years, because his administration was terminated the third month of its second term. If you put all the things they listed together, without exaggeration, they surpassed those of the governors that worked for eight years. So if you’re seeking office, seek it for the purpose of service. Do not do it because you want to benefit from it. Jakande was never one minute late for meetings (in the ones I attended with him). And the meetings usually ended late but Jakande will not stand up once to say he was going to toilet. He would lick his sweets and nothing more.

BOOK REVIEW

Title: Ameh Ebute: The Audacity To Be Different

Author: Nats Agbo

Edited By: Dapo Olaosebikan

Publishers: Double Golden Publishers, Lagos

Pagination: 213

The 213-page Ameh Ebute: The Audacity To Be Different is biography of one of the few extraordinary Nigerian leaders, particularly from the country’s Second Republic. A straightforward prose the book is research-based and it is not about praise-singing Senator Ameh Ebute’s strides as a Nigerian leader but an appraisal of his leadership essence to the Nigerian nation, which, from the accounts of the author, is consistently punctuated by his character of not compromising integrity in private and public life.

Ameh Ebute: The Audacity To Be Different, is a presentation of Nigerian political history via Senator Ebute’s visionary and incorruptible leadership, particularly as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the delicate socio-political atmosphere that climaxed the famed June 12, 1993 presidential election, its as well as annulment the consequential effects on the Nigerian polity.

The first three Chapters dwell on the history of Idomaland in Benue State, Senator Ameh Ebute’s background, his family, early childhood, education and the trait to be different from his early life to adulthood.

In particular, Chapter Two is in on birth of Senator Ebute, his father’s growing influence, the spread of Christian faith and its consequential impact on several communities in the vast colonial Edumoga District in Idomaland. This chapter presents the introduction of effective Western education in the area of which young Ameh Ebute was a notable beneficiary. Chapter Three is generally about early education of young Senator Ameh Ebute.

The book also features one aspect of Senator Ameh’s impressive life that is not talked much about-his enlistment in the Nigeria Police Force through a six-month course at Police College Kaduna, his posting to Maiduguri and subsequent re-posting to Kaduna, where he worked at the Police Pay Office and where he typically displayed the trait of incorruptibility as a public officer.

The book presents the defining principle of Senator Ebute’s life and leadership essence of in the nation’s political history. Consequently, the author gives a checklist of what constitutes Senator Ebute’s audacious leadership traits. The checklist includes the fact that during his tenure as the Senate Committee Chairman of Finance and Appropriations in the Second Republic, he never approached any minister for incentives to propose large budgetary figure for his ministry as confirmed by the fact he was never investigated for any lodgments in his account, either in Nigeria or abroad, during the Buhari Military regime.

Similarly, Senator Ameh Ebute being a different politician had, on principle, resigned from four  government offices, in his public career including the Nigeria Police Force where he was awarded Exemplary Character Certificate and his resignation as the first Chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Council of Benue State, having realised the corruptive tendencies of his colleagues and the other principal persons of the Local Government Council.

Finally, the book is an academic beauty in relevant facts about Senator Ameh Ebute’s nativity, early life, his doggedness to make it to the top as a child, self-trained growing man, policeman, family man and politician. The book also captures his legal career, political battles and his Midas touch as Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) between 2014 and 2018 as well as how his life has generally and positively impacted his place of birth, Benue, his home State and Nigeria at large.

Largely, Ameh Ebute: The Audacit To Be Different, is not just a biography of a distinguished Nigeria leader, it is also a book on political history of our nation-a book for current and future Nigerian leaders as well as students of political history.