A book, You Too Can Become A Success, by Dr. Helen Oritsejafor, will be launched this Saturday after the online quarterly master-class of the sixth CEOs Company Mentorship Class tagged: Overcoming the Effects of COVID-19 on Business.
The book unveils the secrets to experiencing a fulfilling life of unlimited success.
The author provides the readers with the facts that basking in the euphoria of everlasting success requires a success-based mindset, commitment to remain focused on the goal and persistently work hard, while steadfastly working with God.
Oritsejafor intends to close the gap and showcase that indeed businesses and organisations can survive at such uncertain times if they are willing to re-strategise the right way.
After the launch, the book will be available on Amazon for purchase and download for e-copy versions.
He first hit the bookshelf with A Date With Failure: Art Of Standing Up Again in 2004, a book that many judged by its cover title!
But, little did they ponder on the universal truth that those who have achieved the most in life have been those who have failed the most. They doggedly rise up again and again after each fall, using their failure lessons as the ladder that takes them to their ultimate success.
However, that was not enough to deter Mr. Somi Uranta from assembling materials for his next book.
Today, Uranta, also the founder of the one-stop shop Somi Steam Group in Oregun, Lagos, is out with a new masterpiece Contradictions: Lessons From The School of Life. The 214-page book was released last month.
To underscore how gripping the book is to his clients at the Somi Steam Car Wash Facility vand the public, the book vendors on Lagos traffic have also latched on it, hawking it like fresh hot bean cake to motorists and commuters.
Speaking on why he had to write the book after A Date with Failure experience, he said: “After pondering through all the questions, which quite unexpectedly, led to more unanswered questions, I decided to share my thoughts both as an observer and a participant in the school of life…
“For instance, how does one resolve the inherent contradictions in these immortal and widely acceptable lines: ‘to be wise, you must be foolish, if you want to be rich, scatter your wealth and they will return to you in many fold. If you want to save your life, lose it…’ ”
The book is published by SPW Publishing and Company and with a foreword by Prof. Chedozie Okoro of the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, who is on sabbatical at the department of Philosophy and Classics, University of Ghana, Accra.
One of the leading yearly arts and book events, Aké Arts and Book Festival, will open from October 22 to 25 with free programmes of 65 book chats, workshops, panel discussions and performances from the most exciting voices across Africa and the African Diaspora.
Expected guests include Nobel laurete Prof. Wole Soyinka, Maryse Conde, Tayari Jones, Esi Edugyan, Marlon James, Petina Gappah, Kehinde Andrews, Elias Wondimu, Zukiswa Wanner, Molara Wood, Bolu Babalola, and Okechukwu Nzelu.
Due to the global coronavirus crisis, Aké Festival will go digital this year. It will be free to access by audiences all over the world, creating a platform for them to take part in this celebration of black excellence, resilience and resistance.
The theme for this year is: African Time. It is so titled in recognition of the global anti-racism movement that has gathered momentum and visibility in recent months.
Audiences across the world have been enjoined to join luminaries from contemporary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, film, theatre, music and visual arts in discussions about some of the most critical issues of our time, including race, gender, identity, equality and mental health, technology, religion and empathy.
Now in its eighth year, Sterling Bank is the headline sponsor of this world’s largest collection of African creative voices on African soil for the third consecutive year.
Aké Festival hosts some of the most sought-after, innovative voices in black thought.
The Chief Executive Officer Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, said: “Sterling continues to support Aké Arts and Book Festival because we see the creative industry’s potential to generate local and foreign earnings. Over the last four years, we have seen the magic that happens when young Africans come into contact with their literary heroes. Nigerians have won just about every literary prize, but it’s important to support the next generation of creatives. We want them to be inspired, and we consider it a privilege to be able to bring people closer to achieving their creative dreams.”
Also, Director and founder, Aké Arts and Book Festival, Lola Shoneyin said: “Our world has changed forever. The magnitude of recent world events cannot be ignored. In 1918, African nations were in the clutches of imperial forces that degraded our stories, culture, history, language and belief systems. More than a century later, the COVID-19 pandemic finds Africa struggling with the colonial hangover of poor leadership and a predatory global order. Now is the time for Africa to recalibrate and break the cycle of betrayal by those elected to lead. It may have come later than hoped for, but, for the children of Africa everywhere, this is African Time.”
During the festival, attendees will participate in 26 panel discussions, 24 author talks, storytelling, three workshops, a concert, two exhibitions, poetry performances, films and a stage play.
Discussions will cover issues, including intersectional feminism, blacktivism and colourism to the burgeoning post-COVID mental health crisis and decolonisation of black spaces.
Panel discussions will include: Black Women Harnessing Anger for Social Change; Publishing While African; Decolonising Feminism in Africa; and Why African Needs Feminist Giants, and The Place of Faith in a Health Crisis.
The disruption of global value chains by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on African businesses are evident.
As factories close their doors and travel restrictions interrupt supply chains, the workers – the most vulnerable and lowest paid people in the fashion supply chain – have been left to feel the worst effects.
Building more resilient value chains through innovative business models that will keep garments in use longer, use renewable materials and recycling old clothes into new products, were the focus of discussions at the second webinar event organised recently by the African Development Bank’s Fashionomics Africa initiative, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme.
Eighty-eight persons joined the event.
The panel comprised experts from Parsons School of Design in New York, the United Kingdom (U.K.)-based charity – Ellen MacArthur Foundation – and the creative minds behind sustainable African fashion brands, Orange Culture, Mariama Fashion Production and Qaaldesigns.
“My dream is to develop a healthy fashion industry in Africa. We need to rely and build ourselves from our own system. At the end of the day, we have so much that needs to be done and we can’t do it alone,” Orange Culture Adebayo Oke-Lawal, said.
“Covid-19 forced our world to rethink our system. We can absolutely do this in an excellent way. It’s a question of interconnection and understanding. My waste could be someone else’s resources. What is needed is collaboration and breaking down the typical silos fashionpreneurs face in the industry,” said Brendan McCarthy of the Parsons School of Design.
The goal of the bank’s Fashionomics Africa platform is to enable African entrepreneurs operating in the textile, apparel and accessories industry to create and grow their businesses, with a focus on women and youths.
Through the Fashionomics Africa Digital Marketplace and Mobile App, the bank is also analysing the impact of the textile sector on climate change and the environment to deploy climate-friendly solutions in Africa.
McCarthy, who said digital tools have become a phenomenon and have revolutionised the way the fashion industry works, noted that Parsons School of Design is working with the bank to leverage digital tools to support the African textile and fashion industry.
“African fashion entrepreneurs see in the pandemic and the acceleration of digital tools, an opportunity to reconceptualise and better educate designers, but also consumers,” said Bintou Sadio Diallo, who spoke on behalf of the African Development Bank.
The Fashionomics Africa initiative intends to contribute to the African Textile, Apparel & Accessories industry by increasing the number of entrepreneurs accessing markets through e-commerce capabilities, boosting their access to finance, technical and business skills and forging strategic partnerships with key contributors.
The Fashionomics Africa webinar series is available for fashion entrepreneurs, digital enthusiasts and creative minds on the IOS platform.
Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mr. Folorunso Coker, has announced a dedicated partnership between NTDC and Google Arts and Culture aimed at enabling the recovery and growth of the tourism industry.
The partnership will include training and support for small businesses, skilling initiatives for individuals and others as well as the launch of a new Google Arts & Culture initiative called Explore Nigeria. These, he said, are the first steps in what will be a long-term deal between NTDC and Google.
Coker, in his Independence Day celebration message, said the promotion of domestic tourism was crucial to re-energising the economy and rural development in Nigeria.
He noted that tourism advances the promotion of diverse indigenous cultural heritages and traditions in the most unique ways, servng as a vehicle for the integration of various ethnic groups, the fostering of peace and development, in tandem with the creation of jobs and economic value that gives youths the lifelines that would halt rural to urban migrations.
The Explore Nigeria video series is featuring top Nigerian social media influencers and YouTube creators. The video-based series highlights the best of Nigeria through the eyes of these influencers.
“The enabling of domestic tourism through the Explore Nigeria model will stimulate the tourism value chain that is primed to boost rural and urban economies and development. This is due to its affordability and the lack of bureaucratic impediments around its implementation. More so, it provides education and information to people on the diversity of experiential benefits that exist across the country, while enhancing the creative sector, revitalising local craft industries and ultimately motivating infrastructural upgrade.
“As 2020 has posed several challenges for locals and global travellers alike, we have partnered Google Arts Culture on an online experience of exploring Nigeria. It is the first phase of a long-term partnership, which aims to digitise, preserve and share Nigeria’s rich culture with Nigerians and the world. Whether it’s your first encounter with Nigeria or you are rediscovering our heritage, we encourage you to tour the country by exploring over 400 photographs, 12 online stories, 10 Street Views of iconic sites and get travel recommendations from seven influencers. It is our goal to collaborate with Google Arts & Culture on using their technologies to document Nigeria’s past, present and future for generations to come,” he said.
He expressed the hope that the virtual experience would awaken adventurers, taking them on a journey into an authentic Nigerian experience that showcases the true spirit and essence of Nigeria encompassing our historic, cultural and heritage sites to sun-kissed coastlines, beaches, breathtaking waterfalls, natural springs, the grandeur of festivals, to our wildlife and magnificent plateaux.
Google Nigeria Country Director, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazo said the partnership with NTDC would provide support for the local tourism sector, including providing training programmes to enable businesses to leverage online tools they could use to grow their businesses. The programme also features a digital skills programme aimed at helping individuals to skill up so they can find jobs or further develop their careers within the tourism industry. SMBs are being assisted by way of digital migration programs to help them get online, and expand their audience reach. And, lastly, the partnership will create exposure for Nigeria’s tourist attractions through Google’s technology offerings, including virtual reality, 360° videos, Street View, ultra-high-resolution ‘gigapixel’ images and Google Arts & Culture initiatives.
“We’re always looking for new and creative ways in which technology can foster connections between people and the arts. Explore Nigeria is an expression of that desire and a tangible program that demonstrates our economic support of and commitment to Nigeria,” she added.
Last Thursday, Nigeria marked its 60th Independence Anniversary. Though the celebration was low key across the country, stakeholders in the creative industry felt the need for a better celebration as the sector witnessed some tremendous improvements in the last 60 years, EVELYN OSAGIE reports.
Director-General Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), John Asein
Despite the challenges that Nigeria is facing, there is much to celebrate. Nigeria has experienced over two decades of uninterrupted democracy. To some, it may not be much, but considering our history, it should give us hope that we can get things right.
Certainly, we should celebrate our remarkable strides in the creative sector, which has redefined Nigeria in the eyes of the world. This is an area that should not be underplayed as the country becomes a major player in the knowledge economy. We’ve seen the emergence of Nollywood. Our music, art and literature have gone global and we are growing stronger. This is an affirmation of how much we can achieve as a nation if we tap into our resourcefulness, resilience and sheer ingenuity as a people whose diversity should be an asset.
•Asein
My faith in Nigeria remains unshaken as I see a country with the potential for greatness. We are on the path to full recovery and Nigeria will yet be great again.
Secretary, Pan African Writers Association (PAWA), Dr. Wale Okediràn
Nigeria has, in the last 60 years, made tremendous improvement in the Arts and Literature. Our music, clothes, cuisine, movies and songs are well known all over the world. In addition, our writers have made a lot of progress in the world’s literary scene, winning so many important awards.
At home, the literary scene is abuzz with a lot of activities ranging from book festivals, literary clubs, to publishing firms as well as a international writers residency, The Ebedi International Writers Residency, in Iseyin, Oyo State.
However, there is a lot of room for improvement, particularly in the publishing sector. Apart from the need for our publishers to open up more spaces for upcoming writers to publish their works, it is also important that books should be made affordable. Writers also need to get more money from the works of their hands.
On the part of the government, there should be more paper mills to supply newsprint to make books, which are the final products, more affordable
Filmmakers and directors also need to improve the quality of the contents of their productions. Piracy and copyright infringements also need to be properly handled by the government.
Chairman, Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos Chapter, Idowu Sonaya
Nigerian Art has witnessed a lot of tremendous growth since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
The arts have kept on progressing despite the challenges of living in Nigeria – a state where there are no steady power supply, bad roads, the majority of the population are contemporary art illiterates, lack of financial supports for the artists and art businesses and more. Despite all these ills, the Nigerian Art has kept on thriving to the extent that global attention has begun to shift to Nigeria and African by relevant art dealers in the developed countries. Nigeria needs to do more by adequately funding artists and art businesses/agencies. We need to further boost our tourism campaign through the repositioning of our museums and National galleries for flourishing tourism business. We need to introduce the study of industrial art into many of our art schools, to work in synergy with our engineering department for better industrialisation of Nigeria’s economy. We need to marry creativity with technology to solve the problems of the nation being flooded with imported goods. That way, we can produce a lot of industrialised items locally, which will, in turn, provide jobs for many youths, and increase our GDP in the long run. It can also help to boost our foreign revenue generation. We need visionary leaders who can take the Nigerian Art to the lofty heights. God bless Nigeria. Happy Independence Anniversary at 60!
President, Pen Nigeria, Folu Agoi
Sonaya
Sixty years after independence, one can’t deny that some progress has been recorded in various aspects of life in the country, mostly due to the rugged nature of an average Nigerian, each going about the business of living with an unrivalled can-do spirit. Nigerians are well known for their creativity, industry and resilience, which is why Nigerians are found all over the world, thriving where others fear to tread.
Considering the humongous wealth in the form of natural and human resources with which the country is blessed, one can’t safely say that we are where we ought to be. Sixty years after independence, most Nigerians have become depressed, frustrated and despondent over the failure of the ruling class to play its part in making the Nigerian project a reality. The project is not working, obviously, because of the failure of the government, of the leadership of the country to exhibit the altruistic attitude, unconstrained by personal or sectional interests, required to bond the various nationalities that make up the union and lift the country out of the socio-economic woods into the league of developed nations.
A foundation, My Body My Asset Cancer Foundation, will tomorrow launch its first magazine Live Well Magazine in Lagos.
It will hold at DCM Hotel, Akowonjo, Lagos.
According to the President of the foundation, Mrs. Franca Eze, the magazine is a contunition of cancer awareness programme which is aimed at educating women for early detection of cancer and how to live well.
“The rate of women dying of cancer is alarming. That is why our foundation has decided to launch the magazine alongside other awareness programmes on women’s health, particularly prevention and management of breast and cervical cancers,’’ she said.
The Pan African Writers Association, Accra, Ghana, is set to empower women writers across Africa through its Female African Writers Empowerment Project.
According to its Secretary General, Dr Wale Okediran, the writer’s body, in collaboration with the Women’s Organisation of Resources, Knowledge and Skills (WORKS), Lagos, will undertake the pilot scheme of the project in its 54-member countries in Africa.
“The aim of the project is to empower two female writers in each PAWA member country free for the eventual take off of their entrepreneurship careers, which can supplement their writing careers,” he stated.
In view of the move, PAWA has asked presidents of various national writers’ bodies across Africa, which are under it, to nominate two female writers from their organisations who are interested in the project.
The selected writers will then be invited to a Zoom meeting to kick off the pilot project, which is expected to be expanded in future, to accommodate more female writers, Okedira added.
Reel Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has announced winners of The REEL Young Writers Challenge for children between seven and 13.
In the 10 to 13 years’ category, Miss Ramlah Ibrahim won the first place with a prize of N50,000 and a tablet; Miss Ola Inioluwa came second, winning N30,000 and a tablet, Miss Chidera Michelle Duru came third and received N15,000 and a tablet. The other seven finalists received N10,000 each as well as 9ja kids’ books.
For seven to nine years’ category, Oluwademilade Vidose Eli came first and received N20,000, 9ja kids activity books and a scholarship to attend iRead Story Writers Academy. David Khalid came second and won N15,000, 9ja kids’ books and a scholarship to attend iRead Story Writers Academy while Grace Oluwadarasimi Ogunrotimi came third and received N10,000, 9ja kids books and a scholarship to attend iRead Story Writers Academy.
Founder of Reel Foundation, Mrs. Ajoke Adeola said the contest was aimed at igniting imagination and creativity as well as rewarding diligence and excellence in children.
She said: ”Imagination and creativity are crucial to children’s learning and development. The ability of a child to spin these skills into a story is phenomenal and should be encouraged and developed. In the words of Albert Einstein, ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge; knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world’. It is against this backdrop that REEL Foundation launched this contest.
‘’Taking into consideration the learning gaps that had been created due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenge was designed to provide an avenue for the children to be resourcefully engaged outside the school environment.
“The topic of the challenge was for applicants to write a story on how COVID-19 has impacted their lives or that of people around them and what they have learned from the experience of staying at home.‘’
She continued: “We were deliberate in our emphasis on a story. This is because we wanted them to infuse some level of imagination and creativity into chronicling the unusual experience of being in a lock down.
“The performances of the applications were judged by their imagination, creativity, descriptive language, mechanical accuracy and the judges’ impression.’’
At the event were Mr. Ibrahim Babatunde, whose stories were shortlisted for Give Africa’s Writing Contest; founder, iRead Mobile Library, Mrs. Fun Ilori; Chief Executive Officer (CEO), iRise Model School, Mrs. Rebecca Ebenezer Abiola, and CEO, 9ja kids, Mrs. Titilayo.
Of the 342 applications, only 15 made it to the grand finale, 10 from the 10 to 13 years’ category and five from the seven to nine years’ category.
Total E&P Nigeria Multipurpose Co-operative Society Limited sponsored the event.
Climate change, if not addressed, will make COVID-19 pandemic a child’s play, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, has warned.
He stated that COVID-19 can only kill humans, but climate change can kill humans and their environments.
Abubakar, who spoke during a tour of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Lagos, called on Nigerians to give adequate attention to mitigation of climate change effects, adding that the administration was committed to planting 25 million trees yearly to mitigate the effects of climate change.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was committed to raising Nigeria’s biodiversity ranking through increased forestation and other strategies.
He said the kick-off of the government’s Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project in Ogoni, Rivers State, and erosion control projects across the nation, showed the country’s seriousness in environmental protection.
The minister said the Federal Government has an environment master plan, which is reviewed regularly to meet climate and environment realities.
He said the ministry had concluded a national policy on plastic that would be presented to the Federal Executive Council.
NCF’s Director-General, Dr Muntari Aminu-Kano described the minister’s appointment as putting a square peg in a square hole.
“This is one of the few times we have had an environmentalist appointed as the environment minister,” Aminu-Kanu said.
He lauded the minister’s efforts in environmental protection, and pledged the support of NCF in protecting the country’s environment.
