The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • Earthenware: Forms, usefulness

    Earthenware: Forms, usefulness

    By Funmiluyi Olaitan Christiana

    Lottery is an ancient craft with the earliest historical records of wheel-thrown pottery dating back to 4000 B.C. in Egypt and 3000 B.C. in China. In Nigeria, pottery making is one of the most widespread art traditions of the people, practised in many urban and rural communities.

      Pottery in Nigeria is associated with several  activities. The earliest examples of pottery  were found in Borno and may date back to 6000 B.C. while the Stone Age site at Iho-Eleeru (Iwo-Eleru) rock shelter in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State where pottery was also found, dates back to 3000 B.C.

     The majority of Nigerian potters are women and many potters still use the traditional method of molding by hand in spite of the growth of the ceramic industry.This is probably because traditional pottery has the advantages of very low cost and in functional value outclasses other vessels. Since it keeps water stored in it cool and does not break when used to cook over open fires.

    The majority of pottery wares have been made for domestic use. Despite  the existence of modern ceramic industry in the country and the availability of plastic vessels and vessels made of other materials, traditional pottery wares are still used in large quantities, especially in rural communities. The form of a pot is determined by the purpose it is to serve, and this is taken into consideration by the potter before the pot is made. Water pots for carrying water for instance, have very narrow mouths to prevent the water from spilling and water to be taken out from it, using small container. However, form does not necessarily limit the use to which pottery vessels may be put and a variety of vessels could be used to store similar things.

    In traditional Nigerian society, pots have been put to various uses. Large pots are used for storing water in the house or kitchen. Smaller pots are used to keep or store kolanuts and peppered groundnut paste. Some pots are used as bowls for washing hands or as plates for eating while some are made into cups or bowls with which to drink water or palm wine.

    Pottery lamps are usually shallow with lips on end. One end of the wick of the lamp is placed in the bowl to absorb oil or shea butter while the other end which is to be lit rests on the lip of the bowl. It is called fitila by the Yoruba. The Hausa also produce pots in which to burn incense especially in Borno.

    Perforated pots are produced by different people in Nigeria for various purposes. The Yoruba use perforated pots for straining and cleaning locust beans while many other ethnic groups use them to dry meat and fish and other times over the kitchen fire. Perforated bowls with handles are used to carry fire and incense by the Hausa.

    Pots which are used as coolers are lidded globular pots often with a spout, small mouth and long neck. These features help to keep the water in the pots away from the heat of the sun during droughts. They are called kula by the Yoruba.

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    The Itsekiri of Delta State produce snuff tray pots, which are used to prepare snuff for men and women. The locally grown tobacco leaves are cut into strips inside the tray and kept on fire. They are then ground on the tray with stone.

    The large fryer pot – Agbada – is a shallow wide pot with a pronounced rim. It is used to fry or roast large quantities of food such as when roasting cassava to produce garri, a popular staple, while smaller ones are used in the home for frying bean cakes or yam or plantain.

    Money box pots are rounded with slits on top. They are called banki or kolo by the Yoruba and used for domestic savings. Once money is kept inside it, it cannot be taken out except the box is broken.

    Flasks, which are called buta, nutane salla or shamtali by the Hausa, are used for Muslim ablutions before prayers. Fire pot or Braziers normally have a U-shaped opening for putting firewood or wood fuel and they form secure stands for cooking pots.They are called Adogon by the Yoruba and Murfu/mumu by the Hausa. Pot sheds from braziers are the commonest finds in archaeological sites of ancient Yoruba settlements.

    • Funmiluyi is Assistant Director (Education), National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. 
  • Group partners Lagos Kids Mini Marathon for fifth annual competition

    Group partners Lagos Kids Mini Marathon for fifth annual competition

    VFD Group, a private investment company partnered with St. Saviour’s School Ikoyi Endowment Fund, the Lagos State Sports Commission, and the Banana Island Residents Association to organize the fifth edition of the Lagos Kids Mini Marathon.

    The aim of the school-based competition, which took place on November 25th, 2023, was to promote sports development among kids.

    The Lagos Kids Mini Marathon is recognised as Nigeria’s first and only kids-focused mini-marathon, with over 1,000 kids aged five to fifteen participating in the 1.2km for 5-8 years, 3km for 9-12 years, and 5km for 13-15 years who took part in this year’s edition. 

    The event, according to the organisers, is a source of inspiration, encouraging not only physical fitness but also promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging them to run for a charitable cause.

    It aligns with the core values of VFD Group and its commitment to empowering individuals and communities through various initiatives.  Winners in all three categories received trophies and cash prizes, and all participants received medals for taking part in the mini-marathon.

    VFD Group’s decision to participate in this event as a sponsor demonstrates its commitment to supporting initiatives that align with its core mission of financial literacy, teamwork, and personal growth and empowerment.

    Although the event is geared towards children, the mini-marathon is intended to be a fun family outing with exciting activities planned for both children and parents, with parents being educated on the importance of investing in their children’s future for a better tomorrow through VFD Group’s financial services platform “VBANK.”

    Muyiwa Olowoporoku, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at VFD Group, said: “We believe they are the nation’s future. For us, they should be fit and healthy and encouraged to exercise for improved well-being. This allows them to channel their energy into more productive activities.”

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    VFD Group emphasises shared values such as discipline and strategy when linking sports and investments.

    He said: “Our support for this initiative is more than symbolic; it reflects the principles at the heart of our financial services and investments. We aim to empower children by emphasizing structured planning, teamwork, determination, and perseverance – values that are central to our investment strategy. We aim to inspire and empower the next generation to achieve new heights in sports and their financial lives.  VFD Group’s Executive Director of Finance and Risk Management.”

    VFD Group is dedicated to positively impacting the communities where we steer, and our involvement in this initiative is another step towards that goal.

  • British High Commission, USAID kick against GBV

    British High Commission, USAID kick against GBV

    The Deputy British High Commissioner, Ms. Gill Atkinson, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Mission Director, Ms. Sara Werth, hosted a panel discussion with women-led Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention and response service providers that operate across Nigeria.

    The event was in commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an annual international campaign that starts on November 25 (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on December 10 (Human Rights Day).

    The roundtable called for continued efforts to support women-led GBV prevention and response service providers who are helping victims and survivors across Nigeria. Discussions focused on the increasing rates of GBV as a result of the increase in crimi-nality and banditry in the country.

    USAID Deputy Mission Director Ms. Sara Wert said: “USAID will use its convening power to strengthen coordination for the GBV response. To start, we are looking at how to better integrate GBV interventions across all our programmes. We will work to address programming gaps we identified today in partnership with the government of Nigeria and the private sector.

    “In March 2023, USAID updated its Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment policy. The policy strives to eliminate GBV and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities so all people can live free from violence. Often violence against women and girls becomes normalised. For each rape reported in connection with a conflict, the United Nations estimates that between 10 to 20 cases go unreported. Impunity, silence, and stigma are part of the problem.”

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    Atkinson said:  We need to remember that gender-based violence does not occur in some distant place, it is happening in our local communities, potentially to our colleagues, neighbors, or even family members. Ending gender-based violence is a top priority for the UK Government and a cornerstone of our new International Women and Girls Strategy.

    “Our 2023 International Women and Girls Strategy outlines ending GBV as a top priority, and we have most recently supported the creation of the Mirabel centre in Lagos, the first Sexual Assault and Referral Centre (SARC) in Nigeria. Through our programmes, we also support victims and survivors of GBV in the Northwest and Northeast states. This includes legal advice, psychosocial support, and police investigation training.”

  • ‘Why culture, tourism are inseparable’

    ‘Why culture, tourism are inseparable’

    After 35 years of organising the annual National Festival of Arts and Culture, (NAFEST) the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) held a four-day national stakeholders review conference in Abuja last week. It was held to among others assess the strength and weakness of the festival, examine how it has fulfilled its goals of uniting the nation as well as re-engineer it for improved content and form, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, reports.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has embarked on far-reaching policy reforms aimed at revamping the economy and repositioning the nation on the path of sustainable growth and development. Radical, but positive decisions are being taken, which may impose severe temporary pains on the people but will ultimately translate to greater gains and prosperity for our people and the nation.”

    The above statements by the Director General National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe set the tone for the conference that attracted culture and tourism commissioners, their permanent secretaries and directors from the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory.

    Runsewe, who was keynote speaker at the event, said the circumstances of the moment call for patience, perseverance, commitment and teamwork. He stated that Nigerians should be committed to working together in the task of rebuilding our nation and harnessing our vast human and material resources to galvanise the process of national development and restoring Nigeria to a pride of place in global affairs. 

    “God will not send his angels from heaven to help us develop our nation. I am in total agreement with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that ‘we have to appeal to the sense of patriotism of Nigerians to have a patriotic mindset’ in our collective effort to rebuild our nation. 

    “It took men and women of vision, courage and commitment to conceive, pursue and realize the American vision rooted in the firm belief in America as a virgin continent magnificently endowed by nature, destined as a global leader in socioeconomic and political affairs. With a strong culture of patriotism and commitment to the growth of America, the USA rose from the ashes of a people with diverse ethnic nationalities, ravaged by a civil war and racial segregation, to become the world’s foremost super power. 

    “Those who crafted the American dream upon which the American continent was born were not angels from above. They were Americans who believed in the vision of a great continent and patriotically committed themselves to ensuring that the vision became a workable reality. Today, when America sneezes, the rest of the word catches cold,” he said. 

    He described the stakeholders’ review conference on the 35 years of NAFEST as an opportunity to share views with stakeholders on how to collectively chart a new course for the sector and strengthen it as an economic path to drive the process of diversification and sustainable economic growth and development. 

    According to him: “We must re-assess ourselves, re-strategise so as to align the sector with the Renewed Hope agenda of the current administration.”

    Runsewe reminded players in the creative industry that in an effort to expand the frontiers of cultural industry they cannot afford to be in competition but in active collaboration and mutual support.’ He advised that they embrace the one stare, one unique product approach, which he said, enables all states to maximise the cultural uniqueness of their respective state to develop such product. 

    “I therefore wish to call on all stakeholder and key players in the arts and culture sector to begin to apply their creative energies towards optimizing the huge potentials in our vast arts and culture sector. It is my hope that if our cutural resources are carefully harnessed and productively channeled, it will open up our cultural economy, engender rapid socioeconomic growth and lead to the emergence of a strong and stable currency that will command the required purchasing power at the international market,” he added. 

    In her presentation, entitled E-Marketing of Nigerian cultural content, Franca Idemudia of Clevenard International Media Limited said to sell Nigerian culture and tourism resources, ‘we need to leverage the opportunities offered by the internet platforms adding that Gelenenard.com could be deployed to promote Nigerian culture and tourism sector globally. 

    “Culture and tourism sector can contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy more than oil sector. Stakeholders must explore the platforms of clevenard.com to market and promote Nigeria’s rich and diverse cultural resources,” she said. 

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    For Ade Dayo, a photographer, Nigeria stands to gain more from the arts and culture sector than the oil and gas sector, citing destination like Fair Ruwa, Olumo Rock, Mambila Plateau, Ogbunike Cave, as money spinning sites.

    He noted that all these monuments could be documented and showcased to the world through careful packaging, using photography and other audio visual technology. Dayo added that Nigeria can tell it’s cultural story while promoting it’s cultural products through the platform of photography and foster intercultural understanding and exchanges..

    He, however, decried the use of foreign cultures like the Scottish Pipers in welcoming our president or visiting Heads of State to Nigeria. Rather, he said, Nigerian cultural products like Ijele Masqueraders, Durbar and Talking Drum drummers should be deployed as alternative.

    At the close of the conference held at Chida International Hotel, Utako, Abuja, stakeholders resolved in an 11-point communique that since culture provided the content for the development of tourism, culture and tourism are intricately interwoven and therefore inseparable. It recommended that culture and tourism should remain as one Ministry both at the Federal and State levels to complement each other and contribute meaningfully to the diversification efforts of government and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation.

    The stakeholders also resolved that:

    • Skill Acquisition is critical and strategic to the empowerment of stakeholders in the sector and the development of arts and culture industry. The skills acquisition training programme should be for women, youths and physically challenged through structured processes of formal education, informal and traditional skill transfer, apprenticeship, etc. Nigerian cultural products should be carefully packaged and aggressively promoted through platforms such as digital marketing, creation of galleries and the participation in travel markets.

    • That the concentration of states in development of one unique product in which they have comparative advantage will enable the states package and market the iconic product, attract investors, increase internally generated revenue, enhance Public – Private – Partnership and reduce unemployment. This strategic approach should be vigorously pursued by the states.

    • That cultural exchange programmes can engender unity in diversity, promote international diplomacy for peace, enhance the cross-fertilisation of ideas and promote international trade. That there should be structured international exchange programmes and synergy between local and international NGOs to facilitate this process. Funding for this could be sourced from government subventions, self-sponsorship, local and international donor agencies among others.

    • The conference underscored the importance of cultural markets in the states as a means of employment and wealth creation, preservation of the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria and the establishment of one-stop-shop for cultural products. Therefore, the establishment of cultural markets in the states to be domiciled in Ministry of Culture and Tourism was highly recommended.

    • The conference identified sources of funding of the culture sector to include government, the private sector, multinational organizations, development partners, donor agencies, charity organizations and lamented that government has never taken a deliberate step to fund the culture sector. It was, therefore, recommended that these sources of funding should be explored by the states while stakeholders like NANTAP, NATOP, NANTA, RATTAWU, etc. should work with relevant cultural agencies of government to mount sustained advocacy in order to push for the implementation of the National Endowment Fund for Arts. To achieve this, industry players must work together, and embark on programmes that will not only make them relevant, but indispensable stakeholders in the task of nation building.

    • That the sector should develop marketing mindset, ensure adequate marketing of identified cultural products to attract relevant funding. Identified products should be properly packaged for presentation and sellability at the local and international market place. Accordingly, states are encouraged to take advantage of e-marketing opportunities offered by ALEPH and CLEVENARD and other relevant social media platforms.

    • The National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST), a flagship programme of the National Council for Arts and Culture remains a veritable platform for fostering national unity, peace, mutual understanding and cooperation among Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic group, culture, creed, tribe or tongue. It should, therefore, be sustained and strengthened.

    • NAFEST should be developed to the status of a festival that needs no introduction and which encompasses all-year-round activities.

    • The festival should target different relevant audience such as Diaspora Community, members of the academic community and the tourism sector, etc.

    • Programmes which can boost economic activities in the states should be introduced into the festival in a way that missing the hosting of the festival by a state would amount to missing a life-time economic opportunity. 

  • Oshinowo’s Visual Arts Trajectories for launch today

    Oshinowo’s Visual Arts Trajectories for launch today

    Visual Arts Trajectories: Kolade Oshinowo At 70, a book by no fewer than 30 scholars, academics, critics, proteges and artists in honour of renowned artist, Kolade Oshinowo will be unveiled today at the Yusuf Grillo Auditorium of the School of Art, Design and Printing of the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos alongside an exhibition of portraits of the icon.

    It is an academic product of resource persons from different institutions of higher learning from around the world, encapsulating various writings and images of Oshinowo’s art trajectories spanning over 50 years.

    The book although has many authors, it was edited by Dr. Kunle Adeyemi of Yabatech and Olusola Ogunfuwa of the University of Lagos. Project Coordinator of the Kolade Oshinowo @70 Planning Committee  Adeyemi said: “It is worthy of mention that this is the first time an academic book of this magnitude is coming from the School of Art, Design and Printing of Yabatech, as well as the Nigerian arts landscape”.

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    The publication is the product of a well subscribed and publicised conference in honour of Dr. Oshinowo at 70 years. This was during Dr. Adeyemi’s tenure as Dean of School of Design and Printing Technology in 2018.

    The conference attracted scholars from the university and polytechnic systems, Colleges of Education, and other stakeholders, including Galleries, Art Enthusiasts and Patrons of Art from different parts of the country including Zaria, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Ibadan, Lagos and the Diaspora.

    The two-week long 2018 event also featured the Committee For Relevant Art (CORA) Stampede and a portrait show of Kolade Oshinowo featuring emerging and made artists. These portraits will be exhibited today. After a five-year production effort and processes including reviews by assessors, editors, and scholars, the publication, far from being just another coffee table book, is a memorabilia, a scholarly collective and a potential curriculum of art in higher education.

    According to the project lead, Dr. Adeyemi, the morphological determinants of the works

  • Oba Elegushi gets lion sculpture

    Oba Elegushi gets lion sculpture

    About two years after Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, Kusenla 111 of Ikate Kingdom, Lekki, Lagos, commissioned an artist to produce the sculpture of a lion for his palace, the magnificent sculptural piece has been delivered.

    The 14-ft long, 8.5-ft high, and 4-ft broad and weighing 300kg lion sculpture that encapsulates history, culture, royalty and splendor of the kingdom, was sculpted by artist, Dotun Popoola. The piece was formally presented to Oba Saheed Elegushi last week.

    While receiving the art piece, Oba Saheed Elegushi, 47, said: “I commissioned Dotun to produce a sculptural piece of a lion and you brought a monumental sculpture of a lion with history. I am optimistic that this timeless masterpiece will not only bring fortune to Dotun but will also carry him to heights unforeseen. While recognising his international acclaim and extraordinary contribution to the world of art, I extend to him the well-deserved royal blessings and good wishes bestowed upon him by my ancestors.”

    The monarch announced that the sculpture would be transformed into a luxury coffee table book, which would reflect the analysis of forms and content in the sculpture and also give a creative visual insight into history of the Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom.

    He added that the book would be placed in palaces and luxury places in parts of the world.

    Beyond the splendor of the piece, the artist said while creating the work, which took him more than two years to finish, he drew inspiration from environmental/ sustainable art as it was made with scrap metals, mild steel, aluminum, bronze, automobile parts, and auto-based pigment. “Some of the materials used to complete the process were repurposed; selected from yellow parts of the scrap yard, bring out the yellow hue seen in the work. Some of the metal pieces were concealed with golden yellow to give it a natural feel of a lion. Hence, the sculpture epitomises scrap with a luxury and this is the impression that I’m creating in the minds of the people about my work. The piece was finished with anti-rust, coats and garnished with Ultraviolet (UV) protection. These precautions were taken because I am aware that the area is a proximity to the sea and we have acid rain and salt water. So, the work is preserved against the vagaries of the climate associated with the ecosystems to avoid yearly maintenance and it can remain like that for the next two to three years.” 

    Taking art journalists through the piece, the artist explained: “On the right hand side of the piece is the 21 white cap chiefs and his father while on the left is his sculpted portrait of 100 kg bronze and some of his ancestors hidden inside the lion. We also have sculpted image of Eyo Adimu inside the piece. This needs a closer look to see the Eyo performing for him and appealing to the gods to guide him through his reign.” 

    To Popoola, the work is not only shrouded in history but is also symbolic. In his view, if there’s going to be any ornamentation to the throne of Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom, it wouldn’t be an insignia of leopard, tiger or cheetah but that of a lion. According to him, “If the strength of the current king is to be historically documented, it must be related to a story of a lion. His fierce and decisive personality and temperament must form nucleus of the story. In African mythology, lion to African thrones symbolises strength, bravery, good communication skills, and willingness to fight in the bigger schemes of things.”

    These symbolisms spurred him into carrying out more research on Ikate history by reading some books. “In the sculptural piece are the stories from the first Kusenla ruled in 1632  to Oba Yekini Elegushi’ who died in 2010  to his son who became the 21st Oba of Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom,” he said.

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    Going memory lane, the artist recalled: “It all began when I delivered a sculpture to a client in the presence of 10 friends in August 14 of 2021. Unknown to me, Mr. Aluko had planned a mini-exhibition. During the event, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi of Ikate Kingdom arrived, expressing interest in my work. I was astonished by the distinguished guests. The king admired the sculpture I crafted for his friend and commissioned me to craft two larger lions for his palace”

    Upon returning to his studio, the artist delved into sculpting the lions after researching Ikate Kingdom’s history from the compendium the king provided, and interpreted the kingdom’s story through the canvas of a lion. To further ensure historical accuracy, Popoola said he consulted The Evolution of Ikate Kingdom, authored by Prof. Habeeb Sanni, Dr. Bashir Animashaun, and Dr. Olawale Lawal, which establishes the royal lineage dating back to 1632. I deducted from the book that Ikate Kingdom’s strength and courage are symbolised by the lion despite various mythological interpretations and descriptions. The kingdom declares “A ti de ade kinihun” (We have been enthroned with the crown of the lion). And the kingdom has contributed significantly to the vast Lagos’ industrial, social and economic progress. The spate of urbanisation in the Lagos State is reflected in the emergence of several flourishing towns in Ikate Kingdom and the Elegushi lays firm royal and ruling claim to Ikate-Elegushi economic development. I drew from that historic background,” he said.

  • Mother, baby care in Igboland

    Mother, baby care in Igboland

    • From Onyike Patience Kelechi

    In Africa generally, and in Igbo land in particular, the major reason for marriage is procreation. For this reason, as soon as marriage is consummated, the next item on the agenda is pregnancy. Pregnancy period is one when woman receive the greatest care both medically and otherwise. The care during pregnancy is to ensure the good health of both the mother and her baby.

    In rural traditional Igbo society, pregnancy is not announced until after (12) weeks of gestation period. After delivery, the baby has to be cared for which can be challenging for the first time period.

    In Nigeria, various tribes have practices on how to care for and accommodate a new baby into the family, like Omugwo for Igbo, Ojojo Omo for Yoruba and Wankan jego for Hausa”.  

    Omugwo (traditional post-partum) is an age- long and widely practiced custom in Igboland that describes the practice of administering care to a nursing mother and her baby by a close relatives who most times happens to be the mother or mother-in law. 

    Omugwo is the practice in which a nursing mother and her baby are taken care of by her mother or a close family member. In most cases, it’s the mother of the woman except where she is not available, then another close female relation can step in. Usually, Omugwo is for a period of three months or more, depending on the situation. Omugwo begins after the woman is delivered of her baby.

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    The woman who goes for Omugwo does the cooking, washing and taking care of the new born and her daughter, teaching her daughter how to take care of the baby.

    Special and strict kind of diet is prepared for the nursing mother during this period. Food like Ji mmiri oku (yam peppersoup) garnished with assorted fish, dry meat and stock fish, ofe nsala (white soup) with pounded yam/dudu and akamu (pap). The soups are cooked with a blend of spices that are good for nursing mothers, such as Uziza, Ehuru, Utazi, Uda, Nchanwu and Usakirisha. Feeding a nursing mother with lots of sizzling spicy soup is to enhance breast milk production and also expel/ menstruate lochia or blood clots from the nursing mother’s body. 

    This is final ceremony for the woman in intensive care before she now resumes all that her fellow women engaged in. The ceremony comes up at the tail end of the Omugwo period.

    The nursing mother makes a special appearance at the local market square, this is her first time in the public. This is called Izu ahia nwa (market outing for the baby), she is gorgeously dressed and decorated with Uli. She takes with her small lines of kolanut or Nzu (for women who desire pregnancy to rub on their neck and abdomen to attract fertility). She is showered with many gifts, and other women assess her to judge how well she was taken care of during Omugwo.

    Traditionally, at the end of the Omugwo, it’s presumed the woman is strong enough to care for herself and the baby. The mother or anyone who conducted the Omugwo will go home with gifts of different kind of things as expression of gratitude.

  • Echoes of voices and places

    Echoes of voices and places

    Title: A Medley of Echoes

    Author: Tunde Olusunle (PhD)

    Publishers: Kraftgriosts, Ibadan

    Year of publication: 2022

    Reviewer: Edozie Udeze

    It is quite heartwarming that Tunde Olusunle has given a fresh new voice to his poetic muse and delivery after years of disturbing lull and interregnum. This collection is really refreshing coming at a time when the political and social scenes in the country seem to stand at a crossroads. In the poems Olusunle lends his remarkable voice and imprint on the sand of times. He resonates with a loud voice that stirs the soul into realism. His is like a long voyage through time and into the recesses of life, where all sorts of issues tend to distort the normal flow of normalcy in all facets of life.

    Entitled A Medley of Echoes, the lines drip with a poet’s prolonged sojourn into time, in which time is also of the essence. And you have to accompany him into the foyers of history, recounting and reappraising with him the nuances encountered in the process of this journey. They are not all horrendous, hazardous and bereft of humanism. Olusunle breeds ideas on the concepts of passage of time and life. He recalls history; he revisits places and issues where time is of the essence. He recollects with nostalgia moments of peace, nature and tranquil in his place of birth, a place where ancestors hobnob and commune with the living.

    While dividing the book into sections he took his time to deal with each sub theme in breezy style and composite manner. As he does so he tears at the themes he treats thereby producing some of the amazing contemporary poems of all times. The poet makes it clear that a poet has the liberty to expose, explore, express and impress.

    It shows how thus far he has come as a poet since 1996 when he had his debut collection themed: Fingermarks. You see here now a transformed poet, matured, resilient, who took time off to get better. He took time off too to sort some grey areas of his recourse into time. The first section is tilted Wandering Echoes, and dwelling on very many places he has traversed in the world. The experiences vary, some pleasant, while some are sordid, harsh and not comfortable to recollect or celebrate. Yet they all show a world where some have it good while some are still rummaging in the cocoon of regression, corruption and amnesia.

    Examples of pleasant places abound. You embrace the soothing nerves of Istanbul, Turkey, Chitown, Chicago in the US while you snub such ugly contraptions such as Tinapa, Nigeria, where deterioration is a norm and where inertia has been elevated to the point of doldrums. Such are the parenthesis of life where some have it and keep it and some have it but rather discard it. Tinapa- “dream slaughtered/on the butcher’s slab/of our collective amnesia”. You needed to have been to Tinapa when it was at its peak to realize and appreciate why the poet is sorrowing, kicking and bemoaning.

    Ibadan is also on the brink. Makurdi is no better, so also Lokoja, a former capital of Nigeria. How the mighty fallen. Tell it not in Abuja lest the poet broadcasts it. Ibadan- “global ordered disorder/and disorderly order”.  But Port Harcourt “serially seize the throat/of hapless evenings”. It is all about different strokes for different folks as seen in 8115 Vilakazi street and within the confines of Nicon Hilton and Lagos-morphosis, and the way to Argungu where “of those who would dare/The silt and sand”. And so on and so forth.

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    In Sombre Echoes, you encounter Hollow echoes, deep, contrived to celebrate Olu Obafemi, teacher, scholar, artiste and a Professor of English. Olusunle is poignant and precise. Here, is Obafemi his teacher from the days of yore. It is never a tribute too late or too small. When the escapades inside the ubiquitous African Hall of the University of Ilorin is mentioned familiarity creeps in. The poet says “fervidly fanned the flaming forge/where a million fertile minds”. Then here he goes on to mention some great people, teachers, raconteurs and so on who have joined the world beyond. It is such sorrowful rendition of ideas but the poet meticulously and carefully pays obeisance nonetheless. Yes, he says “The wilted banana stem/ has spawned a billion scions”. And of course life goes on amid all these anguish.

    The section themed: Angry Echoes also reechoes into time, traditional and otherwise this time. The section dwells on ritual where it is “Midweek again/and billowing robes and Hilfiger suits/Porsche watches and suede shoes/siren their paths in unending convoy…”  And you see many disturbing groups sprouting out to derail Nigeria – “of the blood-guzzling Boko Haram/Ombatse, Egbesu, Oodua, IPOB/and other ghommids”. With all these how would kidnapping and terrorism and other inanities of a troubled society end? You have servant-looters and payback, all like a template in cacophony of voices. That template, Olusunle situates thus: “This self-same tepid template/to no end”.

    In Earthly Echoes, he traces  “past treacherous bumps/and ever twisting bends/past gullies, gnawed deep,/deep still to laterited marrows”, as he and others journeyed home for the yuletide echoes. As a poet, Olusunle is at home with his rural people, his cradle and ancestral embrace. And so he says: ‘ let me bask with this priceless oasis of sanity,/in the pristine homeland”. In other words, East or West home beckons; it is where realities are exhibited uninhibited. And so finally we all follow the poet to Ijagbe where sun-tanned Igba/soothes the throaty passage, of aromatic oguro/where banters and backslaps/reinforce homeland conviviality”. And where, perhaps, Doctor Tunde Olusunle, the poet feels freer to consume kegs of palm wine in the midst of his relations and kinsmen. It is all about a poet’s recourse in and out of season, reconnecting with his roots. With tributes to his beloved parents, Olusunle equally recollects his two previous offerings that made waves and still do in the literary firmament. They are: Fingermarks, 1996 and Rhythms of the Mortar, 2001. All these have helped to establish his name in literary circle here and elsewhere.

  • IBB’s day of honour in Anambra

    IBB’s day of honour in Anambra

    All roads will lead to Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State on December 15 for the maiden edition of Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Public Lecture series organised by the school’s alumni association.

    Former governors, sitting governors, ex-ministers and senators, among others, will storm the community of former Vice President, the late Dr Alex Ekwueme, for the event.

    The event, which is billed to hold at the polytechnic’s auditorium, will also be attended by House of Representatives members and influential business moguls. Former governors Jim Nwobodo and Chukwuemeka Ezeife will also be in the mix.

    The inaugural lecture, themed ‘The Ingenious of Rtd General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and the Making of Federal Polytechnic Oko’, will be delivered by Prof. Eugene Nwadialor, Vice Chancellor of Tansian University, Umunya in Oyi LGA.

    Incidentally, Nwadialor was said to be the Rector of Anambra State Polytechnic, Oko when it was made a Federal Polytechnic.

    National President of the Federal Polytechnic Oko Alumni Association, Nze Henry Nnebe, said that the association settled for IBB because he made the institution a federal polytechnic, and that action, according to him, impacted it positively.

    “It is because of the fact that the school was made a federal polytechnic which made it to have more funding. And more funding with good administrators and lecturers will give you success.

    “So, we decided to remember the person that helped this school tremendously by making it a federal institution. That is the person of General Ibrahim Babangida. And till date, he is the highest visitor ever to have graced the land of this polytechnic.

    “He was here in August 1992. Then I was the Speaker of the Students’ Union Government (SUG). And since 1992 till date, no other president has visited this institution.”

    Nnebe said that IBB also donated generously to the institution and the money was used to equip the Mass Communication Department with state-of-the-art facilities as well as the upgrading of the institution’s infrastructure.

    The National President, who said that there would also be an award presentation that day on the deserving recipients, gave a rundown of the polytechnic’s history, thus:“The kernel of what eventually became The Polytechnic was the brainchild of Oko Progressive Union (OPU) greatly catalysed by the patronage, resourcefulness and result-oriented leadership of its pioneer Chairman, a former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, GCON.

    “At inception in 1979, the institution was approved by the Anambra State Government as a College of Arts and Science designed to prepare candidates for the General Certificate in Education (GCE) examination at both the ordinary and advanced levels.

    “On June 28, 1980, Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the Governor of old Anambra State, upgraded the institution to College of Arts, Science and Technology; an elevation that made it more attractive to young school leavers who came in droves to seek diploma certificate which the college could award.

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    “The then principal of the college, Mr Ndu Lawrence, was elevated to provost of the college. The coming of the military regime of Rear Admiral Alison Madueke as the Sole Administrator of the then Anambra State saw the college formalised as the Anambra State Polytechnic, Oko through Edict No. 12 of 1985, published as a supplement to the Anambra State of Nigeria Gazette No. 24, volume 10 of June 27, 1984.

    “His administration lured Prof. Ezeilo, a professor of Mathematics, to become the first Rector of the Polytechnic, and he laid a solid foundation for the polytechnic.

    “In 1993, the Anambra State Polytechnic, Oko with many other institutions across the country, was taken over by the Federal Government of Nigeria under the able and proactive leadership of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (rtd) to reflect federal character, and the institution was renamed Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

    “The institution is strategically located and surrounded by several centres of industry, commerce and diverse local craft such as Awka (well known for blacksmith/iron works) Nnewi (industry and technological products), Onitsha and Aba (reputed for commerce and industries).

    “Federal Polytechnic, Oko was so lucky that the rector of the polytechnic then, Dr. Eugene Nwadialor, a London-trained chartered accountant who was an internal rector, was retained as the new rector of the polytechnic.

    “With him being at the helm of affairs and as a prudent manager of resources with tenacity of purpose, the institution experienced tremendous growth amidst paucity of funds.”

    Nnebe said that the sagacious human resources management of Prof. Nwadialor, fondly called ‘Ozuo omee’ or ‘Ogidi’, saw the staff of the polytechnic contributing from their meager salaries to fund construction of classrooms for accreditation.

    He said the SUG led by Tony Nwosu as President, himself as Speaker and Igwe Maurice Aghara (Okaa Omee VI) galvanized students to produce 1,500 desks to enable the students to take examinations before the Federal Government finally took over the polytechnic in April 1993.

    The National President, Nnebe, said that the history of this journey of growth and development of the polytechnic was something that needed to be retold and brought to bear so that its relevance to the institution would be rekindled among the staff, students and indeed the community.

    “Given the aforesaid circumstance, the Alumni Association wants to use Rtd General Ibrahim Babangida’s Annual Public Lecture to mirror the activities of the polytechnic, share experiences that provide context and insight, and ponder on ways to make it better and greater through research and learning. 

    “This inaugural annual public lecture occasion will witness the establishment of Rtd. General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida International Museum in Federal Polytechnic Oko.

    “The museum will document relics of the Nigerian polytechnics and monotechnics, chronicle Federal Polytechnic, Oko and its events; house an Exhibition Hall, Hall of fame for the polytechnic, library, study centre and will be a reference Museum for Science and Technology in Nigeria,” he stated.

    The association said that the highlight of the occasion would be awards presentation to the best-graduating students in every department.

    Members of staff who have served the polytechnic meritoriously for over 30 years, according to it, would be designated as Polytechnic Veterans, while Alumnus/Alumnae who carved a niche for themselves growing the association will be awarded Polytechnic Ambassadors.

    Nnebe added that plans were underway to immortalise the progenitors of the institution by the alumni association. They are: Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, who initiated the institution; Mr. Lawrence Ndu, who was the first Principal/Provost when it was a college, and Prof. Ezeilo, the first Rector as a polytechnic.

    Others are Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the Governor that made the institution Diploma awarding College, Rear Admiral Alison Madueke who renamed it a polytechnic; Rtd General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who took over and made it a Federal Polytechnic; Prof. Eugene Nwadialor, the transition Rector of the polytechnic from State to Federal Polytechnic.

    He described the “rectorship of Mr. Ndu and Prof. Ezeilo as inspirational and monumental, while Dr. A. B Uzuakpunwa and Prof. Eugene Nwadialor were leaders par excellence in managing the scarce resources available to set standards worthy of being a tradition by pioneering accreditation and creating acceptability with the famous slogan ‘Anampoly is Okay’.”

    “Prof. Nzewi tried his best to steady the ship while Prof. Uba Nwuba and Dr. Yusuf Awodi brought discipline and integrity. Prof Godwin Onu continued with innovation and bulldozed on infrastructure that led to the school becoming ‘The Polytechnic of the Moment.’

    “Currently, the Polytechnic is on another page, a rare gem has entered the block. Engr. Dr. Mrs Francisca Unoma Nwafulugo, who happened to be the first female Rector of the Polytechnic and one with great potential, is serving the polytechnic, and her contributions towards the development of this great citadel of learning will be properly appraised after her tenure. 

    “Sir Izuchukwu Nwabueze, CEO of Premier Breweries, Ambassador of Federal Polytechnic Oko, who holds over 217 awards ranging from educational, religious, socio-cultural, faith-based, professional, government to corporate organisations, will Chair the Committee of retired General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida Annual Lecture series, while Dr. Joseph Ogai of Mass Communication Department, Federal Polytechnic Oko will be the Secretary.

    “Other members include Dr. Emmanuel Ezenwafor, Prince Emeka Ezeoke, Dr. Gift Eyisi, Mr. Chidi Ikechukwu and Mr. Gabriel Nwafor.”

  • Why ‘A Spell of Good Things’ pays homage to some African novels, by Ayobami Adebayo

    Why ‘A Spell of Good Things’ pays homage to some African novels, by Ayobami Adebayo

    Ayobami Adebayo’s sophomore novel, ‘A Spell of Good Things’, made the longlist of the 2023 Booker Prize. Her first novel, ‘Stay With Me’, won the 9Mobile Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the Women Prize for Fiction. In this interview with OLUKOREDE YISHAU, the author sheds light on her latest work, writing and related issues. Excerpts:

     In ‘A Spell of Good Things’, your worthy sibling to the phenomenal ‘Stay With Me’, you never mentioned the name of the town the story is set. What informed this decision? 

    I wanted the language to indicate its setting to readers who recognise the dialect.  For those who don’t, I was happy for them to read the location as a town in Nigeria’s South-West.

     Unlike your first novel, A Spell of Good Things is heavily political. Why did you decide to take on this monster subject that is at the heart of Nigeria’s inequities?

    Nigerian history and politics have always been fascinating to me. When I was working on my first novel, some of the earlier drafts explored the coups of the eighties, both failed and successful, more heavily. However, at some point I realised that most of the detours I’d included did not work seamlessly with the story at the heart of the book. I cut out what I felt was extraneous and retained only traces of what had been there before. That way I was able to craft Stay with Me into the intimate novel it needed to be.  In A Spell of Good Things, I think I struck the right note from the beginning. Such that the politics doesn’t feel extraneous but is as integral as every other aspect of the novel.

    Until now, readers of Half of A Yellow Sun are still asking Chimamanda where Kainene is. I suspect that in the case of A Spell of Good Things, readers will be asking you who won the election. Should we just take it that the violent one had his way?

    I like to leave a few things in my books to the reader’s imagination, and this is one of them.

    Eniola’s father apparently becomes depressed after his retrenchment. In Nigeria, mental health is downplayed despite our socioeconomic situation which promotes depression and other mental health issues. Lakunle’s violent ways also suggest a demented mind. Were you trying to point attention to this serious issue which we sweep under the carpet in Nigeria?

    Definitely.

    Wuraola’s mother, Yeye, experienced poverty growing up and sees life as “war, a series of battles with the occasional spell of good things”. Yeye also believes that in Nigeria “real wealth was intergenerational, and the way Nigeria was set up, your parentage would often matter more than your qualifications”. Is our reality this grim?

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    For many young people who are born into poverty, things are quite grim. There are obviously exceptions but on the whole, many options that people have for some kind of upward mobility continue to disappear. One that the novel illustrates is access to education. There is a generation of Nigerians who got stellar secondary school education from public schools. It is unfortunate and ironic that some of them have supervised the collapse of those same institutions.

    The book indicts a political class with little or no concern for our needs, but capitalises on a largely poverty-stricken population to achieve selfish goals. Have you had a politician taking you on for pointing out their flaws?

    That hasn’t happened yet. There are also journalists doing the work to point out this vicious dynamic every day.

    This book is proudly Ijesha, proudly Yoruba and proudly Nigerian, because you freely used Ijesha, Yoruba allusions and Nigerian English without bothering whose ox is gored. Are you an apostle of Chinua Achebe’s desire for African writers to do with English language what the owners didn’t dream of?

    Considerations around language are critical for any writer, particularly writers from post-colonial spaces.  If we look back at submissions from the Makerere African Writers conference of 1962, it is clear that the conversation around language has been an ongoing for a while. I do lean towards Prof. Achebe’s intervention about this question. For me, such considerations are threaded through with the awareness that there is another language pulsing through the English I write. I think it often stands out when I am translating dialogue, since I am trying to replicate not only semantics but also rhythm and syntax. I am a Yorùbá woman writing in English, mostly about Yorùbá people. The metaphors with which many of the characters would articulate their lives shape the language I write in, and with each book, I ask myself how my work can honour these realities.

    The novel pays homage to some great African novels whose titles serve as the sub-titles for its parts. The first part is named after Sefi Ata’s ‘Everything Good Will Come’, the second part is named after Chika Unigwe’s ‘On Black Sister’s Street’ and the third part is titled ‘Waiting for An Angel’, Helon Habila’s first novel. The fourth part is named after Teju Cole’s ‘Everyday Is for The Thief’ and the last part is named after T.M Aluko’s ‘Foreman’. Why did you do this?

    There are several reasons. For one, these are all books that are engaging in insightful ways with Nigeria. Each one of them has been significant to me as a writer and I wanted to highlight that in some way. Also, as I travel the world, I’m always asked to recommend books by other Nigerian writers, and these are some of the books I hope anyone who is curious about contemporary Nigerian fiction will pick up.

    What does your writing process look like?

    I go through several drafts before I start sharing my work with my first readers for feedback. When I’m working on the first draft, I’m pretty consistent and going at it every day, with a word count in mind. And when I get to the end of that, usually I take a break from it. Then I come back to read what I’ve written, and that’s when I really feel that I start working on a novel, or on a story or on an essay. I start revising and tinkering with things.  My first drafts are quite messy. I have things in caps – a scene might end with, ‘There needs to be a conversation about x and y’, or ‘Why does this person do this?’ Then I go into the second draft thinking through those questions that I asked myself. I go from the beginning to the end again, and by the third draft, I’m considering how things connect to each other. I’m thinking about the structure. I probably do at least five drafts before I send it to my first readers for initial feedback that I can incorporate into a subsequent draft.

    How will you describe a great writer?

    I’m going to quote Maya Angelou here because I think she described it aptly when she wrote as follows in Letters to my Daughter, “All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart, which tells us that we are more alike than we are unalike.”