Category: Arts & Life

Widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s emerging poets in Houston, Texas,  Abby Kesington has been featured at poetry events. She is working on her first collection of poetry. Her poems usually focus on anxieties, freedom, women’s rights, poverty, and climate change. 

Art Curator NELSON IBINEYE speaks with her about her literary influences, what poetry means to her, the poetry of old and modern poetry and so on. Excerpts: 

 There appears to be a burden of tradition for many Nigerian poets to write poetry that tends towards socially committed poetry, some sort of ‘art in the shadows of protest’. How much of this burden applies to your poetry?

Poetry is an expression of the experiences of the poet. Now because of the social economic climate or should I say injustice, many of the poems from Nigeria seem to take on the narrative of protest. However, my poems are a kind of protest against social differences and the seeming injustice of race, gender, age and abuse, not necessarily in the Nigerian sense.

While writing poetry do you have in mind that you might have to perform your poems at one time? Do you write poetry with an ear for the page? Which of these comes easily to you – poetry for the page or poetry for the stage?

Well, when I started, it never crossed my mind that I will ever read it on stage. It was a form of therapy to just let out those words buzzing in my head. So I think poetry for the page comes easier for me but I’m very much open to new opportunities of poetry on stage. 

Some literary critics tend to dismiss spoken word/performance poetry as not poetry, mainly because it tends to focus more on the performance/delivery than on the poem. How would you react to this?

I think the goal is to have the reader or audience appreciate your work. Poetry is a form of art that is blessed with the advantage to have the words performed before an audience. Now reading the poem aloud sometimes lends credence to the work and it is very much left to the audience at that point.

What inspired the poem Finish Line, which you are performing soon at the Color Story 2023 in Houston?

I wrote that poem on a very challenging day. When it seemed all hope was lost. I was battling monster anxiety and the words came. I was able to put things in perspective and sustained my sanity. 

What does poetry mean to you?

Poetry means a form of expression. Beyond the art, the poet’s experiences all morphed into words. A window to the poet’s mind and sometimes the heart. 

Did you find poetry or did poetry find you?

Wow!!! Poetry found me actually. It found me at the doldrums of life when all hope was lost and I didn’t have anything to live for. It gave me renewed hope in humanity. A renewed sense of self. Don’t get me wrong, I still fight my inner demons.

What poets were important to you when you first started writing poetry?

I honestly didn’t attach any importance to anyone poet. As I mentioned, poetry found me. It was a form of therapy. 

Do you prefer the poetry of old or the modern type?

Well, I lean more toward the modern form of poetry, however with some sentiments for the old sonnet. I like modern forms because the poet is not boxed into a form. You have the freedom of expression. The juxtaposition of prose and poetry, Imagery and concepts that push the norm. I like that very much.

Where do you want poetry to take you?

Posterity. I want it to outlive me. For generations to come to read my works and see that I identify with issues like anxiety, freedom, women’s rights, poverty, and climate change.

Who are your poetic influences?

This one is a tough one. I think I have some poems inspired by Nigeria’s Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka. I also am very inspired by the late American poet Maya Angelou. And the Chilean poet, late Pablo Neruda, for his many romantic poems.

The Nigeria’s creative community and the intellectual property sector has got a fresh fillip with the signing into law of the Copyright Act 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 17. This is the first major overhaul of the copyright system in about three decades. It thus provides a robust framework to, among others, protect the rights of authors and ensure rewards and recognition for their intellectual efforts. Nigerian Copyright Commission Director-General Dr. John Asein speaks with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME on the difference between the two acts, NCC’s preparedness to safeguard the digital space, among other issues.

What makes the new Act significantly different from the Act of 2004?

The old Copyright Act, although contained in the 2004 Laws of the Federation, was promulgated in 1988 long before the internet and online exploitation of copyright works became part of our daily life. The 1988 Act was only amended tangentially in 1992 and 1999, to enhance the administration of rights and the enforcement powers of the Nigerian Copyright Commission, without changing the analogue character of the law.

Being the first intellectual property statute to be concluded in a civilian dispensation, the new Act is a product of a deliberate bottom-up legislative process. So, unlike the 1988 Act and the earlier 1970 Act, both of which were promulgated as decrees, the 2022 Act has been enriched by wide consultations and stakeholder participation.

In very clear terms, the new Copyright Act sets out its objectives, which would serve as guide in the interpretation and implementation of the provisions. The four cardinal objectives as set out in Section 1 of the Act are to protect the rights of authors to ensure just rewards and recognition for their intellectual efforts; provide appropriate limitations and exceptions to guarantee access to creative works; facilitate Nigeria’s compliance with obligations arising from relevant international copyright treaties and conventions; and enhance the capacity of the Nigerian Copyright Commission for effective regulation, administration, and enforcement of the provisions of the Act.

Apart from being more elaborate with 109 sections and a schedule as against the old Act with 52 sections and five schedules, the 2022 Copyright Act is purpose built for a more efficient use, administration and enforcement of rights in a digital environment. It better addresses flexibilities allowed under the treaties to meet the needs of society in a knowledge driven world.

 In summary, how does the new Act enable effective administration, regulation, enforcement and protection of copyrights?

The new Act is an improvement on the old order and its provisions have been hailed by many as a good start in the modernisation of the nation’s copyright system. The followings are some key provisions that would increase the protection of rights and enhance the administration, regulation and enforcement of rights.

Better definition of terms and the scope of rights granted for clarity and to align with the digital environment. Simple as this may be, it has wide ramifications for the protection and enforcement of rights in a digital environment. For instance, “copy” in relation to a work is now defined to mean a reproduction in any form including a digital copy. This is an improvement on the old Act where it was defined narrowly to mean a reproduction in a material form. Similarly, the rights granted a copyright owner in many cases include the right to control and making the work available to the public by wire or wireless means in such a way that members of the public are able to access the work from a place and at a time individually chosen by them. So, making a work available online without consent amounts to an infringement.

The new Act contains a wider range of criminal liability including the offence of aiding and imposes more deterrent penalties. It is instructive that most of the penalties prescribed are the minimum, implying that a Judge would be at liberty to impose a higher sentence. For instance, whereas the old Act provides for a fine of an amount not exceeding N1,000 per copy or imprisonment not exceeding five years, the new Act in the same instance provides for a fine of an amount not less than N10,000 per copy or imprisonment of not less than five years or to both the fine and imprisonment. A court would now be free to impose more deterrent punishments commensurate with the gravity of the offence. In some cases (such as communication to the public, making works available online, criminal infringement of broadcasts, or dealing in machines for production of anti-piracy devices), the penalties are as much as not less than N1million fine or terms of not less than five years imprisonment. To help fast-track the criminal process, the commission also now has the powers to compound any offence by accepting sums of money not exceeding double of the minimum fine to which the offender would have been liable if he had been convicted of the offence.

 What is the position of the Act on online infringement and Internet Service Providers?

 One of the major defects in the old Act was the absence of provisions dealing with online infringements. The new Act now has elaborate provisions imposing duties and liabilities on Internet service providers (ISPs). An ISP has a duty, upon receiving notice of infringement, to promptly act and expeditiously take down or disable access to the infringing contents or links to such content hosted on its system or network. The ISP may also suspend the account of any subscriber who is adjudged to be a repeated offender.

Safeguarding of technological protection measures (TPMs). Unlike the old Act which has very minimal provisions for anti-piracy measures, the new Act now has elaborate provisions to safeguard TPMs and Rights Management Information (RMIs). Under the new law, it is an offence for any person to make, import, sell, distribute, hire, offer or expose for sale or hire any technology or device that is for the circumvention of a TPM. Consequently, it is now an offence to import, sell or distribute set-top boxes for pirated online movie or broadcast streaming. It is also an offence to provide a service to another knowing that the service is to enable or assist that other person to circumvent a TPM.

Exceptions and Compulsory licensing provisions. As in the old Act, the new Act provides for a series of exceptions which set the boundaries for rights granted to copyright owners. These exceptions have been more clearly defined for ease of interpretation and application. One of the new provisions introduced under the 2022 Copyright Act is the powers granted to the Nigerian Copyright Commission to authorise the use of a work by any person for the purpose of rectifying the abuse of a dominant market position or to promote public interest. The nature and conditions precedent to the exercise of the power are elaborately spelt out in the Act and would be subject to the Regulations to be made by the Commission.

In line with the requirements of the Marrakesh Treaty to which Nigeria is a party, the new Act has a special exception in Section 26 for the blind, visually-impaired and persons with other print disability. Unlike the old statute that only allows the production and distribution of works in Braille for only the blind, the new Act now addresses the needs of all print disabled persons and permits authorised entity (as may be designated by the Commission) to make or produce an accessible format copy of a work or subject matter for the use of and supply of the copy thereof to beneficiary persons by means, including non-profit lending or electronic communication by wire or wireless means.

The new Act has not departed much from the general requirements for the operations of Collective Mmanagement Organisations (CMOs) although the penalties for operating as a CMO without the requisite approval have been increased. Whereas the offence carried a fine of N1,000 on first conviction and N2,000 or imprisonment for  six months (or to both) for any subsequent conviction, the new Act imposes a fine of at least N1million or imprisonment for not less than five years (or both). In the case of a body corporate, the old penalty was a fine of N10,000 on first conviction and N2,000 for every day on which the offence continues while the new Act prescribes a fine of at least N5 million.

Aside the powers to regulate CMOs, the Commission now has the powers with the consent of the Minister, to make regulations for specifying the conditions necessary for the operation of a business involving the production, publication, public exhibition, distribution, sale, hiring, rental, storage, warehousing or any other dealings with a work in which copyright subsists. It may also prescribe any fees for any transactions, or fines for any act or non-compliance arising from the provisions of the Act or a regulation made pursuant to Act. Contravention of a regulation, order or any other instrument made under the provisions of the Act, or non-compliance with any administrative sanctions imposed under any directive or regulation issued by the Commission constitutes an offence and is punishable, in the case of first offence, with a fine of not less than N100,000 and in the case of a repeat offence, with a fine of not less than N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of not less than 6 months.

Also, the Commission, in exercising its powers of enforcement and compliance, may: (i) demand-for evidence of compliance from persons, public or private institutions and organisations; (ii) caution a non-compliant person or entity in writing; (iii) sanction a non-compliant person or entity by the imposition of administrative fines; (iv) institute criminal-proceedings against a non-compliant person or entity; (v) institute civil actions against the defaulting person or entity; and (vi) obtain a court warrant or order to seize or detain any book, record, document or other information storage system or database which use does not conform with the provisions of the Act or relevant regulations made pursuant to the Act.

Statutory endorsement of registration of copyright ownership for certainty and evidentiary value. Although the Act makes it clear that the enjoyment of copyright does not require any formality (including registration), copyright registration is now a basis for the statutory presumptions which would aid the proof of cases in the event of infringement. This would contribute to the effective administration of rights under the new Act.

The new Act is generally more user-friendly with key provisions, including the duration of copyright, exceptions, and transitional provisions (which under the old Act were tucked away in the Schedule) now in the body of the statute.

How prepared is NCC for the new challenges as provided by the new Act, especially the digital space?

The new Act is largely a product of a deliberate reform process which the Commission launched in November 2012. It is, therefore, aware of the challenges that the new Act would bring. The reform agenda had an inbuilt implementation plan, which is now being revised in consultation with stakeholders to accommodate more players. In anticipation of the new Act, the Commission had established an Online Enforcement Unit and embarked on a series of training for its personnel. More staff and resources would be required to monitor the online space and respond to the demands of right owners and members of the public. In the meantime, in order to bridge the personnel gap, the Commission will rely on collaborations with other agencies and stakeholders.

Incidentally, the Commission was also in the forefront of the recent interagency collaboration leading to a National Intellectual Policy and Strategy for Nigeria. Some of the implementation steps envisaged in that document would also apply to the new Act. We have begun the deployment of some of the solutions such as (i) the implementation of the Copyright Levy scheme to provide the needed revenue streams for authors and the enforcement programmes of the Commission; (ii) establishment of safety nets for the creative economy and clear direction on the management of IP assets; (iii) introduction of proactive regulatory interventions to further check piracy; (iv) introduction of effective technology-enhanced anti-piracy measures review of the CMO Regulations to hold CMOs to a higher level of accountability; (v) strengthening of the copyright support systems (the courts and other regulatory institutions) to guarantee positive outcomes in the adjudicatory process; (vi) continuous training and retraining of all players in the creative sector; and (vii) building of institutional confidence in the collaterisation of copyright assets to assist those in need of investment funds.

  Enforcement is not cheap, and it is even more demanding when it has to be done in the physical space and online. Fortunately, the Commission presently enjoys a measure of goodwill amongst right owner groups so that should help ease the burden of monitoring and enforcement. We expect more industry-based regulation and compliance. On financing, the Commission is also hoping that the commencement of the Copyright Levy regime which has an inbuilt component for anti-piracy operations would provide it with the needed funds for the effective implementation of the new copyright system.

 How would you have felt if the Bill wasn’t signed into law by end of this administration? How would that have impacted the creative sector?

 With the level of stakeholder participation and support in the law-making process, I never really had a doubt that the Bill would be signed into law eventually. It was only a question of time. The whole world was expectant and for them, it would have been a disappointment if the Bill was not signed when it was. But then everyone knew that Nigeria had worked hard at it and my fear was that the any further delay would only make the job of enforcing copyright harder. It would have meant using analogue tools to deal with digital problems. But at every point, my optimism was strengthened by the fact that this administration under His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR with the active support of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, CON, SAN had deposited four copyright treaties at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in October 2017 demonstrating its commitment to modernizing the country’s copyright system. It is also encouraging that that the Executive Bill, which formed the template for the new Act had received the blessing of the Federal Executive Council in 2018. For us it was therefore only a question of time.

All in all I am relieved that Nigeria finally has the new Act, a watershed in the development of copyright law in Nigeria and the first successful legislative intervention in the field of intellectual property under a democratic regime. It is a sign of better things to come and again, I thank our stakeholders for their resilience and support for the reform process.

Awareness of rights is one sure way to stemming piracy. What are the commission’s plans to educate stakeholders about their rights and how to protect them?

The Commission has redesigned its public awareness strategy and we are taking the message of copyright to all levels of the public. As soon as the Bill is published in the Official Gazette, the Commission will commence mass enlightenment and education to ensure that the public is well informed on the changes, especially the criminal consequences of copyright piracy and other abuse. We will consult widely in the formulation of Regulations and other implementation strategies. For this we shall be enlisting the support of the media, who incidentally are also major stakeholders as owners and users of copyright works. We can never have enough of enlightenment.

  Any parting thoughts?

I thank President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, members of the Joint Committees of the Senate and other members of the National Assembly, especially Senator Mukhail Abiru who had sponsored a private member Bill and supported the harmonization process, all the intellectual property experts that worked with us throughout the drafting process, all national and international stakeholder groups that submitted comments and gave insight on various aspects of the new law and to my predecessor in office, Mr. Afam Ezekude who initiated the reform process in 2012 and continued to give me the needed encouragement even after leaving office. The Copyright Act is the product of extensive collaboration across industry interests and it is my hope that we would all bring the same collaboration to bear in its implementation to change the copyright narrative in Nigeria for wealth creation and national development.

Umar Yogiza Jr.

DESPITE basking ample fame and instant reverence with his novel ‘Climate of Corruption 1978’ being the first English published novel from Northern Nigeria, the name of Labo Yari is today largely unknown, almost all his works under-read or wanely out of print altogether.

Labo Yari, should have been a thought-provoking guide to the new generation Nigerian writers or of Northern Nigerian extraction, in the two of his books that I go through, he created and spun the entire universe out of ordinary words. In his books, he had created a world identical to ours and suddenly ushers us to play in it, to jubilate, to search, to found, to lose, to speculate, each generating his own emotional intelligence and genius into his own utopia, without controlling the limits of our amusement. As Soyinka, Achebe, J.P Clerk, Niyi Osundare, Aluko , Ekwensis, Elechi Amadis etc. Can we say Labo Yari lost touch with the literary community or he never found the right readers in his lifetime?

In May 2007, when the writer Ibrahim Sheme asked Labo Yari who has not travelled for writers’ meetings for long, whether he’s attending World Book Day events being organized in Calabar between 23rd-30th, he’s not sure. Sheme guess maybe due to the fact that he was merely invited via phone without professional courtesy and logistics.

In 1982, Yari was a frontier among the five writers, that, includes Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, who founded the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). And he remained its trustees alongside Achebe, T.M. Aluko and, Mabel Segun, a position he held till his death, March 18, 2023, age 83.

If having penned all these great literary works and co-founded the largest body of writers in Africa, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)— ‘Climate of Corruption (1978)’ ‘A House in the Dark and Other Stories (1985), Man of the Moment (1992), ‘A Day Without Cockcrow (1999)’. And in 2007 published a 351-page biography of a powerful colonial-era traditional ruler of Katsina, titled Muhamman Dikko Emir of Katsina, couldn’t cemented Labo Yari’s reverence with the literary critics and the media then I don’t know what should.

What brings a writer or a book to limelight or fame and keeps it relevant for generations? Is the audacity of a writer and his cult of readers? Or the quality of writer’s story or the his reverend critics? When Labo Yari was asked by the veteran journalist Ismaila Umaisha in 2007, why his books as good as they were, weren’t being adopted in schools, he answered: “none of my books is being adopted by the West African Examination Council, similar bodies or Universities. But I don’t think it is my responsibility to do that. Essentially, I write for the general readers, not for schools.”

He said, the literature of a country depends highly on publishers. They determine what is to be published and what is not to be published. The books ones read and talk about over and over again are books demanded by the critics and reviewers and made available by the publishers. Constant reminder carved them a special place in one’s heart. Once in a while they throw these sets of books off the shelf and into one’s hand, in a way one can’t really help it.

Nigerian writers talk about Labo Yari with different emotions, it’s as if he’s been around  and has been missing and was suddenly found at death. In Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s words: “Just learning of the passing of Alhaji Labo Yari, the author of the novel Climate of Corruption and five other books. He was one of the founding fathers of the Association of Nigerian Authors and a trail blazer for writers. His works helped clear the path that we followed. May Allah receive him with compassion.

Denja Abdullahi, ANA immediate past president said: “Labo Yari was more of a recluse and publicity shy writer and person. He was a man of quiet and calm dignity. Much attention was not given to his writings by critics beyond the circle of northern literary critics in the academia in their various regional conferences and journals. He was more or less like an unsung writer.

Migration is not only growing concern globally, but it has also caught the eyes of thespians in Europe and Africa. Dries Verhoeven Studios and Kininso Koncepts have  teamed up in a politically provocative production, Dear Beloved Friend, as it revisits global migration issues. EVELYN OSAGIE writes.

A UN World Migration report states there is an upsurge in the number of migration in the last decade. But migration is an age-long phenomenon that is not only of a global concern – one that has caught the interest of thespians in Europe and Africa, especially that of production director Dries Verhoeven.  It is one of his most politically-engaged productions.

Verhoeven’s experimental work depicting a mass exodus from one continent to another, struggling to cope with the influx is a melting pot of a sort of the present and future. Straight from Nollywood, the heart of the African film industry, comes a politically-engaged production, Dear Beloved Friend by Dries Verhoeven Studios with Kininso Koncepts’.

From the misconception of the average European to the resilience of the Nigerian, the 75-minute production is performed here in Nigeria but shown in theatres in the Netherland and other European cities. It premiered in Nigeria on March 4 and also being watched by the Netherland audience, graced the Theater Rotterdam last week. It then moved to Het Nationale Theatre (Den Haag) at the Chassé Theatre (Breda).

According to the production director, “Some people thought that the title is too friendly which is quite ironic. We should have open hands, look each other in the eyes and have conversations without stereotypes and prejudice. Dear Beloved Friend is a very genuine opening sentence of the play which is very gentle in reality often met with suspicion”

In a bid to explore the issue, Verhoeven, a master at finding the right format for the right subject, decided to team up with Nigeria’s creative producer, Joshua Alabi, in Dear beloved Friend.

It is a live film performance in which performers enact European nightmares via a live internet connection while addressing its audience in their comfortable theatre seats, it brings the Nigerians reaching out to the Dutch right there on their theatre seats.

The piece is a work about the different ways that people from the two continents see the future. It scrutinises the feelings of nervousness of the Dutch instead without opening the doors to have a conversation on issues such as climate change, and the misconception of Africans dreaming of migrating to Europe.

While the performers performed at the Seaside Cottage in Nigeria, the Netherlands audience has an empty stage, but the screen projects the performance to them. They see the screen and see people that may be there in future. They are looking at the potential or the possibility that they would be on stage one day. In it, the performers question their future presence on that stage. And that future presence is being converted to fear by the Dutch.

Throughout the performance, we hear a voice-over describing the life of an average European. Someone who consumes the news, checks his phone, and muddles along. Despite his concerns about the world, all he does is donate to charity and have recurring nightmares about a party where he doesn’t recognise anyone. All of this paints a critical portrait of the decadence, hypocrisy, and fever dreams of the Westerner.

“It is hilarious to me to find out that many people who do not have background to migration are talking about it. Many times, people don’t tell us about what it is or how it is to live in a country. This leads to the theoretical way of looking at the topic,” says the concept producer and director, Verhoeven in a recent online briefing on the production.

With a sense of growing unease, Verhoeven read some articles about a future African migrants’ invasion and Europe’s expected birth explosion. Where will this enormous group of people go in the predicted post-apocalyptic world?” he had asked.

“And in Europe, we talk about it in an apocalyptic way – like something we should be fearful of. I read about how migration is connected to climate change and that is a lot written about the explosion of population which explains why many people want to go to Europe.”

Verhoeven went ahead to do his research and flew into the city of Lagos, which is rapidly becoming the world’s largest city in an already densely populated country. While in Lagos, he discovered a people bursting with energy and utopian thinking. In his words, “I came here with plans to make a work about migration because I’d read an article about an imminent African exodus, but as one of the group’s performers said: ‘You all seem to be going through a midlife crisis. You’re looking at tomorrow with apprehension, and are filled with nostalgia for yesterday,’ their faith in the future contrasts with our desire to cling to the past. Are Nigerians fantasizing against their better judgement? Or are we in Europe too fixated on the past?” And so began the quest that gave birth to the provocative production, Dear beloved friend.

And during his first visit to Nigeria, he met Alabi of Kininso Koncepts who became the creative producer and other Nigerian performers.

“And in the course, scripting and putting the show together, I asked two questions: have we reached the place where Africans are going massively to the Europe and should we be afraid of that? I found myself talking about myself by talking about Europe. I think in the end it is more of what we can call the European mid-life crisis. The fact that Europe is looking back instead of forward is nostalgic, yet awfully depressing. Clearly, the apocalypse is not in fashion in Nigeria. It’s hard to imagine a starker contrast with European fears. Europe is not free from challenges. The average person is 44 in Europe. I call the Europe wealthy but missing the sparkle of the resilience that is made by the Nigerian. That is what I came to Nigeria to dive into and now showcase.

“My visit to Nigeria was a very open visit. I was very happy to be introduced to Kininso Koncepts and meet the people who are so full of creative ideas, so professional about curating events and setting up theatre productions here and internationally.”

For Alabi, the show is timely and historic. “It feels great to be part of this epoch-making production. It has been a wonderful experience in several levels. At a time when migrating abroad is on the lips of most youths, this production on Africa’s exodus to the Europe is an eye opener to some misconceptions on both sides.”

The crew is made up of practitioners from Nigeria and the Netherland, according to Verhoeven. The performers include Ayoola Odubona, Israel Efosa Okpoko, Olorunniyi Zion Praise, Uche Enechukwu, Uche Kingsley Mborogwu and John Zeblon. The technical crew include Roel Evenhuis, Jeremiah Anthony Irabor, Titus Duitshof, Bolaji Afolabi Rilwan; Miguel Melgares (dramaturgy); Peer Thielen (sound design); Adebayo Habib Olaore (sound); Biokorogha Tumbra, Anthony Monday (light); Moshood Fattah (voice over artist); Bart van de Woestijne (internet technician); and Omotayo Charles Ogunfeibo (internet Nigeria).

Reviewer: Paul Onomuakpokpo, PhD

Former Editor, The Guardian Newspaper &

Publisher, New Times Online, Lagos

NOT many people at an early age are privileged with the prescience of the directions their lives would take. The bulk of humanity flounder through life and at the end, the successes they encounter are not really the outcomes of well-designed lives but rather accidental bestowals of benevolent Providence. We cannot locate Professor Tunji Olaopa in this category. From childhood, the signs were visible. Like Napoleon Bonaparte, he was born to conquer the world, but not with guns and bullets but with profound knowledge. Thus, even at an early age when many of his contemporaries’ development was stiffled with filial doting, Olaopa had charted his path by embarking on a quest for knowledge.

Olaopa’s memoir, The Unending Quest for Reform is located at the interstices of his life journey, intellectual maturation and public service. Its preoccupation is not consigned to life in the swanky offices of government and international institutions. Consequently, our initial encounter with Olaopa is in rural Okeho and Aawe in Oyo State where he had precociously begun his quest for knowledge with his reading of Sketch Newspaper that was always bought by his father. Olaopa tells us that he is enamoured of books, a love that he has sustained through life. It was this precocious reading that formed his views of the world. And because he had started reading at this early age, it was not difficult for him to discover his interests and strengths in life and how best to parlay them. In his reckoning, these interests and the strengths could be better served not through the study of medicine as required by his family but through philosophy or political science. Apart from medicine, his family was also in support of his studying law. They were apprehensive that the study of philosophy or political science was divorced from the reality of life. There was the overarching question of how these seemingly abstract intellectual quests would provide food for him. But at the end of this filial struggle as regards the best career for him, Olaopa won. He chose political science which he thought aligned with his intellectual interests. He went to the University of Ibadan to pursue this interest.

Olaopa says that his ” entire life has always been defined and shaped by books. “They have been the only basis of my growth that has remained constant, apart from God and family. Books of all kinds have been the fundamental lubricants responsible for the becoming of who I think I am today, and what I think I will be tomorrow. Books were my initial avenues to untold worlds: an escape route from the restricting confines of my humble background to the worlds I could only dream of as a kid.” He was weaned on the intellectual traditions of Plato, Wole Soyinka, Obafemi Awolowo, Thomas Paine, Thomas More, Niccolò Machiavelli , Karl Popper, Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Che Guevara, Max Weber, Napoleon Bonaparte, and D.O. Fagunwa . In the secondary school his obsession with books culminated in his being identified with the sobriquet “isms” which suggests that ” like Nnamdi Azikiwe, I was motivated by the urgent need to enter into all literary worlds.”

Also, his professional life was inspired by the ennobling legacies in public service  of Professor Ojetunji Aboyade, Simeon Adebo, Jerome Udoji and Allison Ayida and Prof. Akinlawon Mabogunje.

Olaopa’s life was so providentially designed that whatever he lost, was always uncannily compensated for . This was instantiated in different ways. Obviously due to his involvement in student union activism at the University of Ibadan, he failed to realise his dream of attaining higher academic goals. This seeming failure propelled him to pursue his master’s degree and even a doctorate. The sage Obafemi Awolowo died the day Olaopa was to start work with him as a private secretary. But the abortion of this dream which would have confined him to probably Ibadan if it had materialised enabled him to get a job at MAMSER that eventually etched him in the public imagination. His premature retirement from the public service rather paved the way for his making a career in academia and becoming a professor.

It was at MAMSER where Olaopa was expressing his opinions in the newspapers that he was ferreted out by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida who was impressed with his writings. Babangida brought Olaopa to the presidency which became the watershed of his public service. From beginning as a speech writer in the presidency, Olaopa worked in different departments and climaxed his public service as a permanent secretary.

Olaopa’s journey in the public service was hallmarked by a desire for reforms. He was actuated by the desire to transform the civil service into a hub for national development. It was this desire that birthed his pursuing his doctorate. He was not interested in pursuing a doctorate that would gather dust and cobwebs on the shelf of a university after spending many years of research to get it. Rather, he wanted a doctorate that would serve as an answer to the question of why the Nigerian civil service was not a contributing factor to the optimisation of the country’s potential.

Even after experiencing first-hand the intrigues and treacheries of the civil service and being prematurely retired, Olaopa has not been deterred from seeking how to reform it. He has thus seized every opportunity to express his ideas on the best way to reform it. These ideas are found in his plethora of academic articles, newspaper opinions and books. In fact, to further give expression to his quest for the reform of the public service, Olaopa set up the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP) after retirement. Through lectures and seminars, Olaopa has used this institution to point the direction for the public service. As an intellectual, Olaopa does not hesitate to reveal his ancestral spiritual roots that have influenced his life. We are reminded of the inter-play of what Ali Mazrui in his documentary The Africans: A Triple Heritage refers to as Islam, Christianity and traditional African religion in the lives of the people of formerly colonised people. But in Olaopa’s life, the Christian faith eventually became the most