The last yuletide celebration was not all about winning and dining. While many arts aficionados in Lagos celebrated the season at the cinema houses and theatre halls, some art enthusiasts and collectors savoured the rich artworks by four young Nigerian artists at Backyard Garden and Grill at Lekki, Lagos.
The group art exhibition tagged Pop The Cherry At The Grill was organised by the founder of Backyard Garden and Grill, Mr. Temitayo Abolade. It featured young artists, such as Chinedu Uzoma, Habeeb Andu, Aromire Wahab Oladehinde and Ekpetorson Elizabeth Chioma.
The group show, which opened from December 26 to 30, last year, featured works with various expressions and styles.
Interestingly, the exhibition was organised to provide a meeting point for art lovers and the young and upcoming artistes who, despite doing amazing works, have very limited opportunities to showcase their works.
One of Uzoma’s paintings, Sought After (oil on canvas), shows a mother and child exuding confidence and happiness despite of the recession. It also reflects the love and bond between the two. His high level of presentation underlines his keen interest and strength in human forms and anatomy. His other work was The Reminiscence.
Uzoma graduated from Lagos State Polytechnic with a distinction in Painting in 2014. He had an informal art training in Universal Studios of Art, National Theatre Complex, Iganmu, Lagos before he got admission into the art school. His keen interest in human forms and anatomy dominated most of his artistic expressions. He has participated in various group shows and delivered satisfactorily in commissions. He believes ‘art is a tool to communicate what words cannot tell’.
Unlike Uzoma, Andu, who graduated from Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, where he had his ND and HND in Painting, featured works in mixed media and charcoal and pastel on paper. The works were The Projection and Homage. He is a versatile painter who loves drawing. His works show his passion for drawing through his regular expression in charcoal, pastel and other drawing media. He has participated in several art shows. He believes art is the primary of whatever exists now and after.
The only female artist among the lot was Ekpetorson Elizabeth Chioma, from Delta State. She graduated from University of Port Harcourt and had her industrial training at Universal Studios of Art, Lagos. She specialised in drawing and painting, has participated in several exhibitions and resides in Lagos.
In Concentration, she captured the concentration level of a mobile male tailor at work using pen on paper. The drawing shows minute details such as folds, bends, stress and strains of both the clothes and the tailor. Her other drawing On the go meal shows a female snack hawker wearing half hijab by the road side. Olasehinde featured The counselor and The perfect man all in pastel on paper.
Abolade is an architect with a passion for theart. He acquired his first Bruce Onobrapeya’s work in February 2007 and has since then built a rich collection of artworks. His passion for the arts inspired the establishment of the Backyard Garden and Grill: a casual dining restaurant set in a garden on Plot 20, Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase One, Lagos, which serves grilled food from Fridays to Sundays and available for prior reservation for small groups of 15-40 on other days.
According to Abolade, “The grill attracted a customer base with served interests in arts and a more humane lifestyle so the art exhibitions are a natural progression of activities. The exhibitions is aimed at young and aspiring art collectors as we exhibit the works of young artists and facilitate interaction between both groups. The just concluded exhibition was well attended and recorded 100 per cent sale of all the exhibited works.
“The gallery hopes to continue to provide an avenue for the identification, development and celebration of Nigeria artist, especially with the renewed calls for diversification. We appeal to the public to enjoy indigenous art forms as it lead to development of tourism, hospitality and boost economic development. The gallery also believes that the love of art shouldn’t be restricted to only the elites in our society as art is a form of expression for all humans alike.”
The guests at the exhibition included Chairman of Fidelity Bank PLC Mr. Ernest Ebi, Mr. Emeka Onwuka, Chioma Ude, Nze Chimezie Osuala, Daniel Ajike, Ejiro Onobrapeya and Nero Asebuwa.
Category: Arts & Life
-
Pop The Cherry… Fresh window for young artists
-
IFELODUN Human traffickers’ new fishing pond
Human traffickers to Libya and other countries abroad are feasting on the desperation of poor, ambitious residents of Ifelodun Street, Ayobo, Lagos, report Medinat Kanabe and Dorcas Egede
Ifelodun Street, Ayobo, has become a rich fishing pond for girl traffickers to Libya and many other cities. In this suburb of Lagos, ambitious mothers put in extra efforts to prepare their daughters for the journey abroad, while the ‘lucky’ girls show off to other girls when they get opportunity to be trafficked abroad.
Sarah (not real name) lived with her parents at Ifelodun Street, Onimalu, Ayobo, Lagos state before she got what her relations believed was a rare opportunity. She and other girls her age, who lived close to each other, had, in the past, competed for things girls her age compete for. She loved to have what other girls had as well as show her parents that she can make them proud. So, it was not a surprise that she was interested when Auntie Helen (not real name) came to their neighborhood with a ‘sweet’ offer to take girls who are good in one form of handiwork or the other abroad for jobs. Her parents supported her in making all the necessary arrangements, including making sure she perfected her hair making skills to ensure she was picked quickly.
Sarah and some others, including Biliki (surname withheld), were soon taken abroad but the happiness of her parents and relations was cut short when in September 2016, Sarah’s corpse suddenly arrived Nigeria for burial.
Until today, the cause of her death remains unknown to her parent’s neighbours, many of who refused to discuss it openly.
Search for Sarah’s roots in Ifelodun
The Nation reporters paid a visit to Ifelodun in an attempt to trace Sarah’s roots. The road from Magida bus stop is tarred until one gets to the turning that leads to the road that houses Ifelodun Street.
On the street are houses and shops, especially hairdressing and barbing shops. The community looked open, ordinary and even free until The Nation reporters began to ask about a lady who died abroad and was brought to Nigeria for burial. Initially, the response was very discouraging until they sighted a curious poster that supports the claim that girl trafficking may be enjoying a boom in that community.
On the wall of one of the houses on the street is written “FM travel and tour agent. Free resident visa to work abroad. 100 % sure; contact: 07033030114.” Although nobody commented on the poster until we reached out to the author, through the telephone number he provided, its audacious presence served as the first proof that we may not have made a mistake.
We however began with our attempt to locate late Sarah’s home. Unfortunately, virtually everybody asked in the first few hours of our visit in the community – okada riders, traders, pedestrians, etc, denied knowing the family; it was as though someone had threatened the entire community and so the people were scared of saying anything.
However, after a few hours of fruitless search, a young lady owned up that she knew about the girl that died abroad and was brought home last year for burial. She acknowledged that the girl lived on the street but was not sure of the particular house. But she pointed at a house and directed the reporters to make enquiries there, since, according to her, “the girl child in that house has gone abroad and her mother is a friend to the mothers of other girls who have gone abroad through Auntie Helen.”
At the house we met a man and a woman who refused to answer our questions. Instead, the woman started shouting and called her son to throw us out. The boy denied having any sister abroad, adding that his family does not know anyone abroad either.
So, the reporters left the house and decided to engage the services of a hairdresser. Excited to make her first sales that day, after the long monthly meeting, the hairdresser welcomed the two reporters warmly.
When asked about the girl who died abroad, the hairdresser denied knowing much about her but pointed at another shop where the reporters can go and find out. She said the woman who owns the shop has a daughter (Biliki) abroad.
A visit to Mama Biliki
Mama Biliki who also denied knowing the late Sarah agreed that her daughter is abroad but she doesn’t know the particular country where she resides.
According to her, Biliki was taken abroad because she is a very good hairdresser. She left a child of about 5 years who does not go to school or move around because he is suffering from Down syndrome.
The shop looks poorly kept, unpainted and almost empty of commodities. A lady sat with Mama Biliki and was translating what the reporters were saying.
Mama Biliki who responded to these reporters because one of the reporters said the late Sarah’s mother is a friend to the reporter’s mother and that her mother is not in good health but sent the reporter to give her sympathy, told them that Biliki is a good hairdresser that was why she made it.
After becoming acquainted with Mama Biliki and discussing other issues for more than 20 minutes, the reporter then begged Auntie Biliki to help with the contact of Madam Helen, as according to the reporter, she is also interested in traveling to work abroad.
Mama Biliki who said she does not have the number however gave them Biliki’s international number.
A call to Biliki
When these reporters called Biliki’s number, truecaller showed that the line belonged to one, Queen Band, and that the location was Libya. The reporter pleaded with Biliki (Queen Band) to be assisted to come over to work in Libya. Biliki, who sounded really nice, agreed after asking a lot of questions, including: “Who are you, who gave you my number, can you make hair, or do house girl work, or you go learn?”
The reporter said she could make ladies hair very well and the next question was if the reporter has money to pay. “If you don’t have money, I can help you but when you come, you will pay me o.”
Told that we did not have money, Biliki immediately promised to help but gave a condition that the caller must look for two more girls who are interested and call back for instructions on what to do.”
A call to Femi
As part of these reporters efforts to unravel the operation of the girl trafficking business in this community, they called the number on the wall of the house, “FM travel and tour agent. One Femi picked the call and said there are vacancies right now in the United Arab Emirate alone. He said the candidate must have a handiwork before she can be taken abroad and explained that she must have an international passport which he can arrange for.
He also said there are free accommodation and jobs for people that travel through him anywhere in the world, as he added that if a candidate doesn’t have money to pay for her transportation, he can help but she will be attached to someone over there who will be deducting from her salary and pay him until his money is complete.
Femi however emphasized that before any of these processes can begin, the candidate must first pay N15, 000 for a form and visit his office for more information.
A national threat
It is on record that many target communities, like Ifelodun, exist in different parts of the country. In such communities, girl traffickers have perfected means of persuading parents and enticing both unsuspecting and over ambitious young girls into the booming but deadly business. One of the most widely reported areas where this happen regularly is Edo State.
Ochua’s story
While The Nation was investigating the Ifelodun trafficking racket, we got information about the unfortunate story of a young girl from Edo State, who, like Sarah, recently lost her life after she was taken abroad. To protect her identity, we can call her Ochua here.
A source who knows the man that assisted Ochua to France told The Nation how the young girl lost her life in far away France: “You know how these Edo people give their children out for prostitution and domestic service. That was how they paid one Aigberamah (Other name withheld) from Iviukwe, Edo State to take their daughter to France. Aigberamah claims to be able to take people to different parts of the world.
“He was in the village in December 2015 and March 2016, so I saw him the last time he was in Nigeria. On their way, the girl was impregnated by one of the emigrants. When she arrived France, the woman they sent her to tried to abort the pregnancy and she died.
“I got to know this through a boy who comes to my office. The boy has been looking for a job in Lagos to no avail. So, he went to discuss with his brother who took him to Aigberamah when he was in Nigeria. He told them they will pay N400, 000 for the boy to be taken to Europe to work but unfortunately, he called them and told them that the first batch of boys he took to Libya were arrested and imprisoned in Libya, so, he would stop there to release them.
“The boy became scared and decided to stay back. He came to tell me how God saved him from imprisonment. But Aigberamah went to Libya and bailed the boys and decided to stop over in France to see his new wife who he married in absentia in Benin. But he was arrested in France in connection with the death of the girl, Ochua. He will serve two years in prison.
The Nation’s investigation showed that more Nigerian ladies seem resolved to embark on this deadly journey notwithstanding the tragic reports on the way some of the victims lose their lives. This, according to a source has so much to do with the harsh economic realities in the country.
According to the US Department of State 2016 Trafficking in persons report, Nigeria is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.
It says “Nigerian trafficking victims are recruited from rural and, to a lesser extent, urban areas: women and girls for domestic servitude and sex trafficking and boys for forced labour in street vending, domestic service, mining, stone quarrying, agriculture, textile manufacturing, and begging.”
The report also stated that Nigerian women and children are taken to other West and Central African countries, as well as to South Africa, where they are exploited for the same purposes. “Nigerian women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking throughout Europe. Nigerian women and children are also recruited and transported to destinations in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, where they are held captive in the commercial sex industry or forced labour. Women from other countries in West Africa transit Nigeria to destinations in Europe and the Middle East, where they are subjected to forced prostitution. Children from other West African countries are subjected to forced labour in Nigeria, including in granite and gold mines. Nigeria is a transit point for children from other countries in West Africa, who are then subjected to forced labor in Cameroon and Gabon.”
Scoring the Nigerian government on its effort to end trafficking, the report stated that the Government of Nigeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. “During the reporting period, the government sustained strong anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts by investigating, prosecuting, and convicting numerous traffickers; by collaborating with 11 countries on international investigations; and by providing extensive specialised anti-trafficking training to officials from various government ministries and agencies.
“The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) received a larger operating budget, identified and provided services to a large number of victims, and continued extensive awareness campaigns throughout the country,” it said.
It recommended cease of provision and in-kind support to groups recruiting and using children; investigation and prosecution of all individuals suspected of recruiting and using child soldiers and allegedly perpetrating other trafficking abuses against women and children, amongst others.
On prosecution, the report said the Nigerian government maintained strong anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. “In 2015, the government passed amendments to the 2003 Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act, which increased the penalties for trafficking offenders. The law prohibits all forms of trafficking and prescribes a minimum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a minimum fine of one million naira ($5,470) for sex and labor trafficking offenses; the minimum penalty for sex trafficking increases to seven years’ imprisonment if the case involves a child,” adding that “these penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with other serious crimes, such as rape.”
It also reported that “NAPTIP conducted 507 trafficking investigations, completed at least 32 prosecutions, and secured 24 convictions during the reporting period, compared with 509 investigations, 56 prosecutions, and 30 convictions in the previous reporting period,” pointing out that “The decrease in convictions is likely a result of the seconding of many judges to electoral tribunals during the reporting period. An additional 148 prosecutions remained pending at the end of the reporting period. All prosecutions occurred under the anti-trafficking law, and prison sentences upon conviction ranged from three months’ to 14
-
Making love meaningful in time of recession
Keppy Ekpenyong, one of the pioneering characters in the Nollywood industry, was at his best as Love and Recession, an adaptation of Professor Femi Osofisan’s The Engagement, produced by Ifeoma Fafunwa, hit the stage during the New Year. He spoke to Edozie Udeze on his role and why Love and Recession fits this season of economic downturn in Nigeria
Love and Recession, an adaptation of Professor Femi Osofisan’s The Engagement, was the main show during the New Year celebrations. The theatre scene in Lagos witnessed this love story directed by Ifeoma Fafunwa, to let the world know and really realise that love does exist in time of economic recession. This was why she deliberately chose The Engagement for this season. The Engagement is a well-known satire on the issue of love; love between the poor and the well-to-do, love that’s real and convincing.
It is a story that does not portray love as being discriminatory or cosmetic and so Fafunwa had to use three well-known characters in the theatre industry in Nigeria to demonstrate these roles. These characters included Keppy Ekpenyong, Omonor and Ikponmwosa Gold. Together the three brought to life the true nature of love to the delight of the audience. In fact, the Muson Centre, venue of the show was filled to capacity on the 31st of December when it ran for the third time. As Keppy bestrode the stage as the father of the young girl ready to get married, his presence evoked a bigger aura. With his baritone voice and large frame almost enveloping the stage, there was that pride in the life of a man whose lovely daughter had finally brought home the man after her heart.
Every inch of the way, it was love; love imbued with a huge sense of responsibility. It was like a lesson in the art of reality. If this man is the person you really love, then you have to be committed to each other.
In an interview, Keppy said, “Love in Recession is indeed a wonderful adaptation of Femi Osofisan’s The Engagement, inspired also by Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov’s play titled, A marriage proposal. So you can see, it is a love story right from the original source to where we are now. Punctuated with music and vocals and wonderful stage lightning, the play is a simple satirical expression of love and romance, set in a small town or a rural village in Nigeria. Interestingly, the setting was in the time of deep economic recession and the real issue of love and romance form the central theme in the play.”
He went on to say more: “Yes, it was a 17th century work in Europe and yet it is even more apt today. Love is ageless; it is deep; it is unconquerable. Love is the core of life, the reason for our existence. For us, therefore, it is comic, lighthearted, with every good quality that unwinds the interpretation of both works – The Engagement and A marriage proposal. For us, it is a simple superficial story where you have the setting of a potential wife.”
In the story, Keppy held his daughter in high esteem, eager to let her go and have her own home. He said further, “As the father of the bride-to-be, I had that confidence that she would do well. This was why I encouraged the wedding and ensured that the marriage was a huge success. That is the basic thing in this wonderful story that has taught us how to be good parents to our children. Omonor is a wonderful stage artiste and it has been rewarding working with her on stage. We had an outing together in London when I played Baruka. She is an old friend and we have done a few jobs together. Then Gold is new in my life but he is also fantastic. A wonderful artiste too, he played his role to the delight of all.”
Keppy, known for his big roles as an actor, is an old horse on the job. He is not just among the first generation of Nollywood stars, his face is well-known in most soaps in Nigeria. He reasoned thus: “For the theatre, I think Ifeoma Fafunwa is the vanguard, in the renaissance vanguard to promote theatre in Nigeria. Many people feel she is elitist in her approach and style. Yet it is not so. Theatre is for everybody and someone has to add this spice to it. It is for her to draw attention to theatre and for people to equally have things to keep them busy in this kind of season. What we have noticed is that there has been an upsurge. The Fafunwa group has been showing fantastic plays all along and this is one of them.”
Nigerian stage theatre, according to Keppy, has gone international in the past year or so. And this is due to the efforts of Fafunwa and others. Therefore, they have to be commended so as to do more. “All her works have been large and exceptional. So now, there is a bigger attention paid to the theatre that when we need to relax we have one or two shows to keep us amused. This is quite commendable for the stage takes more of your energy than the radio or the television.”
A lot of people feel because there is a recession people are shutting down. When people think of recession, they lock themselves in, they lock themselves out. “But with recession here or elsewhere, things can happen; recession should indeed usher in a new lease of life. That is what is happening in most families. Do we cut our coat according to our size? We do not need to waste things and this is what recession is teaching all of us. This play is good now to teach all of us how to face those realities whether in our love life or not”, he said.
So now that Nigerians, most of us though, are trying to adjust, there is a difficulty. “We were known to be wasteful in those days of abundance.” Love and Recession therefore is creatively inspired to take care of all these issues in our lives. It resonates differently with different people. When you watch the play, you take home what appeals to you. That is the whole essence of this play done in this time of recession to depict love in its satirical sense. At the end of the play, you’ll notice how great it is; the lesson it has for everyone; for every family.”
Keppy who confessed that he does not prefer stage to the tube, reiterated the need to make theatre totally amenable to the people. “Stage theatre brings out the best in you as an actor. Yes, it does. But in Nigeria, you sweat just too much to bring out a play. So you are sacrificing time; too much energy, just to produce a play. You spend less of that to produce a screen play or so. It is just too much energy for far too little. This is why the stage does not really appeal to me all the time. You have to balance your source of earning and so if you depend solely on stage, that may not be practicable. Even though a lot of people have begun to show interest and appreciation towards the stage it takes a lot of money to put one play on stage. It is indeed capital – intensive to do so.”
As an actor, Keppy believes that stage does not encourage you to have multiple sources of income. “It tasks you too much”, he insisted. “See, I have another performance now, I have lost my voice and I have to do my performance better than I did in the afternoon. This is one of those things stage does to you. It is tiring, even though a lot of people enjoy it. We try to organise time to rest after each show, because you need time to get into character again for the next show. That is how challenging it is to us. Yet the play can be done for all seasons. This play is season less and it appeals to all classes of people,” he concluded.
As it is now, it is hoped that Fafunwa and her team can muster enough resources and goodwill to take Love and Recession beyond the confines of the Muson Centre, Lagos. It is a play that promotes family values in this time of hardship occasioned by the economic downturn in the society. It is really both The Engagement and A marriage proposal, defining true love when it matters most – Love in Recession.
-
The coming of dance awards
In this chat with Edozie Udeze, Emmanuel Adejumo, son of the legendary Baba Sala, talks about his plan to start a dance award for dancers
Emmanuel Adejumo, popularly known as Boy Sala, is the son of the legendary comedian, Baba Sala. Like his father, he is also an artiste, a comedian, a dancer and a singer. Currently, he is one of the staffers of the National Troupe of Nigeria. For now, he and his colleagues are engaged in a programme called Nigerian Professional Dance Awards that will be holding in April this year. It is going to be the first of its kind where there will be awards for professional dancers in the country.
In an interview, Adejumo, who is spearheading the programme in order to establish more properly the place of dance in the society, said, “Yes, one or two awards in the sector has one or two slots for the dance profession. But none is wholly for dance as a profession. Therefore, it is proper that we institute this award to give dance its proper place, recognition and pride. This time around, it is to honour, celebrate and recognize not just dancers – choreographers, drummers, dance instructors, arrangers but all the people that work and operate around dance.”
Adejumo, who also owns a dance outfit, believes that the profession has got to that level where practitioners should create their own voice, entity and body different from the rest. “It is no longer time to be an appendage to the other aspects of the profession in the sector. Dance is big enough to be on its own; to be its own master. In this way, both the urban, contemporary, traditional and hip hop dancers are going to be recognized. “So we want to institute this award in order to make the profession more recognizable. Even as it is now, the dance profession is growing bigger every day. People like Sir Peter Badejo (OBE) have taken Nigerian dance patterns to the ends of the earth. By being so recognized by the Queen of England in faraway Europe, why wouldn’t we recognize and honour him here at home?” he queried.
As an artiste, Adejumo is hell bent on expanding the frontiers of dance. It is time for people like him to embellish the ideals that make the profession one to be proud of; a profession that needs more people in terms of generating employment that pays the bills. He said: “Most often when government officials are having their programmes, they invite dancers to perform and entertain them. So also do some private and corporate bodies. You can then see that dance has come to be an integral part of the society. It is therefore our own role to elevate this platform. We are the ones to do it for ourselves. This is why it is imperative now so that the younger ones can easily key in.”
The Nigerian Professional Dance is an organization saddled with this responsibility. Founded by Adejumo and others, what they are doing presently is to solicit for corporate sponsors to be able to organize and host a noble award that befits the sector. “If we do not celebrate ourselves,” Adejumo bemoaned, “no one will celebrate us. And you see, being a dancer involves a lot of efforts; it takes a lot of your time, energy and youth. It is therefore time for us to extend our hands of friendship to our colleagues far and near. This is why it is necessary that we quickly do this by April this year. We will use our money first if we cannot get sponsors yet. But we have to start from somewhere. We have to call attention to ourselves first. For us, that is the most sensible and important thing to do. If you want recognition, you have to work for it, you have to show, first and foremost, that this is your forte,” he reasoned.
“If you have not done something before, sponsors may not come. But if you do it and then become consistent, when you seek for their assistance they will come. This is the strategy we have to adopt for now. When others in this line started, it was slow and low-keyed. Today, most awards in the entertainment industry have grown from strength to strength. This has to start according to our pocket. This is why in the awards we have twenty-one categories which includes best governor who loves dance, the best dancer, best choreographer in different patterns of the dance profession, best in musical videos, best child dancer, best costumiers, make-up artistes for dancers and lots more.”
Even the media will not be left out in this arrangement. Adejumo intoned: “Of course, we will have awards for the best television station for the dance, so also the best print media that has supported and promoted dance in 2016. All these are to show our appreciation to those who have been there for us. We will equally award the living legend in dance award. This is in recognition of those who set the pace for us. This is where the likes of Peter Badejo and Professor Ojo Rasak Bakare who was once the Artistic Director of the Abuja carnival and others in that category will come in.”
Beyond that, people like Arnold Udoka, foremost Nigerian choreographer and a Commonwealth scholar in dance will be in the hall of fame. Also Mrs. Bose Servende in Jos who has done much for dance, will be recognised. So, we hope to have a wonderful outing come April.”
-
Strange things Nigerians do to survive recession
Because of the economic recession, many Nigerians have lost their jobs, causing harsh ripple effects on the people. To survive, some families have adopted unusual measures, reports Omolara Akintoye
Hard times, they say, call for strange and deliberate solutions. It is a bit alarming to know some unusual and strange strategies Nigerians are now adopting to survive as the economic hardship continues to bite. Since the economic recession began, a lot of citizens have lost their jobs and this has left a harsh ripple effects on so many families as they now adopt unusual measures to survive.
Our investigation confirms that there are increased cases of petty stealing and robbery; cases of children withdrawn from schools because their parents or guardians can no longer afford the bills; cases of sick people seeking herbal remedies because they can’t afford medical bills, among other desperate measures. There are even stories of women now engaged in professional begging or in the extreme, offering sex to neighbours and strangers just for a meal.
Mr. Kola Adedire was a senior staff with one of the leading manufacturing companies in Lagos and was earning good salary for many years until June last year when he lost his job. All efforts he made to secure another job proved abortive and the meager income of his wife, who sells petty things in front of their rented two bedroom apartment, is not enough to sustain the family of five. Since last year’s October, when Adedire’s rent became due, he has been playing hide and seek with his landlord in order to buy time even as he made frantic effort to borrow money from friends and relatives to pay his rent. As at the end of the year, it became obvious to him that all his efforts to get financial help from relatives and friends proved abortive.
He therefore resolved to look for a one room apartment but was shocked to discover that the rent has sky rocketed so much that it has also become unaffordable to him. “With the way things are, I’ve already prepared my mind and told my family members that this year, 2017, we are going back to the village,” said Adedire.
The Godwins, they are being ejected from their three-bedroom apartment and because they couldn’t get money to get another apartment he lamented that he is squatting with his relatives. “As I speak to you, I, my wife and four children are squatting with my elder brother”, he lamented. For Mrs. Chinyere Ukachukwu, who lives in Amuwo-Odofin area and just delivered a baby, she narrated how she had to register in an Herbal home in order to save cost. ‘It is sad to note that although the money I was asked to pay in government hospital was not much, I don’t even have the money so I had to register in a herbal home where you pay little or nothing but mind you, you are at the mercy of those people because God forbid, if anything happens to you,” she said. “I just thank God there was no complication all through my period of pregnancy and delivery”, said Mrs. Ukachukwu.
In the case of Mrs. Odinakachukwu Ali who hails from Ebonyi State, she was caught by Ebonyi State Police while attempting to sell off her three children whose ages range between 8 months and 6 years. The reason for this according to her was because she could no longer take care of these children single-handedly. “I did not have problem with my husband when he abandoned us since April. I started doing menial jobs to enable me take care of my children. I kept doing this till it became so difficult for me to continue and I decided to return to the village”, she said. Mrs. Odinakachukwu revealed that she did not want to sell her children because she passed through Caesarean Session (C/S) before giving birth to all of them. “But life is hard”, she lamented.
There is also the case of a housewife who has been offering sex to her next door neighbour as collateral for food to feed her children. These are some of the weird things that people do now just to survive.
In a related development, a popular businesswoman in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos, Olubunmi Uko, recently walked out of her home with her last child (Seun) after leaving behind a suicide note. Oku, according to Mrs. Alake Idris,(her neighbour) had complained to a relative that her business had gone bad as a result of the exchange rate and that her debt had risen beyond redemption. She reportedly woke up her other children and informed them that she was going to visit someone and as at the time of this publication, Mrs. Uko is still missing.
Idris also told The Nation about another case in Osun State that shows the depth of hunger in the land. According to her, it all began when a woman went to her neighbour and asked for money to buy some food items for her children and the neighbour said she doesn’t have. While the woman was cooking, she went inside to get seasoning, but when she came out, she found that her pot was gone. She went to knock at the doors of her neighbours in search of the pot of food but nobody, including the woman that asked for some money from her, owned up. But after some time, she saw the woman’s children coming out with food and asked, ‘So how did you get the food?’ It was then that the woman owned up that she took the food so that she and her children won’t die, adding, “For two days, we have not had anything to eat; I won’t watch my children starve to death.”
Reports have also shown that there is a growing army of dependants in Nigeria. People who used to work are no longer working; maybe they have been laid off from their places of employment. So, there is a growing army of dependants. As a result, begging is also on the increase. According to Mr. Steve Uko, a businessman in Lagos, “Crime rate has increased, from petty crimes to pick pocketing, to stealing of foods and to hard crimes like robbery. The rate of crime has increased and we saw this clearly across the states we visited recently. We also heard of cases of missing pots of soup, especially those who live in communal kitchens. You come out; your pot of soup is gone,” he said.
Another evidence of the economic hardship is job losses, a development that has led to emergency taxi drivers now seen all over town. “So, someone has a car but in order to buy fuel and put some little extra cash in his pocket, he takes his car out for taxi. Now, if you just park your car somewhere, someone comes out and they have printed papers and medical papers to show you. Begging has become a profession,” said Mr. Abiodun Ajayi, an airport taxi driver in Lagos. Ajayi, who also takes passengers to neighbouring states, said “in addition to begging, there has also been an increase in crime. According to him, there is hardly any state we visited which did not have increased number of beggars, including Abuja.
Other Nigerians who shared their experiences also said they are cutting down on unnecessary household expenses and luxury items.
“What that means is that they are cutting out those little ice creams, suya, pepper soup and those little extras that Nigerians used to delight themselves in. Everyone, at least those we spoke to, are now focusing on the basics: food to eat and clothing as last resort.
“We also have those who told us that they have adjusted their family feeding pattern. So, in the past some families that used to have three square meals now have either a meal or two in a day,” he said.
We also learnt that many families now survive by creating alternative sources of income, especially by making use of their talents, while others who were buying expensive foreign products now purchase locally-manufactured products.
Many families are also increasingly engaging in subsistence agriculture, like planting of vegetables in their backyard to sustain living. There are also those who said they have cut down on their transport expenses by resorting to trekking; so Nigerians are now trekking a little more to be able to cover up transport expenses as a result of the hike in transport costs.
“Prior to now, people who could ask for money were those that are jobless, but now, even those that I well respect and look up to, the economy has created a little twist and they are now calling, asking for favour,” a respondent said.
The very tough situation has been captured by recent result of some sets of surveys conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics. The bureau assessed the perceptions of Nigerians regarding their current personal economic situation and coping strategies to manage the economic situation over the past few months. It revealed that about two-thirds of Nigerians (66 percent) have been lamenting the worsening state of their personal economic situation in the past few months. Ninety-seven percent of the respondents acknowledged that these recent economic realities have had a negative effect on the general wellbeing of the average Nigerian.
It added that “Buhari’s government has come out to reassure hope but it is practically difficult to sell the hope story to the citizens, who have now taken their survival in their own hands as against the optimism with which the president was massively voted for early last year. Despite repeated slogan about job creation by the current administration and its efforts geared towards salvaging the ailing economy, Nigeria’s federal government could not tame unemployment that accelerated to 13.3 percent in the second quarter of 2016. Youth unemployment was recorded at 24 percent. National unemployment rate rose to 13.3 percent as against 12.1 in Q1 2016, 10.4 percent in Q4 2015 from 9.9 percent in Q3 2015 and from 8.2 percent in Q2 2015.These tough conditions are now pushing people into daring things that were hardly heard of before now just to keep afloat.”
Mr. Olalekan Shobande, an educationist and a social commentator, in an interview, proffers the following as steps with which people can fight recession. Reduce Ponzi (a fraudulent investment operation where the operator, an individual or organisation, pays returns) schemes advocates and referrals. According to him, people’s inordinate desire to amass wealth at all cost will make them an easy prey such as the crashed MMM in which Nigerians are counting their losses. He warned Nigerians to desist from such. He also enjoined Nigerians to take the following precautionary measures: “Sieve information as many will try to prey on your money, adjust expenses to below income levels and save for rainy days.”
On the part of government, the business analyst said government can curb recession by “reducing tax and rebates, expanding recreation opportunities, reducing dollar dominance of our economy, enforcing laws and protecting businesses and entrepreneurs. He also calls for infrastructural development, job creation drive, among others.
-
This evil must stop!
Title: 8 Evils of Human Trafficking
Authors: Steve Osuji and Boniface Opute (edited)
Publishers: An NGE Human Dignity Project (NGEHDP) Book
No of Pages: 273
Reviewer: Edozie UdezeThe question is: How does one curtail or control the evil of human trafficking? Where will the war even start from? In a society riddled with all manner of people; people whose level of poverty and the propensity to acquire more wealth have gone beyond the roof top? It is most unfortunate that the trade in human trafficking is a world-wide affair. But it is more unfortunate that in Nigeria, not only that parents, aid and abet it, the victims often willingly volunteer to be victims. And so it becomes extremely difficult and complicated to fight the scourge and restore sanity to the society.
In this book, 8 Evils of Human Trafficking, edited by Steve Osuji and Boniface Opute in collaboration with Nigerian Guild of Editors, the issues of this topic are made clearer. In eight articles bordering on eight different themes on this unfortunate trade, the writers delved deep into different facets of human trafficking to unearth the dangers inherent in it. Indeed, the stories are soul-searching; they are emotionally-laden with instances that can rock the soul. The stories are located in different parts of the world, more so Nigeria, where the trade has taken profound root and has seen many families and individuals at the receiving end, gnashing their teeth and bemoaning their lives.
Even when some of the articles are written in forms of fictions, they are still clear enough to pass the message across so that those who have ears will hear and take correction. This is why Femi Adesina in the foreword to the book makes it blunt that misgoverned, poor and wretched nations of the world are afflicted the more by this modern-day scourge which trading in human beings is. And the adjunct is a desperate populace that would ironically give everything, including their lives in the blind bid to stay alive.”
Such, according to Adesina, is the tragedy of a world that is fast drifting into infernal anomie and obvious doom. “The United Nations (UN) describes the dire human condition of trading in the human person and commercial sex business as the new slavery. It is for this reason that it makes the International Day for the Abolition of slavery on December 2 every year.”
As it is with modern-day slavery that includes the above-mentioned instances, so it is with child labour, baby factories and domestic slavery. The world is so crazy now that parents also sell their babies to make money to keep body and soul together. A lot of instances abound in the book. There are parents whose level of poverty and that quest to grab money have so beclouded their sense of sanity that they don’t care a hoot about their babies. In certain states of the federation, baby factories spring up with reckless abandon. Most of them are seen in South-East and South-South States. In those places teenage girls are quartered where they are supplied with young men to sire them to produce babies. These are then sold to those who need them and the girls and the boys are equally paid for their roles in this ungodly cartel; this inhuman trade.
The most remarkable story in the book is in chapter one. In it, the story of Kate, one certain prostitute from Edo State is made clearer. Edo State is noted to be the headquarters of prostitution in Nigeria. Over 60% of prostitutes in Italy alone are from Edo State. This makes it so horrible, worrisome and apathetic because it is a trade openly encouraged by the society, the family and the community. It is so competitive in Benin and the surrounding towns that no one ever makes it appear as devilish as it ought to be. So even as young as 15 to 16 years, innocent teenage girls are daily lured into it; into this barbaric trade that has debased and rendered many girls useless, hopeless and forlorn, often riddled with sicknesses.
What awaits every girl taken from Nigeria to Europe or so, for the so called furtherance of education is nothing but evil, suffering, gargantuan slavery, well-run by the cartel in which even some top government officials are collaborators. But do the girls care? No, most of them do not care because of the houses they will build in Benin, the big cars they will buy and cruise around town in. So the urge to be in this trade, to be traded on and so on, continues endlessly.
On page 105 titled The Death of Boy Kayus, the sympathetic story of Kayode is told. It is told in such a moving way that you’d be made to cry; you’d be made to pause and ask yourself if the society still has any more milk of human kindness in its heart. Kayode was young, indeed a little boy who came tops in his class right from primary to secondary school. But his parents who were so stubborn and wicked to reckon with his prospects sent him out to the busy streets of Lagos to hawk.
Hit by a moving commercial motorcycle (Okada), Kayode died with all the dreams, hopes, brilliance in him. There are many of such cases here and there in Nigeria. There is also the story of Maria; pretty, lovely and well-assured young girl, caught in this ugly world of prostitution. There are more examples to give. However, the essence of this book is to teach the society. It is like a moral guide, saying please stop this scourge. Stop this nefarious trade; put a final stop to it and say no to this evil that has distorted many lives, brought many diseases and so on.
Barring a couple of errors on different pages, this is a book for those in charge of various agencies on human trafficking not just in Nigeria, but globally. They should read and know what to do to help humanity.
-
‘We will do more cultural festivals in Lagos’
As the year comes to an end, Nike Okundaye of the Nike Art Gallery and Organisation reveals what she has in stock for 2018 and her role in prospering the art sector through festivals and building more galleries. Edozie Udeze reports
With the close of the year 2017, a few events took place in the culture sector that were really remarkable. One of the events was the end of the year party by the Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos. The event offered Nike Okundaye, owner and proprietress of Nike Art Gallery and her husband Reuben, the opportunity to address the press on their new programmes for 2018. Not only that the Gallery organized awards for those who have done their best to promote arts in the past years, it was also an ample moment to let the world know what the Gallery has done over the years to keep the adire and batik traditions ever alive and vibrant.
In this regard, Reuben Okundaye, said, “the award is for those who have shown tremendous interest in the art. This also includes art collectors, artists, and so on. Some of them are Lucky Negete, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Peju Alatise, Nelson Okoh, Adeleke Akeem. Others are Sam Ovraiti, Ndidi Dike, Ngozi Akande, Peju Layiwola, Nyemike Onwuka and more. Most of these people have come out to assist and openly identify with this gallery in very positive ways”, he said.
With this recognition accorded them, it would be a sort of motivation for them to do more as the year begins to unfold. Okundaye stated further: “We are also working in collaboration with Sisi Oge Organisation and Pageant to promote arts and culture the more as time goes on. In this project, our intention is to encourage the promotion and preservation of cultural heritages. A lot of them are dying and we will come in quickly to help salvage our culture so that the younger ones will stop derailing”.
For the future, the gallery hopes to expand its frontiers to include the organisation of tourism, festivals, the establishment of an art museum in Abuja and more. “We will be having series of workshops”, Okundaye clarified. “In other words, our foundation will be involved in the area of taking the arts to the rural people. These are the people who have really tasted poverty in Nigeria and it is time for us to teach them some new crafts about tie and dye – how to make adire and other materials so that they will have their means of earning a living. We have done this in the past and we hope to repeat it. We will equally reach out to as many people as possible”.
The workshop series will take place in Lago, Osogbo, Abuja and in Kogi State where Nike comes from. Particularly meant to keep the art sector alive, the workshops will no doubt help to refocus attention on the importance of adire and other related materials and fabrics. It is to equally alleviate poverty in the society, for over the years Nike Arts had been fully involved in series of activities to encourage young people to take to the art as a way of life. “It is for us to provide skill to those who don’t have skill”, Okundaye reiterated.
In order to expand the art base in Nike Arts, the organisation is moving to Abuja where it intends to develop its site for an expanded art Museum. Okundaye made it clear when he said: “The Federal government gave us that piece of land a long time ago. But we have been paying for it bit by bit. By the first quarter of next year we will advertise for partners who will collaborate with us to develop the place. It is going to be a multi-art centre and village where you’ll have variety of programmes to better the lot of cultural materials. The gallery we intend to have will be bigger than the one we have at Lekki. In fact, it will be a six-storied outfit whereas the one we have here is only a 4 storey building”.
The gallery will be provided with an amphitheatre with all the modern gadgets to help it serve the public satisfactorily. In addition, it will be an avenue for people to showcase their talents. There will be a public library where provisions will be made for intensive researches on the tradition of adire. So much will be put in place in this regard so that those who use the library will benefit tremendously from it.
“Yes, the main focus of the library will be on African arts”, Okundaye disclosed “There will be, in addition, a textile museum. Here we have over 2000 pieces of Art. And it will be an opportunity to decongest the gallery. Nike had collected a lot of textiles over the years and she had stored them up here. This is the time to properly distribute them in other galleries of ours here and there. This is one of the uses of the Abuja museum – all these textiles will be moved to the place. We will have a training facility within the place to enable us handle that aspect of the project better”.
Part of the goals of this expansion by Nike Art Organisation is to encourage tourism. A lot of foreigners who come into Nigeria take delight in visiting art centres in Nigeria. With over 2,000 art pieces of different shades, types and modes, a centre of this nature will attract more tourists to the city of Abuja. No doubt, Nike Art Gallery is a sight to behold. The glamorous and aesthetic ambiance of the interior and the exterior leave you yearning to love the art. This is what will be replicated in Abuja with more modern gadgets to suit the level of art that will appeal to more people. “Tourism has not been elevated in this country”, Okundaye bemoaned. “If we go into that sector, we will help to create more jobs, more jobs for the youths, more jobs for tour guides, for those who really love to invest in the sector.”
At this juncture, Nike herself came in to elaborate on other issues that will occupy their time come 2018. She said, “We have also begun programmes on turning trash to treasure. Also we want to create more festivals in Lagos. This will help us have festivals all year round. Every month, there will be one festival or the other in the city of Lagos”. Nike said more: “You cannot exhaust these cultures. So the festival will include different aspects. The people of Epe will be made to do fish festival, while those from Badagry will display coconut festival”.
To achieve these laudable objectives, Nike hopes to partner with the Lagos State government and other relevant agencies.
-
Nzemeke: A legendary Catholic priest of old stock
Aristocratically tall, soft spoken, yet fearless in the defence of his faith and belief, Fr. Alex Nzemeke’s priestly life represented a picture as well as the dignity and inestimable value of the catholic priesthood in general. In this little piece, you may not read about extraordinary accomplishments in this priest’s life. No! Fr. Nzemeke, a Professor of History and Philosophy, was not the sort of a priest, who gave charismatic homilies from the pulpit. But, he always gave an inspiring witness of love for God and self-sacrificing service in his priestly ministry.
I find it remarkable that this man—who was a rather private person with a small number of personal friends; one who did not call attention to himself or accomplish feats that would be regarded as great by the world, was, notwithstanding, so deeply appreciated and loved by so many catholic faithful- those he baptised, those he presided over their marriages, those he offered spiritual counsel, to say nothing of his many students over the years, whom he also guided spiritually. Today, that very voice that spoke of God has been silenced; the hands that once blessed are now impotent.
The death of a priest is unlike the death of any other: we feel it differently, deeply. We sense that in losing him, we have lost not only the man, but also his unique way of manifesting God. Since a priest is one who takes on the person of Christ, his leave of us is somewhat of a loss in our very communication with the Lord. Every priest has his style, so no one will ever again exemplify Christ for us in the singular way that Fr. Nzemeke had done. One can easily say, without equivocation, that Father Nzemeke implemented his ‘pastoral charity’, on the model of Christ wherever the Lord called, to the sick, the bereaved , the needy, holy sacraments -matrimony, baptism, confirmation etc.
It was the union with Christ that guided and shaped the life of Father Nzemeke. Indeed, it would be difficult to define his personality, or even to conceive of his life, apart from the priesthood. Always dignified, courteous, humble and kind, he seemed to inhabit a different world from ours—certainly different from the godless one that inspires ambition, greed, lust and all the capital vices to which so many— including men of God —have succumbed in our days.
Father Nzemeke stood out from the backdrop of the corruption of the times and seems to have passed his days among us as a visitor from years past, when civility and holiness were more the rule than the exception. Yet we know so well that virtues such as these are not native to any of our fallen race; they are rather the fruit of self-discipline and prayer, exercises with which Father Nzemeke was well acquainted.
His Catholic Faith
A deeply sensitive man of God, Father Nzemeke spoke to people through his priestly life. And here, I would say, is where the greatness of this man shone forth.
There were some instances of this that I think appropriate to mention, not to eulogise him—that’s for the Lord alone to do—but to provoke us to attain a higher degree of sanctity if we are to become better Christians. He always spoke about forgiveness as a critical virtue of Christianity.
The thing that stands out in my own mind about Father Nzemeke, among many other virtues, was his fidelity to prayer, especially before the Blessed Sacrament.
I could vividly remember, a Sunday in the late 1980’s during holy communion, a young man could not open his mouth well enough to receive communion so it fell on the floor. For one second, a chilling silence enveloped the entire congregation. Fr Nzemeke, with his height and weight then, immediately collapsed on his knees, almost shrunk to the size of a five-year-old as he leaned over the fallen piece of the Body of Christ in quiet supplication, almost crying. Minutes passed by and I thought that mass could never come to an end. We were all relieved when he solemnly got up and moved to the altar and came back with a snow-white piece of cloth to clean the particular spot even after he had rescued the communion. One other thing I noticed was that those who were in the habit of running to the sacristy for EXTRA blessing even after a high mass has been concluded, lost in their bid that day because Father Nzemeke continued in pious meditation through the minutes and hours that followed.
He spent long periods in prayer to his God and often spoke reverently about the Blessed Mary Virgin – the mediatrix of all graces. Father had a more direct and visible contact with people through his sacramental ministry. In his peculiar style and characteristic, he was, I believe, fulfilling his special choral role as a Canon. Nzemeke believed and tenaciously adhered to the catholic dogma as originally handed down by St Peter himself. That is why his resistance to charismatic principles did not come as a surprise to those that knew him well. To him, the Charismatic sect that refuses to honour our Mother Mary constituted a personal affront on the very essence of his faith and his existence. He respected mother and encouraged capable women to hold positions. It was he who produced the first female Chairman of Laity Council in the Diocese of Benin City then.
A builder
A builder of a sort, Father Nzemeke spearheaded the building of St Albert’s Catholic Church, University of Benin. Indeed, he gave the church the name St. Albert’s whom he said was a great academic. The process of church building took a different dimension when he wanted to save cost, persuaded the parishioners to come out every Saturday to carry concrete for the casting of the unusual structure that is today the identity of St Albert’s Catholic church. He wore his jeans and came out each Saturday to lead in carrying of the concrete. St Albert’s church, I believe, will never forget him.
When he was transferred to St Francis at Ekenwan campus of the university, it was he who worked tirelessly to secure a land to continue his building ministry.
A sound academic
Some people may not know, on account of his modesty, but Father Nzemeke, a Professor of History, and a former Dean of Faculty of Arts, University of Benin, spoke other languages besides English and Illah. He spoke German so fluently and generously translated both written and spoken words from English to German and German to English, for many without charging a fee. He was as dedicated teacher as he was as priest, teaching and supervising his students despite his priestly load of work. He was an epitome of obedience to the hierarchy of Catholic dynasty. He never complained and carried his assigned responsibilities with grace and candour.
Here again, I am thinking about his daily Mass, which he continued to offer every day, his visits to the sick and his communion calls to the aged and hospitals; and, perhaps most noteworthy of all, his dedication to the confessional. Fr. Nzemeke also served the Church of God, in humility, hidden service and suffering.
GOOD NIGHT FATHER!•Prof Nwoye is former Bursar of the University of Benin, Edo State.
-
Why healthy children make good scholars, by NGO
Parents have been urged to pay attention to what their children eat. A non-govermental organisation (NGO), Passion for Healthy Kids Initiative (PHKI), made the call at a banquet and health event, tagged: PHKI Mini-Kitchen and Health Fair, which it organised was the second edition of such event. It was part of its end–of– year activities.
The NGO brought together health and education experts to provide food and health care for over 200 school children and their parents at Ogombo Primary School, Ajah, Lagos.
According to the NGO, as a result of the recession, less than two per cent of school age children consistently ate well and right last year. It called for strategic action to curb the trend. “Some of these children are undernourished and need our help as parents and government to become healthy, because it is only healthy kids that can learn better,” it said.
At the event, the children began the day with exercises. They were led by Aunty Ify, who took them through some aerobics. The fair also featured mouth and hand washing exercises, education and health chats by experts, balanced breakfast, and dental and eye check-up for children, sugar and blood pressure check-up for parents. The children and their parents also went home with freebies in form of PHKI starter packs, including T-shirts, books, noodles, toothbrushes, drinks (for children), and vegetable oils and small bags of rice for parents.
Balanced breakfast, in the words of PHKI Co-coordinator, Mrs Edirin Metseagharun, is an essential requirement for child’s healthy growth. She is also passionate about healthy living, which underscored why the event was held to address child undernourishment/obesity and teach children and parents healthy lifestyle.
She said: “Helping children eat right and be active everyday means they have a better shot at being successful in school and in life. But children’s health and their ability to learn continue to be in jeopardy. The facts are alarming and should encourage all of us to take action.
“Our target is to reach out to one thousand (1000) children, by providing them with healthy food products as starter packs. The mini-kitchen series started in 2015 and in this second edition, we have added dental and health care, along with education and health chats for children and their parents. The parents need to be sensitised on how to provide balanced diet for their wards, recession or no recession.”
Director of Educational Special Duties, Eti-Osa Local Government Authority, Mr Biola Olugbenga, urged parents to pay attention to their roles in the development of their wards, adding that child’s education begins from home. While harping on the importance of fruits in the diet, he called for public-private partnerships, collaborative efforts by every stakeholder would lead to a healthy future for children.
“Parents should be ready to teach their children the importance and truth about healthy living. It is not the quantity of the food that makes a diet balanced, but the quality of the diet.
“We need more of this in our schools so that our children and their parent can actually get the awareness that is required for them. We need this kind of initiative across the state and country. But to replicate it would require the support of other NGOs and corporate organisations. If other stakeholders will do the needful by bringing out money to support the government and initiatives as this, we would surely get there,” Mr Olugbenga said.
Founder, Asman Dental Clinic, Dr Naboya Maria, encouraged children and parents to pay attention to their teeth. She observed that most of the children teeth are in bad shape as a result of unhealthy lifestyles. She said: “Maintaining good dental health is not all about money. It begins with you brushing twice and day, and changing your brushes three times in a year. Our mouth is the gateway to our body, keep it clean.”
For Dr Denis Kalu of Citadel Optical Clinic an optometrist, food containing Vitamin A is a must for healthy eyesight. He advised parents and children to “mix their diets with protein (beans) and fruits”, while admonishing them “not to skip meals, especially breakfast”. “We saw a lot of cases that had to do with nutrition, which is why I commend this NGO for this initiative of bring doctors to care for the eye and teeth of the children from this area is a plus,” he said.
The event was sponsored by Beloxxi, UAC, Grand Cereals and Oil Ltd, Shoprite, Fortis, Asman Dental Clinic and Citadel Optical Clinic. -
Olojo festival: Ooni’s transcendence as ecumenical spirit
A Chinese proverb says: “Under heaven, there is nothing impossible. All you need is a man with a heart.”
Time changes everything. As echoes of tragedy threaten the peace of our communities and livelihoods, Ooni of Ife, the ecumenical spirit and Arole-Oduduwa, is waving an olive branch in pursuit of peace and unity irrespective of political leanings or bias. This is not about a devastating account of the clear and present travails in the land. If you have been following public events in Nigeria, and with particular reference to Ile-Ife, the cradle of human existence, you will not miss Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, the Ojaja II, in news reports, and high octane circles. The coming of the Ooni to the throne of his ancestors since last December at a time when schools and youths were being bombarded with negativism and sensitive social dilemmas across the country was great information for hope and sacrifice.
Ooni’s encounters with people from all walks of life, who are genuinely good, and continued to make the difference in the lives of our youths with great efforts to promote peace, harmony and economic development across the borders. In his first major traditional function since ascending the throne, Oba Ogunwusi has given the Olojo festival, celebration of the first dawn, a brand new face. At the corporate forum cum unveiling of the festival logo icon last year, Ooni had stated that the commemoration of the festival in Ile-Ife, the land of expansion, was a divine heritage and symbolic spiritual pilgrimage to ensure the place of memory in the history of Africans and the Diaspora, to reawaken the consciousness, to re-valuate and re-claim their ancestral origins or roots.
According to Ooni, “the Olojo festival commemorates the descent of Oduduwa to Ile-Ife and it is historically tied to Ogun, the quintessential deity of iron and truth, who was the father of modern science, the Yoruba deity of iron is the pathfinder. The Yoruba cosmology informs that Ogun charted the way to the earth for Oduduwa, (the progenitor of the Yoruba) and other deities. Olojo festival was, therefore, meant to commemorate the period Oduduwa and hundreds of other deities descended on the earth. The traditional festival held last year in the ancient town with cultural trades/art exhibition international colloquium and literary debate/quiz competition among schools in Ile-Ife.
However, the Olojo heritage festival which held last year between October 8th to 17th included seven sacred days. During those days, Oonirisa Ogunwusi went into a state of seclusion (a symbolic spiritual and transcendental commune with his ancestors for five days during which he was barred from entertaining visitors or interacting with mortals). The traditional ruler emerged from the spiritual solitude on Friday, October 14th, 2016 (Ojo Ilagun, a day of nature preservation and environmental cleansing, which engaged the community in a procession called Iwode, Ile-Ife while the Ooni in a state of immortal and reflection beamed terrestrial message of hope, peace, vitality, magnanimity and balance to the world.
These are principles that exist within the human realm that can mobilise humankind towards greater personal effectiveness and increased lives satisfaction. “In fact the Ooni special message during Olojo festival is pivotal just like the sacred Are crown that he is spiritually endowed to wear only during the festival as the crown is a mystical heavy object that cannot be worn by the Ooni as he pleases. Distinguished by the Yoruba ancestral heritage, Oba Ogunwusi has been intimately crafting a rich character of the ancient city of Ile-Ife on a journey of recovery by making the most of every moment as a plenipotentiary ambassador. In an era when clueless politicians have turned the pride of Yoruba race into a land of tragedy and misery, the Ooni has mobilised the youths and young entrepreneurs in the task of rebranding Ile-Ife and re-inventing its economic fortunes and vast tourism potentials. The Arole-Oduduwa perfectly represents the highest benchmark in terms of creativity and pioneering spirit on the task ahead of traditional institutions in Nigeria. The inspiration and cultural manifestation of Olojo festival for which the Ooni has raised the bar, celebrates the ancient city in a blend of traditional dance and contemporary artistic offerings while welcoming thousands of visitors within the country, Africa and the Diaspora.
The Ooni said: “My greatest desire is to facilitate the unity of the black race in order to make the world a better place. I see this as a spiritual calling. Africa is the mother continent, it is the center of the world and the most populous black nation in Africa is Nigeria where Yoruba race holds a significant position. Studies have shown that for over a millennium African indigenes, South of the Sahara, who were hunted, battered and sold into slavery, since the latter part of the 20th Century, have embarked on a return journey home-some in search of their true origins, others in the spirit of a symbolic pilgrimage, and yet others to re-claim and re-connect with their roots. Whichever way, the Olojo festival is a major tourist attraction for African indigenes, and the black race to tap into their roots in Ile-Ife, thereby deepening the linkage between the African continent and its Diaspora, which to many African-Americans, has proved an emotional, but fulfilling experience. It was in realisation of this yearning for the dignity and re-valuation of black identity and enshrine a place of Ile-Ife as the source of mankind that the Ooni has taken further steps to raise the awareness to new heights by collaborating with Osun State government and corporate sponsors on this year’s Olojo festival. According to Lawrence Omidiora, a culture activist and tourism consultant, Ooni Ogunwusi has expanded the scope of Olojo festival with a cannivalesque of traditional dance, sport competition, cultural trade/art exhibition, beauty pageant and live music concert as a broad based engagement with the community and international visitors in order to set a veritable avenue for boosting domestic tourism through traffic inflow into Nigeria and Ile-Ife in particular as a brand destination.
“The Ooni is a prime mover and spear-head of a trans-border non-racial, non-partisan, non-political peace initiative within the country, African continent and the Diaspora. To this extent, this Olojo festival could be described as a unique world heritage festival through a focus on the promotion of international peace and understanding, tourism and cultural trade and creative performance. On Saturday 15th October, 2016 Okemogun day was pivotal to the sacred and spiritual being of the Arole-Oduduwa as he adorned the mystic Are jewel crown in a massive cultural procession from the palace grounds to the picturesque Okemogun shrine, a distance of about 100meters away with singing, drumming and chanting by priests, clubs and societies.•Mr Balogun, a journalist, is the National Coordinator of Ife Consultative Network (IC).
The Are is a sacred legendary crown, an ornament which the Ooni could only adorn once in a year exclusively during the Olojo festival’s cultural procession. The mystical power and magnificent spirituality of this beaded crown could be traced to the first king that ruled the world. He is called Nimrod by the Hebrews, Lamurudu as known by the Yorubas, or Aramphael as called by the Arabs. However, Oduduwa became the first beaded crown wearing king in the world – the Are crown, while the beaded crown became an inheritance of Oonirisa in Ile-Ife. In furtherance of attracting international visitors and tourists to this year’s Olojo festival, Ooni set up a private partnership community concept aimed at drawing corporate sponsors and projecting Ile-Ife’s rich cultural heritage as world heritage center. With the Olojo festival, comes the transcedence of Ooni as ecumenical spirit and ecclesiast body whose power and authority is sacrosanct and awesome. The celebration of the day of creation (Ile-Ife-ibi oju ti n mo) is also symbolic of Ooni’s local and international platform to propagate African culture and traditional religion using the tourism and culture to deepen the interest of foreign visitors and foreign direct investors in Ile-Ife and Osun state.
With this initiative by Ooni Ogunwusi, a further step has been taken to diminish the fragmentations in African common race heritage that were created through colonization under competing European culture on African soil. Coincidentally, Monday 17th, October 2016 which preceded the Olojo ceremonial ground finale, the Ooni is treated, in a symbolic birthday greetings to prestigious homage and cannivalisque of activities by various groups and social clubs in the town with traditional dances and cultural display across various quarters/compounds (akodi) and exchange of gifts and receipt of awards for outstanding performance. From cool blues to royal purple and imperial white, Ooni Ogunwusi’s brand new logo icons for the Royal Courts and most suitable colours is noticeable within and outside the palace he has given the palace a new face with architectural masterpiece and Italian style arc models with a complete decorative colour schemes of predominant white and purple to add a dash of vibrant motif and inspiration to the sprawling environment thereby allowing cool strong tones to bring warmth, energy and royal splendor.