The yearly African Arts and Crafts Expo (AFAC), earlier scheduled to hold between August 2 and 14, has been postponed.
According to the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mrs Dayo Keshi it will now hold from November 17 to 29, at the Arts and Grafts Village, beside Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja.
NCAC regrets the inconveinences the postponement might have caused the participants.
The future of Nigeria’s movie sector promises to be excellent given the quality documentaries received in the ongoing Sahara Group film competition, ace film maker kunle Afolayan has said.
Speaking with Entertainment and Society Editors on the progress of the competition, Afolayan stated that he had seen outstanding documentaries and urged more young film makers to send in their entries.
“When Sahara Group provided this platform, I was certain we would see diversity and creativity in another dimension. I’m very impressed with the entries we have received; the movie sector in Nigeria truly has a bright future,” the producer of the already trending new movie, The CEO said.
Afolayan described the stories of entrepreneurs featured in the documentaries as “compelling”, adding that they showcase the enterprising nature of Nigerians.
“You’d be amazed at the creativity, tenacity and never-say-die spirit of every day Nigerians as presented in these documentaries. This is the narrative of Nigeria that we need to highlight. That’s exactly what Sahara Group and Kunle Afolayan intend to do with this project.”
Afolayan who will lead the screening of the entries advised participants to focus on telling their stories in a creative and coordinated manner. “Nigeria is replete with entrepreneurs whose stories would engage and thrill any audience. Young filmmakers need to avoid the band wagon effect and tell their stories in a unique way. We will be looking out for unique entries.”
According to Afolayan, interested participants can access more information about the competition from the website:www.saharapreneurs.org.
Unveiled about a month ago, Sahara Group’s “Grooming Film Extrapreneurs with Kunle Afolayan was designed to provide a hub for budding film makers to express their skills under the tutelage of Kunle Afolayan.
Young film makers in Nigeria can join the competition by channeling their creativity into celebrating entrepreneurship in Nigeria by shooting a 15-minute documentary that captures entrepreneurs at work across the nation. The theme of the documentary should focus on: “My Nigeria, My Platform…Nigeria through an entrepreneur’s eyes.’ The competition is open to film makers not older than 35 years.
All submitted documentaries will be screened by the multiple award-winning Kunle Afolayan and the overall winner will undergo a mentorship programme with the leading film producer and director for six months.
“The overall winner will emerge from a shortlist of 20 top entries. I have so much faith in this project and I believe that Sahara Group has through this competition established a sustainable platform and I see these 20 young film makers forming the nucleus of future experts in the sector through collaboration and shared thinking,” added ‘The CEO’.
The Ijegba forest in Abeokuta was full of theatricals last week when Professor Wole Soyinka celebrated his 82nd birthday, with assortment of egungun in attendance to salute this iconoclastic artiste, Edozie Udeze reports.
Ijegba forest in Abeokuta, Ogun State, is not synonymous with the famous evil forests recounted in most renowned literary narratives in Yoruba tradition. It is a place where literature thrives; where live theatre meets the people to assuage their nerves. When last week, people from all walks of life gathered in the forest to watch an assortment of plays and songs and drummings, it was basically to celebrate Professor Wole Soyinka who turned 82 on July 13.
Apart from celebrating Soyinka who has undoubtedly become an enigma not only because of his literary acumen and numerous contributions to world literature, but due to his love for what is unique and different, the amphitheatre which he built inside the thick forest of Ijegba has come to symbolize an irony of A Dance of the forest. And that is the real reason why the place is symbolic. The love of theatre can best be represented in a noiseless environment where humanity, and nature converge to satisfy the yearnings of man; the curiosity of his soul.
What impressed most people while the plays and drummings and chants went on that night in the forest of Ijegba, was the presence of masquerades. With over one hundred of them surrounding the arena, it was clear that both the organizers of the show and Soyinka himself were in agreement to showcase the importance of masquerades in the annals of Yoruba traditions.
According to Allhaji Teju Kareem of Z-mirage who handled the stage lightning of the show, the 82 masquerades in the arena represented the number of years Soyinka has spent on mother earth. “The masquerades showed his own love for what is out of the ordinary. If you are celebrating such a big theatre figure; if you have to be different; then you have to include all sorts of razzmatazz to depict a man who lives on theatre more or less. This was why the aspect of the masquerades came in to prove the place of Soyinka as a world-renowned theatre guru.”
And so it was. From the beginning of the amphitheatre to the extreme end of it, overlooking the theatre itself, masquerades hovered and prattled. They came in different sizes – small, medium, big, with some so imposing that they really invoked the spirits of ancestors. They chanted in the bizzare strange voices of the ancestral spirits meant only for the initiated. As the programme went on well into the night, they moved from stage to stage, stirring the audience and ensuring there was no dull moment.
Soyinka sat briefly in company of Professor Femi Osofisan (who later went on to the stage) and watched quietly as events unfolded in the arena. He did not stir; neither did he utter a word. He was mesmerized by the depth of honour being heaped on him. The presence of the masquerades further accentuated the mood of the people. Mostly impressed were secondary school students from different schools in Ogun State who were seeing such large number of masquerades for the first time in their lives. For them, Soyinka represented literature. His love for humanity is indescribable. One of them by name, Funke, said, “This is my closest contact with Prof. The way he writes and speaks about the Nigerian society make me love him. I love his ways. Even though this forest scares me a bit; I have not seen theatre shown like this before.”
This was why also in his response on plays, players and pall bearers, Professor Segun Ojewuyi described plays as bills of dreams woven in purple portions of life submerged in chaos. However, dreams themselves are dangerously seductive life sentences, evidently abusive peddlers of hope. And now, how does Soyinka, the Noble Laureate, couch all these to produce his works? “Yes, plays take you on a joy ride, fueling your hope like a ripened red and swollen watermelon, hiding within its juicy promise a band of twirling maggots,” so said Ojewuyi, while delivering his speech at the occasion. His speech was to convey the hidden Soyinka.
“So it should no longer be a secret that when we celebrate Soyinka we are celebrating the most subversive voice in ourselves. Therefore our collective mission is to keep our arts flourishing, to nurture our collective defiance of rote and logic” Ojewuyi the artistic director of the celebration noted.
If the voice of Soyinka is the voice of the ancestors, then the symbolism of those ancestral spirits conformed with the epoch event. In Yoruba tradition, the egungun masquerades represent the religion and the belief of the people. Their presence in most arenas depict the importance of the personality in question. The egungun as the spirit of the living-dead does not come out for nothing.
This was what their presence demonstrated in Ijegba forest, an arena where the meeting of masked ancestors and the living showed an uncommon symbiotic relationship. They showed that the dead are in constant touch with the living invoking the spirits of the ancestors on behalf of humanity.
As the drums beat constantly and the masquerades prattled about, they were possessed by the spirits of the inner-world. Adorned in multi-coloured regalia, they danced to register their presence. It was believed that their presence fostered unity in the community and that the people were properly protected. This was why they couldn’t wait for too long to take over the stage in diverse forms as soon as proceedings ended.
As the effigy representing corruption in Nigeria burnt out in the background, the masquerades danced joyfully to announce that peace now reigned supreme both in the world beyond and the society. A new life had indeed set in.
Globally, many languages are disappearing and Nigerian languages are not left out. This decline was the thrust of a lecture, ‘Neglect of Nigerian languages and culture: Counting the cost’ delivered by Emeritus Professor Ayo Bangbose at the eighth edition of the annual University Press’ Authors’ Forum which held at Kakanfo Inn, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The event, an initiative to have the publishing houses and authors to network had in attendance eggheads such as Professor Chukwuemeka Ike, Dr Lalaekan Are, Chairman University Press Plc, Professor Ayo Banjo, Professor Akinwunmi Ishola, Professor Akachi Ezeigbo, Professor Niyi Osundare, Professor Femi Osofisan, Professor Duro Adeleke, Chief Biodun Jolaosho and Mr Samuel Kolawole, managing director of University Press Plc.
And again, the issue of dying Nigerian languages took centre stage with Bamgbose x-raying various eras and spheres of Nigerian life contributory to dying languages and cultures, and identifying possible remedies in his lecture.
Speaking on language and education, Bamgbose identified ignorant views about African languages in expressing scientific concepts as pervasive, how teaching of indigenous languages has been relegated to word-of-mouth alone. But he offered a way out for education in the future.
“As an alternative to the current practice, a mother tongue or a language that a child already knows well could be the medium of instruction throughout primary education with English only taught as a subject,” the renowned linguistics scholar said, recounting how a pilot programme was designed at the University of Ile-Ife.
“This has been tried out in 1970-80 at the now O.A.U., Ile-Ife, in a project known as the Six-Year Primary Project (SYPP) and the results have been impressive.”
Bamgbose then went on to discuss how language is being influenced by information, governance, development, arts, publishing and ICT. He highlighted the challenges which technology has placed on some Nigerian languages. For example, Yoruba, from which he made copious examples, which modern ICT softwares and devices do not recognize, thereby distorting their intended meanings.
As part of remedies of reviving language use, he noted how some state legislatures like Kano State and some southwestern states have dedicated some days for proceedings to be conducted in the language of the immediate environment.
In the second part of his presentation, Bamgbose also dissected how socialization, religion, corruption and globalization influenced culture.
Giving his input, Osofisan said the argument for use of indigenous languages has been on for some years and opined whether a problem stagnating the situation is modernisation. “I always felt with Yoruba language, one of the problems was in the area of mathematics,” said Osofisan of the complicated mathematical system which many Nigerian languages also share.
“And mathematics is so essential to modern life. If we don’t modernise our mathematical system, how do you think we’ll ever use it and convince our children to use it?”
He suggested an authority to work on that. He also harped on the proliferation of Yoruba stations which he said should also have a body controlling their activities.
“There is a conflict, it seems to me between rhetoric and the truth,” he said. “When these radio stations begin to cast news, for example, you will be surprised when they begin to use proverbs, completely distorting the reality of what is happening.”
In his own submission, Osundare went back 400 years when even the English didn’t have faith in their language and latched on to Latin as many today do to English. According to Osundare, English was called the “ineloquent, rustic and barbaric language.” He went on to speak of how the now great William Shakespeare was derided for sticking to write in English during his time, instead of Latin and Greek. He spoke of how Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare, who was more popular is having organisations ‘resurrect’ him. Coming back home, Osundare said Africa’s situation is very grim.
“We must not lose hope,” he said. “Our problems are many. The linguistics is just one. Let us get interested in our politics, shun stomach infrastructure, go for mental infrastructure.”
Since the Authors’ Forum berthed eight years ago, regular attendees would have heard the Are, the company’s chairman, speak fondly about his grandchildren in Japan. According to him, it was a thing of pride that Japanese valued their culture and lived within the ambits of their language, something which was not prevalent in Nigeria.
Earlier in his opening address, Dr Are noted that even though Nigeria was colonised by the British, indigenous cultures and languages should be protected.
“Many Nigerian parents today do not speak their native language with their children,” said Are who also advocated learning the learning in the language of the immediate environment as from primary school.
“This is posing a danger on both the survival of our language and culture. No wonder level of morals has been reduced drastically.
“It is believed that if primary education were in the people’s mother tongue, it would be much easier to learn English as a second language and be truly bilingual. In our days, the only language of instruction in school the first two years, irrespective of your ethnic background, is in the mother tongue. You must learn in the language of your immediate environment.
He also laid the responsibility of preserving Nigerian languages on Nigerians of child-bearing age.
“They are the people that would be responsible for the disappearance of our language and our culture,” he warned.
“When they have children, they don’t speak their own language and so, when the kids are growing up, they only speak English.”
Incidentally, in a lecture at UP’s Authors’ Forum some years ago, Ishola had delivered his address in Yoruba.
In continuation of activities to mark the fifty years of the creation of Lagos State, last week, a lecture titled, Lagos at 50 celebration – Hidden cultures and Multiple Identities in Lagos, was delivered by Dr. Wale Adeniran. Adeniran is the director of the UNESCO – designated Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) based in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. It was also an opportunity for Nigerians to watch the outstanding performances of the National Troupe of Nigeria and the Gelede dance troupe from Badagry.
Most of all, the director of the National Troupe, Akin Adejuwon, used the opportunity of the occasion to explain the Troupe’s deep involvement in the celebration and why it is imperative to use cultural dances to register the place of Lagos in the annals of Nigeria. As the Orunmila Hall of the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, came alive not only with the exposition of hidden treasures in the state, different cultural groups mounted the stage to showcase the profundity of cultural dances in making the society a more lively place for all. The different masquerades that appeared on stage were there to add colour to the esplanade. Masquerades can also become tourism materials.
To this end, Adejuwon said, “It is not easy to attain fifty years and for the state to also be in a celebration mood. It is because Lagos is kind of gateway in Nigeria. In the history of Nigeria, therefore, it has played a wonderfully important role because it is the first point of contact to so many other cultures in and out of Nigeria. The powers invested in Lagos both culturally, economically and otherwise, have been driving Nigeria today. Because of that, when the state now attains fifty, it is worthy of celebration.” To him the role of the National Troupe as the apex cultural outfit of the nation is to help sensitize the people and use performance theatre and dance ensemble to point a way forward.
He explained further, “in my mandate at the National Troupe, if you go to the historical level, you will realize that the creation of the Troupe itself was primarily to entertain Nigerians and promote our different cultural heritages. It developed from the kind of thing that generated from Lagos State. Herbert Ogunde, the pioneer director of the Troupe was an icon and epitome of performing arts. He toured the nation and made a business of performing arts. His audience was hugely concentrated in Lagos. It was from here, he more or less, sprouted to other parts of the country,” Adejuwon said.
Therefore, it is time now to reinvigorate the spirit of awareness through this involvement. “Lagos State, like I have explained to Professor Wole Soyinka and the Minister of Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed should be the number one state to enjoy this interface between the Troupe and the Lagos at 50 celebration. This is why we’re involved in any way we can in order to play up the role of performing arts to make the anniversary colourful and outstanding.”
In it all, the role of the Troupe is bi-focal. In the first place, Soyinka happens to be the chairman of the celebration and therefore his first attention should be in the cultural elements of the anniversary. He loves it when people look back to appreciate their heritages. You can’t do without recourse to your inheritance, tangible or otherwise. So involving the Troupe in this regard makes it more permissive and widely engaging. Having tagged the celebration the IBILE celebration to accommodate all the five zones of the state, it is now clear that the performances will be carried out from one zone to the other. “Ours is to heighten the cultural contents of the IBILE,” Adejuwon further noted. “However, our involvement in the colloquium is part of the second level of the show. This is also very close to Soyinka’s heart because he is a cultural and dramatic art scholar. The Troupe is also involved in order to show Lagosians and indeed Nigerians that essentially, culture is part of the hidden treasures of the state.”
These treasures can be tapped to earn revenue for the state. They are also tourism commodities if properly developed. Even in the face of the dwindling fortunes of most states, a state like Lagos can use its proximity to the borders to cement more love and attract tourists to the state. This is why the colloquium was necessary for the purposes of proper enlightenment.
It was the 2016 edition of the graduation and award ceremony of Nazareth School, Festac. The event which was duly attended by dignitaries, parents, teachers and pupils of the great citadel of learning was a memorable one for every guest.
Pupils of various classes, including the graduands, entertained the guests with various dances, cultural and contemporary.
There was soulful music from the school’s choir, as they sonorously chorused MJ’s We are the one. Guests, parents and members of the high table watched in awe as some of the female pupils displayed beauty and brains in contest for the crown of the incumbent Nazareth beauty queen.
In her welcome address, Rev Sr. Elizabeth Kachepa thanked everyone present for gracing the occasion, stressing that nobody deserves to be celebrated better than the pupils. “You will agree with me that no one deserves more attention and celebration than our children” she said.
Adding that the forward movement of the families represented and the nation at large is dependent on the children who are the future, she said, “It is important to note that our prosperity as a nation resides in the values we inculcate in our children;” values which she said are best imparted in the youngsters from their respective homes, the school and the society at large. She therefore urged parents to “pay more attention to their children and constantly teach them the values of honesty, humility, civility and integrity in private and public conduct.”
The special guest of honour, Vice Chancellor, Christopher University, Ogun State, Professor F. N Ndubisi expressed his gratitude for being given the honour to witness such great event, stressing that the children who were being celebrated are the leaders of tomorrow. “Tomorrow is not just the day after today, which is Saturday. Tomorrow is the whole length of future that lies ahead of you, bare and formless.” He explained.
Continuing, he enthused, “Children are often compared with the future because like the future, children are bare and formless. What this means is that it is in this children that humanity as a whole hopes to build a greater tomorrow. It is in the children that humanity also hopes to correct the ills of the past.”
Speaking pointedly to the graduands and by extension all the pupils present, Ndubisi told them they were very fortunate to have parents who could offer them a better life through sound education which Nazareth School is known to offer. “In a world where the future of many children is bleak, you the children of Nazareth School are very fortunate to be endowed with a sound and profound education background.” To this end he said, “The onus now falls upon you to seize upon this golden opportunity and make the best of it.”
Calling on the pupils to live responsibly owing to the privilege they have to be educated, Ndubisi urged them to fulfil theirresponsibilities, for every privilege, he said, comes with a responsibility. He also called on the pupils to lead moral and virtuous lives, adding that to be a leader is to live responsibly, and as leaders of tomorrow they must live responsibly.
Ndubisi closed his remark with a charge to the leaders of tomorrow when he said, “The ultimate goal of a leader is to drill the human soul to attain freedom, so that our faculties can operate at operate at the highest level of creativity and invention to make society attain loftier heights. Nevertheless, moving the society to loftier heights requires that we must steadfastly observe those values that mould both individuals and the society as a whole; values such as obedience, loyalty, patriotism, courage, temperance, liberality, prudence, honesty, diligence, kindheartedness, positive will or determination, endurance, perseverance, knowledge and wisdom.” All of these, Ndubisi said are marvellous jewels for human and societal development, which are indispensable and cannot be compromised.
The highest point of the event came when the engaging Master of Ceremony announced that it was time for award presentation. The prize for the overall best graduating student went to Orakwe Munachimso. Nwagbara Vanessa and Egbe Ikechukwu also received awards for best graduating students.
Other awards went to the overall best pupils in Basics 3-5. Also honoured was the overall best student during the National Common Entrance Examinations, Osuala Maxwell. Other awards presented to various students include, the best improved pupil, most well-behaved pupil, the neatest pupil and so on.
Dr. Paul Angya is a lawyer and scholar with specialty in standardisation and consumer protection laws. He holds a doctorate degree in Law and writes as often as time permits him. In February this year, President Muhammadu Buhari named him acting director-general of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), a job he is settling quite well into. In this interview with Edozie Udeze, he talks about his new book on Standardisation and Quality Regulation in Africa, his readiness to make changes in SON, and life as a family man.
DR. PAUL Angya, the acting director-general of Standards Organization of Nigeria, SON, is a man of many parts. Apart from being a PhD holder in law and a scholar of international repute, he is also an author and a writer.
In his latest book entitled Standardization and Quality Regulation in Africa: Institutions and Legal Framework, which will be presented to the public in Abuja this Tuesday, he addresses those salient issues that border extensively on safety and quality standards and what needs to be done to make the general public aware of their rights as consumers and patrons of such products.
Speaking on the real essence of the new book and what the general public stands to gain from it, he said the book, which was completed two years ago, only got out of the press last month, due to delay by the publishers. He said: “The book is basically a product of my PhD research. When I joined SON in the year 2000 and was immediately thrown into the international arena of standardization in Africa, I saw the need to look into this topic. It happened that I was appointed an adviser for African Regional Organization for Standardisation. In my capacity as the legal adviser of that organization in Nairobi, Kenya, I was required to attend most of the meetings of standardization committee on the African continent”.
Having interacted with so many people from across nations and continents and having discovered a yawning vacuum in the area of information pertaining to standardisation, Angya said he thought it wise to pay attention to this theme.
“Because all the bodies on the issue of standardisation both in Asia and Africa belonged to that organisation, it became pertinent to look into the overall issues that concerned all of us. The work involved travelling around and the meetings hold from country to country every year. And then, of course, I was required to advise the secretariat of the body in Nairobi, Kenya. I was working closely and then I realised that there was a lot of unknown about standardisation and quality issues with specific attention to Africa. I also realised that most of the challenges most Africans had with entrenching standardization within African nations stemmed from the fact that there was shortage of information in this regard.”
It was clear from Angya’s perspective therefore that standardisation was basically understood in the abstract. Indeed the public could not bring it to bear in their everyday lives. And so whenever the issue of standardisation was brought up, most people thought it was some kind of scientific jargons far removed from their reach and knowledge. He said it was as a result of this that the need to write to simplify this for the public became germane.
“These difficulties prevented most of the African nations from implementing serious standardisation issues. As for me, this was a big challenge. I now knew and realized that a lot of work needed to be done in this area.”
Essentially, the book was written to encourage people to realise the need to go for quality products and insist as well that it is their rights to be given products with high quality standards. “People needed to be told how to identify quality products and how and where to get such. In practical terms, it is a book with information dossier on quality control, standards and so on.”
In creating and developing this sort of literature to assist an average consumer, Angya ensured that the book was written to appeal to all and sundry. He was not unmindful of the fact that readers need to be told in simplest format the whole essence of standardisation. “It is so, for I also felt it was time to take standardisation to the level of possibly teaching it in schools, starting from the earliest stage to tertiary institutions. If you bring it to this level, probably at this earliest stage, it may be made more popular and known to the people,” he said.
According to the acting director-general whose primary concern is about people becoming custodians of their own lives, “This book will help to change the mentality of people, so that they begin to demand and insist on quality products. I tell you, part of the challenges of what we do is not only that people buy and bring in sub-standard products, it is that people are willing and freely accepting these sub-standard products. People do not complain either. But this does not happen elsewhere. Elsewhere, if people buy products that are not good, they take them back to the source and insist on some rights.”
All these gave Angya, who from his undergraduate days at the University of Lagos had always dreamt of the day he would embark on something noble for the public, the impetus to embark on this project. At the University of Jos, where he got his PhD, this theme became a model, a reference point of sorts.
“In Europe, you have a common market, one common standard… It is actually the standard that facilitates the common market in Europe, not the other way round. One standard that is accepted in the 28 countries of Europe is good for everyone. But in Africa it is not the same. There is no communality in the products we produce and consume and this is why we need to teach our people,” he insisted.
Angya thus reiterates that the idea of presenting the book to the public is to help disseminate this information to the generality of the people. It is also to see how the information can trickle down to the grassroots. At the moment, he submits that not so much is known about quality standard and what to do to handle the issue in this part of the world.
Angya is also concerned about how to harmonise the rules and regulation on products in Africa. “This is one of the best ways to get down to the root of the matter and solve the problem. This unification of standards is for the good of all. If this is done, Africa can then have one common market and it makes things easier for everyone.”
Being the first book on standardisation in Africa, it is imperative that a lot more should be done by the people involved in this sector to use its recommendations to ameliorate the sufferings of consumers at the hands of producers and marketers. Be it in Nigeria, or in Africa as a whole, people need to be told about the ills and dangers of sub-standard products, which they unfortunately consume day-in day-out.
The book also takes a cursory look at four countries in Africa to situate the problems in their proper perspectives. These include Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia and Malawi.
Other side of Angya
Enough of his book and product quality and standardisation. Angya also has quite a reputation as a family man. Despite his tight official schedules and international trips, he still finds time to be with his family and considers such times his most peaceful.
“I find my peace whenever I am with my wife and children,” he enthused. “Apart from trying to build an institution that will survive me, I also pay special attention to the issue of the family. For instance, I have five biological children and about ten others I personally take care of. My idea of a family is to give the best to the people under my care, have time to play and discuss with my wife and those God has put in my care.
“In my relationship with people, I am fair but firm. I hate to tell lies and whatever I told you in the morning is what I’ll also tell in the evening. My word is my bond. I have a lot of time now, even when I am most busy, to be with my family. Before now, we were not staying in the same city. But all that has changed now.”
A product of a polygamous home, Angya, however said his policy of one man, one wife is incontrovertible. “No, I won’t follow in the footsteps of my father who married eleven wives and had over thirty children. That was in those days, for his time and profession. It is not obtainable anymore and I cannot do that now.”
Increasingly, Nigerian women are shattering all barriers and finding space for themselves in vocations previously considered as exclusive preserves of the men. Whether in welding, house painting, auto-mechanic, bus driving or even truck driving, women are feeling at home and proving themselves beyond doubt. Dorcas Egede here explores the world of five women who are not intimidated by their gender.
TRAFFIC had begun to build on the ever busy Lagos/Ibadan expressway this particular afternoon. For regular road-users and commuters on this road, this has become a routine and therefore no surprise. Nevertheless, tempers were pitch-high, especially amongst drivers, both of private cars and their commercial bus counterparts and lousy conductors. Cuss words rented the air, even as the driving got extremely scary and the passengers shifted and sighed in deep discomfort.
In the midst of this chaos however, hawkers counted their blessing. At times like this, a ready market for edible foods and drinks is created, and the ever-ready hawkers are always on hand to cash-in on the situation. A case of one man’s meat… you’d say. But this was an unusual time of the day to witness slow traffic.
One after the other, motorists moved away from their cars to see the cause of the traffic ahead. On getting close to the cause of the traffic and discovering that it was a truck belonging to the Dangote Group, most of them made to turn back in indignation, cursing under their breath. But they soon stopped in their tracks. A woman behind the wheels of a truck? Surely this was no common sight in this part of the world. In no time, there was a pool of humans, particularly males, all struggling to take a shot of the wonder woman.
Hajiya Gambo Mohammed, a senior driver with the Dangote Group of companies was a spectacle on this particular day. The sight of her masterfully manning the wheels of a heavy-duty truck wasn’t a common one. In a clime where some men still dread driving cars and small buses on long distance, the sight of Hajia Muhammed was no doubt a spectacle.
But Muhammed does not see what she does as anything spectacular. She was quoted by online sources as saying she started driving when she was 18 and actually got the job through stiff competition, having applied like every other candidate and taken the same tests as they did.
Mohammed is not the only female of our time who has taken on jobs originally considered to be exclusive preserves of men. Over the years, more females who have become skilled in certain manly jobs have emerged. Among them are female mechanics, painters, commercial bus drivers, conductors, welders; name it.
What a man can do…
In the earliest centuries, many professions were considered a no-no for women. But that has literally changed, with women holding their own in medicine, engineering; even as far as aeronautic engineering, pilots, auto-mechanics and going on assignments to war zones. Little wonder it is now commonly said that “what a man can do, a woman can do also.” Some have even dared to tweak the saying to, “what a man can do, a woman can do even better.”
Inspired by Muhammed, The Nation went after fire more wonder women holding their own in jobs as ‘odd’ as house painting, welding, cab driving auto repairs and commercial bus driving. They shared stories of how they ventured into their various professions and how they have managed to survive in competition with men in their supposed world.
The commercial bus (danfo) driver
If you have ever lived in Lagos state or merely visited, you would most certainly have seen the yellow and black painted mini buses that move passengers to various destinations around the metropolis. These are the Lagos commercial buses, fondly called danfo by Lagosians. If you’re also familiar with the way these danfo bus drivers operate, then you would also have noticed that they are very brash, rough, often leaving you to wonder if indeed they’re sane. Hardly a place you’d expect to find a woman.
But it is amongst these untamed breed of men that The Nation found a widowed mother of three, doing her thing and earning a living. Because she cherishes her privacy and prefers to remain anonymous, we shall call her Geraldeen Agbonifo not her real name.
She said she veered into transportation business early this year, exactly two years after her husband’s demise. Like it is with many widows, Agbonifo revealed that she would do everything within her power to raise her children to the highest level possible. “I’m not thinking remarriage. I just want to train my children to the highest level I can,” she said.
She said she took the decision to hit the roads after failing to make a success of her textiles, shoes and bags business, which she used to import from Dubai.
“I noticed that I wasn’t realising enough profit. Most of my customers would rather hold onto my money than pay me.” She said. She thus decided to venture into other things to make enough money to sustain her and take care of her family needs.
She revealed that becoming a danfo driver wasn’t very much by choice, but because she couldn’t find a better option to earn a good living from. She reckoned that it would best to do something that would bring in money on a daily basis, and which would not give room for debts and bad debts.
“In the business I’m doing now, there’s nothing like come and pay next week. Here, we operate a pay as you go system. I make as many trips as I can and put my money in my pocket.” She said.
She would however not reveal how much she earns per day. In response to the question of how much she earns, Agbonifo politely replied that “I make enough to pay my bills and take care of the family.”
Like the proverbial virtuous woman who rose up early to cater for the needs of her family, this widowed mother of three disclosed that she sets out for business as early as 5:00 am, and 5:00 some days. “I leave the house as early as 5:30, even 5:00 am on some days, because at this time workers are going to work in their troves. Besides, when I set out that early, there’s nothing like struggling for passengers like what obtains now that it’s almost midday. There are fewer passengers on the road, so we have to hustle to get our buses filled up.”
As a result, she gets up as early as 4:00 to see to the preparation of her children’s meals, breakfast and lunch before venturing out. “I have a nanny, but all she does is take care of the children and prepare them for school. I fix their meals myself. Before I leave the house, I’d have packed their lunch boxes.”
In the midst of this tight schedule, she says she still makes out time to be with her children when they return from school. To achieve this, she says, “I make sure I don’t work beyond 4:00 pm. I do about five to six round trips every day, apart from Saturdays and Sundays. I make fewer trips on Saturdays and I don’t work on Sundays. This is so that I can spend good time with my kids. A nanny can’t raise your children the way you will, you know. And I talk to myself to slow down sometimes, so I don’t die before my time.”
Asked if she indeed faces the challenge of battling the many wild men in the transport business world every day, Agbonifo smiled and asked, “What do you expect? You saw how that driver tried to bully me at Obalende while we were hustling for passengers. I get a daily dose of that, but it doesn’t bother me. Before you decide to come and do this kind of work, you must have prepared yourself to tussle with bullies like that.”
Interestingly, there’s also the challenge of certain passengers, particularly males, who would refuse to board her bus once they notice its driver is female. But again she says this does not bother her, as she makes this up with those who patronise her out of curiousity. “I get a lot of admiring stares. In fact, some people purposely get on my bus when they see who the driver is, so it doesn’t bother me when I see those who despise me.”
She also says it’s not only her passengers that admire her. Traffic officials, members of the Lagos State Task Force and sometimes police officers tend to be more lenient with her and three other female drivers, whom she said equally ply the Obalende-Ajah route. “The task force officials seem to be softer on women. Sometimes, if I didn’t see them on time and they walk up to me, I’ll just apologise, and they’ll say, “Na because you be woman o.” They are actually gentler with us. They usually have mercy.” She said smiling.
Betty the Painter
The job of painting apartments and building is no mean feat, and certainly not one for the female folks. But all that may be in the past now, as some ladies are breaking the ‘barrier’ and finding space for themselves in there. 33-year-old Beatrice Origho is one of them. Interestingly, Origho, who hails from Delta State, confessed that she’s having so much fun, painting homes and apartments. She told The Nation that she chose the vocation over other things because she saw that “people always admire the finishing part of every building which is the painting work, since it brings out the beauty of any building to the pleasure of all those who contributed to it and the satisfaction of the clients.”
In addition, she says she also deploys painting to express the beauty of God’s creation.
Origho, who has been painting for over 15 years now, said she learnt painting immediately after her secondary school education when she was about 18 years of age. Apart from painting, she also makes hair and beads, and had at some point traded in household items. But, painting has somehow overshadowed every other thing she does.
Her love for painting was born when, as a teenager, she joined a construction company that had various departments. “I received my training through a man, while working for a construction group full of different departments. I started with electrical and plumbing departments but was later invited to the painting department by the project supervisor. Though going there was somewhat of a joke to me, but I came out as a trained painter. Young people like me who were taken to that department ran back because of the paint chemical but later began to envy me.”
The journey for Origho has been both thrilling and challenging. She has had her fair share of bullying from the male counterparts in the industry, as well as certain prospective clients, who try to take advantage of her femininity. “You know that some men are just there both to discourage and ruin your life. Some would promise to give me a job only if accepted to sleep with them as a way of paying back, while others have told me to agree to be their lover, so that I could be getting jobs from time to time and my workers would be busy day-in and day-out, but I have always refused.”
As for clients’ reactions, Origho says it ranges from thrill to scepticism and rude to patronising. “Surprised and amused, some initially think that I’m kidding, while some think that I would take the job and contract it to some men to execute. But when I show them photos of me at work and those of my finished works, and words from those that have patronised me, they become dumbfounded and agree to give me a try.”
As for getting favours based on her feminine appeal, Origho says the favours do come, except that few of them are fraught with challenges.
Of her parents, Origho said they are excited and proud of her choice of profession: “My parents are always happy with the work I do and are proud whenever they see or hear commending words from people I’ve worked for. They always encourage me to be honest with both those I work for and those who work with me because it’s honesty that brings God’s blessings.” She concluded.
Ella the welder
For Osun State-born Emmanuella Olagbaju, her area of conquest is welding. In the last ten years, she has been consistent with fabrication and house finishing, and she says her focus and passion have been her main driving forces.
But just as you wonder why a pretty and sophisticated lady like Olagbaju would choose an occupation like welding, she tells you that she’s more than just a welder. “I’m into fabrication and installation, wrought iron, stainless steel, aluminium rails for stairs, burglary, windows, gates and so on. I’m also into polycard cover, carport and iron roofing. I chose this field of work because of the passion I have for it. Though I studied business administration in school, I have always had this flair for engineering.”
Olagbaju says prospective clients are wonderful, respectful and are mostly thrilled when they find out that she’s the MD of the company seeking the contract.
Does she enjoy special favours or privileges during contract biddings and tenders because of her gender? The Nation inquired.
Olagbaju said, “I can say 70% yes to that; but not just that. They know and are sure of the quality of work we are offering them too. They also tend to like to deal me because some say women are more trust worthy and reliable when it comes to business.”
The initial reaction of most of her clients, she says is that of surprise, then admiration. They usually assume that I’m a marketer; but when we start discussion and they find out that I have good knowledge of the job, they ask further questions, and at the end they discover that I own the business. At this point, they marvel and 90% of them want to do business with me.
She also says good feedback from satisfied clients relaxes and spurs her on.
Olagbaju gets one hundred percent support and encouragement from her parents, whom she says are very proud of her. She also has a counsel for young ladies like herself who are nursing ambitions to venture into ‘unusual’ professions: “They should follow their passion, so long as they know it is their area of strength and what they are called to do. They should go for it, and in a matter of time they will be celebrated.”
Susie the Cabbie
What would be your reaction if you were to flag down a cab and the person behind the wheels turned out to be a pretty damsel?
Well, that is the story of 29-year-old Susan Asakpa, who not too long ago moved from being a hotel manager to a taxi driver in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Asakpa says venturing into the transport business was more of a supernatural intervention for her. “I’d like to say I got into this line of business by the leading of the Holy Spirit.”
Susan became a full time cabbie in October of 2015, something she seriously delights in. Before you begin to think of her as manly and unsexy, this daring lady says she’s also a hairstylist, which she does occasionally.
And if you’re wondering how she’s faring alongside her male counterparts, this is what she has to say: “I would say I’m doing just okay. I am thriving like any other business that is barely a year old is expected to. I have growth and expansion on my mind. And the fact that I am in a male dominated sector hasn’t in anyway hindered the growth of the business.”
She also says the experience of being a female cabbie has been more rewarding than challenging. While some women in such male-dominated businesses get negative reactions from clients, Susan says “Prospective clients are mostly thrilled. They go from surprised to being impressed to being happy and playing the adviser, as they often end up giving her tips on how to grow her business. This is not to mention the many “keep-the-change” offers.
“Did I also say that most of them shower prayers for God’s guidance and protection on me?” She asked brimming with self adulation.
But isn’t she worried about her safety, especially since her job entails her conveying strangers of all sorts and characters to various locations?
Her response was as simple as they come. “First I pray for God’s protection and preservation (very vital), then I make sure I don’t work late. Basically I don’t do much, God just protects me.”
However, life isn’t all about work for Asakpa. Busy as she gets, she says she still finds time to unwind by going to see a movie, going to a Karaoke bar or visiting with friends.
She also has a word of advice for young women like herself who desire to venture into businesses or vocations society has more or less considered as the preserve of the men. “They should dare to be different and see if God would not honour them. Just go ahead and do it! I never for once thought, ‘What would people think of me doing a male dominated biz?’”
Blessing the Mechanic
Recently, the photo of a female mechanic working on the shock absober of a vehicle went viral on facebook. Though not the first female mechanic in recent memory, Blessing Johnson’s picture nevertheless generated lots of reactions and commendations. Reason? Auto mechanic as a vocation still remains a hugely macho job.
Also based in Abuja, 24-year-old Johnson is very proud of what she does. In a telephone chat with The Nation, she disclosed that she took the decision to learn a trade after attempts to further her education proved increasingly difficult. Her first attempt was at hairdressing. But she soon gave that up and chose rather to learn how to repair vehicles at a workshop in Benin, where she grew up and also had her secondary education.
Daughter of retired police officer, Johnson said “I chose to be a mechanic because I love the work, and I wanted to do something that will make me stand out from other girls my age.”
After acquiring the skill for four years, she relocated to Abuja, where she attached herself to a mechanic workshop for one year. She however took the bold step to set out on her own when the opportunity presented itself.
To get customers at the outset, Blessing said she had to do a little bit of marketing. Luck however smiled on her when she got a space inside a Conoil Filling Station in Nugbe. Since then, things have looked up and getting customers haven’t been so much of an uphill task.
Johnson who specialises in the repairs of Japanese and Peugeot cars, says she makes enough money to pay her workshop rent, take care of other needs and still save.
She also hopes to further her education as time goes on.
In five years, Johnson also targets to have her own workshop, fully bought and equipped, and workers to help achieve her bigger dream.
Etisalat Nigeria, owners of the Etisalat Prize for Literature Awards, will not reduce the £15,000 prize money given the growing concerns over the economic safety of businesses.
Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, gave this assurance while speaking on the 2016 edition of the prize for which submission of entries is still open to debutant writers of African origin.
According to him, Etisalat as a company built on values, does not go renege on its commitments.
“Many might expect that we will cut down the Prize money for Etisalat Prize for Literature because of the prevalent economic conditions, but we are a company that is built on integrity, trust, loyalty and other values and so we will not renege on our commitment to helping develop the literary community in Africa,”he said.
Willsher also expressed satisfaction over the unique and exemplary role the Etisalat Prize for Literature platform is playing in the discovery and encouraging of creative writing talents as well as the recognition and celebration of literary arts by African writers.
“We are delighted to champion the cause for celebrating the richness and strength of African literature. Etisalat Prize for Literature is about discovering and bringing to the world stage the many creative talents this continent boasts of; it is about creativity, excellence, empowerment and reward; it is about celebrating our African diversities in very innovative ways such as literature offers us,” he said.
Only books by debutant writers published not later than 24 months before submission will qualify for entry. They must be by registered publishing houses not less than four years as incorporated publishers with registered ISBN Number or equivalent, and who must have published a minimum of six authors. All entries should be accompanied by seven copies of the book entered for along with acceptance of publicity term. A publisher may submit a maximum of three books. Rules and guidelines for entry are available at prize.etisalat.com.ng
The judging panel for the 2016 edition of the Prize will be chaired by Nigeria’s HelonHabila while South Africa’s Elinor Sisulu and Edwige Rene Dro from Cote D’Voire will serve as members.
The Etisalat Prize for Literature is a pan-Africa prize that celebrates debut African writers of published fiction. Previous winners include Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo, South Africa’s Songeziwe Mahlangu and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Fiston Mwanza Mujila who won the 2015 edition with his first novel, Tram 83.
The winner receives a cash prize of £15,000 in addition to a fellowship at the prestigious University of East Anglia, U.K. under the mentorship of Professor Giles Foden, the award-winning author of The Last King of England.
ENTRIeS for the organising Committee of the Life In My City Art Festival (LIMCAF) has extended deadline for entries and submission of artworks for this year’s festival till July 30.
A statement by the Art Director of the festival, Mr Ayo Adewunmi, said the extension had become necessary due to some unforeseen logistic problems at some of the festival’s collection centres, especially Lagos and Port Harcourt.
The statement added that this has also made it necessary not only to extend the entry deadline, but also to slightly alter the method and process of submission that no intending competitor may be disadvantaged.
“As a result the following temporary changes in the rules of entry for this year’s festival only will now apply. Those in Lagos should please submit scanned photographs their entries online direct to limcaf2016@gmail.com.
“Those in Port Harcourt may also submit online in the same way or in person to the Department Of Fine Art and Design, University Of Port Harcourt C/O Ike Francis 08037082266. The online submissions must be accompanied with scanned copies of the items listed below:
• Payment Teller (please keep a photo copy),
• Passport-size photograph of the artist
• A brief statement about the work(s) in not more than 100 words including title of the work, medium, size, and year of production
• Bio-data of artist in not more than 100 words and
• Referee contact information,” it said.
Submission centres for other locations remain the same as earlier indicated.