The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • What is royal in Air Maroc?

    What is royal in Air Maroc?

    Royal Air Maroc advertises a royal treatment for its passengers, from check-in to touch down. But Seun Akioye, who recently flew with the airline to Paris, writes that his treatment was far from being royal.

    The Boeing 737-700 belonging to the airliner, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) touched down at the King Muhammed International Airport, Casablanca, Morocco with a thud slightly tilting passengers inside its cabin against one another. There was a creaking noise, resounding in the cabin as if some parts of the airplane on contact with the ground was about to disintegrate. This added to the displeasure of the passengers, nobody clapped in appreciation of the pilot or his crew; nobody smiled.

    The passengers were huddled into the arrival hall of a crowded, uncoordinated and unfriendly airport. Three officials stood at the door, one of them clothed in a white protective suit with a thermometer in his hand. As passengers filed in, he checked their temperature to see if any one of them carried the deadly Ebola virus. The other officials maintained a discrete distance from the passengers. There was a look of worry mixed with terror on their faces.

    When a passenger passes the check, the man in the protective suit would dismiss him with a nod of his head. Health checks over, the passengers moved into the arrival hall. There were hundreds of other passengers inside, many of whom looked lost and frustrated. All the signs in the hall were written in either Arabic or French and no official spoke English.

    Several long and disjointed lines of passengers waited to pass through the security check. There was no coordination and intermittently an official would appear calling the name of a passenger who was about to miss a flight and taking such through security, other passengers looked on in frustration as stone faced officials moved around rebuffing enquiries from passengers by pretending to speak only French or the indigenous Moroccan language.

    The nightmare of the travellers did not begin in Casablanca, it started at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport Lagos. RAM advertises its “royal” services to would be passengers, many fell for it. When the airline came to Nigeria, it boasted: “Royal Air Maroc flies its passengers on only the best airplanes, passengers are treated to the best bouquet of hospitality and comfort while onboard Royal Air Maroc Nigeria flight….. Royal Air Maroc Nigeria has engaged the services of well trained and adequately motivated staff to attend passenger’s needs.” However, nothing could be further from the truth.

    On December 3, 2015, I travelled to Paris for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties 21 and had the “misfortune” of flying on the airline. Things unravelled pretty early, the departure time to Casablanca was an unusual and inconvenient 5:20 am, which means many of the passengers had to sleep at the airport. With no facility for early travellers, many of the passengers slept on the bare floor using their luggages as pillow.  The lucky ones slept on the creaking and hard iron chairs. Ventilation was a luxury. Few could complained but all of the airport officials shared this cruel fate.

    Check in began around 3: am and the officials perhaps infuriated at such an early call made life hell for the passengers especially those travelling for the first time. “Where is your birth certificate?” one yelled at a lady. You have to show me proof that you went to school like your degree certificate,” another told a lady who was going to join her husband in Brussels, Belgium. The officials also demanded to see all the documentations the passengers used in securing the visa. Some of these passengers later alleged to have parted with between N10,000 and N15,000 paid to several officials in order to board the flight.

    But, the brutality of the officials paled in significance to the uncharitable flight RAM reserved for its Nigerian passengers. For an international flight, the Boeing 737 has capacity for 96 passengers in the economy class with three seats on either side of the aisle. The seats are cramped and there were no individual television sets. Instead, three overhead screens hung above the passengers. And throughout the flight, they would show only the map of the journey and that was also in French language.

    Nothing about the flight followed the norm. There was over one hour delay and the pilot did not apologise nor  give explanations. The pilot conversed for a long time in French, then another language before saying two sentences in English that were inaudible. Every aviation law known to me was flouted with passengers still using mobile handsets even during taxi. Handbags were not stowed under the seat and the cabin crew would take a look at them and move on.

     

    The crew from hell

    It became clear that the Nigerian government must have begged RAM to ply the Nigerian route and not the other way. The crew seemed to detest the Nigerian passengers  as they showed no care and sometimes shouting at them. The airline it seemed, was grudgingly doing business in Nigeria and the crew of four showed no empathy nor did they pretend that part of their duty was to make the passengers happy. They were there to pass the time and would only be too glad to get rid of us in Casablanca.

    Immediately after  take-off, a child began to cry. Then he wailed. For several minutes,  he was screaming, I half-feared the pilot would delay the flight as the scream had assumed a dangerous trend. In other airlines, the crew would have tried to pacify the child. A chocolate here, a toy there would surface. Not this crew. They walked past the child as he began to throw tantrums.

    “Where is my mummy,” he screamed even though she was sitting beside him. The embarrassed mother tried to contain him. “Where is my baby?” the boy yelled and the plane lifted. Facilities in the plane was at best wicked. The toilet, which was tolerably clean, did not however have liquid soap. So, after doing your business, every passenger would slap on the same soap tablet leaving a part of their dirt on it.

    But, the most unforgivable part was that throughout the almost five hour flight, RAM did not serve any meal. Instead, they gave the passengers a piece of croissant or cake-depending on your luck- and a tiny packet of juice.

    The frustrated and hungry passengers devoured this pitiful “breakfast” which was ‘dropped’ rather than served on the tray tables of the passengers. Later, a lady passed around pestering passengers with the offer of a “very hot” coffee. As far as I could see, nobody took the bait. We were too bitter to respond.

    Duty free sales contained only cigarettes and alcohol. But, even if one is tempted to buy, the scowl on the face of the seller would serve as deterrence. Immediately after the snacks were ‘dropped’ on us, the head crew, a tall big fellow went to the back of the plane collapsed three seats and slept off. His face to the roof, a part of his leg obstructing the free flow of traffic on the tiny aisle.

    The flight from Casablanca to Paris was better even though it was the same small, old plane. But, at least the crew treated the almost entirely white passengers with respect and dignity and meal was served. The food, a substance resembling couscous and some funny soup was mostly abandoned by the passengers around my seat.

    The smile, which was so rare on the flight from Nigeria was supplied in abundance to the Caucasian passengers. It was a great shock to me as I thought smiling was a strict taboo in the policy of RAM. But, it was evident that the airline had little regards for its Nigerian passengers and its services. Everything but pleasant reinforces the question: what is royal in Royal Air Maroc  and why do they treat Nigerians with impunity?

     

  • ‘National Commission for Museums and Monuments goofed’

    ‘National Commission for Museums and Monuments goofed’

    The National Commission for Museums and Monuments’ rejoinder to the article on ‘Museum at 70: Whither the Museum Service in Nigeria’ makes an interesting but laughable and off the mark reading as it neither addressed nor countered the issues raised.

    It was an enthronement of falsehood, half- truths and tissue of lies. At best, what the rejoinder succeeded in achieving was playing to the gallery as well as glorifying and dressing the director-general in borrowed robes while trivialising and undermining the achievements of the celebrated movers and shakers of the museum service in Nigeria.

    Considering the chronicle of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the museum, the Director-General, Mallam Abdallah Yusuf towered above the rest, giving the impression that he has achieved even more than Kenneth C. Murray (the acclaimed father of the museum service in Nigeria), Bernard E. B. Fagg (the discoverer/author of Nok Terracottas and father of Jos museum) and the indefatigable Ekpo Eyo (the acclaimed father of modern museum service in Nigeria).

    The presentation of the achievements of the celebrated past CEOs was shallow and unimpressive, capable of causing many senior citizens of this country who have been following the development of the Nigerian museum service to be appalled by the ignorance of those who are supposed to be better informed. The disservice the rejoinder painted of these great men of honour in the annals of the museum service will cause their bodies to roll in the grave. What was written about K. C. Murray, Bernard E. B. Fagg and Ekpo Eyo was scratching the surface and not a true acknowledgement of their accomplishments.

    Nevertheless, one thing is clear, and that is, that the individual achievements of these forerunners far surpasses whatever achievement, imaginary or real, the   director-general who has been labelled to have come to kill and destroy what had been achieved by his predecessors lay claim to.

    Let me correct the skewed impression in the rejoinder that Sir Akanbiemu has some issues to settle with his former employers. Far from it as this is a figment of imagination on the part of the PRO employed barely in 2006 (a greenhorn and a neophyte in the museum profession) or whoever has scripted the rejoinder for her.

    It is an undisputed fact that the museum remains the primary constituency of Sir Akanbiemu, which explains why he has been deemed fit to occupy the prestigious position of the première Resident Curator of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta when Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Foundation was shopping for the right candidate. At his place of work in Abeokuta, he has proven his professional know-how and dexterity to the admiration of the Chief Promoter, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the Board of Trustees and the firm of expatriate museum designers, Ralph Appelbaum and Associates (RAA).

    A Leicester (England)-cum Ekpo Eyo trained museologist and curator numero uno, he has been in the vanguard of championing museum professional issues in and outside the civil service and has written many articles in several professional books and journals as well as some  newspapers, including The Nation relating to heritage matters. Thus, what has been written on the Museum at 70 is what the author has telescoped from empirical museum professional viewpoint, which is giving both past and serving museum professionals nightmares.

    It is noteworthy that the views expressed in the article under reference had earlier been corroborated by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in his address to the CEOs of parastatals in his ministry and reported in The Nation that some of them are round pegs in square holes and that they do not exhibit professionalism. The Minister went further to complain that the two world heritage sites of Osun Osogbo and Sukur are under the threat of being de–listed because of lack of maintenance whereas South Africa, a late entrant into the world heritage list, boasts of eight sites. If one may ask, what was  Yusuf’’s achievement as the Director of Monuments, Heritage and Sites before his appointment as the CEO and in the position he has occupied for the past six years? To further lend support to the opinion expressed in the article, a one-time Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, decried the poor state of museums in the country as reported in The Nation of Wednesday, December 23, 2015, at the National Commission for Museums and Monuments 70th Anniversary exhibition at the Lagos Museum.

    According to him, “almost all the 45 museums across the country are in bad shape and poorly funded”. What is the corollary of this lamentation except that it buttresses and revalidates Akanbiemu’s position that things have gone awry in the museum arising from the tenterhooks of neglect and lack of professional direction by some directors-general.

    The claim that the Commission supervises 48 museums in the nation is not only misleading but erroneous if the International Council of Museum (ICOM) definition of a museum is anything to go by. Going by its definition, more than half of this purported number are symbolic buildings serving as administrative offices with no collections, storage, galleries et al which constitute the embodiment of a museum.

    Perhaps, the PRO did not understand the context the phrase ‘ignorant and inexperienced leadership’ was used in the article. It did not refer to all the museum’s directors–general as she claimed in the rejoinder. Rather, it referred to those that came after  Eyo. Let her re–visit the article for a clearer understanding. On her detour for the author to channel his energy to more productive and constructive ventures, it is unfortunate that she is ignorant of his immense contribution to the available museum literature and to the human capital development of professionals from within and outside the museum who pass through the Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies (IAMS) in Jos Museum where he teaches Museum Management (MUS 512). He has been a source of inspiration to upcoming museum professionals who benefit from his wealth of experience as an encyclopaedia of museology and museography.

    Needless to delve into the unprecedented achievements of the forerunners of the museum service for want of space, suffice it to ask the leadership of the NCMM some pertinent questions that require unambiguous answers.

    • Does writing a foreword or preface to a publication confer the status of a publisher as the rejoinder portrayed? As a matter of fact, Yusuf has no intellectual contribution to the contents of the books and exhibitions but only wrote the foreword, which is honorary and a privilege. All the publications emanating from that institution way back in the days of the Federal Department of Antiquities to the time it metamorphosed to the NCMM before the advent of Yusuf have always bore the name of the institution as publisher and not the CEO. How come Yusuf is being projected as the publisher of five books funded with government cash?
    • Who were the architects of the new buildings in Esie Museum, which the rejoinder deliberately failed to acknowledge?
    • Under whose administration did museums suffer unprecedented burglary and theft of museum priceless objects?
    • What is the ownership status of the Museum of Traditional Nigerian Architecture (MOTNA) expanse of land encroached upon by intruders but was reclaimed by President Olusegun Obasanjo through the Brigadier-General Oluwole Rotimi’s panel of inquiry?
    • What informed the relocation of the PREMA course for the training of English- speaking African museum professionals from Jos Museum to Ghana?
    • How many sensitisation workshops on Sukur and Osun Osogbo were done in Adamawa and Osun states?
    • What happened to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s N500 million intervention fund for the Museum and Archives?
    • What happened to the looted Nok and Sokoto objects(ref.http/meoiredafri-que.com/en/nok galerieamis.php)
    • Was the MOTNA contract to the tune of N24million paid for and awarded to Ishola Ajagbe Metal Company in 2012 executed?
    • Where is the whereabout of N225million left in the coffers of the Commission by Akigun Roberts on his departure as Chief Executive of the Commission in 2008?
    • What happened to the balance of N12million from the N24million unofficial lease of the director-general’s residence at Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos of which only N12million was officially declared to the ministry in 2013?
    • What happened to the balance of N70 million from the N318million in the coffers of the Commission after the purported refund of N248million to the ministry and was the refund receipted?
    • What happened to the N16million left over from the N47million personnel cost for the Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies, Jos in 2013?
    • What happened to the $2million Ford Foundation fund for the rejuvenation of Lagos Museum?
    • Who of the directors received the purported tyres purchased in their names supplied by Batako Cleaning Services in 2013 for N1,618,200?
    • Where is the where about of the two lion cubs removed from Jos Museum Zoo in 2009 in exchange for a hyena by Yusuf, which he claimed was billed for Kano Museum but never got there?
    • What is the outcome of the antiquity Canon missing from Jos Museum since October 1, 2014?
    • What is the appropriateness of these payments to the following companies from the Over Head vote in 2013 which rightly falls under capital project? They include:
    1. a) N13,699,597 paid to Rohan Stone Global being second instalment for the construction of museum in Adamawa.

    (b) N4,402,517 to Royal Stone Global being first instalment for the construction of  administrative block in Maiduguri.

    ( c) N5,292,086 to Ell Services Limited being mobilisation fee for the construction of gallery, landscaping and fence at International Centre, Birnin Kudu.

    • What is the difference between Rohan Stone Global and Royal Stone Global?
    • Which bank did Yusuf, a civil servant, source the money to purchase his accommodation opposite the House of Representatives Deputy Speaker’s official residence in Apo, Abuja?

    As for the errand PRO, who has adorned the ‘candido mask’ for her master’s voice because of the benevolence of unmerited favours, it will be advisable that she treads softly with caution, lest she ends up in the tiger’s belly. Conversely, rather than Akanbiemu approaching the leadership of the Commission whose iron and steel doors are permanently shut to people willing to offer useful advice, it should, instead, approach him for mentor-ship in Museum Management being his erstwhile lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology and Museum Studies (IAMS) in Jos in the light of the state of the Commission which is in comatose.

    May the NCMM be rescued from the claws of the clique of a rapacious and looting gang of job hunters, opportunists, adventurers and clueless leadership.

     

    • Akanbiemu is Resident Curator,

    Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.  

  • Dons seek new ways of teaching theatre art

    Dons seek new ways of teaching theatre art

    Professors of Theatre Arts drawn from various higher institutions of learning have met in Abuja to forge the way forward.

    The professors, among others, called for the periodic establishment and review of the theatre arts curriculum to facilitate a tripartite connection among the academia, industry and government.

    They also called for the development of separate templates for Film and Film Studies, noting that both should henceforth, be domiciled in Theatre Arts.

    For effective delivery of theory and practice, the dons urged the Federal and state governments to make improved budgetary allocations for resource input and physical facilities. In the same way, they called for harmonised Industrial Training Programme for all Theatre Arts students.

    While calling on the university system to create a template that is favourable to both practice and scholarship for promotional evaluation of lecturers, the experts called on professionals in the discipline to carry along the Society of Nigeria Theatre Artists (SONTA)  and other affiliates on policy and curriculum development for theatre arts and film studies.

    The theatre experts, who met for three days in Abuja, also called on SONTA to organise a workshop for theatre and media/film arts professors.The workshop, according to them, would enable the egg heads to revise the curriculum and make recommendations to the National Universities Commisssion (NUC) on BMAS for theatre, Film/Media arts as well as cultural studies.

    Ostensibly, the first meeting of Theatre professors offered the platform to deliberate on how to provide leadership and direction for teachers and students in the same profession. It was organised by the SONTA and hosted by the University of Abuja. The meeting featured paper presentations which addressed relevant issues on the practice and learning of the theatre. It also sought unity and cooperation of leading scholars in the theatre profession, with a view to improving the quality of teaching and research as well as acquiring relevant equipment and facilities for theatre training.

    At the event were professors of Theatre, Dramatic, Creative and Performing Arts as well as professors of Film Production and Film/Media Studies from the following Universities: University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Jos, University of Ilorin, University of Maiduguri, University of Benin, University of Port Harcourt, University of Abuja, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Federal University Lafia, Kwara State University, Malete, Nasarawa State University Keffi, and Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island.

    Among those at the event were Prof Michael Umale Adikwu;Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) Prof Sani Mashi and DVC (Academics), Prof Gboyega Kolawole.

    Others were Prof S. O. OAmali, former Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin and Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Prof. Duro Oni, a Trustee of SONTA and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, University of Lagos (UNILAG).

    Also there were Prof Olu Obafemi, former Director of Research, National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) who served as Chairman, and Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, Executive Secretary, National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO).

    Other prominent scholars were Prof Hyginus Ekwuazi, former Director-General, Nigeria Film Corporation; Prof Saviour N. A. Agoro, Provost, Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education; Prof Saint Gbilekaa, former Chief of Staff to Benue State Governor; Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura; former president, SONTA and a Trustee; Prof Mabel Evwierhoma, Dean of Arts, University of Abuja; Prof. Sunday E. Ododo, President of SONTA and convener of the meeting, among others.

    Papers presented at the meeting include the following: A Critique/Review of the Media Arts/Film/Film Studies Programme: Towards a

    Benchmark Template, by Ekwuazi; Theatre Arts – Industry Interface and Industrial Training Fund (ITF) – SIWES, by Prof. S. E. Ododo; Developing a Template for the Appointment and Promotion of Theatre Artists in Nigerian Universities, by Prof. Sam Ukala; Benchmark for Theatre/Dramatic/Performing Arts Programme and Cultural Studies in Nigerian Universities: Towards a Template of Modification for more Relevance, by Prof. Emman S. Dandaura; as well as Falling Standards both in Teaching and Publications; Physical Conditions of Performance and Training; Research and Mentoring,  by Obafemi.

     

    • Balogun lectures at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

  • Using arts to engage the youth on development

    Amid drama and poetry performances, the realities of out-of-school adolescent girls and a call on government and society to address the challenges were presented at this year’s Teenage Festival of Life held at the University of Lagos, reports adeola ogunlade.  

    Ifesowapo Aboru Senior Secondary School, Aboru in Lagos State has emerged winner in song and poetry category of the 2015 Teenage Festival of Life organised by Action health International held recently at UNILAG Multipurpose Hall, Lagos.

    The theme for this year’s programme was Securing our future: youth and the post 2015 sustainable development agenda. It featured drama, essay, song, and poetry performances from various public secondary schools across Lagos State. Army Cantonment Junior Secondary School, Ikeja won the Essay category while Ajara Senior Grammar School, Badagry won the Drama category of the competition.

    The event was spiced by the presentations by two guest artistes Sako and a television host, Olajumoke Damilola and a Spoken Word performance by Atilola Morunfolu.

    The resonating messages of these performances were the needs, concerns, and realities of out-of-school adolescent girls as well as their call to action for the government and society at large to address these challenges. The Main Auditorium of the University of Lagos was filled to capacity for the festival as over 2,000 young people, as well as representatives from the State Ministry of Education, Non-Governmental Organisations, Community Development Associations (CDA) attended the event.

    Ambassador of Finland to Nigeria, Mrs. Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury said that education is another element of sustainable development. “The school system in Finland has achieved international recognition because of its high quality. In Finland, school is free for all and all schools are of a high standard. Teachers are highly qualified and motivated professionals. Teaching and education are highly valued. I want to emphasize the critical importance and enormous value of the education that you are receiving. Education makes all the difference in an individual’s life.

    “Education gives you the opportunity to make real choices in life, and to use your potential to the full. It opens up new horizons to you, with a whole new world of possibilities. With education, you can make your own life better, and you can improve the life of your family and your community”, she said.

    She stressed that when talking about the future, young people must be at the centre. Your contribution is extremely valuable. At the same time, or course, we know that for sustainable progress, the dynamic and innovative approaches of the young need to be combined with the knowledge and wisdom of more experienced generations.

    The founder of Action Health Incorporated, Mrs. Essien said that the goal of festival of life is raise awareness, reinforce importance and foster commitment among young people to positively engage in the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

    Essien said the world is home to 1.8 billion young people, the largest generation of young people aged 18 to 24 in its history and Nigeria is home to 57million young people age 10 to 24years. Despite the teeming population of young people, they often not consulted in creating national development plans or addressing issues that affect them.

    “We want to engage young people to articulate the world and the environment for themselves beyond 2015. We want to showcase youth creative art skills in portraying ways which young people can contribute to the post-2015 sustainable development agenda”, she said.

  • ‘In Africa, Nigerian artists are way up there’

    ‘In Africa, Nigerian artists are way up there’

    British-Nigerian by marriage, Polly Alakaija was the artist in residence for Kakadu, the musical dance play, which recently returned to the stage in Lagos. She shares with Gboyega Alaka the beauty of that experience, the importance of such a play in fostering a stronger Nigerian nation and of course, art

    Your name, Polly Alakija, would suggest that you’re Nigerian one way or the other. Tell us about that.

    (Laughs) If you care to know, my late husband was an Alakija, Adeyemo Alakija; that’s where the name came from.

    I’ve been looking at the sketches; what’s your involvement with the whole Kakadu thing?

    The producer of Kakadu is a patron of the art, who knows my work very well, so he approached me a couple of months ago to be artist in residence for Kakadu. This kind of involves me working behind the scene with the cast; spending time with them, seeing the whole process and rehearsals and seeing actors learning their roles, becoming their roles and living their roles. Perhaps what was amazing was also seeing them learn their history and really understanding Nigeria.

    How has this experience helped you appreciate the Nigerian history?

    I know quite a bit about the Nigerian history, but what’s quite enriching for me was seeing the young actors, with not so much awareness about their history learning about the undertones and undercurrents of issues between Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba – like you know, not much history is being taught in the schools anymore. It was interesting seeing them working through that whole process of the history and learning from it.

    The play obviously was trying to kind of foster national integration among the people; do you think it in any way achieved this?

    Oh yes, absolutely. Without understanding where those undertones are coming from, you’re really never going to overcome those issues, are you? You cannot sweep issues under the carpet; so if there are undertones, if there is a history, you’ve got to understand it in order to move forward and ensure you never make those mistakes again.

    You’ve lived in Ibadan and shuttled between the UK, South Africa; pretty much like an itinerant artist….

    I’m originally from the UK; moved to Nigeria 1989; for some time, I was based in South Africa; but even while I was there, Nigeria was always my main focus. It’s my home obviously because my husband is from here. While he was alive, his home was Ibadan, so we lived in Ibadan for a long time. Nigeria still is my centre of my focus; but now Lagos is my main base, it’s where my main studio is.

    Do you think Nigerians appreciate the art well enough, vis-a-vis their counterparts in the UK, USA et al?

    Well enough? Does anybody appreciate arts well enough? I think it’s pretty hard to compare the audience in Nigeria to the audience in the UK or the USA because – let’s face it- in the UK or the US, there are museums and galleries everywhere you go and there is a clear-cut plan of teaching the art in the schools, such that every individual in those places is aware of the art and brought up on art and culture. But here there hasn’t been a culture of that in recent history. Also it seems not to be part of the national curriculum, except maybe in privileged schools, and this has left the young people growing up without much exposure. But I still do find that a lot of people are exposed here. There is a massive appetite for it and a massive appreciation as well. Things are starting to shift and there is huge development in the art in Nigeria both locally and on the international scene.  If you’re talking of African arts, Nigerian artists are way up there – maybe a horrific generalisation, but that’s my opinion. Even in the Diaspora! If you go to international exhibitions and you’re looking at African art, you find that it’s Nigerian artists who are at the forefront.

    How have you enjoyed Nigeria – talking about the politics, social life, culture?

    I’ve been here since 1989 and that’s quite a long time. I’ve lived through the Babangida, Abacha years. I’m always struck by the extraordinary way that things change and develop at a huge pace, but at the same time, many things seems not to change. I was with a friend recently and we were bemoaning all the issues and how it is that back in the early ‘90s, we were complaining about the same things. We’re still complaining about power, about roads, about water; the core problems are still there. But I wouldn’t be here, if I didn’t find it interesting and stimulating.

    What are those things that have kept you here, despite the not so good part of the country?

    Obviously, my husband, initially. This was his home. He was half British, half Nigerian. So when he moved to Nigeria, I was here supporting him. After he passed away, it still remains my home because it’s my children’s home. Of course I have the privilege of also having my British passport, so I can go to the UK anytime I want, but I keep telling myself that I have the privilege to be here to practice visual art, so I thought ‘what an amazing way to spend your time and also be able to make a living from it!’ And if you get to do something that you’re passionate about and enjoy, then you need to do more with it. I hope I can have more opportunity to organise educational programmes and generate great awareness and help create programmes that will add to everybody’s life, no matter who you are. And I feel I can make that happen here; I feel that there is a huge gap that needs filling and that I can be effective here in a way that I probably wouldn’t be in the UK. Here, I’m able to get busy doing philanthropy, giving back and getting art awareness into communities – that’s what I’m passionate about.

  • Igbologun, so close to civilisation, yet so far

    Igbologun, so close to civilisation, yet so far

    Somewhere behind the lagoon creek that bisects Apapa axis of Lagos is Igbologun, a densely populated town that seems so near to the good things of life, yet so far. Dorcas Egede who stumbled on the island recently, reports.

    Somewhere off the ever busy Apapa port city in Lagos metropolis sits an island. This is an island where no man is an island; an island of sand and fun and of tolerance and tranquillity. As you approach the jetty off the popular coconut Bus stop to board a boat en route your destination, the first sight that greets you is that of men and women haggling and trading amidst cheeky gossips, banters and whispers; of children running about, conjuring in you a picture of a bubbly commercial, yet primitive island. You also cannot miss the sight of the weary fishermen taking long swigs from long green bottles of schnapps and of tired workers returning from their offices, ties hanging loosely, shirts flying and sleeves loosened.

    The boats that ferry passengers across to the island and back are mainly plank boats, run by engines and dominated mainly by locals. A trip across the lagoon – for the water is an extension of the Lagos Lagoon, flowing right to Badagry and to the Republic of Benin – costs N100 per passenger; but depending on what time you’re crossing, the tide of passengers differ. As you disembark on the other side, you will most likely be greeted by a company of okada (motorcycle) riders ready to take you anywhere on the island. One good thing, though, the charges are fixed at N100 and a first time visitor needs nurse no fear of being overcharged. Welcome to Igbologun community otherwise known as Snake Island,  a home to all, irrespective of your tribe and tongue; where everybody lives like a clan and religious difference is of no consequence.

    Igbologun is one of three communities: Igbologun, Igboisu and Igboeseyore, located on Snake Island. According to one of the Islanders, Aduke, she learnt from her geography class that the island derived its name from the (snaky) way it appears on the map, contrary to a popular belief that it is so called because it is populated by snakes. It is an island submerged in sand, such that as you walk, your legs sink in and it is as if you’re being pulled back.

    Interestingly, the hugely populated island, which is in the heart of Apapa, falls under the Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area. Despite being so close to the hub of trade and commerce, and all its modernity, what would seem like another shocking discovery for a first-time visitor is how typically rural the island remains. Igbologun, despite a history of existence that precedes even the Nigerian nation, is dying for government attention for the provision of basic social amenities like schools -what currently goes in the name of a school there is grossly inadequate; standard hospitals, tarred roads, portable water, stable power, standard marketplace, etc.

    Typically Rural

    The Baale of the community, Chief A. A. Gegeiyawo 1 revealed that the community is nearly as old as time itself. He said the community has been in existence for more than 300 years and expressed surprise at the neglect that has left it largely rural. He revealed how the community was condemned to darkness for more than seven years owing to an electricity cable that was brought down by a ship.That problem was fixed around election time, but he said constant power still remains a pipe dream. “In fact, since they started bringing light two months ago, I can tell you that we’ve not had light for up to 24 hours at a stretch.” He said.

    Naturally, one is tempted to think the island has been so neglected due to lack of recognition by the government; but the Baale disclosed that the government is fully aware of the community. “We pay land use charges… In short the former Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Chairman, Ayo visited us several times. He renovated the health centre, built a doctors’ residence, built the town hall, and rebuilt the primary school….” He said even the former governor, Babatunde Fashola, visited the area on two occasions. The different political parties and their candidates also visit the area to canvass for votes. In his opinion, the number of votes politicians rake on the island surpasses what they get even in Alimosho Local Government, believed to be the largest local government in Lagos State.

    Curiously, Igbologun community does not have a power distribution office, and they pay electric bills in the community town hall. The Baale revealed that whenever it is time to pay, a town-crier goes around the community to inform residents to bring their payment to the town hall.

    On the primitive use of a town-crier to disseminate information, Aduke told The Nation how the scenario still amuses her and said this is part of the reasons she still maintains that Igbologun is a village and not a town. She said the town-crier also announces such events as death (only of prominent persons in the community) and community festival rites. Very recently, she said the town-crier went round to announce that the community would soon be visited by some people, whom they were told not to accept because they would be coming with ill intentions. She said when the said people eventually came, they were captured and put in police custody.

    Apart from the major road, Igbo Road, which connects Igbologun to the other two communities, there are no named streets in the community. The last street naming and sign-posting obviously wasn’t extended to Igbologun, again underlining the neglect of the community.

    The Baale told this reporter that whatever street names there are, were given by the members of the community, purportedly to enable their visitors locate them without much trouble.

    Basic occupation

    Petty trading and fishing are the predominant preoccupations of the members of Igbologun community. According to the Baale, most of their women own shops where they sell items ranging from food stuff to fruits and vegetables, clothing materials and lots more. Notably, the community does not have a market, and the people just sell their items in front of their homes or shops located in the community. Some of the women also own tailoring shops, hairdressing shops, drinking bars, etc.

    The young men in the community are mostly boat riders. The majority have engine boats, with which they convey 15 passengers and the boat conductor who collects a fee of N100 from each passenger. A few others own speed boats with which they convey only two passengers at the rate of N500.

    According to the Baale and Mr Abubakar, a receptionist in the only hotel in the community, a significant number of the men in the community are employed by Niger Dock, a Nigerian shipping company, and incidentally the only company in the community. Some of the men also work outside the island. A good number of the men and women are also engaged in fishing.

    Security

    From all indications, the Igbologun community is a very safe place. One police officer, who pleaded Melvin a cyclistanonymity, described the area as a crime free zone. According to her, the only cases they handled at the station bothered on family issues or issues between lovers. Melvin, the okada rider, who conveyed this reporter, also spoke of Igbologun, as a secured place where everyone was accepted, despite the differences in tribe, language and religion. He said once in a while, however, fights ensue among the boat riders or okada men in the community. Other than that, he said the community is a safe place to live in.

    During a visit to the Igbologun Medical Centre, established by Dr Gbolahan Shodipo,  this reporter saw a typical case of conflict between lovers. A lady, Yasmeen, laid on the bed in serious pain. She said her boyfriend, whom she had been dating for just a month, came home one night and pounced on her. She managed to escape through neighbours’ help, but not without a broken head and badly bruised body. This reporter also learnt that her assailant had been taken into police custody, while Yasmeen was hoping that he would eventually come and pay her medical bills. Whether that eventually happened is however left to the imagination.

    The doctor also attested to the fact that the community is relatively crime-free. In his words: “Compared to places like Ajegunle, Igbologun is like heaven.”

    He explained that the reason the place is crime-free is because members of the community are very cooperative, making it extremely difficult for anyone to commit any crime or atrocity and get away with it. “For instance, you cannot come and burgle in this place. Where do you go after burgling when the only way out of this community is on water. Before you get to the jetty, they would have called other people to wait for you there.”

    Social Amenities

    At the entrance of the community sits the Igbologun Senior Secondary School. This school serves the three communities on the island. Further into the town is the Local Authority Nursery and Primary School. Except for the privately-owned schools in the community, this primary and secondary school are all the government has provided for this densely populated Island. The Baale revealed here that but for the intervention of the immediate past Amuwo-Odofin local government chairman, the primary school would still have remained dilapidated. “He was the one who came and rebuilt it for us.” He said.

    Cross-section of some womenA Primary Health Centre sits somewhere in the centre of the community. A major snag, however, is that it is sparsely equipped and lacks a doctor. The matron, who spoke to this reporter, revealed that they are only lucky to have a doctor, once in a while when the authority remembers to send a youth corps doctor to the community. The place, she said, is run by herself and a nursing assistant. They basically organise ante-natal sessions for pregnant women, take deliveries and give immunisation to mother and child. Other than that, they can’t really do much because they don’t have adequate equipment. She also said that on clinic days which hold on the first and last Tuesday of the month, the workload is often too much for just two of them, as they attend to a  lot of people who bring their children for immunisation.

    Dr Shodipo revealed that before he moved into the community to set up his clinic, members of the community were dying frequently, with child and maternal mortality rates very high. “A community as big as this one needs more than one hospital.” He said.

    On electricity, members of the community only have tales of woe to tell. The shop owners among them decried the epileptic power supply. Many people who sell drinks say they have to buy ice block from the barracks, which gets power from the Niger Dock, otherwise, they have to run their generators for hours unending, especially during the dry season.

    In a chat with Mr Abubakar, the receptionist at Peace and Love International Hotel, the only hotel in the community, he said the early years of their business were very challenging, owing to complete power outage at the time. Even now that the light problem has been resolved, they still had to run their generators (diesel and petrol) for the most part of the day. “You can’t do hotel business without electricity.” He said.

    He, however, agreed that business seems to have normalised, and if the power situation is improved upon, it will make realising more profit easier.Igbologun Doctor

    Dr Shodipo explained how challenging it has been, running the hospital without power. Since he isn’t into the business for much gains, he confessed that fueling his generators was eating deep into the hospital’s resources. He opined that constant power supply will certainly be good for business.

    One basic amenity the community lacks is road network. Members of the community stressed the fact that they don’t have road networks. They opined that even if it’s only the major road leading into the community that is tarred, it would help them in no small way. They also called on the government to fulfil their longstanding promise of building a bridge to link the community to Apapa. In the words of the Baale, “If the government really wants to help us, there’s a lot they can do for us. First of all, we need good roads, pipe-borne water, refuse dumps, constant electricity and a bridge. If there’s a bridge linking up to this place, it would open up opportunities for development….”

    Mr Abubakar also believes that if there are better road networks, the community will be more accessible and development will come faster than it has these past years.

    Social Life

    The people of Igbologun community surely know how to enjoy life. During work hours, the community appears to be very deserted, but towards evening, however, the traffic around the jetties tells you just what’s going on in the community. People who have just returned from work are seen in bars and relaxation centres around town. The community has a good number of bars where people go to relax, the most popular of them being The Floating Bar, a bar built on the water. There are also viewing centres where members of the community go to watch popular European football matches. A good number of the people are also very religious. Those who are neither in bars, viewing centres, nor brothels, are likely to be found in worship centres.

    Waste Management

    The Baale decried the state of sanitation in the community. He said they don’t have proper waste disposal systems. According to him, a lot of people just dispose their wastes in the water, which is later washed back to shore. Others burn theirs, while a majority dump their wastes on all corners of the community. He pleaded with LAWMA to try and extend their tentacles into the community since they come for waste collection in Niger Dock.

  • Secrets of my strength at 90 – Chief Robert Pablogba, retired school teacher

    Secrets of my strength at 90 – Chief Robert Pablogba, retired school teacher

    Chief Robert Ayeno Pablogba has lived a very interesting and eventful life. He is still exceptionally strong and virile at about 90 years and still struts with a youthful swagger and engages in activities that defies his age. Shortly before his 90th birthday, he sat down with S’South Regional Editor, Shola O’Neil and spoke about his growing up in the village, his journey from youth, late education, teaching career and the wisdom of managing a polygamous family.

    On growing up and the influence of Baptist missionaries

    I was born in the village of Tsekelewu (Opolobor) about November 1927 to the Pablogba Okito Royal family of Olodiama, Warri North Local Government Area of today’s Delta state.

    I grew up with the tradition and custom of the Ijaw. We were so disciplined that our movement was restricted to the village and mostly in the compound. Our interactions were with different family members in the town of Opolobor. I did not know anything about education.

    We were able to get into the limelight of education when Nigerian Baptist Convention’s missionaries got to our village in 1938 and established a church at Tsekelewo. It was then that I came in contact with Rev. Omatsola and others, who taught us how to read and write and we were able to study the Bible.

    As we grew up, we came to understand that it is good to be educated. We were a little bit bigger than the school age but since it was a rural area, there was no age limit. At that time primary school period was eight (8) years – Infant 1 and 2, then Standard 1 to 6. Because our village school stopped at Standard 4, we moved down to Sapele and then to Baptist School Aragba Gbekoba in 1947. I finished class 6 in 1948 (at the age of 21).

    How I became a school teacher

    I couldn’t have become a teacher (after Standard 6). That was the time Urhobo College, Effurun was started in 1948. I did and passed the exam but on getting to my parents at home, they had no money to sponsor me to secondary school. The alternative was to go to a teachers’ training and I was employed as a teacher by the Nigerian Baptist Convention. I started teaching in Tsekelewu Baptist School in 1949. I taught for two years and went to Baptist Elementary Teachers College in Benin City, did my Grade 3 Course and finished in December 1953.

    After the course, I was posted to Tsekelewu, where I taught for three years and later as the Headmaster of the school. In 1959, I was posted out of Tsekelewu to Ero-Abraka. I was Headmaster there for one year and later posted to Owerri Baptist School.

    But because there was lack of teachers in my village – non native teachers were finding it difficult to stay there – I was called back to the village. I taught there till 1965, when I went to Delta Teachers Training between January 1966 and 1967. I got my Grade 2 Teachers’ Certificate and was later deployed to Ogharafe Baptist School, where I taught for two years as Headmaster.

    Then, there was a complaint by teachers in the rural areas that teachers in the townships ought to be changed. For those of us who were in the township for many years, it was automatic for us to leave for rural areas. I was posted to Okwagbe Baptist School, which I headed for one year. Then those teachers in the rural areas, who had been complaining, found it difficult to stay in the township and they protested again.

    I was sent back to First Baptist School, Sapele in 1971 as one of the senior teachers. But there was need to further my education in order to enhance my pay.  I went for an ACE course in Benin (1978 to 1979) to do Diploma. I was posted as one of the foundation teachers of Oriapele Grammar School (Sapele). Rupi was the Principal at that time and I was the Vice Principal. I was there for four years.

    Retired, but not tired. My incursion into politics

    After 35 years as a teacher, it was incumbent on me to retire. So I was retired in 1984. Since I was still young, able and willing to work, I got an appointment as a Customary Court Member in Warri Area Customary Court in October 1988. We had two members, the central man, a trained lawyer, was president, and two others, including me. We were there until 1999 when the military gave up power. Politicians came and those of us who worked during the military era were relieved of our offices. So I joined politics.

    In Egbema clan, where I come from, I was one of the leaders who were elected. Sadly, if you are not in the ruling party, you are looked upon at as an enemy.  But not minding that, we pushed ahead to see that the clan is in a good shape today in Warri North Local Government Area, where we have two principal tribes, the Itsekiris and Ijaws. Our struggle as one ward in the beginning has grown up to nine wards. We are seeing the progress and other things that are coming up.

    I think our community has been developed, our community is one of the communities that produce oil in Delta State which helped us into DESOPADEC and others and we have another global which is formed by two Ijaw communities; the Gbaramatu and Egbema axis that has brought development to the communities. Our boys have been employed to work there for a given number of years, either two or three years and later change them.

    Looking back, what’s your assessment of education today, and the future?

    If you look at the education we had then and now, there is a lot of difference because the standard of education is getting lower and lower. In our days, when you were able to complete Standard Six, you are equivalent to some graduates now. Now, some people see teaching as a means of livelihood, but other people like us who are very interested in educating others, educating our children, we took it as a full time job and we taught them to progress and go higher.

    The approach right now is that if you get to some rural areas, there are no benches, no building. Teachers find it difficult to go to the rural areas, saying they want to stay in the town. In the rural area, there are classrooms of six or more and you can only get one or two teachers who will go there because they want to survive. Many are rushing to the township to dwell, even when there is no job.

    What can be done to reverse the trend

    Government has a lot to do. If you look at subjects like History, in the higher school, it is not there. If you don’t learn history, how will you know the origin of your people? There are so many subjects that are overlooked and those are the subjects that gave us the background to develop up to this level.

    Government must pay attention to infrastructure. You see pupils or students sitting on the floor, if the environment is not conducive, how do you think learning will progress? We need very good environment and teachers in the rural areas need adequate attention, better pay and other incentives, to do the job right. Government need to improve the quality of teachers and give them advance courses to grow.

    Parents on their part must care more; they should not allow the teachers to do it alone. Some parents do not have that zeal and appetite to give their children proper care. Parents, especially those in the township, are engaged in their businesses or professional pursuits. Some mothers do not even bath their children in the morning before they go to school. The child eats whatever they see and go to school. So the encouragement must start from the parents.

    Secrets to a happy, peaceful polygamous home?

    The secret of my strength and youthfulness even at 90 is God. I had three wives; the third one died around 2002 and the two wives you just saw. God has blessed us with 13 children. My grandchildren are over 40 and my great grandchildren are about six. Keeping the harmony in a polygamous home is difficult. Even a man who has a single wife has some problem compared to a polygamous home. It is a very difficult thing, which you must balance up by doing to A as you did to B. Like the children, if you decide to send two or three to the university from one family, same thing should apply to the other family. If not you will have no rest. The idea was to train those at the fore-front and if they successfully graduate, they would take care of their younger ones.

    Whether you are a monogamous man or polygamist, the extended family must be there. The extended family in the African tradition cannot be waved away. You have to bring them together and mix them up because you cannot cater for only your children; the family members will call you a witch, if you do that. That is the African way.

    I have been fortunate to have trained some members of my extended family who have become a blessing to me. This house you are seeing, my nephew (Mr Edmond Doyah-Tiemo) built it for me and he has been taking care of me. He is a blessing to me and I am very grateful for that.

    In my family there are some don’ts. I started to tell my children that everybody must go to secondary school and go higher. I wanted all my children to be graduates but it was not possible. I had over sixty percent (60%) who are graduates. Our children should strive to improve and meet up with the tide.

    Life is not easy you, there must be ups and downs. Most youths nowadays want to do white collar job (Oyibo work). To the young ones, I say ‘let’s do something with our hands.’ Learn handwork that will make you to survive. Now, you cannot get graduates who are willing to farm. They feel the education they got is for work in the office and using biro.

    Our young ones also want to be rich at all cost. You see a boy of 20, 30 years saying he wants to be a millionaire without work and doing unlawful things like bunkering, blowing up pipelines; but that will not take you anywhere. The only thing that can take you somewhere is learning handwork and not undermining anything. Government empowerment is not there because they will say we are going to empower but how many people shall we empower?

  • Recalling days of the Nigerian Left

    Recalling days of the Nigerian Left

    After twenty-two years of the criminal cancellation of the June 12, 1993, presidential election ostensibly won by the business mogul, the late Chief M. K. O. Abiola, Onyeisi Chiemeke, a lawyer and former student activist who was part of the de-annulment movement has come out with a book detailing the intrigues and other negative activities that characterized the struggle and made it impossible for the realization of the mandate.  It is true that this book is an attempt to reflect on how the Nigerian Left plunged itself into an otherwise bourgeois struggle which consumed it but it goes further to expose some of the secrets bordering on anti-democratic tendencies that were not known to a lot of Nigerians who were genuinely interested in the re-validation campaigns pursued by the June 12 strugglers especially the Campaign for Democracy (CD).

    The Campaign for Democracy was formed in Jos, Plateau State, as a coalition of many forces interested in changing the status-quo against the background of the shenanigans of the Babangida dictatorship which kept dribbling Nigerians as manifested in its policies and programmes.  The Buhari-Idiagbon regime had terminated the corrupt and lackluster civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983, and imposed all kinds of harsh Decrees on the Nigerian people.  Some of the politicians were heralded into detention centres and prisons.  In spite of the acclaimed well-meaningness of the regime, the harshness of its laws were so repulsive that Nigerians did not identify with it and Babangida and his cohorts cashed in on these sentiments and overthrew the regime.  Babangida turned out a con man, designing and implementing all kinds of programmes and policies that ended up under-developing the country.  His civil-rule-programme collapsed like a pack of cards with his annulment of the June 12 election.  The Campaign for Democracy given its emergence at this historical juncture in the affairs of the country took up the gauntlet after a series of exhaustive discussions on how to use the de-annulment campaigns to bring to bear a civilian government that would deepen the democratic process and turn the country around for the happiness of all.  CD’s involvement, though very salutary turned out a huge failure occasioned by its own internal contradictions.  This is basically the meat that Onyeisi Chiemeke is giving the reader to chew.

    The introduction announces the essence of the book:  “To tell the story of the CD within the period of 1992 to 1994, with an eye to its formation and disintegration in Ibadan in 1994 and by extension examine the impact of this collapse on the Nigerian Left Movement as the country transited to democracy in 1999” (vii).  It goes further to forage into the past and the present in a dialectical process in querying the failure of the CD platform and the larger Left movement in Nigeria.

    Chapter one which he entitles as “In the Beginning” explores the global system particularly in the 1980’s and early 1990’s when the so-called gale of democratic struggles swept through the Third World and Africa in particular.  It is in this context that we can understand Ibrahim Babangida’s elaborate but dubious transition programme which the then National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had characterized as a package of fraud and diversion.  There is no doubt that Babangida’s regime wasted the resources of the country with its un-ending transition programme allied by the neo-liberal economic agenda, Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).  NANS fought those programmes to a standstill in spite of whatever tactical ideological errors it might have made by allying itself with the National Consultative Forum (NCF) which was making a call for a Sovereign National Conference.  It is obvious from the accounts of this chapter how Bamidele Opeyemi, the then NANS’ President strategically used the NANS’ platform to arrange a better place for himself politically and materially.

    In Chapter two, the author gives an account of how the NCF collapsed after the government of Babangida had stopped the group from holding its conference at the National Theatre Iganmu, Lagos.  The author recalls that the stoppage of this conference led the Left elements and some emergent human rights groups into founding the Campaign for Democracy in Jos in 1991.

    The author opines that in modern Nigerian history, the Nigerian Left could be divided into three broad historical epochs – the first group belonging to the colonial era transiting to the independence era – the Zikist Movement (Michael Imoudu, Eskor Toyo, etc.); the Left groups from the intelligentia at Ahmadu Bello University, University of Ife, University of Ibadan and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  This generation of the Left suffered a great blow during the Ali Must God Students’ Demonstration in 1978 under General Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime as the latter blamed the former for the crisis.  The third generation was also bred on campuses with students who belonged to various ideological cells and were inclined to challenge the status-quo with its orthodoxy and the theology of the market as championed by the Bretton Wood institutions.  These groups founded the CD in Jos.

    Chapter three unveils the roles played by some palace court intellectuals in shoring up the military.  Some of these intellectuals tried to invest the Nigerian military with what the latter does not possess.  It goes further to dwell on the weakness of the political elite in the march to democratization in Nigeria.  This was clearly manifested at every stage of the involvement of the military in the politics of Nigeria.  The author asserts that:  “By the time Muhammadu  Buhari and others (including Abacha and Babangida) came, the politicians were jubilating at the fact that the military had arrived like locusts to eat away the remnants of the green leaves of democracy” (35).  These politicians timidly followed the models brought up by the military leaders.

                   Chapter four talks about the cancellation of the June 1993 election with Babangida’s broadcast of June 23, 1993, claiming that there were irregularities and “reports of election malpractices against party agents, officials of National Electoral Commission (NEC) and also some members of the electorate” (48).  The tactics and strategies adopted by the CD and the character and content of the forces behind the CD are examined.  It is noted that with all the noise of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), it did not have the capacity to organize a protest:  “The first street protest against Abacha was organized by the United Action for Democracy (UAD)” (52).  He contends that the import of street action in the success of a revolutionary change should be taken seriously and that the “CD started dying the moment it could no longer control the streets”  (53).

    In Chapter five, the workings of the CD and its organograms are teased out.  CD’s movement to the streets and the leaders of the different zones in Lagos and the reasons for their selection are explained.  The success of the CD at its beginnings before it was hijacked confirms the value of the group over that of individualism.  It dismisses the claim that individualism is the basis of history.

    Chapter six shows that with the success recorded by the CD, some of its leaders became the target of arrests, harassment and detention.  People like Femi Falana, Beko Ransom-Kuti and Gani Fawehinmi were attested.  The refusal of the Magistrate Court in Wuse, Abuja to give bail to these nationalists who had been detained, made the defence team to join the struggle.  The struggle moved to another stage – the sit-at-home when it was discovered that the goons had taken over the streets, killing and maiming people.

    Chapter seven shows how apprehensive people were about what would happen on August 27, 1993, the day Babangida was terminally expected to vacate office.  Abiola had also boasted that he would keep a date with destiny by ensuring that he assumed the mantle of leadership.  This fueled a high sense of fear leading to the exodus of many people especially the easterners to the east.  Meanwhile, Abiola who had been advised by his handlers, kept a distance from the CD.

    Chapter eight dwells on the repressive nature of the state as more people were arrested and detained.  Activists like Chima Ubani, Bamidele Aturu and Niyi Ojo had been arrested.

    In Chapter nine, Abacha’s coup is reported to have taken place.  At this stage, it had become obvious that Abiola had so much faith in the ruling clique compared to the CD.  But the CD kept on with its programme and campaigns and warned Babangida that the mooted interim government was not an option.

    In Chapter ten, the author goes further to show that at the end of November 1993, it had become clear that the CD had been internally damaged owing to the hobnobbing by a section of its leadership with the military.  It is surprising that many Left cadres were lying behind Beko and the consequences of this can be felt by everybody today.

    In Chapter eleven, we are told that Abacha had broken his promise and meanwhile, CD had become a shadow of itself retreating into the NGO mode.  Abacha decided to convoke a National Conference instead of the SNC which CD had worked tirelessly for.  The pro-CD list of names to constitute the National Conference Commission submitted by Onagoruwa was completely rejected by Abacha and a completely new 17-man list was announced by Abacha.

    In Chapter thirteen, with the wilting of the CD and Abiola’s attempt to negotiate his way to power floundering, a new group emerged in 1994 to provide a buffer for Abiola.  That group was the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).  The group was made up of retired army generals, business men and women, labour leaders, especially NUPENG and PENGASSAN, politicians and some persons from human rights groups. At this stage, as earlier noted, CD was no longer the revolutionary, anti-military fighting force for which it had been.  And as the inimitable modernist poet, W. B. Yeats had postulated things fell apart and could no longer hold. It is pitiable today that the military in cahoots with its military counterparts has held the country in a state of animation.

    The author insists that for democracy to exist, there must be a redefinition and refocusing of the Nigerian productive capacity.  This is because, the kind of democracy practiced in neo-colonial countries like Nigeria, has become so corrupt that there is a certain sense of infringement on the people by the callous and mindless leaders.

    In this book, Chiemeke gives account of the helplessness of young radical Nigerians of the author’s generation that “interpreted the world correctly and failed to change it” (xvi).  The book hits hard not only on the military, but also the Nigerian political class with its lily- livered and opportunistic political dispositions which made it possible for the military to hold sway for that long in Nigeria’s politics.  The book represents a Diary of Events with a tone of discourse which gives off the writer as one who is completely disgusted with human rights activists and their campaigns.  Incidentally, for many years the other was working for the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) and so is in a better position to ventilate his views about the human rights project in Africa in general and Nigeria in particular.

  • Day culture invaded Bauchi

    Day culture invaded Bauchi

    Music has come to form the central focal point and the shortest means to get the attention of the public.  And not only music, it becomes more pugent when it is combined with dance and drama to deliver the core message of change and forthrightness to the people.  This was what the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN), and the Bauchi State government did together recently in Bauchi.

    The programme packaged by NOA and spearheaded by the Director General, Mr. Mike Omeri was tagged Grand North-East stakeholders’ Dialogue on the Nexus Between the War Against Corruption, Good Governance and Security.  It was held at the Multipurpose Indoor Sports Hall, Bauchi, during which participants from far and near were duly inundated with talks on the need for everybody to put all hands on deck to ensure a new Nigeria; a Nigeria where people believe in themselves and are ready to discharge their duties diligently.

    The central message is that time has come for the people, both the leader and the led, to shun corruption.  And to make the message stick into the consciousness of the people, the National Troupe of Nigeria was available to use elite, royal and elegant dances to spice the show.  In the presence of the governor of the state, Mohammed Abubakar, the Artistic Director of the National Troupe, members of Bauchi State executive council and all other principal officers of the state and people from all walks of life, speaker after speaker, made it clear that the era of corruption as a way of life in Nigeria is over.  And that good governance and security cannot be guaranteed when people have continued to behave as Nigeria has lost its soul completely as a nation.

    Ngozi Ekeoba of NOA in her opening remarks, reminded the people that the programme was put in place to support federal government efforts to stop corruption in Nigeria.  “This is a crusade we all are meant to support and encourage,” she said.  “However, even when people do not seem to hearken to this clarion call, it is still our responsibility in NOA to continue to hammer on it: to perpetually work towards a better Nigerian society,” she said.

    In his speech, Omeri told the guests that Nigeria cannot be made better if the people and their leaders do not come together to work for the progress of the society.  “We are here because Bauchi is the pearl of tourism in Nigeria.  It is a warm state; very conducive and accommodating.  But at a stage, things became bad that we began to suspect one another.  Today peace seems to be eluding us.  Then we ask: where did we get it wrong?  At what point did we begin to derail?”, he asked as he surveyed the gathering.

    “Yes, things that made us one in those days are no longer there and we have to retrace our steps to make Nigeria an Eldorado once more.  We as leaders need to do more to ensure that issues of divisiveness, hatred and lack of love are put behind us.  This is one of the ways to make for a better future where we live in harmony with one another.”

    For Mr. Akin Adejuwon who stood in for the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, he charged Nigerian to be more proactive in terms of generating revenue and jobs for the Nigerian youth.  “This issue of Nigeria being one commodity state has to stop forthwith.  It is time to look towards culture, towards dance, drama and music to create more jobs for our teeming populace.  And Bauchi State is an ideal state to start from.”  This was indeed in tune with the various dances rendered by the Troupe at the occasion to draw people towards their traditions, customs and beliefs and to tell them too, that there is plenty to gain from dance as a profession.

    In his own address, the Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar told the people that the theme of the event was appropriate given the federal government mantra of change.  “Change has to be permissive.  We all have to be involved in it to make it work.  Now we all have become conscious of the fight against corruption.  It is a mantle we adopted when we came into office and we hope to decisively deal with it.  Corruption does not make for progress and this is why all hands have to be on deck to checkmate it,” he said.

    “Today, Boko Haram is about to be thrashed out,” he presented, amid cheers from the audience.  “And this shows that the federal government, led by Muhammadu Buhari is alive to its responsibility to the people.  Yes, the fight against insecurity is the concern of everyone.  Therefore, let us all work together to promote peace, love, unity and progress for the good of our nation.”

    In the main lecture delivered by Professor Alemika Etannibi titled Curbing Corruption and Insecurity in Nigeria: The role of leadership and followership, he asserted that people get the type of leaders they have because, in most cases, they are too docile or reluctant to ask their leaders to account for their roles in office.  “Therefore, everyone has to sit up in this fight to have a normal society in Nigeria.”

    In his reaction to the lecture, Professor Usman Malunfashi of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, berated leaders for their total neglect of the workforce.  “When you do not take care of their welfare, they will steal to build houses, to live well in retirement and take care of their future.  So we need to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.  The yawning gap is too much and this is why crime is continually on the increase,” he proffered.

    The event which Omeri promised to take to other parts of the nation is part of the crusade to bring back the culture of pride and honesty into the system.

  • Meet the doctor in the creeks

    Meet the doctor in the creeks

    Dr Gbolahan Shodipo runs the only private hospital in Igbologun, he spoke of the community’s dire need of development, poor medical facilities and attention and life on the Island in general

    Are you an indigene of Igbologun?

    I’m not. I’m an Egba man.

    What inspired the estblishing a hospital in this…?

    The answer is, I don’t know. It happened that where I was working before, as a young man and a Christian, I kept wondering what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn’t have been a genetic error… I was praying and met a mentor and a pastor… I wrote a postgraduate examination and luckily then we were only two that passed in my class. Every member of my family was happy. I applied to Warrick University in England and was offered admission to run my Masters programme. Then, what next? There was no peace in my mind. My mentor now took me to someone, whom I started working with. The guy posted me to Tolu Medical Centre, a hospital in Ajegunle, where I was made Medical Director. Thereafter I got married and my wife and I both got admission to go for Masters abroad. But while she got a visa, I didn’t. We agreed that she should go ahead while I made plans to join her. At the hospital, I noticed some young ladies who used to come for antenatal; I got friendly with them and they told me that they came from Snake Island. And I said to them, ‘Snake Island? Where is that in Lagos?’

    Sometimes, they came late for antenatal sessions and when I queried them for coming late, they told me they couldn’t get a boat. Then I’d say, ‘If you don’t get  boat, then take a bike.’ They’d say they can’t take a bike, and that left me wondering if this place they talked about was really a part of Lagos. One day after close of work, I decided to go to the Snake Island and see things for myself. I instantly loved the environment, and the people. I made for the health centre with the intention of going to speak with the doctor there, but when I got to the health centre at about at 2 0’clock and knocked, there was no response. I was told that the staff there resume at 10 and close by 2. Then I asked in wonderment, ‘What if someone wants to come and deliver in the night?’

    I left the island and went back to continue with my work. Later on, two of the four pregnant women came for antenatal and when I asked after the other two, I was told they had died because there was an emergency and they couldn’t get a boat to take them across the water. It was at that point I decided I wanted to go and help the people. I decided to start something on the island, even as I continued to work on my travel plans.

    Even though I had agreed with my boss, who was also a mentor, that I was going to work with him for 4 years, I had to resign after 10 months. That’s how I came here in 2010. I had no money, but luckily for me I had a good landlord. He rented a building to me at the rate of 300,000 per annum and I used my last salary of N100,000 and some money I had saved to pay for the rent.

    Three hundred thousand? That’s expensive for a place on this island.

    The problem is that most people here work with the Niger Dock. That company pays their staff very well. Their staff of course want to stay in choice houses. They are the ones who mostly live in big houses; every other person stays in the ‘face me I face you’ apartments.

    When I started, there was no bed, no staff, just my younger brother and I. He didn’t study medicine, but I asked him to go and learn one or two basic things to equip him in assisting me around the hospital. He learnt very fast and was of  great help to me. When he eventually went to the university, he graduated with a  first class. As time went on, we were able to gather enough money to buy a place of our own, and we have one or two other places we’re working on for expansion. Till today my wife still wonders what brought me to this place. I tell her that even I don’t know.

    Do you do everything bigger city hospitals do?

    Yes. We carry out major operations, we treat regular illnesses, we deliver babies, up to 100 babies a year. In fact, there’s a woman who’s even in labour. I just told her to hold on till evening, hopefully she will be fully ready by that time. We have a lot of women who come here for ante-natal as well.

    2010 till date is five years plus. This means that at the time you came to this village there was no electricity. How did you cope all those years?

    Yes, in fact, we just started having light two months ago. As you can see, we have four generators. At the moment, two are inside and two outside. They run shifts. But now that there is light, it makes things quite easy. It’s all part of the cost of doing business.

    All the while you had to run on generators, would you say you were able to make any profits?

    From the start, the purpose of establishing the hospital was not to amass so much wealth. It was just like a place to hone my skills, the administrative skills I had gathered over the years, I wanted to know if I could put them to use; to see how I could manage the 22 staff under me, so that when in the future I’m faced with managing about 500 staff, I would be able to cope. As long as the profit coming in is enough to plan for the expansion of the business, that’s okay by me. And fortunately for me, I am not the extravagant type.

    Are you the only doctor here?

    We are two. The other is Dr Olowu. When I’m not here he is. But I was here alone for five years. He joined me after our 5th anniversary. I can’t be here forever. In the next five years, I should go out there and do other things and allow this place run by itself. If it is a system, it should be able to sustain itself. If it’s a living system, it should survive without me. If it depends on me for survival, it’s not a good system. In the next five years, I’ll wean myself from it and let it run by itself. I’m working on another project.

    Has the government ever visited?

    Yes. Sometime ago, they came here because there was an emergency. They said they were doing rally for election and there was a major fracas, so they had to look for any hospital where they could treat people. I did what I could to help them and they left, promising that they’d be of some sort of help, but it never came. Even their health centre is not equipped at all. There are a lot of things I try to help them with, but in the next five years I won’t be here.

    There was an NGO that came about a year or two ago, Partnership for Transforming Health Systems (PATHS) a UK based NGO. A young man from the NGO walked in here asking to see the owner of the hospital. Since this place is like a neglected zone, with Apapa just close by, and Ajegunle on the other side, the NGO chose the place so as to be able to help the people in the community. They said people told them to come to the owner of the hospital. So, I told them, fine, if you people are ready you can come. I sent one or two documents to them, I’m still waiting for them. If they come, we’re ready.

    But we were told this community is a crime free zone.

    That’s true in the sense that if you compare it to what happens in other parts of the state, the crime rate here is really low. Besides, when it comes to election campaigns and the fights that ensue, you’d know that it’s people coming from outside who really cause the trouble. For instance, you cannot come and burgle in this place. Where do you go after burgling when the only way out of this community is on water. Before you get to the jetty, they would have called other people to wait for you there. The only crime here borders around issues like, “I saw my husband with another woman’ and stuffs like that. Then again, guys smoke a lot of indian hemp here too. I can take you to up to 10 places where they smoke indian hemp. But compared to a place like Ajegunle, this place is heaven.

    What are your charges like?

    Very affordable. If you deliver here for instance, you pay N20,000; that’s for normal delivery. But if you deliver through ceaserean section, you pay N100.000. And that’s because people here don’t really want to patronise the hospital. The only way to encourage them is to reduce the price, so they can afford it. You have to encourage them, otherwise they may only come in when their case becomes critical, thereby creating more work for us here. And I don’t like people dying just because they don’t have money to be treated. I’m not like some typical Lagos doctors who refuse to treat people because of money. People do come in here without money and I treat them. Some bring the money when they have it later and some never do, it doesn’t bother me. For the eight or more years I’m going to be here, let me just do what I can for them.