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Category: Arts & Life

  • Kakadu recreates Lagos life on Muson stage

    Kakadu recreates Lagos life on Muson stage

    Award-winning hit musical Kakadu was on stage at the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos from December 29 to last Sunday. The musical is  a narrative of love and friendship that characterised Lagos life of the 60s, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports. 

    Unlike the trendy way of starting most musical and theatrical performances, an art exhibition was held in place of a red carpet to herald Kakadu The Musical.

    Mounted on an unusual stand made from raw wood at the lobby of the Agip Hall, Muson Centre, Lagos, the exhibition featured 14 paintings and sketches by Polly Alakija, which are the artist’s visual way of getting ‘into character’ and learning the visual language of any subject.

    The paintings include These politicians are at it again, Rehearsal and We don’t know where we are going. Like an appetiser, the paintings refresh the audience’s memories with many images of rehearsal sessions and discussions between the cast and the director of the musical, Uche Nwokedi.

    The opening stanza of the musical, which is a blend of music, drama and dance, leads the audience into the Lagos life of the 60s and 70s, using a popular  night club, Kakadu, as backdrop for the era. Within the first few minutes, every slice of Lagos life is being captured on stage. They range from traffic jam to vendors of newspapers and food hawking their wares on the streets, mobile tailors (Obioma tailors) sanitary inspectors (Wolewole) and the regular hangout on Saturday night at Kakadu Night Club. On the band stand is the Fabulous Flamingo Dance Band presenting the old school songs for the popular Twist dance steps.

    “Kakadu is Lagos life. And Lagos means love all girls on Saturday. In Kakadu, you don’t rush alcohol or women,” warned the band leader.

    “Forget Nigeria and the outside, this is Kakadu in Lagos, he added. All these were pointers to the fact that irrespective of one’s place of birth, Lagos provides the leveler for all visitors. Issues of ethnicity and tribal differences found no place then.

    Produced by the Playhouse Initiative, Kakadu The Musical, which made its return by courtesy of MTN Foundation, Access Bank Plc and Casers Group is the journey of four friends through a time of infinite possibilities. “It is a story of peace and war, of friendships and broken promises, and of innocence. It is a powerful plot and a captivating storyline that sees and looks at the 1960s Lagos as a nation celebrates the end of colonialism and the birth of a new nation.”

    No doubt, Kakadu The Musical is being described as arguably Nigeria’s first contemporary stage musical and is a real tribute to the period and infinite possibilities of Nigeria in the 60s and early 70s. Apart from offering a complete theatre that educates and enlightens while entertaining, it also recalls the strong bonds and values that kept Nigeria together as a nation before the unfortunate civil war that was preceded by military coups.

    Set in the 60s and 70s, the musical concert did not fail to re-enact the significant role Highlife music played as the soul of Nigerian music industry at that time. Classical works from the rich repertoire of Nigerian musicians such as the late Bobby Benson, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Celestine Ukwu, Christian Igbokwe, Onyeka Onwenu, Victor Olaiya, Sir Victor Uwaifo were rendered all through the two hour performance. It was a refreshing night for the ‘old school’ with the presentation of songs such as Bobby Benson’s Taxi Driver, Victor Olaiya’s Sisi Mailo, Sir Victor Uwaifo’s Guitar Boy and Onyeka Onwenu’s Dancing in the sun among others.

    In the spirit of the independence celebration, Kakadu lighten up the hall with the post-independence party held at the club though was truncated by the announcement of a military coup. Suddenly, the hitherto friendly Lagos life turned unbearable for many. “And we must close Kakadu. Everything is changing. People are leaving Lagos in fear of a looming war.”

    Complementing these old tunes were dress codes that take people back to the 70s when Afro wig hair style was the vogue.Also part of the customs is the shuku (elongated) hair style common among women of that age. “Tonight we will celebrate Africa. From Congo to Ghana, Port Harcourt to Lagos,” the band leader reassured the audience who danced to the evergreen Olaiya’s Sisi Mailo and Benson’s Taxi Driver songs.

    Even when the war was declared closed, the people of Lagos still did not find it easy to accept one another because of perceptions and misconceptions. War is ugly, and even at the close of it, it still raises some national questions of tolerance, unity and understanding among the various ethnic nationalities. Little wonder Jimmy Cliff’s Many Rivers to Cross was aptly presented to prick the audience conscience.

    But why are we here? Several governments and laws have been in made but how do we build a nation? These were some of the posers for the audience as the curtain was drawn two hours after.

    Instructively, the performance is returning on stage when similar drumbeat of war is sounding again across the country, especially the on-going agitations by Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the creation of Biafra nation led by Nnamdi Kanu.

    According to its Executive Producer Nwokedi, ‘’The Kakadu storyline catches the watershed years in Nigeria’s history.’’ He described theatre as amazing and that through this process ‘’we get to see the truth in what we do as human beings, and learn what we should about lives we live. The Kakadu family continues to grow and we are encouraged by the support of many to reprise the production. With this run of Kakadu, we will donate some of the proceeds from the show to the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially sighted, our chosen charity for 2015/2016’’.

    To one of the lead actors, who acted Lugard Omo Eko da Rocha, Lagos city is life at a furious pace and it is theatre at its best. “It is the celebration of the infinite possibilities in life. Lagos is a musical called Kakadu, rich and enthralling, an amazing combination of brilliant dance routines, a roller coaster of emotions and a powerful narrative of love and friendship. It is a way to re-connect and recreate on several levels, where stage mirrors life in Lagos,” he said. Interestingly, Kakadu was performed simultaneously at the same centre same days and yet, tickets were always sold out on each day.

  • Painful exit of the theatre matriarch

    Painful exit of the theatre matriarch

    A lecturer at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Sola Balogun in this tribute writes on the life and times of Prof Funke Ogunleye, nee Adesina, who died on December 26, 2015

    Barely two hours to the new year, I received a text message from Emerson Golbert, a former senior colleague in the media, saying: While we woke up this morning, some other people were taking their last breath…we have cause to thank our God.

    This short but instructive message at the twilight of 2015 immediately sent me thinking. I started meditating on the mystery of breathing in one moment, and that of losing the same breath in another moment. I concluded that it was natural for human beings to experience both living and dying, since there must be a time to live and another time to die. The implication of this natural phenomenon is that everyone who witnessed birth must also witness death, and that no one on earth can live forever.

    Earlier on Saturday, December 26, last year, Prof Foluke Matilda Ogunleye, a renowned theatre practitioner, a don, scholar and media operator lost her breath suddenly. She died as a result of injuries she sustained in a ghastly auto crash, which occurred on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Ogunleye was in company of three others, including her husband, Segun, her brother in-law and their driver. As fate would have it, sources said both Ogunleye and her brother in-law died, while her husband and the driver survived. It was reported that the two men who survived the crash are still receiving treatment at the University Teaching Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan.

    Prior to this unfortunate incident, I had looked up to contacting the late professor on phone, mainly to welcome her to the country after a fairly long trip overseas. My mission was to make enquiries on the next edition of the biennial Ife International Film Festival which she single-handedly initiated in 2007. The festival has since recorded three successful editions (2007, 2009 and 2012 respectively) at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife. Today and, regrettably, I can no longer contact Ogunleye, except in the dream world.

    Sadly, too, whatever dreams she might have had for the next edition of the festival may not be realised, except the university authority and the Department of Dramatic Arts where she trained and worked before her death continue from where she stopped.

    A soft-spoken, quiet and unassuming scholar, the late Ogunleye was a rare achiever who blazed the trail in her chosen profession to record so many feats.  She was also a devout Christian who used her media and theatre practice to serve her creator before moving on to the academia for a long and fulfilling career. She was able to reach the peak of her career at a relatively young age, as she crowned her academic profile with an inaugural lecture on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at the age of 50.

    As one of her major achievements, Ogunleye’s inaugural lecture titled: Thespians and cineates as engineers of the Nigerian soul, was the second of its type from the Dramatic Arts Department of the Obafemi Awolowo University. Her own lecture came 32 years after the first one; The Critics in Society: Barthes, Leftocracy and other Mythologies, which was delivered by Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka in 1980. As an attendee of the amazing lecture, which held at the Oduduwa Hall of the university, I noticed how Ogunleye celebrated the Theatre and Mass Media as functional tools of social change and nation building. She also used the lecture to disclose how sentimental or fallacious people can be whenever the profession of Theatre or Drama is being discussed.

    Ogunleye confessed how much she held the same sentiment as far back as 1978 when she was newly admitted to study Drama, only to discover that the course was by far more than an exercise in acting, dancing and writing of plays. To her amazement, Ogunleye (who was then a teenager as Miss Foluke Adesina), soon discovered she would need to learn technical theatre which entailed learning something about other areas such as electricity, design, carpentry, lighting, set construction, management and directing.

    As if these were not enough, Ogunleye hinted of how every Drama student was also required to know something about human anatomy- an area which ordinarily should be exclusive to Scientists or Medical students.

    Upon graduation and cutting her teeth in her chosen profession, Ogunleye for many years combined her scholarly works with theatre and media practice. She wrote many drama scripts in addition to acting in many video films and producing quite a good number of plays on stage. In her efforts to sustain the Ife International Film Festival, Professor Ogunleye sought funds from local and international agencies, and went ahead to attract participants (filmmakers and scholars) from different parts of the globe, including United States, Britain, South Africa, Swaziland, France, Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Ghana and Uganda. The festival has not only promoted sharing of knowledge among scholars and students of different backgrounds, it has equally served as a veritable teaching tool as well as an avenue for prospective scholars and researchers to regain their focus and direction in the fields of drama and film.

    On a more important note, Ogunleye had  hinted that the focus of her academic career was to use Drama, Theatre and Mass Media as veritable instruments to improve the society in general.  In her robust academic career, Ogunleye was able to publish more than sixty articles in reputable academic journals and books, cutting across performing arts, the media and the society. In the same vein, the late professor published many plays and relevant textbooks on African Video Film. Some of these include The Innocent Victim (2003), A Little Attack of Pregnancy (2003), Nest in a Cage (2004), Transformation and Advancement: The Video Film in Africa(2012), African Film: Looking Back and Looking Forward (2012), Africa Through the Eye of the Video Camera (2008) and African Video Film Today (2003).

    As a demonstration of her Christian principles, Ogunleye also wrote and produced many plays for religious education. She has in the process, helped in popularising Christian drama among film producers and theatre practitioners alike. The professor did not just limit herself to creative and scholarly work, she also practised journalism to a reasonable level, having co-edited the publications of the American Studies Association of Nigeria with other renowned academics. In 2003, she was appointed the substantive editor of the association. During her career, Ogunleye also received various grants, awards and distinguished international academic fellowship. Some of these are Fellowship of the African Humanities Institute (African-American Cinema) from the  University of Legon, Ghana and Northwestern University, Chicago;  Fellowship of the Visual Literacy Institute in Maputo, Mozambique and The Prince Claus Fund for Development for the sponsorship of the Ife International Film Festival.

    Part of the mission of the late matriarch of Nigerian theatre was to use the arts to build the society. She had used many of her works and papers to preach the gospel of theatre or drama for social change. She insisted that art does not exist only for pleasure, but that it should perform a functional role with the objective of affecting man positively. To this end, she summed up the totality of her inaugural lecture in the following words: The rebuilding of the crumbled moral and socio-political base of modern Nigeria should, among other things, form the major concern of Nigerian Thespians and Cineastes…we must continue to utilize all resources and opportunities at our disposal in a more sustained fashion to engineer and re-engineer the souls of our nation and its people.

    There is no doubt that Ogunleye would be missed by most Nigerians, particularly her family members and the theatre community which she left behind. As a distinguished professor of Theatre and Media Arts, Ogunleye has, undoubtedly, impacted positively on the academia, training students and churning out numerous research works that would be of immense benefits to many generations to come. In fact, she would be missed greatly on the global platform by the community of film scholars, critics and producers. May her gentle soul rest in the bosom of the lord.

  • ‘My mandate is to turn around tourism ministry’

    ‘My mandate is to turn around tourism ministry’

    Ondo State Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism Femi Adekambi speaks on his vision with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME. 

    What does Mare Festival mean to an average Ondo person and the state at large?

    Thank you. Mare Festival to an average Ondo man means a festival that unites us together, a festival that showcases our cultural heritage in Idanre especially the beautiful hills, nice and cultured people. We are showcasing all this values to the world.

    As the new Commissioner for Special Duties, Culture and Tourism what steps are you taking at ensuring that Mare Festival standard are sustained?

    Let me start by commending the commissioner that has been overseeing the affairs of the ministry before I was sworn in. He has been doing a wonderful job. I am so impressed with the level they have taken Mare to so far and with my coming in means a new dawn.  It means a total turnaround of things. Turnaround in the sense that we want to make sure that Mare Festival is taken to another level. We will improve on what they’ve done and I can assure you come next year you will see a different  Mare.

    It is observed that the level of participation of the local people is not encouraging as expected in a festival like this. What will you do to improve this situation?

    It’s not that they were not carried along. A lot of consultations, sensitisation and publicity were carried out but much could still be done and more will be done and I can assure you it’s going to be a different Mare next year.

    Does the economic crisis in the country affect the celebration of this year edition?

    You don’t associate economic problems with culture and tourism because some of the nations in the world tap into tourism sector during economy recess. And they are getting out of their crises. So, you don’t associate economic issues with culture and tourism. Tourism growth doesn’t necessarily have to do with money, but the people, how informed they are about the development and the need to promote their culture and heritage which will transform into wealth.

    Of what impact is Mare Festival on the youths of the state?

    You can see for yourself the level of involvement of the youth in the programmes. They are involve in the whole process  as Mare Festival also involve sporting activities such as marathon race, Ayo, raffle draw and other games.  Also, the creative ones among them produce souvenirs for tourists to buy and they make their money. Apart from this, the festival is also a platform for talent discovery and through Mare so many talents have been discovered and we have been working on some of them to ensure that they pursue and achieve success with their talents.

    Ondo State is endowed with a lot of tourism potential. How do you want to ensure that these potentials are tapped for the economic development of the state?

    That is where exactly I am going. I want to turnaround the tourism sector in Ondo State to become income generating sector as well as employment generating because all over the world tourism is one of the key sources of employment and wealth creation.

    So, we will use tourism to transform our economy, generate employment for our youths and wealth creation for the people of the state. We are at a level where we don’t need to rely on oil money any more.  Everything is not about oil and we should look at how we can use tourism to generate income and I can tell you that our governor has given me a mandate to ensure something substantive is done to make tourism bring sustainable development to the state.

    So what should people of the state expects from your ministry in the next one year

    You should expect a new dawn. Everyone that knows me very well knows that I am a goal getter and when I set out for something I achieve it and with this ministry I will prove to the entire state that Ondo is a state for culture and tourism.  It’s a state that we value and cherish our rich cultural heritage. Basically, Mare Festival is going to be taken to another level next year and another festival will also join Mare.  By the grace of God come Easter 2016, there will be Ondo Carnival where you’ll see our Governor dress with costume and everybody from all the nooks and crannies of the state come together to celebrate our state. It will be more elaborate because we’ll bring the entire world to Ondo state during this festival.

    How do you intend to bring the private sector into the development of tourism potentials in the state?

    Basically, culture and tourism sector should be private investor-driven. We should be generating money from the sector through them and we are kick-starting by next week.

    Are you collaborating with the federal government agencies to assist in the development of the sector?

    Anywhere we can link up to including going abroad to source for private sector participation we will do that and I can assure you that we will invest our time and energy to make sure that we excel.

    This is the seventh edition of the festival and one of the goals is to unite people of the state. To what extent has this been achieved?

    Of  course, you can see that people  from all the local governments in the state are here and they are excited  about it because the festival offers opportunities to mingle and  relate with one another. One thing I want you to know is that Mare Festival is not about Idanre or  Ondo towns. It’s about showcasing our state to the entire world and by next edition we are going to see tourists  and  cultural troupes coming from Abuja, Mina, Kano, Lagos  and Akwa Ibom, Rivers and other states in the country as well as tourists  from London, American,  South Africa for the festival.

    Is that not over ambitious?

    It is not been over ambitios, it all depends on planning.

     

     

  • Challenges to advertising firms, by practitioner

    Challenges to advertising firms, by practitioner

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Artsterix, an Enugu-based outdoor advertising firm,  Sir Soloo Akugha, has identified the inability to raise loans for projects, over  regulations, vandalisation of structures by ‘area boys’ as major challenges of advertising.

    He said the crisis of government regulation in terms of rates is also forcing advertising firms to explore other options like the internet.

    Akugha, who spoke in Enugu, expressed optimism, saying the fortune of outdoor business would improve for the better in future.

    He described digital bill board as the new trend in outdoor advertising, which has elevated the sector. He noted that though digital bill board is quite expensive, it has added to the outdoor clienteles.

    Akugha said the association has a lot to do in engaging  various governments in harmonising rates, such that regulatory bodies do not charge advertising firms arbitrary rates. He noted that outdoor operators should not be dragged into political campaign crises as witnessed by some agencies during the last general elections.

    “Outdoor advertising is much cheaper compared to other platforms of advertising that are time bound. In fact, there is no reason to compare because most target audience of other platforms is limited, whereas outdoor reaches both target and unintended target audience,” he said of the state of the sector in Enugu State. He however noted that demand for outdoor advertising in Enugu State is okay, but that there are no big company advertisers. “There are short term advertisers,” he added.

    According to him, outdoor advertising in Enugu State is not doing fairly well, but that producers of goods and services don’t find the need to advertise ‘’because they claim they have a ready market’’.

    “We do most of our productions in Lagos. But lately, the opportunities are opening up to even do better jobs in terms of production. Lagos sets the pace in production and packaging. And the industry here is following closely to Lagos which is the hub. I will not rate it wonderfully, but we are not doing badly,” he added.

     

     

     

  • Between painting, restoration of art

    Between painting, restoration of art

    A 2000 graduate of Painting from Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, Mr. Ariyo Oguntimehin, is an artist of many parts. Apart from being a documentary photographer, art facilitator, he has also done some restorations of failed paintings.

    The holder of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in 2006 studied Photography at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (Photo journalism) in 2010 and a recipient of state merit award.

    Recently, he shared his experiences as art restorer. “Back in my school days I spent most of my time in the library studying the works of old masters. As faith will have it, working with Omoba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon Art Foundation (OYASAF) as documentary Photo journalist/artist exposed me to great works of Nigeria pioneer artists’ works, modern and contemporary works of masters such as Aina Onabolu, Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke, Isiaka Osunde, Yusuf Grillo, Gani Odutokun  among others.

    “Some of the works of the old masters which I had close contact with for the first time spurred my interest. A bigger task came along my way when I was faced with the tasks of restoring the works by late Enwonwu and Uche Okeke. A rare privileged was given to me by Omooba Yemisi Adedoyin Shyllon. I studied the works for days and weeks thereafter which I did a lot of reading and research on restoration.

    “The success of the first set of works led to more works and greater challenges for me, which I surmounted. Some of my major challenges as a restorer were on books, which are not available, rare artists to contact and proper share from their vast experience couple with the mastery of style of the artist whose work is to be restored. I am hoping that someday these will get better, the right tools and instruments will be available for artist while institutions in Nigeria will offer courses on restoration.

    ‘’My experience as a restorer has its own up and down. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful and treasured moments for me having worked with many individuals, private galleries and organisations.The most recent work I worked on is a painting by Ablade Glover contracted by Quintessence Gallery, Lagos,” Oguntimehin said.

     

     

     

  • Rape, paedophilia, incest: The ugly trends of 2015

    Rape, paedophilia, incest: The ugly trends of 2015

    Almost unbelievably, the out-gone year 2015, went down as the year in which Nigeria recorded the most incidences of sexual crimes, with cases of rape, incest and paedophilia assaulting our consciousness almost on a daily, if not hourly basis. Gboyega Alaka throws a retrospective look on the year, mirroring some of the horrific cases and seemingly pricking the conscience of perpetrators.

    Looked in the papers today? Most likely, you caught a glimpse of some sexual assault story or the other. Yeah, some violent rape or despicable paedophilia! The year 2015 certainly recorded an overdose of sexual assault cases, almost going down as the year with the most cases of sexual crimes in recent memory in the country.

    Suddenly, sex crime is in our faces, like never before, and it just seems like Nigerians have lost their sense of decency and responsibility. An online commentator even asked during a discussion, if the libido of Nigerian men has suddenly gone up. If it’s not the father assaulting his own baby-girl, it is the trusted uncle taking advantage of the niece or some under-age in the neighbourhood. Sometimes, it is the trusted neighbour, the respected grandpa, the revered pastor, imam, mualim or teacher, who is suddenly in the news, for having carnal knowledge of a minor. Sometimes, the victim is cajoled and benignly taken advantage of; but sometimes, it is forceful, violent rape; leaving the victim physically and psychologically bruised and scarred. In some extreme cases, the victims – especially those who resist, lose their lives or get maimed for life.

    As if to corroborate the unholy tag on the out-gone year, Mrs Itoro Eze-Anaba, founder of the Mirabel Centre, which rescues and rehabilitates victims of sexual assaults, as well as pursues prosecution of perpetrators, told this reporter of how the number of cases recorded at the centre climbed to over 50 and consistently remained there in the last quarter of 2015, compared to an average of 20 to 30 cases, which the centre used to record when it was founded over two years ago. It is important to note though that Eze-Anaba, even with this statistics, did not agree to the position that 2015 has recorded the highest cases of sexual assault in recent times, as she argued that what might seems like a rise could be ascribed to the fact that more people now report rape and other cases of sexual assault, unlike before.

    Even Ogun state, a state reputed for its laid-back and quiet lifestyle is not left out in the growing trend of horrific human assault, with official information showing that the state records an average of 15 rape cases every week in the out-gone year. This of course translates to an average of 60 cases in a month and even surpasses that of the Mirabel Centre, reputed to be the busiest as far as number of cases received in Lagos is concerned.

    As at December 2014, Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye revealed that the state was prosecuting as many as 113 suspected rape cases at the state High Court. He said four local governments – Alimosho, Kosofe, Agege and Oshodi-Isolo had been identified as the LGAs with the highest cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the state.

    Between March 2012 and March 2013, the Lagos State Police command revealed that the command recorded 678 reported cases of rape in the state.

    But if one would have to go by the fact that more people are beginning to report sexual assault cases in 2015, it may then mean that a grimmer picture knocks on our sense of reality. This undoubtedly connotes an epidemic, with a growth or spread rate akin – or worse than that of the dreaded Ebola disease, when it landed in on the West African coast in 2014.

    Unfortunately, Nigerians may not even have anything near a clear picture of the epidemic plaguing their land. Hajia Zainab Maina, a former Minister of Women Affairs not long ago, asserted that the number of gender-based violence cases reported in the country is still very low, compared to the real prevalence rates hidden by fear of stigma and secrecy. She noted that the overview on gender-based violence from 18 states of the federation covering the six geo-political zones include: 21.08 percent of sexual violations, 44.25 per cent of physical violations, 18.37 percent of domestic violence, 11.48 percent of harmful traditional practices and 2.92 percent of economic violations. She therefore posited that sexual violence ranked second amongst all violations and concluded that “this is the pattern on the national scale.

    In an article titled “Nigeria’s soaring cases of paedophilia,” Jide Ojo, Executive Director, OJA Development Consult, Abuja expressed fears that “if something is not done and very fast too, we (Nigeria) may end up being the country with the highest number of rape cases in the world.

    Nigerian man Jailed 330 years for rape and incest in the US

    As if to boost the negative reputation of the year 2015 and underline Ojo’s fear, a national newspaper a fortnight ago, broke the news of a Nigerian father, Emmanuel Ngene, who by the last yuletide, would have spent six years in jail out of his 330 jail sentence in a South Eastern USA jail, for first degree rape of his daughter. Although, the convict has continued to deny the allegations, together with his network of family and friends, insisting it was a frame-up engineered by his wife; the judgement nevertheless remains. Ngene was said to have had vaginal intercourse with his daughter approximately 10 times over the spate of one year; three of these times, he was said to have turned her on her stomach and penetrated her through the anus. The victim only opened up to her mother in August 2008.

    While that iota of a possibility of innocence may still remain on the part of Ngene, the American judicial system nevertheless remains convinced. After thorough investigation, the jury found him guilty of all 15 counts and also found the existence of an aggravating factor – that Ngene took “advantage of a position of trust or confidence.” The trial court therefore entered 15 separate judgement: four consecutive aggravated-range sentences of 300 to 369 months imprisonment for the four counts of first degree rape; three consecutive aggravated-range sentences of 300 to 369 months imprisonment for the three counts of first degree sex offence; four consecutive presumptive-range sentence of 16 to 20 months imprisonment for the four counts of incest, and four consecutive presumptive-range sentences of 16 to 20 months for the four counts of indecent liberties with a child.

    As he continues his hibernation in jail, holding firmly onto his claim of innocence, Ngene would occasionally wonder if he indeed should have pleaded guilty and get away with a 15-year jail term, as recommended by the prosecutor, rather than face up to trial and end up with a hopeless case of endless years in jail.

    Back home in Nigeria, even the aura of Christmas, a commemoration of the birth of the Christ and Saviour of the Christian faith, could not stop 62-year-old Adewale Enoch, obviously a Christian – at least by name; from raping a 12-year old daughter of his neighbour, right on Boxing Day in Abigi area of Ogun State. Enoch is now cooling off at Eleweran police station, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he is likely to spend his New Year, after the father of the victim, decided against the culture of silence of the past, and reported the matter to the police.

    Amazing paedophilia statistics

    Before now, the argument most people put forward to somewhat justify rape and shift the blame on the women victims as the provocateurs was indecent exposure and sexually provocative dressing; but like a curious mind asked recently at a public debate on the rape epidemic: What could be so attractive in a two year old girl (or even eight, 10 or 14 year old)?

    Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, Executive Director, Project Alert, another organisation that addresses domestic violence, including rape and based in Lagos, recently said that “70 percent of reported rape cases in Nigeria today involve young people and children of ages 17 to zero.”

    In September, 41-year-old Emeka Igwe of Federal Housing Estate, Meiran, Ojokoro, Lagos State was apprehended for repeatedly raping his seven year-old daughter and inadvertently getting her addicted to masturbation.

    In the same vein, a 34-year-old factory worker, Mohammed Ahmed, was paraded by officials of the Osun State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps after he confessed to raping his 14-year old daughter six times.

    In the Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory, one Monday Goodwill was arrested for defiling a 3 year-old girl. Incidentally, it was not his first time, as according to a police officer at Mpape Police Station, who craved anonymity, Goodwill had previously been convicted for raping a four year-old and got away on a N3, 000 fine.

    In Ogun State, a 60 year-old private hostel owner, Akinduro was apprehended by the police following reports that he raped a 12 year-old female student of the Mayflower School who was staying in his hostel.

    In Taraba State, 27-year-old Williams Julius was arrested by the police and taken before a court on allegations of rape. Julius was reportedly arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Jalingo, the state capital, for having forceful sexual intercourse with a five-year-old girl.

    A case of mental disorder

    In 2014, one Kayode Akanni, 25, of Pedepo Village via Ohunbe Ogun State, who was arrested after he defiled a three year old girl, who had come to see him like an uncle and father figure. Even he confessed that the girl’s parents had been leaving her in his custody for a long time, and that he didn’t know what came over him on the fateful day. The alternate implication of Akanni’s confession is therefore that parents must not make a habit of keeping their vulnerable wards with certain men just because things have always gone on well, for you never know when “the devil may come upon such men.”

    Interestingly, it might seems like more Nigerian parents fall into this trap because they only consider the ragged human specimen, with tattered hair and unkempt appearance, roaming the streets, as being with psychological disorder or mad. But what does one say of a 26 year-old who after being  arrested for defiling an 18-month old child, confessed that the sight of the baby usually aroused his libido.

    Incidentally, even Wikipedia defines paedophilia as a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 and younger.

    Four -year-old raped to death

    In Bayelsa, a report made available to UNICEF (United Nations Children Emergency Fund) by the State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network (CPN), Mrs. Mariam Kombo-Ezeh, revealed how a four year old girl was raped to death by a 40 year-old man in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. There was also the case of a 7 year-old, who died of HIV/AIDS contracted after being raped by a full grown man; and also the pathetic case of the gang-rape of a 13 year-old girl in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The flip side

    Not to be discriminatory against the men-folk, there was also a recent case of a 60-year-old widow, who was raped by a youth of between 17 and 25 years in Opi Local Government area of Enugu State. Such incidences prevailed in the eastern part of the country about two, three years ago, and though many blamed it on the seeming haste of youngsters to get rich through rituals, the truth is, some might have been outright desire for bizarre sex.

    Abominable incest everywhere!

    Like never before, fathers also seem to have become more attracted to their daughters; jeopardising chances of any possibility of a safe haven for the girl child.

    In Delta State, the police arrested a 46 year old man, Morris Ndidwe for allegedly defiling his 11 year-old daughter. Ndidwe’s wife, while testifying, said she had earlier left their matrimonial home, following her husband’s insatiable thirst for sex, which saw him impregnate another girl, a neighbour’s daughter. She only returned recently, to find her husband abusing their eleven year-old daughter.  She said: “My daughter told me what she was going through in the hand of her father whenever she (mother) was not around and when I asked my husband, he denied saying, he had stopped the act since he repented.”

    Things however got to a head, when she went to vigil one night and returned to again hear the story of how he had assaulted their 11 year-old daughter. “I decided to check my daughter’s private part, but my husband refused and almost beat me, but thanks to my neighbours who intervened.”

    In a similar case, 35 year-old Harrison Agu was arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrate court on November 8 over an assault on his six year-old daughter. The accused pleaded not guilty to the crime, but the prosecutor, Inspector Simon Imhonwa insisted before the magistrate that Agu had regularly defiled the little girl within the last three years.

    In another bizarre occurrence, a seven year-old girl narrated how her father usually played with her private part and inserted his manhood in her mouth. The victim, who lives with her father in Ojokoro said her father would thereafter give her some money as gratification after fondling her breast and dipping his manhood in her mouth.

    The accused identified as Chukwuemeka Odunzie, allegedly started defiling his daughter early 2014.

    In the same vein, a national newspaper reported in September 2015 how a father confessed to raping his daughter “only six times,” as if he even has any right to sexual relationship with her, let alone, a forceful one.

    ‘Men of God’ not left out

    In November 2015, the Nassarawa State Police command nabbed a 46 year-old pastor, Ifeanyi Bernard, for allegedly raping a 13 year-old girl in Karu Local Government Area of the State. The ‘man of God’ was said to have committed the crime on November 3 during a deliverance session between him and the teenager. The pastor on his part blamed the crime on the devil and promised not to let it happen again.

    In the same vein, a 40-tyear-old pastor, Abraham Akpan, was in September charged before a Lagos Magistrate Court for defiling a 16 year-old girl while conducting deliverance prayer on her. Akpan, who at the time of the crime, resided at 39, Hassan Ogunmola Street, in Ijaiye, Lagos, was said to have committed the crime between August 27 and 29 2015, in his apartment.

    Also in Ondo state, a 55-year old pastor, Jacob Ojomo was arrested for having carnal knowledge of a 15 year-old girl. The state commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Adeyinka Fasiu said the mother of the victim caught the pastor in the act and raised an alarm. He disclosed that the crime was perpetrated at the plaza axis of Oke Ijebu Road in the state.

    Ivory towers not left out

    In August 2015, one Professor Cyril Ndifon, dean, Faculty of Law, Univeristy of Calabar was alleged to have sexually assaulted a 20 year-old 400-level Law student of the university. A month earlier in July, one Dr. Akin Baruwas, a lecturer with the University of Lagos was alleged to have raped an 18 year-old female admission seeker. The latter case generated a lot of buzz and controversy, with the university disowning the suspected rapist.

    While cases of sexual assault and rape may not be new in our ivory towers, it might seem like more of the students are becoming bolder, and exposing their assailants.

    The Law on sexual offences in perspective

    Section 357 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, addresses the problem of rape in a most decisive manner, stipulating that anyone found guilty of rape must be punished with life imprisonment.

    Perhaps, admitting that the crime rate has indeed attained an epidemic phenomenon, the Nigerian Senate in June 2015 passed the Sexual Offences Bill, 2015, prescribing a massive life imprisonment for rapists and those who have sexual intercourse with children under 11 years. The bill sponsored mainly by Senator Chris Anyanwu from Imo State, listed some of the offences as gang rape, lacing drinks with drugs with intent to sexually abuse (date rape), deliberately infecting partner with HIV and other diseases, child sex tourism, sexual harassment and prostitution of persons with mental disabilities.

    The bill also stipulates the storing of names of sexual offenders in a database for institutional and social discrimination, such that “culprits would never be employed in any institution where they may pose a risk to unsuspecting persons.”

    In addition, offenders would be subjected to compulsory medical examination, while as a deterrent mischief makers, who bring false allegations against any person, would also be liable to serious punishment.

  • National Troupe entertains Internally Displaced Persons

    National Troupe entertains Internally Displaced Persons

    It was dance-drama galore last week when the National Troupe of Nigeria paid an official visit to Bauchi State to perform for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).  The plays and songs were done to suit the people and to remind them that the government and people of Nigeria have not forgotten them.  Edozie Udeze reports

    What does theatre do to the soul, especially when combined with dance and rendered meticulously during the harmattan season?  In Bauchi State last week, the harmattan breeze and cold was at its height and it was time for members of the National Troupe of Nigeria to visit the State to perform for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).  The outing was a show of all shows during which the atmosphere was deliberately created to amuse, tease, entertain and keep the IDPs happy and joyous.

    The journey to Bauchi State to duly identify with the IDPs began in September last year when Mr. Akin Adejuwon assumed the position of the Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria.  In one of his stakeholders meetings, he had made it clear that he’d like to take the Troupe to the war-torn zones to perform and entertain not only members of Nigerian Armed Forces but those affected by the Boko Haram insurgence.

    This promise was made at the height of the crisis when it was foolhardy for anyone to contemplate such a suicidal mission.  But Adejuwon has never been flimsy or flippant or ever been known to be one who shrieks his promise.  He is totally committed to repositioning the Troupe to be outstanding both in outlook and in the areas of coverage for total and national cohesion.  The Troupe is meant to cater for all Nigerians.  To him, the Troupe is also for all and sundry.  There is no class distinction or recrimination of any type.

    Even when funds were hard to come by and it seemed the vision might not see the light of day, he nonetheless trudged on.  Today, the first stage of the series of the dance-drama performances to make the IDPs feel a sense of belonging has taken place in Bauchi town where over 400 IDPs witnessed the ecstatic performances by the Troupe. The venue of the show was Government Junior Secondary School, Fadamar Madda, inside the state capital.

    Even though the show was done in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Bauchi State government, the idea of the songs, dances and the dramas was to showcase what was close to the people concerned.  This was why the title of the dance was murna, an Hausa name espousing a sense of love and oneness.  The dancers therefore weaved stories like moonlight and totally communal in nature to engage the people.  It was time for everyone in the arena to see the futility of the crisis through the dances.

    As soon as the dancers stepped into the stage with their first demonstrations, an old woman, in her late 70s whom the IDPs simply identified as Alhaja took to the stage.  She obviously thought it was a free for all show since the songs appealed to her and indeed what she had been used to back home.  As she screamed and made cricket-like noises in the typical rural Hausa woman form, the people clapped, heralded and screamed along with her.  When it was time to change the dance or sit down or swing to and fro, the old woman fell in line.  She was so natural with it that her part of the show became the cynosure of all eyes.

    The IDPs sat in clusters, totally glued to the stage.  It was one moment that dazed them beyond words as the dances reminded them of their various homes in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States where they are coming from.  The dances came in ten different forms, lasting over one hour and reminding the people that there is yet hope in their current situation.  Murna is a beautiful form of relaxation in various communities in the North-East of Nigeria where peace has been elusive.

    The drama aspect of it proved to them that no condition is permanent in this world.  It showed them that life itself is like a stage and theatre comes to make life’s many foibles lighter.  This was why Mike Anyanwu of the National Troupe who wrote the story anchored it around the traditions of the rural Hausa people.  Here the drama explores “different people from different communities who found themselves together because they were forced out of their homes with no hope for the future.  Now the Chief of Defence Staff pays them a surprise visit.  This made them realize that they have not been forgotten by the government of the day,”  Anyanwu wrote.

    However, the change mantra comes in with plenty of the shouting of Sai Baba.  The dance patterns changed from stage to stage to sychronise with the rhythmic tempo of the drumming.  The stages of the dances spelt out that it was not business as usual.  Through both the speeches and the dances and the songs, Government not only gave them hope, but decided to encourage them to form co-operative societies.  This was to enable them learn how to make baskets, pots, mats, textiles, weaving and fashion designing.

    Through the use of local mats and baskets, the drama aspect of the show permeated the people.  It could be seen from the way they clapped and nodded their heads that the message was sinking in and melting their hearts.  It was that psychological effects of the messages in the dance-drama that the National Troupe intended to achieve in order to make the people feel loved.  Before the shows ended, the atmosphere of sadness that initially enveloped the arena had disappeared.  With deep sense of appreciation on their faces, both the young, and the old became gregarious once more.

    Adejuwon who sat with rapt attention all through the show with Mike Omeri of NOA,  saw in it an opportunity to associate and remonstrate with fellow compatriots.  He said, “it is easier to reach out to the people through theatre.  It makes the message easier and faster.  This is why I’ve told Omeri that instead of the long grammar he uses at NOA to do his job both of us can now cooperate and collaborate.  In this way, I can provide theatre while he brings the talk.  You could see the response of the people.  You could see that they did not need long speeches to follow in the sequences of the event.  It was their show.  It was created for them to feel their own type of theatre as a form of amusement and the message was clear.  In it we told them not to despair, not to lose hope and that we can always remember you.”

    To show this love in concrete term, some food items were donated to the IDPs.  Omeri said it was to comprehensively identify with our brothers and sisters who have been uprooted from their cradles.  “These few items will go a long way in cushioning the effect of your situations,” he said.  “It shows that Government still loves and cherishes you.”

    This was in conformity with the goals and ideals of NOA, created to champion moral and cultural rebirth in the psychic of Nigerians.  This was why the collaboration between these two parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture becomes more imperative at this material time.  In fact, NOA’s involvement with the grassroots has made it almost a household name when it comes to discussing and talking moral rejuvenation for the country.

    So it is hoped that beyond the programmes for the IDPs, culture, dance, drama, morality and reorientation will always converge to save Nigeria.  The National Troupe artistes showed that their love for dance is often irrevocably linked to the people.  And for the sake of love and unity, the Troupe has been in the forefront of using dances, dramas and songs to appease people of all classes.  Each audience and class of people gets the type of dance or drama it deserves.

    As the Troupe spread the message of love, so also were the IDPs charged to follow suit.  It is no longer a moment to foment crisis or look for scapegoats for our numerous misdemeanours, rather it is time to move on ahead with this change mantra that encompasses brotherhood, forgiveness, love, togetherness and peace.  And murna is that solidarity effort for a new and fresh beginning both for the IDPs and all champions of a united Nigeria.  And it was good also that Josephine Igberaese who directed the show found it expedient to dissect the message to fit into the mood of the society.  With the appropriate costumes in various colours,  shades and styles, murna has come to remain a fresh discovery and experimentation by the National Troupe of Nigeria.

  • We use culture for moral rebirth – Mike Omeri

    We use culture for moral rebirth – Mike Omeri

    The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mr. Mike Omeri has said that it is proper for the government and people of Nigeria to use cultures, lectures, theatre, literature and the art as means to reach out to the people in the fight against corruption.  He spoke to Edozie Udeze on this and more in Bauchi State during a programme tagged Grand North East Stakeholders Dialogue on Nexus Between War Against Corruption and Security

    What we have done today is an implementation of an aspect of the government agenda to fight corruption in the system.  As you know, it is the responsibility of the National Orientation Agency to continue to harp on the campaign to imbibe good moral conduct in the lives of Nigerians.  It is our role to join in the fight against insurgency and today Bauchi State becomes topical to us given the fact that it is located within the North East where this crisis has made a lot of our people homeless.  And we can’t do this fight well if we do not make Nigerians active participants,” he said.

    “NOA is always poised to moblise the people from top to bottom.  Everyone is supposed to be involved and that is why we are in collaboration with both the National Troupe of Nigeria and the Bauchi State government.  It is both a combination of culture, dance, drama and the use of literary materials to reach out to our people in this crusade to ensure good governance.  You can see from the role the state government played today in this stakeholders meeting and the full participation of the people that they are eager to ensure that progress is made.

    “We have seen a clear sign that this government of change is on the right track and that the people have to fall in line too.  Insurgency has been severely degraded by the present government and there is relative peace now.  You see, this is a state where people thought they could not come.  Most people were afraid when the issue of coming here for this show was mentioned.”

    Omeri who has been in the forefront of grassroots mobilization for cultural renaissance in Nigeria opined, however, that, “while it is good to be in Bauchi for the purpose of sensitising the people to restore peace, the citizens, the policemen, the army, indeed everyone should join hands to curry for togetherness.  Today, you can see that a lot of people who had been untouchable in the society have been asked to account for their roles in the past.”

    He also admitted that a lot of Nigerians have lost their moral values, but quickly added that it is the responsibility of all and sundry to begin now to correct the wrongs of the past.  “Yes, there are so many things that can be done, part of which is to ensure appropriate punishment for wrong done and adequate reward for those who are on the right track.  Most of our people who have traditional titles from our people do not merit it.

    “Even in our churches and mosques, we should promote and imbibe values that ought to distance us from negative behaviour.  This was why we initiated a programme that targeted at young people so that they should not make the mistakes of their parents.  This programme is meant to be implemented in schools.  Apart from that, we have programmes for children in and out of school.  For youths out of school, we have initiated a story telling programme anchored around literature, morality and cultural values.”

    To cap it up, the youth have been made also to engage in writing compositions around some rich moral values that made us who we were in the past.  “We want them to write on the issues and on what we want Nigeria to be. Part of the partnerships we have established with the National Troupe of Nigeria is to encompass some of these stories, some of these dramas to help people go back to the past when Nigeria was an embodiment of morality.  Therefore we should look at these issues through the art, through music, through our love for stories that touch on our psyche.”

    He agreed however, that most times it is proper to use the   art because it makes more far-reaching effects on the people.  “Yes, art, dance, songs are some of the tools we are using now to preach moral rebirth and fight against insurgency and corruption.  For our orientation, we also use sports, looking at our partnership with the National Sports Commission.   We also take on local languages to reach out to the people. You cannot do it well if you do not inculcate the local languages. We have adopted two or three local languages in this regard, so that people will know what they ought to in their own mother tongues,’’ he said.

    Omeri is optimistic that this approach will soon begin to yield the appropriate results. He said, “At the National Institute of Cultural Orientation (NICO), my colleague there has initiated a laudable programme to promote local languages.  We work hand in hand to ensure that this permeates the entire society.   People should not only know how to say good morning in English but in their local languages. This will help to bring people back to the values that will help to make the society a better place for us all.”

    He reiterated however that the sustainability of the programme is what occupies his mind most times.  “We need to sustain this.  We need logistical support from time to time.  But this should not be a one-off programme; it has to be sustained because you could see the attendance and the response from the people.  So for us to establish this in the minds of the people we need to continue to do it.  This is why we go into collaboration because we cannot always do it alone,” he said.

  • We only had more reported cases in 2015 – Itoro Eze-Anaba

    We only had more reported cases in 2015 – Itoro Eze-Anaba

    Founder of Lagos-based Mirabel Centre, Itoro Eze-Anaba says the year 2015 may not be guilty as charged; arguing that the high rate recorded in the year may be because more people are coming out to report cases.

    With stories of rape and paedophilia gracing our headlines virtually every day in the out-gone year 2015, it might seem like the year went down as having the highest number of cases in recent time; can you give us any statistics?

    It is difficult to say that rape cases or incidences of paedophilia are on the rise, because that would mean that we have statistics or data of years gone by. What I may be able to say however is that more cases are now being reported, recorded and documented. We don’t have a data of say five years ago for instance, to be able to draw that conclusion. However, when we started the Mirabel Centre two and half years ago, we used to record between 20 to 30 cases per month; but now we record an average of 50 cases in a month. In October, we had 79 cases, while in November, it was over 60 cases. So, we’re getting consistently over 50 cases per month in recent months.

    Are these figures of cases that you record at the Mirabel Centre or they include those from the police?

    Over 90 per cent of the cases we get at Mirabel Centre are referred to us by the police. We have a cordial relationship with them.

    Incidences of fathers molesting their kindergartens and minors hit us in the face every day and astound the sane amongst us, what do you think is responsible for this negative development?

    I do not know; but I know that there are several factors that may lead to such behaviour. Rape is not about sex; it is about power. When you have power over a person, you want to use it. If you look at it, majority of the rapists have sexual partners, so it’s not because they are starved of sex. Unfortunately, most of the perpetrators of sex are people in positions of trust, so there is this silence, almost akin to a conspiracy. And because people keep quiet, they continue.

    The so-called men of God – be it in the Christian divide or the Muslim divide are featuring prominently in this crime as well; why is this?

    Like I said, it is about power. Someone is coming to you for help and looking up to you for advancement, there is a tendency for you to see them as being vulnerable. So they take advantage of members of their congregations, especially the younger and more vulnerable ones.

    What can be done to curb the trend, especially since it is getting to the level of epidemic?

    It is an epidemic and until we recognise it as such, it will not stop. No country has been able to stop rape outrightly, but it is on the rise here because people are not taking the matter seriously. It is happening in our communities, in our homes and until we come together to fight it…. We have pastors and imams involved in it; in some cases, they are even interceding and begging for these perpetrators because of their positions in the society; and the police are also busy negotiating and helping them to settle out of court. Until we realise that it is horrific to the victim and come together to fight it to a stand-still, people will never stop in our society.

  • ‘People say I sing like Ebenezer Obey’

    ‘People say I sing like Ebenezer Obey’

    •says man blind from childhood

    Kasimiyu Olowookere is a visually-impaired gospel musician, with two albums to his credit. In this interview, he told Medinat Kanabe how he became blind; his journey into music, boasting that he would defeat even the sighted in a musical competition

    Born on March 31th 1973 in Abeokuta, Kasimiyu Olowookere was as active as any other child his age until 1976 when he suffered measles attack that affected his left eye.

    “My parents were not learned,” he said, “so they didn’t know it was measles. I suffered for days until one evening when my mother went to one of the elders in the village to complain about my condition and was told that I had measles.”

    Olowookere said he was taken to Lantoro in Abeokuta from where his parents were referred to UCH Ibadan, where it was discovered that the measles had damaged his left eye ball. An operation was immediately conducted but after the operation, he discovered that he couldn’t see with the eye anymore; that was how he lost his left eye.

    The other eye according to him went bad during his days in Pachelis School for the Blind and Partially Sighted People, Ajao Road Surulere. “I was taken to LUTH for an operation, when I complained of feeling uncomfortable with the eye. But rather than improve, I realised that I couldn’t see anymore. I was ten years old then,” he explained bitterly.

    There is a saying that no matter how a child is, his mother will love him, but that wasn’t the case with Olowookere, who said his mother detests physically challenged people and his case wasn’t an exemption.

    “My father was so nice during his life-time; he was dedicated and loved me so much but I lost him when I was eleven; and that really affected. My mother was not so helpful, not devoted or ever kind towards a visually impaired person; and this is part of problems most handicapped people have.”

    She abandoned his education as soon as his dad died, believing that he was of no use or will be of no use to her in life.

    He however got lucky as he got sponsorship from a philanthropist, the then Permanent Secretary, Radio Lagos, Mr Lekan Ogunbanwo. He said the then Director Admin, Mr Emmanuel Fayemi Olaniyan also assisted him a lot when he showed interest in music.

    As providence would have it, Olowookere later went to the Federal Government College, Kano and Federal Polytechnic, Owerri.

    He confessed that he is a very lucky person and that his luck has extended to his children, as they are all on scholarship. “Three of them are been sponsored by the CMS Cathedral.”

    Asked if he is married, since he has children, he said he is partially married, and that he has six children from three beautiful women. “One thing led to another and they are not with me anymore. I had twins two times and two single births.

    Olowookere said “My first child is 19 years old and the youngest are less than 13. My second daughter is in JSS 3 in Lagos State Model College, Epe and the fifth and sixth are in a primary school in Ikorodu.”

    Although they do not live with him, he said their mothers bring them to visit him, whenever they want, and that he also goes to visit them.

    On how long he has been playing music, he said music for him started with a school band. He later formed his first band in 1999 called Young Stars International Band, but said it was strictly highlife music before he ventured into gospel.

    He said “I feel music is a gift from God. For me it is like somebody who knows within himself that he is going to be a driver because he is attracted to things of that nature. I began to have interest in music at a very tender age. When I was very young in the village, I would organise children of my age; we gathered empty tins of beverage, kegs and all sorts, then we used them as musical instrument. I think I was around six or seven years then.”

    He noted that only his father encouraged him at that time, as others shouted him down calling him a noisy child.

    The vocalist, who is also a keyboard and drum-set player, said he is a Christian but doesn’t belong to any church even as a music minister. According to him, many churches have been trying to make him join them as a full member but all he is interested in is do his ministering and make his money.

    When asked if he is financial okay, especially since he makes loads of money from the churches, Olowookere exclaimed and screamed “No o!” He said the reason he was even giving the interview was so he could get sponsorship, which he needs earnestly.

    “That, I must say, is something that gives me sleepless night, and I am not always happy when I remember it. The inspiration is there and I believe if given the opportunity, I will compete with the sighted and defeat them. I really need someone to finance my second album. The album dubbed Sokudaye has been recorded but yet to be released into the market because of funding constraints.”

    He said his major bottlenecks are the promoters; he said they only want to promote the well known musicians; but according to him, there are lots of musicians inching to break into the scene.

    He revealed that his latest album has five tracks, including one specially dedicated to transporters to entertain them on the wheels. He noted that a promo copy has been sent to some radio stations and that he hears them play it whenever the topic of discussion revolves around transport. He revealed that the other tracks are gospel and speaks of his personal life experiences.

    On how he got money to release his first album, Olowookere said it was sponsored by the then Director Admin, Radio Lagos, Mr Emmanuel Fayemi Olaniyan, emphasising that he made some money from it, which he unfortunately squandered on frivolities.

    “Part of the money was spent on my journey to America; but as a Yoruba adage goes, ‘owo t’omo kekere kokoni akara lofije, meaning the first major money a child makes is usually spent on frivolities. I can tell you that despite my state, the women I married are very beautiful and it is because I had the money spend on them.”

    Major challenges

    As a visually impaired musician, he said he faces challenges that would be enormous even for the sighted and able-bodied. “That is why after releasing my first album in 1999, I have not being able to really do much in the industry.

    “Although I used to have friends who assisted me by giving me money; some even bought me musical instrument; but at the moment, nobody is really giving me the help I need.”

    Asked why he chose gospel, he said it may be because he ministers in churches. He however added that someone once prophesied to him that he would one day quit secular music for gospel. “I didn’t take the person seriously then, but it took a long time before everything came into reality. So, I didn’t go into gospel music for money but to honour a call from God.”

    Answering a question on what keeps him going, he said, it has being God all through. He noted that it is one thing to play music and another to be dedicated, and that he is dedicated because of the favour of God in his life.

    Music heroes

    In the music industry, he said he admires Ebenezer Obey even as he has his own pattern of music, that is unique to him.  “Whenever I sing, people say my voice sounds like that of Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey. When you listen to my song, the voice truly sounds like him but I don’t play his pattern.”

    He advised other visually impaired people never to give up on the struggle for survival and a better life. He said part the biggest challenge the physically challenged face is lack of encouragement.