The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • ‘Let no one say I renounced my fraternities when I’m gone’

    ‘Let no one say I renounced my fraternities when I’m gone’

    Babalaje of  Remoland and chairman Cashcraft Assets Management, Otunba Joseph Adediji Ogunfuwa is a staunch Christian and a prominent member of a number of fraternities, including the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity. He celebrated his 75th birthday with a lecture recently and took time to share his stories with Adetutu Audu.

    The JM Royal Haven, Sagamu, recently  played host to people and dignitaries from all walks of life. It was the occasion of a lecture to commemorate the 75th birthday of pioneer chairman of Ode-Lemo Local Council and Chairman, Cashcraft Assets Limited, Otunba Joseph Ogunfuwa, and they had all come to felicitate with the ‘birthday boy.’

    Topic of the day was ‘Religious intolerance; The Christian view point, Religion and fraternities and Religious Intolerance -The Muslim point of view.’ Discussants included Prof. Dayo Adekole, Prof. Rom Kalilu Rom Kalilu, professor of Art and Art History and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso and convener of the event, Otunba Ogunfuwa.

    The event attended by all the royal fathers in Remoland was chaired by billionaire businessman, Olorogun Moses Taiga, who is District Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England; while moderators were Mr. Taiwo Alimi, former Director General, Voice of Nigeria, Professor Okanlawon Odusoga and Professor Tunde Ogunsanwo.

    Speaking on what inspired the choice of a birthday lecture, Otunba Ogunfuwa  said he conceived the idea 15 years ago when he clocked 60. For him, 60 was a ripe age and it wouldn’t have been premature if he died at that age.  “My late father died at 62, so for me, when you clock 60 and die, it is not a premature death.”

    The lecture, he revealed, was initially restricted to his family and close friends, but at 65, he was advised to extend invitations to a wider audience. “Because of my experiences of knotty issues like world peace, religion; as well as others that will always give people food for thought, people thought it would benefit more people and become like a legacy that would pass on to generations.

    “So this year, I changed the pattern of the lecture. I saw the need to invite well-qualified and more knowledgeable to partake in the discussion. Prof. Dayo Adekole talked about ‘Religion and Fraternities, Any Conflict’, while Prof. Rom Kalilu Rom Kalilu spoke on ‘Religious Intolerance -The Muslim point of view.’ I spoke on ‘Religion Intolerance-The Christian view point and Religion and world peace.’  I also want to say that none of the fraternities that I belong to is against any religion or government. They all affirm the supremacy of God and oppose religion discrimination of any kind.”

    The celebrator also said that “The entire world needs peace and not insurgency. And the battle for God among different religion must stop if the world must know peace.

    But did he envisage he’d live this long? We asked.

    Otunba Ogunfuwa’s terse response is that “Nobody knows how old he would live.”

    He said people die of different causes. “One can even have the best of health and still die young.  At the same time, when you abstain from what is not necessary, one can live long. For instance, I gave up smoking over 30 years ago. I was a bad drinker, and my elder sister was always warning me and weeping. Today both of us are alive.”

    As a child, he explained that he was sickly and had medical constraints and his parents thought he’d never attain adulthood. “My grandmother was however fond of me and always prayed for me to survive her. My mother, by the way, died of Asthma at 32.  The doctor advised me to stop smoking, but I didn’t. I eventually gave it up because of my asthmatic condition.

    On growing up and the challenges he faced, Otunba Ogunfuwa revealed that his school education was of two types, and in three stages. The first was the formal, while the second was informal.

    He attended CMS School (now St. John’s Anglican School), Ode-Lemo between 1945 and 1953, graduating with a Standard Six Certificate. Thereafter, he worked as a pupil teacher in 1954 under the guidance of his paternal uncle, Rev. Canon J. S. Odususi. “My uncle wished that I would eventually become a secondary school principal or more appropriately, a bishop. So he advised me to go through the teachers training colleges and eventually to a university to earn a degree, without which it would be impossible for me to become a bishop.”

    However, his uncle’s plan only worked up to a stage.

    He got admission into St. Paul’s Teacher Training College, Abeokuta and completed the Grade III Teachers’ Course in December 1957. He was adjudged the youngest student, not only of his set but in the entire College. Records indicate that some of his classmates were almost of his father’s age. He was also nicknamed “Small Yonco” because of his rascally nature.

    That notwithstanding, he was lucky to be guided by two of his classmates, Sola Ogunade now Justice Bashola Ogunade (retired) and one of his seniors, Alfred Abolade Ehindero, “the Only Eligible Northerner”, who particularly prevented him, on three occasions, from abandoning the course.

    From the college, he was posted to St Peter’s Anglican School, Isara as a teacher. He was later transferred in 1959 to head the St. Peter’s School, Atoba in Orile Oko, Ogun State. By this posting, he became the youngest headmaster in the entire Western Region of Nigeria and was superintending over teachers who were about his father’s age, an experience he said he did not enjoy. He was later transferred, on classroom assignment, to Christ Church School, Ogere also in Ogun State.

    While still working at Ogere, he gained entrance into Ijebu-Abeokuta Colony Grade Two Teacher Training College (IJABCOL), Sagamu. Despite the fact that he came first in the entrance examination and was doing very well in the course, he had to voluntarily withdraw from the college in April 1960 when the government stopped the full salaries they were paying to “Return Students”, of which he was one, and replaced it with allowances only.

    From this point, his formal education stopped until several years later. On the encouragement of one of his friends, he decided to study Accountancy. He prepared for series of examinations through the Rapid Result Correspondence College of London.

    His performance at the Institute of Bookkeepers Fellowship Examination in underlined his brilliance, as he emerged the only West African that passed four subjects at a sitting in that year’s examination. That efat also earned him a sport pen from his coordinator, the Late Rev. J.O. Lucas.  He also performed excellently in the Association of International Accountants Intermediate, winning the second place prize of Fifteen pounds sterling (£15). He completed the final examination of the institute in June 1964. That same year, he passed the final examination of the Institute of Cost and Industrial Accountants; coming second in the final examinations.

    Quite uncharacteristically however, he attempted and failed the ACCA Part II final examination twice. With determination and encouragement from his Dr. Francis Owosina, he was able to surmount that obstacle and pass the examination in 1969.

    Ogunfuwa’s career in the corporate sector started with the RSA Stage II Certificate, as an Accounts Clerk in the Nigerian Produce Marketing Company (NPMC) in 1963.

    He later joined the Nigerian National Shipping Line Ltd (NNSL) as an Accounting Assistant Grade I. In 1968 the Board of Directors of the Nigerian National Shipping Line Limited sent him to England to understudy the Branch Accountant in Liverpool, from whom he eventually took over in November 1968. He therefore became the first Nigerian to head the company’s Accounts Department in Liverpool.

    He was transferred back to Nigeria on promotion as Senior Accountant in 1971. Regrettably however, he had to resign in 1972 over what he describes as unfair treatment from his immediate boss then, the Chief Accountant of the NNSL.

    He subsequently worked as Chief Accountant with several other organisations including the West African Technical and Engineering Company Ltd (WATECO), Iganmu; the Nigerian Securities; and John Holt Group Holding Company. He was Finance and Administrative Manager to Cornerstone Organisation, Dorman Long, a subsidiary of British Steel Corporation, and Amalgamated Engineering Company.

    An educationist per excellence, beyond being an accountant, he was also a guest lecturer at the Nigeria Institute of Management, before joining Bolaji Finnih and Company as a Consultant.

    So was his wealth of experience, the reason behind his title of Babalaje of Remoland title? Ogunfuwa who is principal partner, Ogunfuwa and Ogunfuwa and Company, an auditing firm said ‘I don’t know why they conferred Babalaje on me because I told them I don’t want. Babalaje is given to people who are rich. I am not. I know those who are stinkingly rich but are afraid to spend N20; and when they die people who don’t know how they made their money will fritter it’.

    He said people tend to relate fulfilment with wealth, but revealed that he had been fulfilled right from when he clocked 60. “It is whatever you set out to achieve that makes you fulfilled. I set out to be what I am, to be kind to people to be generous and to be able to live according to my conscience. I listen to advice but I don’t take all advice. I am not rich and I don’t have to be rich to be a fulfilled man.  I have 14 children and 23 grandchildren. I have always told my children, what I have done for you go and do it for yourselves.”

     A Christian and a fraternity man

    Coming from a strong Christian lineage, Ogunfuwa confessed that he is an active church-goer from youth. He was until December 1957 a member of the church choir. He also served as a member of the Parish Church Committee (PCC) and as Diocesan representative for many years. He is currently one of the joint Auditors of the Church accounts. Despite this however, he belongs to several notable international and philosophical associations such as the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (ROF), the Free Masonry, the United Brothers of Friendship and Sisters of Mysterious among others.

    On the possible clash his involvement with these groups might cause after his demise, he said ‘I have told my children and I have said it openly. Nobody should say I renounce any of the association of fraternities that I belong to.  I am a Christian of Anglican Communion, when I die members of my fraternities should come in their full regalia and if the church will not permit that, let my fraternities bury me.’

  • Achebe hosts artists

    Achebe hosts artists

    The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Ugochukwu Achebe, a major art patron in Africa, recently had over 150 artworks on view in his palace in Onitsha, Anambra State. This was part of the activities to mark this year’s Ofala festival which holds annually in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Oreze III (the king’s crowd), was a group exhibition of paintings, sculpture and ceramic which run for a week was initiated in 2013 by Achebe. The exhibition featured local and international artists. Achebe said that including exhibition in the festival is to encourage artists, especially the younger ones as well as to promote visual art. “As in the previous years, works by younger artists are shown alongside those of the established masters in order to expose the budding artists to more discerning audience,” said Achebe.

    Artists from countries such as Germany, Belgium, United Kingdom, Cuba, France, Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo and the United States of America, had their works on display. The exhibition curator, George Edozie said the exhibition; sponsored by Globacom Limited will engage more international artists in its next edition.

    The festival was officially opened when the Obi unveiled a bronze sculpture of his predecessor; beside the sculpture were other 20 bronze sculptures of other Obis who had ruled the Onitsha Kingdom. The festival attracted sons and daughters of Onitsha who are home and in Diaspora as well as people from all works of life to celebrate the rich cultural Ofala festival. He has a large number of artworks in his collections.

    The festival dates back many years when the Onitsha Kingdom was founded by the first Obi of Onitsha. This made it the 15th time the Obi is hosting the festival since his installation on the throne. The age grade game was not left out, women in their various colourful Igbo attires danced to entertain the audience and Obi who later performed the royal dance, adorned in his royal attire while his chiefs accompanied him.

    The special guest of honour, Professor of Art History and Art Critics, University of Nigerian Nsukka (UNN); Ola Oloidi, while declaring the exhibition open said: “Without doubt, Obi Achebe, for his creative innovations and spiritedly dispassionate interest in cultural, particularly art, events, should be recognised along with those great African kings who manifestly and instrumentally propagated the course of Art for their people.”

    Oloidi added that the word Ofala did not vibrate into his mind “and it remained so until dates when some Obi (king) of Onitsha began to popularize the festival, particularly in Igbo land and later throughout Nigeria.”

  • Our target is to meet our listeners on the go

    Our target is to meet our listeners on the go

    Boss of Abeokuta-based Rockcity FM radio, Niran Malaolu speaks on the challenges facing the print media, why he pitched his tent with radio broadcast and what a 21st century media chief executive needs to survive. He spoke to Gboyega Alaka in Abeokuta. 

    One would have expected you to go into print journalism, having made a name for yourself in that area. Was going into radio always on your radar?

    When I hear people talk about print, electronic and what have you, I marvel, because if you’re a properly trained journalist, you would have done what is called Mass Communication or Journalism; and usually you would have been trained in the media generally. For me as a person, maybe I have a background in print, but I always understood that for journalism to be business, you need to dig into research. As an editor, I was always worried as to why we have very low circulation in Nigeria. The golden days of Nigerian newspaper journalism was in the days of the Daily Times, when Mr Gbolabo Ogunsanwo was editor of the Sunday Times. At that time, Sunday Times was circulating close to 600,000 copies. As we speak, the entire print newspaper sales per-day in Nigeria is not up to 100,000.

    Are you certain about that statistics?

    Yeah, you can check. It’s the economy. The problem is that we give newspapers to vendors. For instance you’re a Lagos-based newspaper and you print 5,000 copies; then you put copies in a pick-up van on the road, with a driver and a circulation officer and they traverse the entirety of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo State and then they drop 500 copies each. The following day, they go back and bring back say 380 unsold copies. Now you have to look at the cost – petrol, vehicle maintenance, human resources and all. Add that to the fact that agencies are not paying. So where are the media houses supposed to be getting their income from? But unfortunately, we as journalists don’t talk about these. We only complain about not being paid salaries. Journalists need to come together and discuss. How do we deal with circulation problems? How do we deal with the issue of poor reading habit? That is very easy and within our capacity. If we give interesting news and features, they will definitely read. The other one that is technical is the issue of circulation, while the other one that is legal, is the issue of agencies not paying.

    To answer your question, we did a research and found out that people tend to listen more to the radio. Don’t forget, the radio is a blind medium, and it doesn’t require that extra time you spend in reading newspapers. Once our mission is to inform our people, we thought the best thing to do is to go and meet them wherever they may be. We are a proper news station. We keep our people informed, do fantastic interviews and have fantastic current affairs programmes. And they do know that whatever they hear on this station is absolute truth.

    Is Rockcity FM deliberately restricted to Ogun State? Your signal in Lagos for instance, seems a bit low.

    I don’t think so. We’re licensed for Ogun state, but the signal gets to Lagos very well. However, I do not believe that everybody must be in Lagos. Why don’t we have city-based newspapers? The people we’re copying use the train to circulate newspapers. And it’s cheap. The Late MKO Abiola and a couple of publishers tried to have a collaboration, so that what the different newspaper vans are carrying can be done with just one vehicle, but it seems we lack the capacity for cooperation in this part, so that idea broke down.

    The popular opinion is that there isn’t a strong enough market in Ogun State; is the advert patronage adequate?

    If you’re talking in terms of advert patronage, the companies are in Lagos. So we have to go to Lagos, and those who have things to sell to those living here patronise us. When I was growing up, we had 12 states in Nigeria that were economic entities on their own. I remember Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, Kaduna, Jos. And they were developing in every facets of development. Recall that we had Mighty Jets in Jos, when we talk about football; Enugu Rangers in Enugu; Stationery Stores in Lagos; Sharks in Port Harcourt; IICC Shooting Stars in Ibadan; we also had bank headquarters in most of these cities. But somehow, we have unitarised everything and it doesn’t augur well for the development of our country.  And that is why we have ended up in this collect and distribute situation. Everything is concentrated in Lagos, and Lagos is saturated. We as journalists need to draw attention to this and generate solutions.

    One of Rockcity FM’s strongest features is allowing your listeners to speak with your numerous phone-in programmes. What informed that style?

    You need to study and understand what your people need or want, whether you’re a print journalist or electronic journalist. We did a research study and found out that Nigerians like to express themselves. When you have a nation of people who like to talk, it is very important that you aggregate those thoughts. On Friday for instance, we have what is called ‘Open Day’ on our Daybreak Show, where the people raise the agenda and talk about whatever they want. The people in that sense understand what governance is, but a lot of our people in government don’t understand what governance is. Government is there like a father to look after the need of the people. And any government that is not doing that is a failure.

    You once boasted that RockCity FM will never owe salaries. What gives you such confidence, especially in a terrain where even bigger broadcasting organisations have been known to owe?

    I have always being a reporter and I understand what it means to be owed salaries. I understand what it takes to go out and get stories, edit and produce a newspaper. A nation can only be built when you have a good media and media can only be made by good journalists. Nigeria has some of the most brilliant journalists. Unfortunately, the government thinks journalists are irritants. People who are doing such a job should not be made to lack to the extent that they’d be looking for round envelops. Our people must have a better deal, not raw deal.

    What does it take to be a 21st century media CEO in a third world economy like Nigeria?

    First of all I consider myself a professional student. You must learn to read and give knowledge every day. Several years back, we began with the print; and then the radio came and they said it was going to kill the print. It didn’t. Then television came and they said it was going to kill both the newspaper and the radio; again it didn’t. Now the social media or new media has come. Is it going to kill all the old traditional media? No. What we need to do is to have a new business module that is going to help us survive, and then go and meet our people where they are on the go. So a 21st century CEO needs to understand very well what the new generations are doing and then go and meet them there. You must keep abreast of developments in virtually every sphere, because journalism as far as I’m concerned, is life.

    Talking about your prison experience, you were supposed to have been convicted of ‘information gathering,’ which literally was, doing your job. Didn’t that threaten your resolve as a journalist?

    No. My foray into journalism was not by accident. I love my nation. You see that book there, ‘Why Nations Fail’ (pointing to his book shelf); it tells you that there is a need for us to believe in our country. I don’t believe that God made a mistake by creating us in this colour. We need to learn to understand and be conscious of who we are. And then God has given us certain resources to live by. We have to be able to harness them for the good of our people. For me every nation must go through a process of evolution. That I was part of the evolution of Nigeria is a sacrifice that was worthwhile. If it didn’t happen to me, maybe it might have happened to you or somebody else. The most important thing is that we should harness the lessons from it, which is: we wanted democracy and we got democracy. We need now to build on that democracy, to deliver the dividends to our people. Ensure that our children go to school and have good education. You and I are speaking to each other in a foreign language; I don’t think that should be. If we use our language, we would build this camera and your smartphone. So specifically, prison was hard. It is not an experience I will recommend for anybody. I think it got to my wife to the extent that she vowed that ‘If my husband ever got out of that place, he’ll never be a journalist again.’ But you see, I don’t know how to do any other thing. It’s journalism or teaching. So when I came out, I just said to her, ‘Look, it’s one of those things. We need to just move on.’ Thereafter, I went back to journalism school, got my PhD and started teaching. I marry both teaching and journalism together.

    TV, are you ever going to go there?

    Surely. The activities you’re seeing around, that’s what we’re preparing for.

    You have a date yet?

    I don’t know. I’m a Christian and God says walk with me. So I’m walking with him.

    You work with a lot of young people. How do you manage their youth and energy?

    One of the ways to build a nation is to invest in the young people. Teach discipline, integrity. Integrity is key for me; so personally I will not soil my name by taking bribe or giving bribe. Those who work with me know me. The sun’s not going to shine every day; you’re going to have some time when things are not going to run smoothly, you take it. That’s my philosophy. Hardwork, discipline, dedication. There was a young man who worked with me at Vanguard newspaper. He’s an editor there now. Anytime he saw me, he’d be crying, because I put him on his toes. But I used to tell him then that ‘Look, I’m training you.’ The last time he saw me, he told me ‘Sorry, now I know you were indeed training me.’ Nigerian youths are very energetic but their energy needs to be channelled.

  • Art from different parts thrill in Abuja

    Art from different parts thrill in Abuja

    The exhibition lasted for one week with 20 ambassadors in attendance  at the FCT Exhibition Pavilion, Abuja. It served the viewer with a platter of rich art from Nigeria, China, Czech Republic, Germany and South Korea. The beauty and aesthetic appeal of the works on display, were glaring in the strength of cultural diversity, the variety of the media in which the art pieces are executed and the dexterity of the artists.

    The exhibition opened with works of art from Nigeria. The exhibits, which were taken from the collection of National Gallery of Art (NGA), featured the works of some of Nigeria’s prolific and renowned artists whose works are in public and private collections in Nigeria and beyond. Six generations of Nigerian artists were represented in this exhibition by Bruce Onobrakpeya, Jimoh Buraimoh, Rukeme Noserieme, Godwin Nwajei, Ray Soko, Ben Osaghae, Abraham Uyovbisere, Ajene Isegbe, Bisi Fakeye, Bunmi Babatunde, Ufuoma Enuarherhe, Nduwhite Ndubuisi Ahanonu, Fidelis Odogwu, Kashim Salami, Millicent Osumuo and Emmanuel Adelola. The kaleidoscope of works on display are executed in a variety of media which ranged from print, oil, pastel, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, paper and board; mixed media; plastocast; fibre glass to metal and wood sculpture. The art pieces were a micro-representation of the trajectory of Nigerian art. Master strokes of the brush, chisel and knife of older generation Nigerian artists were showcased alongside those of their younger counterparts who are following strongly in their footprints. They presented themes that deal with the vagaries of everyday life, politics, culture, mythology and history.

    China, appearing on the show for the first time, was making a strong showing with 25 fines pun porcelain pieces by 10 top Chinese artists- Sun Zhigang, Huang Yanfei, Chen Jiansheng, Lu Yigang, Lui Yunhui, Xu Xuengen, Xia Guoan, Feng Xia, Xu Yuping and Zhang Xialong. The history of the development of Chinese ceramic art can be traced back to the dynastic periods (about 10,000-11,000 years ago). The first types of ceramics that were produced served mainly utilitarian purposes. Over the ensuing centuries, new techniques and styles developed; aesthetics was blended with utilitarianism and sophisticated porcelain pieces were produced for use in imperial courts. China is without doubt, the home of the very best of exquisite ceramics crafted under strict conditions with painstaking attention to detail and sensitivity to materials. The porcelain paintings on display treated some common symbols and themes in Chinese art and culture- the lotus flower: beauty and purity- “Lotus in the Pond”; the horse: strength, elegance and speed- “Steed”; the rooster: courage, benevolence and faithfulness -”Daybreak”. We were also presented with beautiful landscapes and impressions of nature occasioned by seasonal changes. The virtuosity of the 10 exhibiting artists was clearly evident in the pieces displayed. The exquisite, delicate and pristine beauty of the works were a sight to behold. Some were almost translucent and had designs embedded in them which were not visible to the naked eye but were  clearly seen when light passed through them.

    The Czech Republic, a two-time participant in The Art of Friendship exhibition, exhibited eleven lithographs by Oldrich Jelen, a famous and accomplished Czech painter and illustrator. The works exhibited combined realistic elements with surrealism to create paintings that were pleasing to the sight while transporting the viewer into a world of fantasy and magic. Jelen is a highly sought after illustrator of magazines and books, especially books written for children. He illustrated the Czech translation of the books of Enid Blyton, the famous best-selling English author of popular children’s adventure/mystery books. Oldrich Jelen is widely exhibited in the Czech Republic and beyond and has received numerous awards for his work.

    Georg Baselitz, German painter, sculptor, printmaker and draughtsman is Germany’s choice for her debut in this exhibition series.  He is one of Germany’s most celebrated living artists. He gained fame in Germany in the 1970s and exploded onto the international scene a decade later. Baselitz, who is the pioneer German Neo-Expressionistic painting, is known for his unconventional style of anamorphic painting which sometimes shocks his audiences and provokes them to introspection. The eleven woodcut prints on show in this exhibition, were painted upside down!

    South Korea, a part of the exhibition series from inception, featured 15 Korean traditional folk paintings by 15 contemporary Korean artists. Traditional Korean folk art, Minhwa, has been a popular medium of art expression of the innermost thoughts and dreams of the ordinary Korean man or woman since the 17th century. The paintings by Song Chang Soo, Son Yu Young, Ku Young Ae, Kwon Song Nyeo, Seo Yeon Yee, Suh Hye Kyong, Oh Mi Jeong, Lee Hae Yeon, Choi Yong Soon, Han Mi Ae, Jee Mee Youn, Park Ok Sil, Lee Kyung Joo, Song Ji In and Kim In Soon were produced using Korean traditional water colours made from natural ingredients on mulberry paper known as Hanji. The vibrant water colours explored themes that ranged from nature (landscapes and animals), everyday life and living, purity and beauty to the surrealistic world of mythology.

    The strength of The Art of Friendship III exhibition was anchored on the unity of the thematic content of the exhibits in the face of their stylistic, cultural and symbolic diversity. A vast majority of the works lent themselves to easy interpretation and appreciation by all strata of viewers without losing their seductive beauty. The Art of Friendship series is growing from strength to strength and living up to its billing as the melting pot of cross cultural art interaction in Abuja.

     

    • Ngozi John-Uyah wrote from Abuja
  • Echoes of Achebe’s works at writers’ show

    Echoes of Achebe’s works at writers’ show

    The influence of African literature on the world was underscored at the 2015 Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA) conference in Ghana. Over 300 writers and scholars from the continent and the Diaspora gathered to commemorate the 22nd International African Writers’ Day (IWD). The contributions of Nigerian writers, particularly the late Chinua Achebe, dominated the conference, reports EVELYN OSAGIE, who was in Ghana.

    The 2015 Pan African Writers’ Association (PAWA) conference sought to address fears over the future of African Literature.

    Over 300 writers and scholars from Africa and the Diaspora gathered in Accra, Ghana to chart a new course for literature on the continent.

    Nigeria’s literature, its writers and their contributions to the development of the continent’s literature came into focus, as the writers called for policies to boost reading culture.

    With the theme: Celebrating the life and works of Chinua Achebe: The Coming of Age of African Literature? the three-day conference was an assorted cerebral ‘dish’ that called for reorientation, infrastructural development, funding, promoting literature and  boosting the reading culture in the continent. It featured a keynote address, diverse plenary sessions, staging of two adaptations of Achebe’s works by Prof Femi Osofisan across diverse venues, such as Ghana National Theatre, the Accra International Conference Centre, the Tang Palace Hotel, and the award ceremony at the Kempinski Hotel.

    The conference’s keynote address was presented by Amb. Henri Lopes of Congo Brazzaville with other presentations by Dr. Margaret Busby and Mr. James Currey, both from the United Kingdom (UK), who had very close professional and personal relationship with Achebe.

    In attendance were writers from Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, United States (US), Mali, Angola and Equatorial Guinea

    “We have on several platforms promoted the idea of a formulation for national consciousness development,” said PAWA Secretary-General, Prof Atukwei Okai.

    “The formula, which has been most profitably and successfully adopted and practiced in other countries, such as Norway, is that in a given country every year the Education Ministry undertakes to agree with all publishers that 2000 copies of every worthy book published, upon selection by an intellectual standards board, be bought and distributed to the libraries throughout the country.”

    He called for the proactive support of government for the book industry. He said: “Through the continuous encouragement of the publication of works created by African writers, by the acquisition of certain books approved by a Quality Validation Board, such a policy will inure to the benefit of all the critical sectors in the chain of the African book industry.

    “It will help to fill our libraries with books, our writers are empowered to be able to buy time from running after other forms of livelihood pursuits and devote their time and energies to the creation of more books for our people; the enlightenment levels of our society will be enhanced and our ingenious publishing industries will be supported and developed.”

     

    Celebrating Achebe’s legacies

    The 22nd International African Writers’ Day (IWD) celebration, which was a major highlight of the conference,  was dedicated to Nigeria’s literary icon, Achebe (1930 – 2013), acknowledged all over the world as the most influential African writer of his generation.

    Okai urged young, up-and-coming writers to build upon or take Achebe’s legacy as a point of departure. “His writings, including the novel, Things Fall Apart, introduced readers throughout the world to the creative use of language to and from factual inside accounts of modern African life and history. Through his literary contributions and championing of a big and bold vision for Nigeria and Africa, Achebe helped reshape the perception of African history, culture and place in world affairs,” he said.

    “Let me say that I do think decency and civilisation would insist that the writer takes sides with the powerless. Clearly, there’s no moral obligation to write in any particular way. But there is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless. I think an artist, in my definition of that word, would not be someone who takes sides with the emperor against his powerless subjects.”

    The above quote by , reechoed by his eldest son, Dr. Ike Achebe, reaffirmed the mantra of the writers as they commemorated IWD attended by Ghanian President John Dramini Mahama, who was represented by a minister.

    For Achebe’s son, celebrating his father’s legacies called for reflection on his father’s mission as a writer “to restore the dignity of the African person and of all powerless persons everywhere: by restoring, as he called it, balance of stories”.

    “The acronyms Pan African Writers’ Association, PAWA, is also fortunate in this case, in putting us in mind of, and reminding us, of Chinua Achebe’s engagement with the dynamics of power and its relationship to literature. But, of course, PAWA is serious business, and writers associations the world over, but especially in Africa, play a much needed role in providing protection to the powerless, and freedom of expression: protection that Chinua Achebe held to be very dear to the development of society. That is why it is most gratifying for me to be among you.

    “With so many Achebe scholars gathered here, all of you much more qualified than I, to speak on Achebe’s life and work, I look forward to spending the next days, listening and learning from you on the various ways these ideals, and the ideals around the emergence of modern African literature, impinge on the Achebean mission. We, the Achebe family, thank all of you, the writers of the national writer’ associations of African and the African Diaspora for this great honour you have done Chinua Achebe; I thank Prof Okai and PAWA for inviting me. I thank you all for listening to me; and I wish you fruitful deliberations.”

     

    Awards galore

    Besides Achebe, four Nigerian writers –HRH Chukwuemeka Ike, the late Festus Iyayi and Osofisan – were part of 16 dignitaries honoured for their contributions to the development of African literature with the PAWA Patron of the Arts and Honorary Membership awards during the conference.

    Other recipients included the late Kwame Nkrumah, Emeritus Prof Ekwueme Thelwell, the late Mamadou Traore Diop, Amb. Lopes, Dr Busby, Mr Currey, Prof Jophus Anamuah- Mensah, Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee and  Nabanyin Pratt, among others.

    Both awards comprised a diploma, a plaque of the PAWA emblem, a gold medal, and the PAWA stool of Royalty (with the PAWA emblem carved on it). The stool was used to induct the awardees during the award ceremony on the second day of the conference.

    It would be recalled that Wole Soyinka, J.P Clark, Okara, Gabriel Okara, were past recipients of PAWA Honorary Membership award. Others included Nadine Gordimer and Maya Angelou; while the late Achebe, the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan were PAWA Patron of the Arts awardees, of which former Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Secretary-General, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim and his Libyan counterpart, Muammar Ghaddafi were also recipients.

    “Their years of creative labour and achievements have placed them firmly among those distinguished of African and the Africans in the Diaspora to be lauded,” PAWA Secretary-General noted.

    Moved by the accolades showered on him and his counterparts, the writer-turned-monarch Ike said: “Nigeria’s contribution to the development of the continent’s literature has been tremendous and I hope it would continue like that. Chinua, whom I like to call “Aliba” – as the Igboman would call Albert,  was a very dear friend, honest and trustworthy. And our friendship grew to become like brothers because, apart from us being from the same province, we had similar attitude to life and similar interests. It is a good thing that PAWA is celebrating him. He deserved it.”

     

    Season of plays

    Another highlight of the conference was staging of the adaptations of two of Achebe’s works by Prof Osofisan at the Ghana’s National Theatre. Osofisan’s The Discombobulation of a Rookie Patriot, a stage adaptation of Achebe’s novel, A Man of The People, was staged on the opening Thursday evening; while the conference came to a close with the staging of his Arrow of God: The Wound of Man, a stage adaptation of Achebe’s novel, Arrow of God.

    In attendance were a novelist and philosopher from Cote D’Ivoire, Prof Tanella Boni; another novelist publisher and president of Gabon Writers Association, Ms. Sylvie Ntsame Ngomo; the Nigerian delegation of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) led by its then President, Prof Remi Raji, who rounded off his tenure penultimate week; the then Vice-President, ANA, who is now the President, Alhaji Denja Abdullahi; the then National Financial Secretary, Mrs Chinyere Obi-Obasi and former ANA President, Dr Wale Okediran.

    There was also a Columbian, Carlos Granes Mata; a special delegation from Equatorial Guiunea, Marta Santos and Pombal Maria; Gema Mangue Nguema Nzang; Celso Celestino Moreo Mangue and Antolin Ela Ela Asama, who are from Angola.

     

  • Etisalat discovers new talents behind the lens

    Etisalat discovers new talents behind the lens

    It was a celebration of top photography talents. Launched in 2010, the Lagos Photo Festival has become a yearly international photography event that seeks to establish a community for contemporary photography, while uniting local and international artists through images that capture individual experiences and identities across the continent.

    For Azu Nwagbogu, the Director, Lagos Photo Foundation, organisers of the festival, the photo feast is more than just a fiesta. “It captures the African story from Africans’ perspective. It enables us to understand why we have to take ownership of our own image and our own story or narratives. In the past, the narratives that were made about Africa or our country were given to us by outsiders. At Lagos Photo, we strive to take ownership of, and  communicate this internationally because the world is shrinking around us. So, it is very important for us to join the digital revolution and begin to communicate the more impactful vision for the country, the continent and for humanity as a whole.”

    With the theme: “Designing Futures”, this year’s edition fielded images by 35 renowned artists from Egypt, France, South Africa, Italy, Ivory Coast, United Kingdom (UK), India, The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Morocco, DRC, Ghana, Germany, New Zealand, United States (US), Switzerland, Guinea and Nigeria. The month-long event also featured exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, screening, and large scale outdoor installations in congested public spaces in Lagos. This year’s theme and conversation of interest explored dialogues surrounding contemporary design in Africa.

    Although the festival has since ended, many will not forget its servings in a hurry.  One of the highlights of this year’s photo fiesta was the Etisalat Photo Competition, an initiative sponsored by Etisalat, Nigeria, which was aimed at empowering budding photographers by giving them a platform for positive engagement through social media and technology. The submission of entries started from July 6 to September 28, through the official LagosPhoto App after which the three winners emerged from votes through the same app.

    According to the Curator, African Artists Foundation (AAF), Cristina De Middel the competition offers a platform for Nigerians to “tell compelling narratives about Africa and Africans through images that are inspired by their creativity”.

    And Kelvin Abidemi Oladiran, a budding photography talent, is one of many talents discovered during the fiesta telling Nigeria’s fashion narrative through his lens.

    Oladiran’s winning entry emerged winner of the 2015 Etisalat Photo Competition in the “Fashion” category.

    With the theme: I love 9ja, the competition was divided into four categories: fashion, places, people and food. There was no winning photograph in the food category.

    Besides choosing the winning entry in each category, the organisers also adjudged the best in the three with Oladiran emerging the overall winner, a prize that comes with a Canon Camera EOS 550D. Adeboye Thomas, whose entry won in the “People” category, was the first runner-up and an iPad Mini Three, while Ima Mfon’s, who won the “Places” category, earned him the prize of the second runner-up and a Nokia Lumia 930 for his effort.

    Having bagged the first place prize, Oladiran said, he is still basking in its euphoria of the month-long feast. Besides, shooting him to limelight, he said, wining has also boosted his passion for photography. “This is very inspiring and encouraging to get rewarded doing what you love to do. I really appreciate Etisalat for this platform they have created for Nigerian youth,” he said.

    At the presentation of prizes, Head, Events and Sponsorship, Etisalat Nigeria, Modupe Thani, said the competition was in line with the company’s vision of encouraging creativity and innovation through the creation of, and support for credible platforms for youths.

    “Etisalat is passionate about innovation and creativity. We have also been in the forefront of promoting excellence, nurturing talent and providing platforms for people to express themselves and communicate their ideas. It is in this light that we have organised the Etisalat Photo Competition and also sponsored the festival right from inception about five years ago.”

    The festival, which opened to the public on October 24 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, also featured other satellite exhibition venues of Lagos arts and cultural spaces from Omenka Gallery to Africans Artists’ Foundation. It also featured at the Stranger Lagos; Goethe-Institute; Nimbus Gallery; Alara Concept Store; A White Space Gallery Yaba Tech, and Quintessence. Outdoor exhibitions in public spaces included Muri Okunola Park, Falomo Roundabout (Ikoyi), Awojobi Park (Onike), and Freedom Park.

    The participating photographers included: Owise Abuzaid (Egypt); François Beaurain (France); Andile Buka (South Africa); Marco Casino (Italy); Joana Choumali (Ivory Coast); Omar Victor Diop & Antoine Tempé (Senegal & France/USA); Daniel Donnelly (UK); Kadara Enyeasi (Nigeria); Ima Mfon (Nigeria); Delphine Gatinois (France); Robin Hammond (New Zealand) and Navin Kala (India), among others.

    Also speaking on its continued sponsorship of the festival, the Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Francesco Angelone, said Etisalat is passionate about innovation and creativity. “We have also been in the forefront of promoting excellence, nurturing talent and providing platforms for people to express themselves and communicate their ideas. This is why we created the Etisalat Prize for Literature, the first ever pan-African prize aimed at recognising and celebrating writers and other members of the literary community across Africa. We also inspire creativity and innovation with the Etisalat Prize for Innovat.” …

     

  • Twin brothers’ legacy for media

    In every profession, there are those whose contributions and actions play critical roles in the growth of such human endeavour. Often times, such individuals help shape and define the trends and practices and thereby become masters of the trade. This, perhaps, informed the choice of 50 world journalists that make Mike Awoyinfa and Dimgba Igwe’s book entitled 50 World Editors (conversations with journalism masters on trends and best practices.

    But, who are these world class masters of the pen profession? Your guess is as good as mine. They are drawn from top flight media organisations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The 628-page book is a compilation of conversations with the masters on issues ranging from day-to-day schedules of practising journalists to what defines a news, what defines a front page story, quality of news, tips for success as a reporter, core values of a media house, the defining story of a reporter, and many more. In all, the conversations though share many things in common, reveal some interesting stories about some editors and their media organisations, including personal experiences.

    But, the book, which is a result of the authors’ ten years of traversing the globe interviewing key players in the industry, is not all about editors, but top media players some of them at the apex of the media pole-publishers, presidents, managing editors, editor-in-chiefs, editors, bureau chiefs, line editors and correspondents who made great marks in journalism. The scope is all embracing as it covers practitioners in print, broadcast journalism and international news agencies such as Reuters, AFP and Globalpost. The book is ‘ultimately biographical in the sense that each of the candidates featured in this collection shares his or her own journalism story and in so doing, reflects on the diverse aspects of the practice and precepts of journalism in different generations covering different countries.’

    To the authors, the book is a lived experience rather than a pedantic narrative of scholarly exploration, capturing similarities, diversities and sociological nuances of media operations in different countries of the world.

    Published in 2014 by Corporate Biographers Limited, the book is in three sections A to C, with The Americas having 20 of the 50 masters, while Europe has 19 and Africa and Asia share 11 masters. Nigeria’s newspaper legend Alhaji Babatunde Ajose of the old Daily Times led the pack of masters featured in Section C that comprises Africa/Asia alongside Segun Osoba, Nduka Obaigbena Thisday newspaper), John Momoh (Channels TV), Dele Olojede, Bayo Onanuga (The News magazine), Joseph Odindo (Nation Media Group, Kenya), Ferial Haffajee (Mail & Guardian South Africa among others.

    From The Americas and Europe Sections A and B are masters such as Michael Goodwin (New York Daily News), Jill Abramson (New York Times), Chris Cramer (former President CNN), Alan Rusbridger (The Guardian UK),  Robert Thomson (The Times UK), Victor de la Serna (El Mundo, Spain) and Alan Johnston (BBC Correspondent).

    On the challenges of being editor of Daily Times at the era of Nigeria attaining independence, Alhaji Jose said: “We published a paper that was trusted by the readers. To be trusted you have to show the integrity of a leader. The people knew that I had no political ambition. I had access and was consulted by highly placed government functionaries, prime ministers, presidents. So they know that whatever we did, it was not because I am a Yoruba man. They had seen the paper openly attacking Chief Obafemi Awolowo-the leader of the Yorubas.”

    But given the content of the book, it can be described as the ‘most encyclopedic book on global journalism.’ It ranks among publications such as Martin Walker’s 1982 award winning book, Powers of the press: The World’s Great Newspapers. Apart from that, one unique character of the book is that it presents the journalistic views of the world editors in their own words.

    Again, the public presentation of the book at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos on September 15 was more than a launch. It brought together veterans in the industry to celebrate a worthy product, an effort that would gladden the heart of the late Igwe in great beyond. However, some oversights were noticed in the compilations. For instance, the retaining of late Dimgba Igwe’s email and telephone number suggests the book had gone to press with all the information before the death of Igwe. But, classifying Gillian Tett (Financial Times, USA) under Europe is an avoidable error of proof reading. If charity, they say, begins at home, 11 masters interviewed in Africa/Asia combined is an under-representation by the book, especially when considered against the conditions under which these media operate. Or is it a case of get one, you get all? Nigeria and indeed Africa deserves more representations in the book.

    Notwithstanding, the book is a legacy of a sort for the media industry, which makes it a must read for all-students of journalism, politicians and other professionals. 50 World Editors is a well-packaged book with clean quality prints and is a collector’s item any day. It will be useful for researchers, media operators and practicing journalists irrespective of generation or region of practice.

  • Solutions to marital mistakes

    The per cent of marriages that are breaking up is constantly on the rise, experts have said. Moved by this fact, a couple Pastor Ola Adejubee and his wife, Bose, have written a book, 52 marital mistakes and their solution. If you talk about marriage in some places even in the church, you are perceived as old fashioned and outdated. But we bless God because our Maker is the Ancient of Days and His word forever settled. While marriage is God’s ideas from creation, the need to be equipped with the various mistakes and their solutions in Nigeria is imperative for today’s world.

    The book provides answers to questions about how to handle teething problems in marriages. As Plutarch says that to make no mistakes is not the power of man but from their errors or mistakes, the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.

    The agenda of the book is to learn from many mistakes of others, because no one is an island, it is imperative to learn from others people’s experiences. A husband and wife that do not learn from other people’s blunders are doomed to multiply their own mistakes and prolong their journey to marital fulfillment.

    The book was printed by Point Blank Services, Palm grove Estate Shomolu, Lagos in July 2015.

    It is a small contribution to marital harmony, the book tries to inspire the need for regular improvements using our trademark mistakes and Solutions approach.

    The book is divided into two segments. It starts with women marital and their solutions in Pages 11-122 while men marital mistakes and their solution is in pages 123-230. The praise for this guide book is in its simplicity, good biblical reference, lazed with some measure of graphics to make them memorable and easily understood language.

    The book is easy to read. It has good layout and style. The first chapter highlighted the importance of inspiring trust in a man as a help meet for him. It stated that a wife inspiration should be more than our criticism of him. It posited further that for a progressive and peaceful marital life, the need to think about all the areas you have been criticizing him (making his weakness to bring him shame and correct them.

    Areas such as refusal to submit to your husbands, not knowing your identity to positively use your influence, regularly failing the test of humility, choosing friends with total disregard for biblical standard, negative and undue comparison of your husband with others,  being negligence of the need of your husband in the bedroom are among the 26 marital mistakes. Each sessions has practical examples and sometimes stories and quote from renown couples which makes the piece a valuable asset for its readers are unscripted to keep the reader inform while lighting the mood of the readers with graphics.

    Also for men, some of the marital mistakes are ignorance of the natural difference between the man and the woman,failing to accommodate the woman, not to know that submission is mutual, failing to understand the potency of maturity in marriage, ignorance of damages of ineffective

    communication ignorance of the power of trust and refusal to lead are among the 26 marital mistakes and their solutions written in the book.The book highlighted some of these mistakes with tips in each of the session on how to overcome those mistakes. The book is out to inspire hope and mend broken walls in marriages. Every Christian either as single or married should have a copy as it is a guide for a life long of marriage life without stress.

    It is a model of solutions packaged to serve as a relive to many who are facing one challenge or other in their marriage. Women too, may become complacent in appearance- and refuse to embrace new things. Crises must show up at some point in the marriage, how do you handle it as a man? On why the choice of the word 52 marital mistakes and solution, the writers noted that it has become a brand title for the couple as they have a few books written by the writers with the word 52 amonh which are: 52 ministry mistakes and their solutions, 52 money mistakes and their solutions.

     

  • ‘I left the police with my integrity intact’

    ‘I left the police with my integrity intact’

    Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, now Archbishop of Jesus Family Ministries Church, Christopher Akhigbe Omeben, recently turned 80. Speaking with Dupe Ayinla-Olasunkanmi, he reflects on life as a church man, the past 26 years since retiring from the police and his police years.

    You had an illustrious career as a police officer, rising through the ranks to the position of Deputy Inspector General of Police; was becoming a cop always your aspiration as a youth?

    My ambition was to become a mechanical engineer. I had the required qualifications to go into the university and was to study in India, but my father was very sickly and he said to me, ‘My dear son, I may die before you come back.’ This caused a friction between us. Then I was to join the Army along with three others: the late Major Obenun, Commander Anuku, and one other young man. We did fine in the examinations and were supposed to go abroad for training, but my father again opposed this move. I asked him what he wanted me to do, and he asked me to come and join the police. I said, you spent 18 years in the police and ended up as a Corporal. He had commendation certificates in the entire place. He assured me that I would excel if I listened to him. I declined and went to my village in Edo State. I went to one of my teachers, Miss. Gregory, and told her what I was going through. She said she would send me to the Forestry Department. She kept to her promise and I was appointed as Assistant Forest Officer. I was posted to Saponba. I was doing fine and my best friends were animals, such as gorilla and all that. I spent six months in the bush.  My stay was however brief because of what happened.

    What happened?

    I had a little fondness for one politician, Ojike. I loved his politics in those days. I went to Sapele to buy foodstuffs on a weekend and decided to buy a newspaper, The West African Pilot. There I saw his obituary; that my political mentor had died three months earlier and I didn’t even know. This got me angry. I went back to my base and resigned. I moved to Benin and was staying with a friend.  From Benin, I took the next opportunity available and left for Lagos, where I stayed in Yaba. I was about 25 years then. One day, I went to buy bread for my uncle at Yaba and saw an advertisement in the Daily Times that there was vacancy in the Nigeria Police Force. I had all the required qualifications and this prompted me to go to the force headquarters in Obalende. On getting to Obalande, I was directed to a Sergeant who told me that to be a Cadet Inspector, I must have four credits in my School Certificate. I told him I had distinctions but this man said they didn’t want Distinctions. When I tried to explain myself, he shouted me down and asked me to leave. He didn’t give me the form and I left his office. As I was walking along the corridor in Obalende Police Headquarters, I ran into a white man, one Mr. Briffet. He asked me why I was walking on the corridor. I explained my dilemma and how I was denied an application form because had distinctions. Right there, he sent his orderly to bring the form. He filled the form with his hand-writing. He then asked me who I knew in Lagos; I told him I knew one Mr. Odia who was in the Sports Council then. He said I should take the form to him to fill the part B. This was in June 1958. The interview came up in September. To fill the gap in between, I took a job at UAC and was posted to the Central Account Department. When the time for the examinations came, I quit the job. My police training commenced on October 1, 1958.

    Your first approach to the Nigerian Police was denied, until you met the Whiteman; what do you think was playing out here?

    It was God because I had turned down the issue of joining the police before. My father was very persuasive but I refused to listen. I think God had a purpose for me in the police.

    What factor shaped your life while growing up?

    My father was a disciplinarian, so I had no time for fun. Initially I thought he was punishing me unnecessarily, but as I grew up I loved what he did. Again, it was God again moulding my life.

    When did you get the call to work for God?

    It was in 1974 that I started a fellowship that eventually turned into a church. Prior to that time, on January 22, 1974, I was living at No. 16B, Ilabere Street in Ikoyi, Lagos. I was in the room with my late wife, when suddenly, there was a thunder in my room and I thought it was going to rain. I was still ruminating on what to do when I saw three strange odd people who pretended that they had come to elongate my life. You know my father died very young, so they said they wanted to give me some incisions so that my life would be prolonged. I refused. It was a battle but the Lord Almighty intervened with thunder in the room. A voice called my native name, “Akhigbe,” and introduced Himself as God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and said, “My son, fear not.” That was my first encounter.

    Why fight against an offer to elongate your life? Some people would have jumped at such opportunity?

    I battled them because I didn’t believe in incision. This had caused a lot of rancour between my father and I. They didn’t come with good intention. They wanted me to die in my sleep.  But God took them on and asked them a simple question that they couldn’t answer.  God said, “You wanted to kill my servant in his sleep so that people can say in the morning that he died of heart attack.” God said, “If you could elongate life, what day of the week is August 27, 1987.” This happened in 1974 and they couldn’t answer. Having failed, God ordered them out of the room.

    Nigeria today is challenged security-wise. What measures would you suggest as remedy to the present situation?

    It is not only the police that are involved; many arms of government are involved. If all these people involved in security can put their acts together, there will be a solution. For instance, in the police force, everybody is talking about corruption; it can be whittled down if there is an improvement, particularly in the recruitment policy. If you go on the street, you’d find young policemen who are good enough to be in secondary school or at vocation centres parading themselves as police officers. Some of them cannot speak any good English. This upsets me a lot. If we can adopt the British pattern, the situation will be remedied. For instance, in Britain, if a 36-year-old woman or man wants to join the police, it is allowed on a condition that with your age and working experience, you cannot spend more than 15 years in the police. They employ them as constables and the British system believes with their experience, they are in a better position to handle the affairs in their community and around them. Police doesn’t have to look for accommodation for you because you are an established citizen and after your training you start work. In Nigeria, they are recruited at a very tender age because they want them to spend 35 years in the service. Thirty five years of what? I will advise the authorities to get people who are experienced in other sectors to join the force and carry on from there.

    Corruption seems to have assumed a monstrous shape these days, what was it like in your days?

    It wasn’t like that back then. Back in my days, we said no policeman should go on traffic duty with excess of five naira in his pocket and if you’re caught with more than five naira in your pocket, you would be dismissed. But today it’s not like that, which is shameful. The reverse is the case today, as some policemen would even give you change at the road blocks. I have seen it.

    There have been advocates for decentralization of the police, what is your take?

    I have been one of the advocates of decentralisation of the Nigerian Police. The police should have been decentralised a long time ago. The excuse they, the authorities, always give, that the police will be misused by the politicians, is not tenable. Tell me, are the politicians that are now in control of the centre not Nigerians? Are the politicians in the states not Nigerians? If those at the centre can control themselves and don’t use the police against their opponents, what is it that would convince me that those in the states will? Granting that that is even true, which is preferable? The police that are small and can tackle issues in the community or a police force that has no control. So people should rethink.

    How do you think the citizens’ confidence can be restored in the police?

    It is simple. Orientation. If the police can be mentally refurbished, it would go a long way. Also constant training is needed, and letting them know that their salaries are from the taxes being paid by the people they are harassing. I think they will change.

    How is life after retirement?

    Most times it looks boring but you get used to it in time. You go to bed when you want, get up when you want except you have extra jobs you are doing for yourself. So there is no pressure on you.

    Some say the integrity of the force is deteriorating; what was the perception back in your days as career officer?

    The integrity was very high because the amount of complains we have today are much higher than what we had then. Also, there were lots of things we couldn’t do then. For instance, if you are an ASP, bought a car without a loan, the CID (Criminal Investigative Department) will be after you. I remember a colleague of mine who bought a motorcycle when we were still inspectors; they asked him where he got the money with which he bought the motorcycle. He couldn’t answer, so he was accused of being corrupt and that he was collecting money in traffic. Because of that, he was denied promotion and suffered it for many years before he left the force. Maybe you were at ASP position and then you went and bought an air-conditioner in your house. They’d ask you ‘How did you get the money?’

    What legacy did you leave behind as DIG?

    It was on the lips of the ordinary man who was old enough in 1989 when I retired that Chris Omeben was against anything that had to do with bribery and corruption. I didn’t believe in it because I was satisfied with what I got as my salary. I remember a case that happened in 1988, when a white man approached me to jail somebody, who is a prominent politician now, on a flimsy offence. The white man and the lady that led him to my office brought 300,000 Pounds Sterling. I turned the money down. I called the white man and said, “The fellow you want me to jail was a Deputy Commissioner of Police. And moreover, the offence is minor. Can’t you settle?” The Nigerian lady that followed him later came back and said, “Oga, come and open an account in Nigeria Bank of Commerce and Industry,” that the money would be put there. I said I was not interested. So if there was any legacy I left behind, I think it is my integrity; I left with my integrity intact.

    Are you saying that even white men contributed to corruption in Nigeria?

    The white man knows that price of crude will be $60 per barrel; that same white man will leave his country and come to Nigeria and say ‘O’ boi go to NNPC, tell them we will buy at $30, then the difference we shall share. He is prompting you to go into corruption. Whereas they go back home and tell their people that Africans are very corrupt.

    What is your philosophy of life?

    Do the best you can do for a generation and leave a mark of honesty.

    At eighty you still look attractive. Going into the ministry in 1989 at age 46, were you not afraid of losing your liberty?

    I don’t think I had all the liberty then because those who knew me very well can testify that I wasn’t a go-go type. So God speaking to me to start a ministry was a thing of joy.

    How has the ministry work benefited you?

    It has benefited me tremendously. I always say when I agreed to join the police, my father said ‘My dear son, if only we can have an inspector of police in our family, that will be wonderful.’ So when I became an inspector, my father made me to dress up and took me to Sapele to go and show to his friends. Then as I earned my promotion in the days of Gen. Murtala Mohamed, there was this wave of retirement and because some people did not like my religious lifestyle and the fact that I wouldn’t collect money from anybody; they thought they should ease me out. My name was put down for retirement and when one of the girls saw my name, she came to show me in my office, weeping. I asked her to get me a leave form, which I filled with the intention of going on leave to await news of my retirement letter. I was in the church one day when the voice of the lord came and said ‘For building a house for me, I am going to give you double promotion.’ Of course I laughed. While I was on leave, a colleague came to congratulate me that I had been promoted to the position of deputy commissioner. I said ‘come on, stop teasing me.’ I called my wife and told her, took my bath, wore my best suit, and went to the office to thank the IG for promoting me. I walked straight to the office of my boss who wanted to retire me to greet him. I was posted to Ogun State, where I became the first commissioner of police.

    In Nigeria, we have loads of churches and mosques but we’re low on moralities; what do you think is responsible for this?

    The society has a role in it but I always tell people, they don’t appreciate what God does through the mosque. People cannot appreciate what God does through the churches. I was watching a program on TV yesterday and I saw how God used a pastor to restore some people and I said ‘which hospital can do this?’ No hospital can do that. Or maybe an Imam prays and prays and you see the positive result in the life of somebody. Government cannot do that. To me the more mosques and churches we have, the better. Ministers should not live in poverty either, if they acquire their wealth legitimately, it is ok, but don’t rip off anybody.

    What is it like to be dressed in the same attire most time? What was the transformation like for you?

    I put on the suit once in a while; I have several suits which I used to wear. But now I have the white, the blue and the rest. The other suits I have, I hardly wear because it’s like taking a fish out of water. That is the way I see it, I will prefer to be seen as a Bishop.

    How did you meet your late wife?

    I met my wife a long time ago when she was working somewhere. I used to take her to and fro and everybody concluded that she was my girlfriend. We were just friends. But a day came when I just told her, “Do you know you would make a very good Mrs. Omeben.” She taught I was joking. Then a day came when she said she needed a passport because they were planning to go to Canada. I said, “Young lady, you are not going to Canada because that Canada is in my house.” That was how the whole thing started. We formalised our union in 1971. The marriage is blessed with seven children and four grand-children. We lived together for 43 years until she passed away last year.

    Are any of your children in your line of profession?

    In the Police, no. But in the ministry, yes. They don’t like the force like I didn’t like it back then too.

    Would you say your life aspirations have been fulfilled at eighty?

    I have enjoyed my life; the only area I will say I have not been fulfilled is the area of touching people’s life.

    Is that in terms of resources?

    Without resources you can’t do anything. You need money to do it and unfortunately, I have not got that kind of money. I know however that if it is a programme God has for me, he will provide the funds and I will do it before He calls me home.

    How would you say life has treated you in the last 80 years?

    God has been wonderful, I normally say that God has given me somebody else’s time; He has helped me all along and I cannot show him enough appreciation. I schooled in the police force, my last constituency. God is very wonderful and I appreciate him.

  • Silent stories of a deaf actor

    Silent stories of a deaf actor

    Ever witnessed a play by a group of deaf actors? This was the spectacle recently at a live drama performance in Lagos by Magic Finger Entertainment, a group of deaf actors and actresses doing the hitherto unthinkable. Just how do they manage to achieve this feat? Yetunde Oladeinde caught up with the team leader and originator, Richard Ezekiel, an energetic, never-say-die  actor who sees no barriers. Through an interpreter Ezekiel spoke of his silent world, challenges, memorable moments and early life.

    For me, every day is interesting. The first thing I do when I wake up is to replenish, go for a walk and then go straight to my laptop to check and reply emails. There I confirm appointments, which include rehearsal appointments; I also chat, do indoor planning and research. At other times, I just read stuff and engage in occasional creative writing.

    One basic challenge I have with the computer however is the abbreviations and special codes.

    On the road, it is a different thing entirely because I have had to master how conductors pronounce different destinations especially in Lagos. Most times our conductors call bus-stops as if they have hot moimoi (bean cake) in their mouths. This also poses a challenge when one wants to flag down an okada (bike), or board a vehicle during rush hours; and when I am on board, what I do is type out where I am going on my phone to a passenger. Sometimes, you get understanding people to help, but most times it is vice versa. But in spite of everything, life has been fun and very challenging. But then Challenge is a bus-stop in Ibadan, where I was born and bred.

    My advent into acting

    My flair for acting is purely in-born. As a kid, my dad didn’t provide television at home even though he could afford it. So my brother and I used to sneak into our neighbour’s living room to watch TV, and always got serious lashing if we got caught. Luckily the primary school I attended, God’s Grace Nursery and Primary School and my secondary school, Monatan High School both in Ibadan gave me opportunities to act during end of the year parties. I later joined the school literary and debating society.

    My mum also sings cultural songs a lot and that encouraged us to be active in church drama and choir. When I lost my hearing and switched to Methodist Grammar School Deaf Unit later in 2001, I was in social science and my subjects were limited. So I had to focus on learning sign language and adapting to the deaf culture. It was not easy at first; it took me a decade to finally accept that this is who I am and there are certain things in life that we can’t change. But if you are determined, then you can manage the situation properly.

    After secondary school, I always visited my friends who were then freshers at the University of Ibadan. They lived in Kuti Hall, which was so close to the Theatre Arts Department; so, often, when they went to class and I couldn’t follow them, the department of Theatre Arts was where I was attracted to. There I read several write ups on the notice board and also used the opportunity to scout for auditions that I could attend.

    Initially, it was tough but in the long run, I auditioned for a stage production and it was successful. Luckily an interpreter friend of mine Friday Azanor, was also casted in the production, which comprised mostly students of the department. I was in rehearsal and when it was my turn to block, Friday will interpret for me and I was given a role as a best friend of the lead character and as a deaf.

    During one of the rehearsals, Dr. Remi Ademola Adedokun was there to criticise the work as they normally did; thereafter he asked about my background and invited me to his office.

    For weeks, I was scared and thought I had broken some school rules and was afraid I’d be humiliated. I became sick with fear that I was going to be cut off from something that made me happy and left for home. But Friday kept telling me they were asking after me, so I went back and met Dr. Adedokun whom I came to understand was the HOD. He asked me ‘Why don’t you apply for Diploma through UI DLC?’

    Like a hormone-driven adolescent, I rushed to get the form and enrolled for the 2006/2007 session as the only deaf student in the Theatre Arts Department, University of Ibadan and without an interpreter. I still hold that record till today. However, this was one of the most challenging years of my life, as I had to lip-read and take notes. All my classmates and lecturers were aware of my deafness, but that didn’t earn me any preferential treatment or sympathy.

    My lecturer and mentor, Dr. Tunde Awosanmi, who also casted me in most of his productions always asked me why I was in the department when I knew I couldn’t cope. Whenever I told him I couldn’t do something, he would challenge me to get it done or carry-over the course. And since all eyes were on me both by the deaf students who believed I would be booted out of the department in time and my colleagues, who always wondered how I coped, I always ended up doing things even I didn’t believe I could do and got applauded. Now, anytime I look back at the situation and how everyone in the department took me like a brother and encouraged me to challenge myself, I’m just full of gratitude.

    I am also the only deaf person in the drama department of TREM (Vision House) in Utako, Abuja, where I also acted and have an amazing group.

    I have acted in so many stage plays that I have even lost count. I even played the lead role in Shakespeare’s play more than once and got a standing ovation. Since then, there has been no going back and I just keep pushing and doing what’s expected of me; and the more I do the thing I love, the more I realised I can do better, and the more I unleash my potentials. In trying to surpass my own expectation, success for me becomes a habit and old habits die hard.

    Tell us about Magic Finger Entertainment?

    Magic Finger Entertainment Productions was approved in July 2014 as a registered company and endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation same year. And since then there has been no going back. Entrepreneurs with no special needs will tell you things are not easy, you can then imagine what entrepreneur with Special needs like me would be going through.

    I choose the name Magic Finger because of how deaf people move our hands when communicating. Our Sign Language is a beautiful art and very fascinating. Hearing people who understand sign language will attest to this. I also think the name fits because it is a deaf-owned business and our focus is also to put the deaf individual in a better light where entertainment is concerned by encouraging and working with those interested in showcasing their special talents to the world.

    Rough road to fruition

    I always wanted to own my business and be financially independent, because I don’t believe everyone must wake up, wear suit and tie and go to a job expecting salary. My dad owned a catering business, he included our names to fill key positions even when all we did was just to count money, clear the table and wash plates. Then during my years at the University of Ibadan, I decided to add Theatre Management in my final year as a major, I was also opportune to go with student troupes who were already managing their own entertainment company successfully. Along the line I got little theatre contracts here and there, but my clients always asked if I was registered with the CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission). I told my dad about it, but the process he reeled out put me off. After school, I went to Abuja for the first time in 2010 and joined Silent Afro-Mime Troupe owned by another deaf man. There I learnt on the job for a few months and then returned to Ibadan with intention to further my education. Unfortunately, that didn’t click and I got stuck in Ibadan.

    During that interval, I was contacted by the president of Speech Pathologist and Audiologist Association of Nigeria through a friend in the Special Education Department to prepare drama interludes for their upcoming conference. There and then, I decided to start focusing on alternative communicating form of entertainment, something to put people with special needs, most especially the deaf in good light, as against all the stereotypes out there. I discovered there was almost no entertainment outfit in the country doing anything like that.

    Before Magic Finger Group, we had operated by different other names. Last year after working for a few months in a hotel in Abuja as a House Keeper, I was able to raise some money and decided it was time to get registered. I met a lawyer who guided me through the registration process. He was very amazed to meet a deaf person who wanted to do business registration.

    Deafness not a barrier?

    I would say that being deaf is not a barrier to creativity. In fact, Sign Language has proven that. If you don’t understand me, visit a deaf church and watch the choir sing in Sign Language. You will understand exactly where choreography evolved from. Magic Finger is using Sign Language to command attention through the aid of the whole body and majorly the hand to ‘magically’ express and dispense information to the anxious audience in an entertaining way.

     

    Major projects we have undertaken

    I have been directly and indirectly involved in a lot of projects, especially stage productions. I have also done lots of ‘waka pass’ roles. I recently played a role in a yet-to-be-released movie produced by Peculiar Communications. I am still working hard on my skills and learning on the job with every production. I am trying to expand my horizon in the field of entertainment to be able to one day say ‘I am a producer;’ and also to be able to thrive and bloom with my knowledge in the Arts.

    Major challenges faced

    You may be surprised if I tell you that my number one challenge is money. We wake up every day and go about our business because we want to make money to fulfill our needs and pay our bills.

    I have escaped being hit by cars and bikes without headlights at nights. I have been insulted when I went to follow-up on proposals and the secretary not knowing my mission, took me for a beggar and  offered me 10 naira. I have had people laugh and made jest of me because of my situation, but if I keep thinking about that, I would still remain in my shell. I’ve got lots of plans and things I want to do, but money is a big issue – to eat, to move, to cloth, to go to hospital, to be in a relationship and to be responsible. Money is not everything but it is part of everything.

    In a few weeks, I’d be going on internship with a deaf theatre company in Europe, Sweden to be precise, where I hope to learn and work for a month. I am presently running around for sponsorship to make that a reality for me and my interpreter. Whatever I learn will be impacted on other deaf people when I return. My admission after five years of trying to further through Distant Education is also there and that means money too.

    One other problem is that of harassment by law enforcement agencies and security operatives, who’ll deny you of entrance into important places just because you are deaf. To them, once you have a disability, then you have come to ask for financial assistance. I have missed a lot of appointments because I had to spend time in police stations and police vehicles trying to explain myself.

    Memorable moments on the job

    My first major stage performance outside Ibadan was when I was cast in Wole Soyinka’s KONGIS HARVEST as directed by Dr. Tunde Awosanmi and we went to perform at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta. That night, the hall was jam-packed with who is who in Abeokuta since it was a command performance for Prof. Wole Soyinka’s birthday celebration. After the performance, Yemi Shodimu shook hands with all of us; as he was trying to tell me something, one of the casts quickly informed him that I am a deaf and he instantly became speechless and was just staring at me.

    A few years later, we took the same performance to Yar’Adua centre in Abuja and it was filled with beautiful memories. On our way back, it was late and we had to park our buses inside Federal College of Education at Okene. Because we couldn’t find a place to sleep, we decided to start a gyration that ultimately woke up all the students. That night was mad fun!

    There was also the production of IBOJI OKU, the Yoruba adaptation of Solomon Iguanres THE GRAVE ENCOUNTER, directed by Abraham Oladipupo. I was casted roles with very long speech that a lot of my casts started doubting if I was indeed a deaf. I wanted to give up that rehearsal because at every moment, someone would correct my pronunciation and I got really tired; but the director wouldn’t have any of that. I must say my time at University of Ibadan really taught me a lot about discipline, timing, focus and staying true to the course, as the show must go on!

    I was also fortunate to attend a dance workshop organised by Mr. Qudus Onikeeku of QDance Centre, where we had the dance maestro, Ijodee in attendance. You can imagine what I learnt in two weeks with these dance professionals. There was also an occasion in my final year at the university when my group adopted one of my short film scripts for shooting in our project work, and on set, the director had to come to me occasionally to ask for understanding of some scenes and in the end we got good grades. Life at UI contributed a lot to what I am today and where I am going. I am proud to be an alumnus of Recte Sapere Fons.

    Life as a deaf activist

    I moderate Deaf World, a WhatsApp forum and also serve a ‘gateman’ for another forum that discusses matters relating to deaf advancement in Africa. I am a Special Adviser to the Excos of Ikotun Deaf Development Association in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos. Currently, I am also PRO for Deaf Resources Centre, Nigeria. I was among those who pioneered NUDSA (National union of deaf Students Association in University of Ibadan, and I am an entertainment consultant and youth leader for NNAD (Nigerian National Association of the Deaf) at national level. It’s not really easy doing all these but I am always pushing myself to the limits for whatever cause I believe in.

    My other fancies

    I read a lot. I also try to be creative by writing; I have a few uncompleted works from prose to drama and screenplay that I have been working on for years. I am a composer too and I look forward to having a collabo with any singer someday by giving them my work. All I do in the music video is sing along using sign language and dance because having had the opportunity of living in the two worlds, the deaf and hearing, I don’t believe music is music until I see deaf people grooving successfully to its beats and lyrics. This can be achieved by a hard danceable beat and sign language in music videos and I look forward to experimenting with it someday. Note that I used to be a juvenile choir leader in church; I lost my hearing prior to my transfer to the main choir. I strongly believe it is normal to be different. I spend time online too looking to network with people on the international level most especially deaf entertainment practitioners. I also read a lot about business management, African History, entertainment and politics. And occasionally when I have the chance, I engage in sport. I play soccer, walk soccer and I swim as a hobby.

    My family, my pillar of support

    They have been very supportive to the best of their capabilities. Being a first child comes with its own challenges. Through thick and thin we keep walking. Family is important to me because at the end of the day, they are the ones by your side. It got to a point my parents realised that I have my own dreams and they just had to let me be. Today, they keep reminding me how very proud they are of me. Aside my blood family, I also have some wonderful people who today consider me as family.