The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • Ila Orangun honours Tola Wewe

    Ila Orangun honours Tola Wewe

    Former Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief Tola Wewe will tomorrow be honoured with the chieftaincy title of Oluaye Agbasaga of Ila Orangun in Osun State by the Orangun of Ila, Oba Adedeji Kayode Oyedotun, Bibire 1 at the Orangun of Ila’s palace. Wewe’s wife will also bag the title of Yeye Alasaga of Ila Orangun. The honour is in appreciation of the contributions of Wewe to the growth of the nation’s cultural heritage especially of the Yoruba people. Entertainment of guests will hold at Nike’s Guest House in Oshogbo.

    The conferment is part of activities marking this year’s Asa Day Festival aimed at promoting the annual Isinro Festival that has been celebrated in Ila Orangun since ancient times.

    Past personalities that have been honoured by the Orangun of Ila are Chief Remi Fajenyo (Oluomo Agbasaga of Ila Orangun), Chief Kayode Samuel (Agbasaga of Ila Orangun), Chief Odubamidele Odule (Baba Asa of Ila Orangun), Chief Bayo Adebowale (Arole Agbasaga of Ila Orangun), and Chief Mrs Adeola Faleye (Yeye Asa of Ila Orangun).

     

  • Encounters with Wole Soyinka

    Encounters with Wole Soyinka

    The first series of encounters were over 20 years ago. Fast forward to this year, a series of remarkable encounters.

    Port Harcourt became UNESCO  World Book Capital by on April 23. It was announced with lots of literary festivities.

    Yes, Nigeria made history loud and clear in a very positive manner. Being at Port Harcourt World Book Capital celebration to me was not just a breath of fresh air, it was a gush of fresh air. Port Harcourt was nominated World Book Capital, 2014 on account of its excellent record in the areas of books, reading and writing, thereby improving Nigerian culture.

    Other applicants for the coveted nomination include Oxford (UK), Lyon (France), Moscow (Russian Federation) , Yaounde (Cameroun) just to name a few.

    The ceremony was well packaged by the Federal Government, the government of Rivers State led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Mrs Koko Kalango, founder of Rainbow Book Club.

    I was privileged to be at the ceremony and very proud to be a Nigerian. Prof Wole Soyinka was the keynote speaker on this memorable occasion.

    Always politically and mentally alert, on climbing the rostrum to give his address- he dealt immediately with two burning issues – lambasting the government on slamming 50 per cent duty on books – which got the government to respond in a positive manner almost immediately. He also demanded that the government should not spare any efforts in bringing back the girls then recently abducted by the Boko Haram group. The response from the audience was thunderous.

    The fifth edition of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature was held at the Civic Centre in Lagos in July. The prize was established by the Lumina Foundation in 2005 to promote the best in African Literature not just in Nigeria.

    The prize money is now a whopping $20,000 and has been won across the continent. Wole  Soyinka ensures that he is available to hand over the prize every year. This year’s award coincided with his 80th birthday and the foundation spared no effort to make it a memorable one.

    The Civil Centre was alive with dignitaries and music was nice and varied, including the famous Steve Rhodes Orchestra. The address by the Guest Speaker, the fiery Prof Akin Oyebode took the audience down the memory lane when he had dabbled into acting!

    Then we saw the Lion baring his fangs.  Only the previous day, soldiers ran amok on Ikorodu Road on the excuse that one of their own was killed by a bus driver. Wole Soyinka took the opportunity to remind the government that this is not a military era and that the soldiers should be cautioned over their excesses. The coveted prize was won by a Nigerian, yes, Ibadan based writer – Akin Bello who was justifiably very elated.

    A couple of days ago, I got an invitation (summons!) by BankoleOlayebi, MD Bookcraft in Ibadan, a professional colleague and also a good friend for the launch of the special edition of four books; Ake, Isara, Ibadan and the Man Died by Wole Soyinka as part of celebrating his 80th birthday.

    I knew I had to be there to give support to one of our own and also get glimpses of WS at close quarters again. For me, having lived in Ibadan for close to three decades and going to and coming from Ibadan was no big deal in those days. Now, to travel to Ibadan by road has almost become a nightmare! However, I had to obey the summons.

    Keenly conscious of the fact that Ibadan is the city of culture and excellence where the concept of “African” time is not tolerated, therefore I took the longer route to Ibadan via Epe, Ijebu-Ode and Idi-Ayunre. I must say my efforts were rewarded as the programme billed to start by 4pm was almost in full swing by 4.30pm.

    The attendance was very, very impressive: there were professors and professors. There were emeritus Prof Ayo Banjo, Prof Akinkugbe ( a classmate to WS), Prof JideAjayi, Prof BimpeAboyade (my teacher  & mentor); Prof TolaAtinmo, to name a few. Also, heavy representation from “town” included KunleAjibade of The News magazine (his special edition on WS is very much a collector’s delight);Mr Mosuro of Mosuro Books and naturalised Ife chief, Chief JoopBerkhout of Safari Books.

    The evening was chaired by Chief (Mrs) Folake Solanke, Nigeria’s first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), classy, elegant and still fearless. The host, WS came in well before 5pm with his beautiful trendy wife, Folake (her shoes were a sight to behold!). Our Nobel Laureate get eyes o.

    A close look at the programme with readings, from all the books, drama sketch and music by imitable Jimi Solanke assured us all of a memorable evening.

    The first reading from WS’s book Isara was read by no less a person than emeritus Prof of English, Ayo Banjo. This was a question of a round peg in a round hole. The rendition was awesome. The next reading was by the playwright and author, Lola Soneyin, WS’s daughter –in-law from my favourite book, Ake. The section of the teacher who plucked a rose from HM’s garden and was asked to “lemo” is always hilarious.

    The evening had gathered momentum, when we were interrupted not once but twice to usher in Governor Ajimobi. Having come so late, his aides could have ensured that he got in as quietly as possible. No, an announcement was made to halt the proceedings and a few people got up to usher in the governor. Then WS stood up as if to meet the governor, whilst the radicals, Egbon Felix Adenaike and Brand – new Emeritus Prof Femi Osofisan, I sat next to, muttered very loudly “ewo”.

    We were calmed down by no less a person than Lola Soneyin that WS only went to the loo!!! Real anti-climax. The governor read his allotted portion from the book Ibadan quite well.The rest of the evening was totally enjoyable and pleasant with interactive sessions with WS.

     

    • Mrs Fetuga, the Chief Executive, Florence &Lambard (Nig.) Ltd, lives in Lagos.

  • Travel journalist Awofeso gets tourism award

    Award-winning travel journalist and author, Pelu Awofeso, has been named the “Best Tourism Promoter” at this year’s MBE Improver Awards. It was held in Manchester,  England .

    According to the organisers, the event was hosted “to acknowledge, celebrate and confer excellence on individuals who devoted their all in promoting human welfare and advancing reforms in their specific fields”.

    Other categories at the awards include outstanding leadership awards, volunteer recognition awards, best human rights activist, best community leader, best journalist and best entertainer.

    Nominations were announced for 16 different categories in June and winners emerged based on voting by the public on the organiser’s website.

    “I am extremely honoured by this award, coming as it is when the international community prepares to mark the World Tourism Day on September 27. I want you to know that this award will only spur me on to continue to do what I have been doing in the past 15 years—promoting domestic tourism in every way possible, online and offline,” an elated Awofeso said.

    Awofeso is a former winner of the CNN/ Multichoice Africa Journalist Awards in the tourism category and his career in journalism has spanned 12 years. He is the author of three travel books on Nigeria and he currently edits waka-about, a tourism- and arts-focused periodical.

    “It’s been a long, tough and almost tiring journey, but I will be the first to confess that my life has been thoroughly enriched by my adventures around Nigeria—from Argungu to Asaba—and the everyday Nigerians I have met on my way,” adds Awofeso, who has visited 30 states.

    “If there is anything I would like to say at this point, it will be to all Nigerians to take your own journeys; a great deal of memorable experiences await,” he added.

  • Group holds creative writing workshop

    Group holds creative writing workshop

    NIGERIA has abundant young writers, says the President of Women Writers of Nigeria, Mrs Mobolaji Adenubi. The writers, she said, should be mentored to make them win awards.

    She spoke at a Creative Writing Workshop aimed at inspiring and nurturing young talented writers.

    Mrs Adenubi founded a creative non-profit organisation, Splendid Literature and Culture Foundation (SLCF).

    Thirty budding writers between ages 11 and 21 attended event at the King’s College, Lagos, to hone their writing skills.

    Mrs Adenubi led five other facilitators to teach the Mechanics of Writing. She taught participants literary terms, such as “plotting”, “character development”, “description” and “points of view”, among others. Other facilitators were co-founder of WriteHouse,”Femi Morgan; full-time writer and editor with years of experience in print and online media and publishing,Adebola Rayo; poet, short story writer and occasional essayist, Dami Ajayi; self-published author of children’s stories, Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmor;award-winning essayist, freelance writer and editor,Temitayo Olofinlua Amogunla and Oyindamola Olofinlua.

    “We encourage young people to think imaginatively, and help them develop how to think, not what to think. Older writers have more opportunities to sharpen their writing craft; hence this writing workshop is primarily for younger writers,” Mrs Adenubi said.

    Author ofHustlerpreneur,Morgan is optimistic over the growth of creative writing in the continent, saying: “My experience shows that there is hope for the new narratives from Africa. The foundation [not only] waters the creative imagination of potential writers and artists but [also] accompanies it with a realistic bluntness about the creative industry”.

    Mrs Amogunla facilitated a session on Online Writing and the Business of Writing. According to her, “Creative people usually have the failing of not being good at transacting business. Writing can and should indeed be big business!” She focused extensively on the opportunities online, how writing and indeed writers can be a “thriving business”.

    Rayo shared with participants how to become better writers: how to know whether their manuscripts is indeed ready, while highlighting what to do when one is done writing a manuscript, which she entitled My Manuscript and I, and how to get their works out.

    Ajayi and Chiazor-Enenmor shared their publishing stories to inspire. According to Ajayi, he has secured a deal and his soon-to-be published collection of poetry was shortlisted for the prestigious Melita Hume Poetry Prize.

    Oyindamola taught Copyediting 101 with focus on how writers can first edit their own writing.

    Elated Jamiu Basit,a participant, said: “SLCF Creative Writing Workshop has given me everything, including the sparkling tools to win a Man Booker.”

  • As Fela Son of Kuti hits stage

    As Fela Son of Kuti hits stage

    A new stage play by Comel Onyekaba titled Fela Son of Kuti is to kick-start a series of festival of theatres to be held at the National Theatre, Lagos, beginning from September 26th and ending in December. Organisers of the shows explained to Edozie Udeze that the concept is to continue the centenary celebrations of the country and to also ensure that a Broadway-type of theatre is brought to Nigeria not only to honour Fela but to also celebrate Wole Soyinka who turned 80 this year

    As part of the activities marking the centenary celebrations of the Nigerian nation and also in continuation of the 80 years anniversary of the Noble Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, the Crown Troupe of Africa and the National Theatre, Lagos, are engaged in series of festival of theatres that would begin on September 26 this year. In an interview with The Nation, Segun Adefila, the founder of the group explained that the choice of The Dance of the Forests written by Soyinka is to open people’s eyes to the variety of issues the playwright raised in the play when he wrote it more than 50 years ago.

    “Since the play was written to mark Nigeria’s independence in 1960, it is also imperative to use it as part of the 100 years of the nation. In furtherance of that”, Adefila continued, “ it is proper to situate the play within the context that Soyinka wrote it then. To us, it is a play that mirrored what the Nigerian situation would be in time to come. Besides the fact that it is prophetic, it shows the leadership of a society that is in dire need of focus, direction and the like”.

    Working in collaboration with the management of the National Theatre, Lagos, the plays would also include a satire on Fela Son of Kuti written by Comel Onyekaba, a Broadway kind of play to showcase the musical and the theatrical exploits of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti. This was selected not only to bring live theatre closer to the people but also show that the place of Fela as an icon cannot be forgotten or downplayed in the annals of Nigeria.

    “Fela is an iconoclast. He is a force to reckon with. If we have his shows on Broadway in the United States of America continuously, why wouldn’t we replicate such here to encourage our people to see the real Fela on stage. It is also to broaden our people’s attitude to what is our own. Fela conquered the stage, indeed the whole world with his type of Afrobeat. He convinced the world that he had something to say. These were messages that were not immediately valued but are even more relevant today”, Biodun Abe of the National Theatre, said.

    The idea is to bring people back to live theatre, using our own artistes within the local needs of the environment to stir the sector. As the programmes begin on September 26 to run through a period of three months, the plays will each tackle some important and salient issues that trouble the nation. “They are plays that address who we are, plays that bring us into the society where we are. We need the plays to talk to us, to help us look at the areas where we faltered and areas where we’ve done well in order to know what to do to be better” Adefila said.

    Crown Troupe of Africa is known for creating dance dramas weaved around some socio-political and economic problems of the Nigerian society. Over the years, the Troupe has travelled within and outside Nigeria to tell the world that satire and hyperbole can be used in forms of dances, theatres, songs and drumming to touch on the norms of the people.

    “This is why we create stories that people can relate with, can identify as part of their own existence in a society where many things have indeed gone wrong”, Adefila explained.

    Apart from the shows for the months of September through to October, other equally important plays will be staged in November and December. For instance Fela Son of Kuti will mount the stage on September 26 and then run till the 28th. This will serve as a teaser to prepare people’s minds for the more serious theatricals replicated in the Dance of the Forests. “We chose Dance of the Forests because of its topicality and relevance to our immediate needs now.” Adefila, who directed the play averred. “We didn’t forget how some people usually consider Soyinka’s works as too difficult to decode or understand. We considered all that before we went on to stage it. However, we are careful so as not to bury or subsume the thematic issues embedded in the play”.

    Given that the festival is yet to release the names of the plays for the months of November and December, Biodun Abe, one of the coordinators of the shows explained that it is deliberate. “We have to be sure which plays to go on stage so as not to lower the tempo or water down on the standard. But you can be sure we will not give you what does not suite your taste or what does not correspond with the aims and objectives of the festival”.

    But for Adefila whose style of theatrical presentation is often seen to be abstract but infused with drama, this is time to ensure that live theatre is brought back into the mainstream of the society.

    “Community theatre which we grew up to watch and cherish is almost dead,” he said. “However, with this sort of show, we can begin to draw the attention of the people to real stage theatre.  It is here that we can see the exposure of the issues that pertain to the people. For me, any society that forgets its theatre is also likely to forget its own story. On stage you give life to the issues, you let the society see its own follies or otherwise and then you make them laugh, make them relax and generally be happy. This is part of concept of the shows”, so said Adefila.

    In creating their stories, the Crown Troupe ensures that they are people oriented. The stories have to be danceable with deep elements of theatre to entertain the audience. This is why variety of characters are infused into the plays to make people understand and follow the sequence of presentation.

    “Yes, this is what we have going for us. You see, I didn’t create or found the Troupe alone. We were four of us who did it way back at the University of Lagos. The total concept we had was to mirror the society using topical and burning issues to reach out to the people.”

    Today even though his other three colleagues have left the Troupe, Adefila says he finds consolation and total fulfillment in all the members who make up the cast and crew of the Troupe. “Yes, I draw my inspiration from them. They are the people who make the dramas tick. Together, we all create those ideas you see on stage. The artistes can be of fun if you treat them well. Many of them from different areas of Nigeria come here to make the ideas rich and diverse.”

    He is also inspired by the masquerade spirits having come from a family where masquerades were revered. “I know I would be an artiste”, he disclosed. “My family was the custodians of masquerades where I come from. So, right from the word go, I knew I would draw my inspiration from that. The spirit of the masquerades often propel me to do most of my creative things.

    “And while at the University of Lagos where I was taught by the likes of Tunji Sotimirin, Laz Ekwueme, Duro Oni and Ahmed Yerima, you had no choice but to allow real theatre to permeate you. These first class scholars taught us how to be creative, how theatre is real in real life.”

    He recalled however, how the era of Hubert Ogunde and others helped to bring life to theatre. “It is we the younger ones who should continue to uphold this tradition. These people suffered to give us theatre, to ensure that it is a profession that gives practitioners money. Today, we are happy and proud to be theatre artistes because someone has paved the way for it. You cannot say artistes are not living well, they are not paying their bills, building their own mansions at Lekki and some other choice areas in the country. All you need do is stick to what you do and do it well”. Adefila offered.

    The centenary festival of theatres will be rounded off with other interesting programmes that will make the audience see the profundity of live theatre. “It will be a show of all shows”, Abe promised. “We will use all sorts of theatricals to keep the Theatre environment warm come the month of October and beyond”, he said.

     

  • Another critical look at corruption

    Another critical look at corruption

    Each year, international anti-corruption day precedes human rights day, but in all other ways, the developing struggle against corruption follows the path laid by the human rights movement. In his seminal work, Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, Dr. Kolawole Olaniyan argues convincingly that anticorruption efforts would be best progressed by relying not only on the shoulders of national criminal law systems, but also thorough recognition by and integration into global and regional human rights law, norms and practice.

    The 368 paged book painstakingly considers the many faceted perspectives of this proposition from a review of existing treatment of grand corruption schemes in domestic criminal law settings to a look at the wide-ranging scope of human rights protected by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other international treaties impacted or violated by corruption, to the theoretical bases for applying the normative human rights framework to a problem which has proven too vast to handle through criminal law alone, results in a reference point for lawyers, judges, elected leaders and civil society alike to take the movement forward.

    Dr. Olaniyan concludes with a proffering of several next steps which will undoubtedly provoke thoughtful debate in the years to come.

    The conceptualization is that of a two-way street: anticorruption movement needs certain strengths the human rights law framework has established, and human rights, to be realized, must root out underlying causes of corruption.

    In answering the question, why look to human rights law to address grand corruption, Dr. Olaniyan highlights several key points from moral to legalistic. In the early chapters of the book, he discusses the potential of depoliticizing and internationalizing the problem, and attaching an appropriate level of moral imperative to it. It’s not just an abstract, victimless crime or tool for political revenge. It’s a central cause of human suffering and poverty, and real people are real victims, everyday. He laments the fact that the victims are largely neutralised (and virtually anonymous) in the criminal process, with no access to human rights remedies.

    Education, health, development, and basic freedoms to information, association and life, fair trials and private property rights all languish in the hands of a governance structure laced with corruption. Just as in human rights discourse, the socially and economically vulnerable suffer the most.

    But where can we, the people, the “victims of corruption” go for redress? Who will hear our cries for help when we know all too well that our treasuries are being pilfered while public services – from physical infrastructure to fair criminal justice systems and humane, equal treatment of our populaces – are routinely denied?

    Compellingly, Dr. Olaniyan discusses three key developments in human rights law that start to unlock the blockages currently encountered in attempts to seek adequate redress for corruption: limitations on the concept of state sovereignty, expanded notions of standing of complainants, and rejection of strict rules of causation which dominate national criminal legal systems.

    As long as instances of grand corruption continue to be treated solely as particular criminal acts of individuals, various immunities will protect wrongdoers from sanctions and the argument of state sovereignty will politicize instantly international efforts at accountability. The human rights normative framework, however, has succeeded in limiting otherwise unchecked state power by imposing the duties to protect, respect and fulfill human rights, in effect, realizing a concept of public trust. The state is entrusted to operate for the benefit and security of the people, not to take what it will from the people’s national coffers.

    The human rights framework concludes that law protects people, not states; the power of the state is not absolute and cannot be used as a veil for abuse by its agents, but rather is responsible for their acts.

    The application of this framework to grand corruption is clear, as is Dr. Olaniyan’s clear advice that sticking with a strict adherence to traditional norms of state and sovereign immunity of national criminal law systems will always keep us from touching the lifeblood of corruption. Looking instead to other frameworks, he spends considerable time with Article 21 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which evinces a clear intent to protect the peoples’ exclusive right to “freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources.” While he discusses many articles of the Charter which are violated by acts of corruption, Article 21 stands out as uniquely positioned to address massive theft of public assets and money-laundering plaguing much of the continent.

    But how can people access the protection of Article 21 and the spectrum of human rights provisions, especially when “spoliation” or wasting away of what naturally belongs to them is indigenous?

    Dr. Olaniyan looks to international human rights law notions of standing and causation. In contrast to restrictive domestic requirements of proving a specific and direct harm, by its very nature, the international human rights framework relies on universality and inviolability of rights, laying the basis for any citizen to challenge a breach. He proffers that we might go one step further to develop a type of derivative proceeding, akin to corporate shareholder actions, that members of the public could bring in recovering stolen assets.

    In place of struggling through ill-fitting causation standards in criminal law, Dr. Olaniyan suggests “the obligations of the state rather than the corrupt acts of its high-ranking officials” are what should be considered to establish responsibility. That, we could look to a state’s acts, or failures to act, in carrying out obligations and commitments under international treaties on corruption and human rights to determine a nexus of breach of diligence and vigilance, corrupt acts of high-ranking officials, and alleged human rights violations. This general form of showing causation is more fitting, considering especially the secrecy within which corruption lives.

    Civil society’s experience in initiating and supporting anticorruption proceedings, however, elucidate other complications in getting to accountability: exhaustion of remedies prior to an approach to a human rights venue is a serious obstacle for many, and the primary reason the Equatorial Guinea case brought to the African Commission by the Open Society Justice Initiative, mentioned in this book, was eventually not admitted. While it is encouraging to see the quotes from Commissioners that they would consider a case that alleged corruption in the violation of rights protected by the Charter, the denial of a case which alleged just that on exhaustion grounds, when there is considerable evidence of the impaired, partial judiciary in the country, torture and other forms of retribution against those who challenge the state, and resulting unavailability of true domestic recourse, shows we have much work to do in explaining the degree to which corruption impairs the widest spectrum of human rights.

    Recent and unfolding experience in international asset recovery and repatriation schemes also reveal a host of thorny issues that will likely require significant time to develop into norms which respect not only peoples’ rights to wealth and development but also democratic values of governance and decision-making by a truly representative mechanism, lest we devolve into battles between peoples’ within a state and between the people and the state.

  • A great day for an author

    A great day for an author

    It was a great day for Ebikeme Gandhi Orubebe, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) as his two novels, Missing Daughters and Deserts were presented to the public.  The venue was Asaba, the Delta State capital and many important dignitaries had gathered to pour encomiums on the author for his painstaking efforts in writing the two books.  It was indeed an occasion for people like Diepriye Alamieyeseigha, Governor-General of the Ijaw nation and a former governor of Bayelsa State to remind Orubebe that writing is the best form of creating a legacy that would survive all the vicissitude and troubles of the world.

    “All the wealth you acquire in this world, all your buildings and assets and investments may soon fade away but your creative endeavor would be for all seasons and for generations yet unborn to make use of.  That is the whole essence and beauty of what you have done.  And we hope you’ll do more, you’ll write more books for the sake of prosperity so that forever, your name will be etched in gold,” he said.

    Amid pomp, jokes and entertainment, the author was praised for using the occasion of his service to the nation to prove that humility is a virtue that should not be alien to his kind of career.  A thorough-bred police officer, Orubebe utilised the slightest opportunity he had while in service to put pen to paper, thereby producing two classical books that mirror the Nigerian society and providing ways to not only forestall societal decays but encouraging parents to be of better cheer while indoctrinating their kids on the way forward.

    Professor Isidore Diala of the Imo State University, Owerri, who reviewed the two books pointedly made reference to history and how the process of literary creation in both of ancient and venerable origin…  “Therefore the myth confers on the writer the status of at least a demigod, hallows his pronouncements not only with a sense of inscrutable mystery but indeed with the aura of oracular injunctions…”

    He described the works of the author as someone who burnt the exalting midnight oil by highlight perspiration as the cost of inspiration.  And moreover as the critical filter for giving to airy nothing a local habitation and a name.”  Indeed Orubebe excelled when others feared to make efforts.

    For Professor B.E.B. Nwoke, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Imo State University who delivered an inspirational speech, Orubebe was an inspiration to many when he served in Imo State.  He said “He believes in the fundamental principles of life.  Orubebe works to encourage humanity and to ensure that human dignity is not only improved upon but made better for all and sundry.  He believes that man is made to learn from his past, from his mistakes so as to gear up for better things in the future.”

    To Nwoke, it is time for people, for the whole society to learn a sense of duty from the likes of Orubebe, who in spite of their exalted offices chose to be humble so as to impact positively on the society.  As a professional, Orubebe discountenanced greed, avarice and ingratitude, using the fear of God to serve mankind.”

    As he spoke he drew the attention of the guests to the many essential elements that make a man of reputation quite relevant and ever useful to the society.  These rare qualities of the author were not only re-echoed by Chijioke Uwasomba of the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU), Ife, Osun State, who handled proceedings, but he also gave vent to the event as the best way to honour a literary guru whose works tackle serious societal issues.

    Uwasomba promised to encourage the author to go on a nationwide reading tour of his works.  To him, the beauty of such an exercise is to promote the writer and his works.  Beyond that, it is an opportunity for him to be face-to-face with the public who would assess his works on the spot.  “Literature thrives when the author becomes widely known, when he is closer to the people.  For our undergraduates, this will be a golden opportunity to meet an officer who has so imparted on them via his works; via his insightful novels.”

    In his own speech, the Chief launcher of the books, Dr. Andrew Warri lauded the author for his sense of charity.  “He helped me to go to school to read medicine,” he said.  “Therefore, this is a man who uses his wealth to touch lives and he is worthy of emulation.”

    The event which was witnessed by many dignitaries saw people in high spirits.  Orubebe who attended with his lovely wife said that his love for writing is irrepressible.  Writing has already become a part of him as he promises to release eight more books in the next few months.

  • NLNG Literature prize finalists named

    NLNG Literature prize finalists named

    The final shortlist of three writers has been approved by the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited.

    The three shortlisted writers are Friday John Abba (Alekwu Night Dance), Jude Idada (Oduduwa, King of the Edos) and Sam Ukala (Iredi War).

    An initial shortlist of eleven was released in July.

    According to the Chairman of the Advisory Board, Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo, the eventual winner of the competition will be announced at a press conference on 9th October, 2014.

    Friday John Abba, a playwright was Chairman of Kaduna Writers’ League and former Vice Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).

    Playwright, theatre director, film producer and an academic, Sam Ukala was the Chairman, Delta State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).

    Ukala’s other published plays include The Slave Wife, The Log in Your Eye, Akpakaland and Break a Boil.

    Jude Idada, a screen writer, filmmaker and dramatist, has published works in the three genres of literature.

    He is the author of Flood, Brixton Stories and Lost. He is also the winner of the 2013 Association of Nigerian Authors’ Prize for Drama with his book, Oduduwa: King of the Edos. Idada, who currently lives in Canada, is a graduate of Theatre Arts, from the University of Ibadan.

  • A closer look at Civil Service Reforms

    A study on Administrative Reforms in Africa conducted by Prof. Ladipo Adamolekun in 2005 regarded Nigeria as a “hesitant” reformer alongside Gabon, Togo and Zimbabwe closer to the vicious cycle of non-reformers (Somalia, Sudan) than the vicious cycle of advanced reformers, (Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius). 45 long years down the line Nigeria is still hesitantly conceding to administrative reforms in the public service!

    Dr. Tunji Olaopa may not be a prophet, neither a Nostradamus who sees tomorrow, but he has been in the bureaucratic corridor of Nigeria, Africa and CAPAM long enough to know that all is not well with the Nigerian Civil Service. That is why, his passion for a professional Civil Service propels him to bring his experience as an “expert insider” to attempt a prospective prognosis, a roadmap towards achieving a world class Nigerian Civil Service in the near future. That is what Dr. Tunji attempts to do in the 372 page book: The NIGERIAN CIVIL SERVICE OF THE FUTURE: A Prospective Analysis. And who can offer a more befitting imprimatur than Dr. Christopher Kolade CON- himself one of Nigeria’s seasoned bureaucrat and technocrat- who in the Forward says, “Olaopa is offering — a timely roadmap for a return journey to a civil service of a world class quality”.

    Made up of 18 chapters, Dr. Tunji labouriously and painstakingly takes us on his visionary journey to a trajectory for the future of Nigeria’s Civil Service. He chronicles the reform dynamics of Nigeria’s Public Administration; the Politics-Administrative Interface; the beginning of the Nigerian Civil Service and reflections on the Nation’s Administrative history. Olaopa also interrogates Nigeria’s reform profile and its emergent dysfunctions, explaining why administrative reforms have failed in Nigeria. From analyzing the elements of the Civil Service Reform process which include: structure, recruitment, capacity building, performance and promotion, professionalism and modernity to accountability, Dr. Tunji examined the statist environment of the Nigerian Civil Service and how that has, one way or the other, compromised its capacity to represent the government in its task of effectively and efficiently delivering qualitative goods and services to the citizens.

    Indeed as the roadmap to the future which includes a reflection on the past, Olaopa gives us a synopsis of what he calls “a practitioner’s perspective” on bureaucratic corruption and the Public Service, noting the following as the contextual dimensions and manifestations of corruption: bribery, embezzlement, fraud, extortion, abuse of power, conflict of interest, insider trading/abuse of privileged information, favouritism and nepotism. With empirical hindsight acquired from his several researches on the bureaucracy, Tunji says that “the manifestation and the effectiveness of Nigeria’s anti-corruption strategies and control mechanisms have unfortunately recorded inadequate outcomes”. Therefore, if corruption equals, monopoly plus discretion in decision-making minus accountability, the overall objective of the anti-corruption strategies should be “to increase the level of transparency and accountability”.

    Dr. Tunji also unravels the pay and compensation conundrum and its effect on productivity: if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Nigeria needs to adopt a new style management in terms of the management of the salary/wage set up of the Civil Service, bearing in mind her social and economic environment. This is a solution framework for industrial relations and Nigeria’s productivity challenges. In envisioning the future of the Nigeria Civil Service, Dr.Tunji does not claim puritanical ideas. He examines the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms (NSPSR) Reform Blueprint, and concludes that “it can be negotiated through a 5-Point Agenda” by creating a new generation of public managers committed to the agenda of a new productivity paradigm; Reengineering of MDA management system into performance-oriented, technology-enabled and social compact or accountable business model; strengthening and leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to facilitate and deepen effective and efficient service deliveries; Reorienting the public service into a rebranded profession and a leadership development scheme that empowers.

    But how can this be done? In prescribing the building of a new generation of public managers/leaders, Dr. Tunji examines the New Zealand model, the German ‘Slim State’ model, the Nordic model and the New Public Governance model which lay emphasis on managerialism as the paradigm of organizational efficiency and suggests that “the Public Service should be carried on by the admission into its lower ranks of a carefully selected body of young men ( and women) who should be employed from the first upon work suited to their capacities and their education and should be made constantly to feel that their promotion and future prospects depend entirely on the industry and ability with which they discharge their duties”- a return to professionalism.

    In addition to the above, the Service needs to get back to the basic right in terms of creating a core institutional framework for managing the reform process. This entails ownership of the Reform Management Strategy and he presented many models for managing the reform process which could include sustaining the present arrangement and the strengthening of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) which coordinates all reforms in the Public Service including issues of governance, institutional reforms, service delivery and efficiency improvement, cost economy, and rightsizing etc.

    Dr. Tunji equally suggests a critical rethinking of personnel and performance, the role of the Civil Service Commission and the imperative of Human Resource Management (HRM) under a New Public Management paradigm. His prospective opinion is that “the advantages of best practices in HR management can be better deployed within a decentralizing context”.

    The Nigerian Civil Service is very critical but at the same time dysfunctional, that is why Dr. Tunji  says that he “ realized the significant imperative of a functional, efficient and professionally capacitated civil service within the context of a framework of good governance” as an “urgent desideratum of the Nigerian government”. Olaopa is optimistic the Nigerian Civil Service though short on service delivery to the people now can live up to this responsibility , but it “has a significant date with its own future as a rehabilitated and responsive institutional framework dedicated to policy implementation and service delivery”. Will the Heads of Service, Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Reform Agencies and other MDAs take this “manifesto” for the reform of the Nigerian Civil Service as provided by Dr. Tunji Olaopa and run with it for the good of the Service and good governance? Time will tell.

  • ‘Ours is a family of musicians’

    ‘Ours is a family of musicians’

    Oluwatosin Bamidele Owomoyela is the younger brother of the late Orlando Owoh famous for the the Africa Kennery Band. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde and Udemma Chukwuma, Owomoyela, an automobile engineer turned musician, went down memory lane to talk about the music that runs in the family his early life with Orlando Owoh,  and the controversial sides of his late brother who died about five years ago

    You play kennery music which was synonymous with the late Orlando Owoh, are you related to him?

    He is my elder brother, not immediate. My dad had 11 wives and Orlando was number 17 or thereabout. I should be number 37 on dad’s list of children.

    How was it like growing up in that kind of home?

    It was a very loving home and we lived happily together. We are from Ifon, near Owo in Ondo State. My father was richly blessed; God gave him a lot of wisdom. He was very rich and he was into building and carpentry. He was a total technician, he built and constructed. Everyone was involved helping him to make the business successful and my brother was a trader.

    What kind of father was he?

    He was a great man and a very loving man. We are a family of musicians. Our father was a musician and most of the philosophical Orlando songs are truly my father’s song. He was everything you could wish for in a father.

    At what point did Orlando decide to go into full time music?

    We were born into it. There is a culture in my family that if you give birth to a baby, you would put the child on the bed to beat something like a drum and the child must react to it. If not they would say that this child is not our own. Orlando was born into it and later he started discovering himself. All Owomoyelas passed through the choir at the Methodist Church at Oshogbo. We were all born in Oshogbo, our father settled in Oshogbo.

    As a choir boy, Orlando was talented and should I say rascally. He was a multi- instrumentalist, singer and he had another thing going for him. He was also a dramatist. At the latter stage of his life, he joined some theatre groups like Kola Ogunmola.

    At what point did you join him in music?

    I studied Automobile Engineering and started with the Federal Government Technical College in Oyo, where I acquired some other certificates. I practiced for about 10 years and worked with reputable motor companies like SA Motors, Guinness Nigeria Plc and Glaxo Pharmaceuticals. However, the urge to play music wouldn’t allow me to do any other thing. I was with him as an apprentice in his band. The band was first known as Dr Orlando Owoh and his Formina Band and later it became the African Kenneries.

    I later started my band, Tosin Owoh and the Zion Kennery band. I grew in the church and that was why I added Zion but I play just exactly like him. We play at events like birthdays, weddings, burial and travel from place to place. I have been to so many countries around the world like France, Holland, Ghana, all for music. Working with Orlando was fun and I don’t think that there was any big event in Nigeria in his days that he was not invited to. He played for personalities like Alex Akinyele, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, General Olusegun Obasanjo and we went to Abuja to play for Babangida.

    Orlando was an ex soldier and he was also a revolutionary. If you listen to his songs, you would find some of the messages that he believed in. I am working to be like him and even surpass him.

    What do you consider as the greatest influence in Life?

    First of all, I would say God Almighty. I look up to God for everything. Next I would say my father because he was an all rounder. Then I had a great relationship with Orlando. In fact, he single- handedly funded my marriage about 20 years ago and I have five children from the union. My father had 11 wives but he advised his children not to take after him in this aspect of life.

    Why didn’t Orlando follow dad’s instruction?

    I would call him a replica of my father. When I see him, I see my father. Perhaps, it is the gene running in him. Officially, he had four or five wives but he had women all over the federation. There is no state that the doctor, did not have a woman, fans and admirers.

    He was a revolutionary of some sort; Do you share some of these qualities?

    That thing comes naturally with all of us. There are lots of things that I cannot do that my brother could do. Interestingly, I have only one wife and I took to Orlando Owoh’s advice. He said he had so many wives but I should not emulate him. I am also a member of the choir at the Methodist church, Palm Avenue, Mushin Lagos. I must say that with the help of God everything is going well for us.

     If you had to advise young people, what would you tell them?

    First, I would tell them to have the fear of God. They should be focused, know what you want to do. When I was working with the motor company and at the other places, I knew that my destination was music. That was why I went for apprenticeship under Orlando Owoh. It wasn’t as if the money was much, I just wanted to learn one or two things. So, it is important that they should remain focused, have the fear of God and listen to their parents.

    Orlando, like Fela Anikulapo Kuti, was a controversial person, what did you learn from him and how did you affect his life?

    He was positively controversial. He sang against the ills of the society and when you do that there are times when you would be on the wrong side of the government. When I joined the band, I tried to reform the band administratively. The talent was already there and what I did was to manage the band. My brother who is now based in the United States was also there with us.

    Orlando smoked Indian hemp and sang about it. He was also arrested for having drugs in his custody at some point, how did you feel about this?

    Indian hemp in itself is not bad. I don’t smoke but for some people Indian hemp is a spiritual thing. When he was arrested there was sabotage. He had the record for Dele Giwa and was the only artist who was bold enough to do something like that then. Just before the album came out the government people called him, saying we heard that you wanted to release an album for Dele Giwa, please don’t try it. He now retorted: “What if I do?” And they said there would be problem. He said he would never be afraid of anyone, that he was a soldier and was willing to die like a soldier any time.

    So he released the album and that was the genesis of the problem and the cocaine was planted in his bedroom. I was there that fateful day, the day they came to arrest him. It was arranged by the government. You know that Dele Giwa’s death was controversial and the album was quite revealing. I sang the song at a show recently and the crowd rose to give Orlando a standing ovation.

    What plans do you have for the next five years?

    I have started something for my late brother. Every year I stage the Orlando Owoh Memorial Dance where his colleagues and fans relived memories of the good old days. This is the fifth year and in November we will be celeb rating the man again. We had the last edition at the Officer’s Mess and it was very exciting. Hopefully, the next edition will be there also and we are still working on the modalities. Apart from the Lagos show we would also be taking it to Ondo and Osun states this year.

    I try as much as possible to promote the Kennery rhythm which he initiated. By the grace of God we have been pushing it around, that rhythm will never die and my album would soon be in the market.