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Tag: Benin

  • Echoes of 1897 Benin invasion

    Echoes of 1897 Benin invasion

    It was a festival of sorts when scholars converged on Benin City, the Edo State capital, last week under the auspices of the Nigerian Oral Literature Association (NOLA). Revisiting the Benin 1897 Expedition, they sought  ways of harnessing culture and festivals for national development. Evelyn Osagie reports.

    With more than a 1000-year-old history, the old Benin Empire is etched in the hearts of scholars, historians, artists and culture aficionados worldwide.

    It is no surprise that its historic charm caught the fancy of literary scholars and culture enthusiasts, under the auspices of the Nigerian Oral Literature Association (NOLA).

    With the theme: Arts and Literatures in Nigerian Festivals, the scholars thronged Benin, the Edo State capital, seeking to prevent the dearth of Africa’s rich cultural heritage and draw attention to economic wealth in the sector. The scholars re-emphasised the need for government to implement the provisions of the Cultural Policy for Nigeria (1988).

    According to them, “the Culture and its multiple Industries house a more valuable economy than oil, gas and solid minerals”. They argued that culture is the bedrock of all aspects of national development. And their focal point was the economic relevance of ‘Festivals’.

    On Benin 1897

    Hosting the conference in Benin City barely a week after the city became headquarters to the former Midwestern Region, the conference organisers said, was intentional. “The spirit of the centenary influenced the choice of this year’s theme for our conference. It is also apt that Benin City is our host for it was the invasion of the ancient city on February 17, 1897 that triggered the political and military actions culminating in the amalgamation in 1914, 17 years later. As historians have shown, the destruction of the city and the fall of the 1000-year-old Benin Kingdom epitomised the conquest of Nigeria by the British imperialists.

    “With immense influence on fields of literature, music, visual, sculptural arts, its history has generated numerous traditions of myths stories performance arts and festivals such the Igue Festival celebrated yearly in December,” NOLA President and culture advocate, Prof Godini Darah said.

    While praising the efforts of the people of Benin for preserving their culture and historical heritage, despites foreign influences, he noted: “For the peoples and nations of the old Benin Empire, this is a week of joyful remembrance of freedom and celebration. Much of the territory of the old Benin Empire became the Midwestern Region in 1963 on August 9, 1963 when it was created from the former region of Nigeria. Although the Midwest (Bendel State) has since been split into Edo and Delta states, the memories of shared history and artistic heritage still lingers. One of those histories is the Benin Expedition of 1897.”

    For the Director, Edo Cultural Group International, Mr Aikpitanyi Iyekoretin, the British invasion would never be forgotten by the Edo people. He said: “The impact of the invasion of the British to the city in 1897 is ever with us. The memory lingers on; just as when a wound heals, the scar remains forever.”

    To keep the memory alive are diverse folksongs and traditional performances handed down and used during traditional occasions and festivals. One of such performances is the Izagbede dance drama, sequential dance piece highlighting the historical accounts of the British invasion.

    Deck in the colourful traditional attires, the cultural troupe gave the guests a gleam of Edo rich cultural heritage and festivals. “Izegbede tu vberan, tu vberan! I maren ne I gha yo…”, meaning the struggle and embarrassment caused by the British did not make for extinction but only caused confusion…, began the troupe as its members thrilled the audience with their electrifying performances. They re-enact the dance piece along with other famous Edo folksongs and festivals dances.

    “This, with some corresponding songs, is used pass the information of the period to the present and coming generation,” Iyekoretin said.

    Festival as nation’s treasure base

    Moved by the performance, the scholars noted that “every festival forgotten or abandoned is akin to a treasury of knowledge lost to humanity”. With about 170 million people, over 500 languages, a warm tropical climate, diverse cultures, histories, arts and a large Diaspora community in all continents of the world, Nigeria is a veritable livewire of festivals and festivities, they further observed. They, thus, linked the development and promotion of festivals to the economic, historical and growth of a nation.

    “Our festivals are an economy of their own. As African descendants in Jamaica and other Caribbean nations have demonstrated, cultural festivals are a treasure base of national economies. There is the adage that a community where there is no festival is like a journey undertaken without a travel guide or map. Each year, according to the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation’s Tourist Map of Nigeria, about 96 festivals take place in the country along with hundreds that unrecorded. These are indeed a huge untapped market, if you ask me,” Prof Darah said.

    In addition, the scholars decried the neglect and marginalisation of the Culture Sector by past administrations, saying ‘bad governance’ and insurgencies witnessed in recent times are the aftereffect of such neglect.

    While calling for a national re-orientation, the eggheads drew particular attention on the provisions of Section 7 of the policy which offers that the state (government) shall not only recognise traditional festivals as periodic celebrations, but also promote them and preserve them.

    “There is the imperative need to put culture at the centre of national socio-economic planning and democratic restructuring. Unfortunately, the indices employed in the recent rebasing of the national economy did not include data from culture and what it contributes to the survival and prosperity of the country. Yet culture and its multiple industries are more valuable to the country than pollution-generating and perishable endowments like oil, gas and solid minerals.

    “The official neglect and contempt for culture and its creators and transmitters reflect the poverty of philosophy among the ruling elite; a poverty of ideological orientation so pervasive that over 90 per cent of the basic needs of the citizenry, including food and clothing, is imported from foreign lands.”

    Festivals as footing to theatre

    Prof Olu Obafemi, who gave the keynote address, reaffirmed the importance of festivals to development of education, saying traditional festivals have influenced scholarship, particularly the written literature and theatre. His paper linked the development of theatre in Africa to prehistoric and indigenous performance traditions such as festivals.

    He advised African scholars to write their histories and new theories of literature and theatre, drawing inspiration from their oral tradition. He said: “Big ideas and theories are hinged on African Festival. The earliest encounters with theatre in African countries are with the theatre that inherits its repository and provenance from indigenous performance forms, language and environment. Contemporary theatre of Africa is linked to and draws from individual rituals, festivals, folklore, and seasonal rhythms of ancient and indigenous performance traditions.”

    Future should speak

    On the part of Prof Tony Afejuku, African scholars, critics and historians should move beyond the blame game, saying they have dwelled too much on the continent’s negative past experiences. He urged his contemporaries to propound new world-class theories and studies that would move Africa forward using its rich cultural heritage, saying this trend has contributed to the under-development of Africa in all spheres, compared to other continent. He said: “Don’t dwell in the past move on. The Asians were also colonised but they have not allowed hold them back, instead they have looked inward and are tapping into their cultural heritage to create new innovations. What happened to the Benin arts after 1897? Does Igun Street not still exist: what new innovation has been done by the government and people to tap into that industry?”

    With a mind of contributing to government’s efforts at implementing the 2013 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, NOLA said its members are determined to embark on field recording and translation of oral literature and folk traditions of geo-political zones of the country.

  • Benin hospital treating Nigerian Ebola suspect

    Benin hospital treating Nigerian Ebola suspect

    A hospital in neighbouring Benin Republic is treating a Nigerian man suspected of having contracted Ebola virus. Authorities have sent a sample of his blood to Senegal for testing, Health Minister Dorothée Gazard said on state television yesterday.

    The case is unconfirmed but Gazard’s announcement triggered widespread fears in the capital Cotonou. Many people said they would stock up on food and stop eating at popular roadside food stalls to avoid possible infection, witnesses said.

  • Ebola: Bush meat vendors close shops in Benin

    Ebola: Bush meat vendors close shops in Benin

    This is not the best of time for bush meat vendors in Benin, Edo State.

    Many of them have closed shop following reports that the virus may be contacted through wild animals.

    Consumers are also wary of buying what is considered in many homes as a delicacy.

    Vendors at Eki Osa, Uwa, new Benin and Yangan markets,  as well as those along the Benin / Auchi  Road  confirmed low patronage over the last few days.

    Low patronage is also being recorded by bush meat/palm wine joints.

    Mrs. Asosa Idemudia, a bush meat seller said: “the Ebola alert has scared people away from  consuming bush meat.”

    Another vendor, Mrs. Jane Ekinafo said: “since bush meat is believed to be a cause of the disease, I don’t want to touch it for now.

    “If you can contact it (Ebola) by eating an infected animal, it is possible that one who handles it for sale can also be infected.”

    Meanwhile, the Edo State Government said yesterday that there is no trace of the disease yet in the state, but advised residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious case to the nearest health facility.

    Health Commissioner Aihanuwa Eregie told reporters in Benin that  the state Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO)  have mounted  a surveillance in all parts of the state to ensure early detection of any infection and  timely containment and control of same.

  • Like Osun, like Benin

    Like Osun, like Benin

    When the Osun State Government re-classified primary and secondary schools into elementary, middle and high schools in 2012, many pooh-poohed the policy.  But, a visit to Benin Republic has shown  that the system is not strange, after all, reports SINA FADARE

    RE-CLASSIFICATION

    It is a policy those in the opposition love to hate. When the Osun State Government reclassified schools in 2012, they descended on the Rauf Aregbesola administration, describing the policy as a ploy to destroy education. But, there is nothing strange about the policy which is also being implemented in Benin Republic.

    In the exercise, primary schools were renamed elementary schools, and stopped at Grade 4 (Primary 4) instead of the former Primary Six. Junior Secondary Schools are now called Middle Schools and have pupils from Grades 5 to 9 (Primary 5 to Junior Secondary School 3); Senior Secondary Schools were replaced with high schools catering for SS1 to SS3 pupils.

    For smooth implementation, schools were merged along the various levels.  The elementary schools accommodate 900 pupils; middle schools between 900 and 1,000; the high schools are designed to accommodate 1,000 for each of the three grades 10-12 (SS1-SS3).

    The government also introduced school uniforms for the three levels.  In the public school system, only three uniforms exist, irrespective of the school’s location.

    Justifying the re-classification, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the system was introduced to reposition education, which was in a sorry state when he took over in November 2010.

    His Deputy and Commissioner for Education, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, said the system was tailored after the American education model, which advocates that children of the same age group should learn together.

    Nevertheless, criticisms trailed the exercise.  Last year, there were protests in Osogbo, the state capital, and other areas over the policy. The protests had religious undertone. Christian groups were opposed to the merger of schools founded by missionaries with Muslim schools and vice-versa.  There was also disaffection over the change of single-sex to co-education schools under the policy.

    In Benin, which borders Nigeria on the west, the same policy is being run. As in Osun, schools are classified as elementary, middle and high schools. All the schools also wear the same uniforms.  Benin’s was adopted as a national policy following an Educational Forum in 2007. Mrs Laoye-Tomori explained that Osun adopted the policy following recommendations of a summit held in February 2011, which sought the repositioning of the education system such that pupils would enjoy quality education, irrespective of their background.

    Benin’s Minister of Education (Secondary) Fructeuex Sylvan, said the country’s policy was adopted because of the interest in creating an egalitarian society where the children of the rich would not have access to quality public education at the expense of the poor.

    Like Osun, Benin also faced opposition over the policy, but of a different kind.

    Fructeuex said some powerful and rich people wrote to the government to discontinue the policy.

    “But the government was resolute to make a success of it by providing equal platform that reduces the gap of human capital development,” he said.

    The policy, he said, would last till 2025 before it could be reviewed for continuity or change.

    But, Benin did not have problems with religion like Osun.  In Benin,  Fraucteuex said, religion has no place in educational policy neither are religious scholars given any prominence.  There are Christians, Muslims, and adherents of African Traditional Religion throughout the country. Most adherents of the traditional Yoruba religious group are in the south of the country; other African Traditional Religion beliefs could be found in the north. Muslims are mostly concentrated in the north and southeast. Christians are prevalent in the south, particularly in Cotonou, the economic nerve centre of the country.  These religions do not interfere with the education.

    But, there are differences in the operation of the policy. Benin’s differs from Osun’s in that at the elementary level, pupils spend six years and not four; four years middle school rather than five; four years in high school as opposed to three. In all, the pupils spend 13 years in primary and secondary schools in Benin the Osun’s 12.

    Language of instruction is also different.  In Benin teaching is in local languages, spiced with little or no French as the official language. But, in Osun, like most part of Nigeria, teaching is in English right from the elementary stage.

     

    UNIFORMS

    there are, however, similarities in school uniform. According to Director of programmes of the National Radio/Television, Marcelle Brigitie Adelakoun Ipaur Houssou, the practice preceded the 2007 education reforms.

    “All schools in Benin Republic since independence wear the same Beninoisie khaki.  While the primary school pupils wear knickers, the secondary school pupils wear trousers. All the students have the badges of their schools on their uniforms. There is no room for the use of any unconventional dress like hijab, beret, etc, in any public school in the country,” she said.

    Fructueux said the policy was introduced to achieve equality in the school system.

    “The schools started using the same uniforms since independence, thereby creating a level of egalitarian lives among the students. The Government of Benin Republic has made it difficult to distinguish between the child of the rich and the poor. It is this policy that made the government to declared education as free and compulsory in the country since 2007. The rich who want to send their children to private school are free to do so,” he said.

    He said the country did not experience crisis as far as uniforms are concerned.  However, he said parents buy the uniforms. In Osun, the government collaborates with a private contractor to produce the uniforms.

    “The uniform is bought by the parents but the model of sewing is provided by the Government through the schools as the rules must be followed,” he said.

    Osun and Benin also practice free education up to high school.

     

    School feeding

    Osun has a robust feeding programme for all its elementary schools which costs N3.6 billion yearly. Mrs Laoye-Tomori said the project started with the feeding of 155,318 Grades 1 to 3 pupils in April, adding that it was expanded to include Grade Four pupils.  By December 2013, she said enrolment had increased by 25 per cent.

    “The data presented by the National Bureau of Statistics, by December 2013 shows that the State of Osun has the highest enrolment figure of public primary school pupils in the country,” she said.

    In Benin, school feeding is only done in the rural areas to encourage poor parents to send their children to school. This, according to the Minister, led to an upsurge in enrolment of pupils in public schools by 100 per cent.

     

    Reforms: to be or not to be

    Given the challenges the education reforms in Osun have faced, the question is whether they should be continued or scrapped.  Educationists who spoke with The Nation favoured the new policy but called for proper implementation.

    For Mrs. Foluke Akintunde, a teacher in the state, the reforms are welcome because they have improved school infrastructure.

    “As an insider who has put in about 22 years of teaching in various schools across the state, l can authoritatively say that some of the schools were not equipped. If the on-going policy will give a face lift to the poor infrastructural amenities in most of the schools, it is a welcome idea,” she said.

    An executive of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in the state, Mr. Olu Adepegba, says implementation is key.

    “The initial inconveniences notwithstanding, if you are expecting better equipped schools, we should support the government so that all what it has on the drawing board would be achieved in not too long a distance. I am sure the policy will open a new window of opportunity for the children of the state who will be educationally equipped to challenge their counterparts anywhere in the world,” he said.

    A former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Prof. Olasupo Ladipo, who hailed the policy said it would enable the government to equip the schools better.

    His words “There are too many schools which are not well -equipped. Education is expensive and schools should be well-equipped to enable students have access to quality education.

    “There are too many schools which are not well -equipped. Education is expensive and schools should be well-equipped to enable students have access to quality education.”

     

     

  • Car thieves kill doctor, rape fiancée

     

    • “Command” charm fails car snatcher


    A gang of car thieves led by one Solomon Abuede Tuesday narrated how they killed a medical doctor, raped his fiancée and dumped his body in a well.

    The act was committed at Ekpoma, headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

    Solomon said the doctor was first strangulated before they tied his body to a wood and throw his body inside a well.

    He said they were told to kill any victim with flashy cars.

    Solomon was among 46 suspects arrested for various crimes across the state since June.

    He said he has been involved in several car snatching especially at Ekpoma axis.

    A 61 year old man, Sunday Oviasogie, was named as the chief sponsor of Solomon’s gang.

    Sunday confessed that he has received over 50 stolen cars and has been in the business for the past 15 years.

    Another gang, Ehis Ogbefu and Innocent Sunday said a ‘command charm’ they procured for N60,000 failed them.

    They were arrested at Ewohimin with a Lexus Jeep they snatched in Delta State.

    Ehis said, “We did the command charm at Ubiaja. Anybody we talk to even policemen will obey us. The charm worked on the woman we collected the car from but it did not work on policemen at Ewohimin.”

    “The charm is just alligator pepper and some leaves the man asked me to chew. When I talked to the police, they still arrested us. When I go back, I will demand my money from the man because the charm failed.”

    Edo State Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo said a total of 2,112 live AK47 ammunition, 14 assorted guns, 22 live cartridges and seven cars were recovered.

    Adebanjo urged Edo residents to be vigilant in the face of insecurity experienced in parts of the country.


  • Boko Haram scare in Benin, Calabar, Yenagoa

    Parents rushed to pick their wards from schools yesterday as rumourswent viral  that  Boko Haram insurgents were in Benin, the Edo State capital.

    The rumours started when pupils, who were unaware of the Nigeria Union of Teachers’ (NUT’s) closure of schools, found them empty.

    It was learnt that some of them called their parents and claimed that Boko Haram was in the state.

    Police spokesman Noble Uwoh said there were no insurgents in the state.

    He said the state was safe and urged the residents not to panic.

    In Calabar, the Cross River State capital, a false alarm was raised about the abduction of pupils in several schools. There were also rumours of explosions.

    The panic in the city was palpable as the news spread like wildfire.

    But when our reporter visited Henshaw Town Primary School and Bishop King Primary School, the security guards said the schools were shut due to the teachers’ protest.

    The guard at Bishop King said: “Some policemen and soldiers just left here now because they heard the same rumour and came to check.

    “But as you can see there is no problem. The news is false. The school was closed because the teachers were protesting the Chibok girls’ kidnap.

    The Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, has denied the presence of Boko Haram members in Bayelsa State.

    JTF’s Media Coordinator Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka debunked the rumour, describing it as false and misleading.

    He said it was the work of mischief makers, who wanted to create panic among the people.

    Col. Anka said the closure of schools was in line with a directive by the NUT National Chairman, Michael Olukoya.

    He said Olukoya ordered all members to stay away from the classrooms to protest the killing of their colleagues and abduction of the Chibok girls.

    “The JTF urge the people to go about their business without fear as the command was working in collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives and property,” Col Anka said.

  • Expectant mums protest poor health facilities

    Expectant mums protest poor health facilities

    •Relatives assault doctors

    More than 200 expectant mothers staged a surprise protest yesterday in Benin City, the Edo State capital, over their inability to register for antenatal care at government-owned hospitals.

    They also protested lack of facilities at the laboratories of the Benin Central Hospital.

    The women, on their way to the Government House, marched on the House of Assembly complex for some hours. Many of them, however, could not make it.

    One of the protesters, who gave her name as Evelyn, said she and other women registered for antenatal care two months ago but have not seen a doctor.

    Evelyn said the hospital staff told them that there were no equipment to conduct tests and as such doctors could not make any diagnosis.

    She said: “It’s been two months since we registered and we have not done anything. They said there is no equipment to conduct tests. The doctors cannot make any diagnosis without tests. Even ultrasound we cannot do. That is why we are on the streets protesting.”

    Another expectant mother, Mrs. Rabi Yusuf, said she and others were not allowed to register for antenatal care at the hospital.

    Mrs. Yusuf said they were told “no equipment to register”.

    Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Idehenre told the protesters that their message would be convened to the governor.

    A worker at the antenatal unit of the Central Hospital said they have registered over 100 expectant mothers.

    She said the staff at the unit were not enough to cater for the increasing number of expectant mothers at the hospital.

    Besides the antenatal clinic, it was gathered that other clinics and department at the hospital were in a comatose state.

    A doctor and nurse on duty were reportedly beaten by relatives of a dying patient after they were told that there was no oxygen in the hospital.

    Tests for malaria, typhoid and other illnesses were conducted outside the hospital.

    The theatre was closed; casual workers refused to report for duty for lack of payment and bed sheets in some wards were not changed.

    Sources said the problems began two months ago when the government ordered that all revenue from the hospitals should be paid into the state revenue account from where running costs would be disbursed.

    An employee at the Central Hospital said N1.250million was disbursed to 36 hospitals across the state out of which the Central Hospital got N200,000.

    He said:”Before now, we spend our earnings on running cost and it was okay but they now asked us to pay into the government account. How can they give us N200,000 as running cost? This hospital is down and nothing is working. “

    It was gathered that the government streamlined the hospital finances to stop leakages because the hospital management claimed to spend everything it earned.

    Commissioner for Health Heregie Aihanuwa said the government was working toward resolving all issues at the hospital.

  • Scare in Benin as gas explosion kills shop owner

    Panic gripped residents of Aruosa street on Sakponba road and adjoining streets in Benin, Edo State following a terrifying loud gas explosion which emanated from a gas shop claiming the life of the shop owner.

    The deceased simply identified as Steve in his late 40’s had just resumed his routine work on Sunday when the incident happened.

    Steve who deals in the supply of oxygen and cooking gas was blown apart in his shop.

    The blast which shattered his limbs created panic around the vicinity as bureau de change dealers, passersby and resident scampered for safety.

    A neigbour to late Steve who pleaded not to be mention said ” this is a very sad day for us because late Steve was a good man.”

    “When we heard the loud bang we thought it was Boko Haram bomb because we have never heard this kind of explosion. Immediately the explosion happened people started running up and down fearing that it was Boko Haram.”

    He said it was shortly after the blast that they saw Steve few metres from his shop reeking in pain and was immediately rushed to the state owned Central hospital where he later.

    The remains of the deceased have been deposited at the mortuary.

  • 8 die in Benin-Ore road auto crash

    The FRSC on Thursday in Benin confirmed the death of eight persons in auto crash at the Ugbogui axis of the Benin-Ore-Lagos Expressway.

    The FRSC Tollgate Unit Commander, Mr Adewale Ameen, confirmed the incident to newsmen.

    He said the accident involved an 18-seater bus with registration number  CT 874 FST and a Mercedes Benz truck(MUS 570 SS) belonging to a Pentecostal church.

    Ameen, who said that the accident happened early Wednesday, attributed it to fatigue on the part of the bus driver.

    He said the driver rammed the bus into a stationary truck while driving from Lagos to Benin.

    “Although the bus driver survived, eight passengers in the bus died’’, he said.

    The unit commander explained that “it was an avoidable accident because the truck parked well away from the road.

    “From my interaction with the survivors, they had consistently warned the diver about his recklessness before the accident occurred.

    “They were coming from Lagos after an all night prayer session before the accident’’, Ameen said.

  • 2 headless bodies found in Benin

    Two headless bodies were in the early hour of Tuesday found along the popular Lagos Street in Benin City, the Edo capital.

    The two severed heads were left beside the headless bodies.

    The shock discovery saw residents of the area deserting their homes.

    Most shops in the ever busy Lagos street remained closed as a result of the discovery.

    The  our reporter gathered that the two young men who dressed in native attires were allegedly discovered by the side of the road in the Hausa populated area of Lagos Street.

    It was gathered that on discovery the dead men, residents alerted the Oba market police station who came to remove the bodies to the station without making any arrest.

    When contacted the Edo state Police Command spokesman, Mr Moses Eguavoen said he was yet to be briefed on the incident by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

    Meanwhile, the Police Corporal who shot and killed a truck driver, Odion Egbon on Saturday in Benin has been arrested by the officers of the command.

    The State Commissioner of police, Mr  Foluso Adebanjo who confirmed the arrest, said the killer corp will be charged to court to on Wednesday to face trial.

    It would be recalled that the truck driver was allegedly shot by the cop for driving against traffic.