The Nation Newspaper

Tag: heritage

  • Shame of a heritage  

    Shame of a heritage  

    • UCH must not shut down over unpaid electricity bills

    Sixty-seven years after it opened for business, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, is a ghost of its founding vision. The tertiary institution is struggling to deliver services to its publics under crushing debilitation of power disconnection that forced relations and friends of its in and out-patients to stage a peaceful protest lately in the Oyo State capital. The present state of the institution – Nigeria’s pioneer teaching hospital – is a shame of a heritage.

    On Monday, last week, relatives of patients embarked on peaceful protest over incessant power outage at UCH that has been the experience since it was classified into Band A category of electricity consumers. Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), on October 26, disconnected the institution from the national grid over alleged N400million debt. UCH disputed the bill and its classification into Band A with IBEDC, but the matter remains unresolved, leaving the hospital in perennial darkness.

    Protesters, last week, complained that incessant power outage at the hospital hinder quality medical service delivery. According to them, patients are dying because they can’t get medical tests required for treatment, and there is the risk of having medical procedures interrupted or delayed due to power failure.

    Reports cited some protesters recounting how their relatives took clinical tests without getting the results more than two weeks after, owing to lack of electricity to process the  tests, with doctors unable to proceed with treatment in the absence of proper diagnosis. They further alleged that when patients need blood, there is usually no electricity for screening and some surgeries can’t take place without screened blood waiting by.

    Besides, there is no water in the hospital and patients have had to resort to self-help, like using sachet water for bathing and flushing toilets. Some patients allegedly needed to bring in rechargeable torch lights for doctors to use. The protesters complained that the situation was taking a heavy toll on their relations seeking healthcare from the hospital, with those who could afford it being forced to seek help from private hospitals.

    All these isn’t mentioning the obstruction of training of medical and other healthcare professionals for the country and the West African sub-region, as the institution was envisioned to provide in the 1952 Act of British Parliament establishing it, following which it formally opened to the public in November 1957.

    In the wake of last week’s protest, the hospital management and IBEDC traded self-justifying narratives. UCH said it had held several meetings with the electricity firm on plans to defray the charges that accumulated since 2019 totalling N3,104,568,114.61. Of that sum, the hospital said it had paid  N2,916,567,724.27, leaving an outstanding of N392,075,161.05. Hospital spokesperson, ‘Funmi Adetuyibi, expressed the management’s deep concern over inconveniences faced by patients due to the power outage, adding that provisioning of alternative energy sources to alleviate the situation in the hospital had reached an advanced stage.

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    For its part, IBEDC said it was left with no choice than disconnect UCH from the national grid over the debt because it was faced with increased pressure to meet its financial obligations to the market. Company spokesperson, Busolami Tunwase, restated commitment to negotiations with the hospital on a flexible payment plan, saying outstanding debt by major customers like UCH directly contributed to liquidity crisis in Nigeria’s power sector.

     “IBEDC continues to advocate for timely payments by customers because a stable and reliable power supply is dependent on the financial health of the sector,” she added in her statement.

    UCH hit the rough patch with power supply following its classification into Band A, which the hospital argued it could ill-afford and demanded re-classification to a lower category. Chairman of UCH chapter of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Oladayo Olabampe, was reported saying: “IBEDC put UCH on Band A, but we can’t afford the bill of Band A. This is why the hospital management told the company to remove UCH from Band A and put it in Band B. But it (IBEDC) did not. So, we now want government to prevail on IBEDC to return UCH to Band B where it can afford to pay.”

    It is a shame that a historical centre of medical excellence and British colonial legacy has fallen into such dereliction as we presently witness. The state of things at UCH rubs off poorly on the image of Nigeria’s health sector and portends a disturbing fate for other tertiary institutions that came after it. We urge that government shouldn’t allow the situation to persist. There was a promise of 50 percent government subsidy on electricity to select federal universities and affiliated teaching hospitals made late August through the then Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa, that apparently hasn’t been perfected for implementation. It is high time government walked the talk on that laudable promise.

  • Heritage gloom

    Heritage gloom

    • NDIC, CBN must do more to stem depositors’ panic at Heritage Bank branches

    That the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has pledged it would promptly pay depositors with N5 million and below has not lowered the panic among depositors of the defunct Heritage Bank. 

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revoked the bank’s operating licence on June 3, after assuming its powers under Section 12 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020. Under the same law, it appointed NDIC to liquidate the bank.

    The NDIC has since swung into action. Bello Hassan, NDIC managing director, told the media on June 5 that while Heritage Bank’s total deposits stood at N650 billion, its loan portfolio stood at slightly over N700 billion.

    “The NDIC put the total depositors of the bank at 2.3 million” he said “with 99 per cent of them having total balances less than N5 million.” The depositors are spread over the bank’s 116 branches nationwide.

    If depositors with N5 million and below indeed constitute 99 per cent, then there is little cause for panic. That shows that NDIC’s initial depositor payment of N5 million and below should cover the bulk of the depositors. Only one per cent would now wait until NDIC disposes of the bank’s assets and recovers its loans — before finally winding down the bank.

    “All depositors are currently being verified for onward payment of insured benefit of N5 million,” the NDIC boss added, “while depositors with insured deposits above N5 million will be paid upon the sale of the assets of the bank.” That is highly welcome. The importance of due diligence cannot be over-stressed. 

    Still, both NDIC and CBN should push out more reassuring news to calm depositor nerves and stem panic. Depositors too must panic less, listen more, and follow the payment processes and instructions, as laid down by NDIC. Blind panic won’t solve any problem. It will only lead to depositor headache. It’s the least they need right now.

    But even if this exercise attained a 100% success, nothing can pay for the initial shock of a bank failure and the sinking feeling that all the depositors’ — and even investors’ — money might have gone up in smoke! That is why everyone involved in the latest failure must be probed, tried and brought to book.

    Banks should not just be failing. This is one sector — the ultra-sensitive financial sector — that that old saying: “prevention is better than cure”, has an added, pressing and urgent meaning. 

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    Bank failures send a negative signal for the economy. So, CBN must be commended for its prompt intervention, after its failed efforts — by the CBN’s own communication — to help the bank back to life. The NDIC too deserves kudos for its early rally. But it would not fully earn that applause until it has walked its talk and ensured no legitimate depositor is excluded from the payment scheme.

    Still, the fundamental question remains — what went wrong? Bad loans? Insider trading? Poor corporate governance? Woeful due diligence on loans? 

    Then, the bank’s nativity: did Heritage Bank ever rise above the corporate governance crisis that led its ancestor, Societe Generale Bank (SOGEN) into a terminal coma — a coma that birthed Heritage Bank, though with a lowered regional licence? If it did not, what roles did the regulatory midwives play in this present meltdown?

    All these are not accusations. They are just legitimate questions that must be asked and answered, in the course of a rigorous post-mortem. 

    Heritage Bank is gone — and you just must feel for its sponsors and investors, aside from those whose criminal bent could have helped to kill the bank. But these questions must be answered, and grim lesson learned from them, if only to avert future bank failures.

    This is already one failure too many. Never again? Yes. But how sincerely we learn from this pitfall will determine that.

  • Digitalising Nigerian heritage sites for posterity

    Digitalising Nigerian heritage sites for posterity

    For three days, experts drawn from National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (INFRA-Nigeria) Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Obafemi Awolowo University, GISKonsuslt, University of Ibadan among others converged on National Museum, Onikan Lagos to explore digital technology in the service of Nigerian heritage.

    The conference tagged: The now and the future: Digital technology in the service of Nigerian heritage, featured paper presentations and exhibition of selected and recovered archival materials that border on Nigerian heritage and history.

    The event also unveiled some digitalised documentaries of Nigerian heritage sites such as the Benin moat and the religious architectural heritage of Ibadan among others. 

    The digitalization project was jointly organised by NCMM, Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique (INFRA-Nigeria) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).

    Speaking during the unveiling, at the National Museum, Onikan, Dr Babrabra Morovich, Director INFRA-Nigeria, said that the digitised heritage sites cut across monuments and artefacts from Ibadan, Benin and Ile-Ife.

    She said the challenges encountered in the course of the project had to do with disseminating the research work to all Nigerians, adding that this was the most important aspect of the project.

    Morovich said the benefit of the project was directed at the public who had been provided with a platform for easy understanding of what heritage meant.

    “We collaborated with CDD on this project and we have worked on digitalising heritage sites and archival materials in Ile-Ife, Ibadan and Benin, for the purpose of preserving them for the future,” she said.

    Also speaking, Dr Sa’eed Husaini, Acting Director, CDD, said the primary purpose of the project was to preserve materials that were potentially endangered and to disseminate those materials as well as render them accessible for all.

    Husaini said the project was in six components and each of the components currently had at least one website for the public to access information, archival materials that had been digitised and uploaded.

    According to him, the public could now visit those sites and download their desired materials.

    “The findings and entire work done by various researchers and archeologists are extremely fascinating.

    “The project has run for two years now and we are now opportuned to engage with the materials provided to bring them to a new audience in a new generation, this is one that I cherish,” he said.

    One of those engaged in the project, David Afolayan, Chief Executive Officer of GIS Konsult Ltd, identified emerging problems he came across in the course of executing the project.

    Afolayan said climate change posed serious threat to most heritage sites across the nation, citing the example of the town of a thousand gullies in Auchi, Edo State and series of floods at heritage sites within Ibadan.

    He added that the analogue way of record-keeping had become obsolete and inadequate, making him embrace new technologies for the project.

    Afolayan said in digitalising the religious architectural heritage of Ibadan and urban archeology mapping of the pavements of Ile-Ife, he had engaged the Geographic Information system (GIS) as the best technological platform.

    According to him, GIS integrates computer hard wares, soft wares and human wares for collating, processing, analysing and displaying geographically referenced data to solve complex problems.

    He said in the course of the project, he had trained no fewer than 100 researchers, students and stakeholders.

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    “In the course of this, we have developed Ibadan religious heritage map, Ifa pavement archeology map, digitalisation of Ibadan religious heritage and photogrammetry and video game applications of heritage sites in 3D models,” he said.

    Also, Femi Olanrewaju, an Architect, noted that no fewer than 137 churches, I42 mosques and 127 shrines had been digitalised as well as two Egungun festivals, to provided resourceful materials for all.

    This, he said, was to encourage promotion of religious tourism in Nigeria.

    Curator of National Museum, Onikan Lagos Mrs Nkechi Adedeji, harped on the need for heritage conservators to be well informed in the area of heritage preservation, using the GIS. She encouraged them to consistently come up with laudable ideas to protect the nation’s heritage resources for future generations.

    Prof. Adisa Ogunfola of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), advised on building of a digital interpretation centre, for all the urban archaeological heritages of Ile-Ife, in partnership with the National Museum, Ile-Ife.

    He said the successful medieval Ile-Ife recapturing had ensured future security for all. “With the project, we have been able to secure the captured medieval Ile-Ife for posterity against the possible blotting out of its traces by pending urbanisation,” Ogunfola said.

  • Nigeria, U.S. partner to safeguard nation’s heritage

    Nigeria, U.S. partner to safeguard nation’s heritage

    Three successful workshops facilitated by US-based conservators have culminated in the exhibition of 10 artefacts from the collection of National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). Venue of the display was the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos. The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) project, tagged Sustaining a Partnership in Conservation and Preservation, between National Museum, Lagos and the Yale University Art Gallery, was designed to build capacity and facilitate breakthroughs in sustainable conservation practices beneficial to museums and preservation of Nigerian cultural heritage, Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

    The management of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) has, in the last five years, collaborated with experts from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US and Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington DC, in the training of its conservators.

    The initiative was designed to safeguard its massive collection of some 50,000 wooden objects stored at the National Museum, Lagos. The third workshop in the series, under the partnership, was concluded recently in Lagos with eight conservators drawn from museums across the country in attendance. 

    The goal of these workshops is to build capacity and facilitate breakthroughs in sustainable conservation practices that are beneficial to museums and the preservation of cultural heritage in Nigeria. Penultimate Friday, ten objects that were restored during the second and third workshops were exhibited at the National Museum, Onikan Lagos. Among the 10 restored objects are Hand Fan, Kneeling female figure holding a bowl, Masks for Gelede festival, Headdress, Drum and Leather bag.

    In Mask for Gelede Festival made from wood and pigment, a 1980 piece, the conservators noted that ‘there was a significant amount of dirt and dust across the surface of the mask, obscuring the paint. A large crack had previously been repaired. During the conservation treatment, the surface was cleaned, removing the obscuring dirt and dust. Old repainting and repairs were stabilized but left to show the history of repair of the mask.’ 

    In his remark, Director-General National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Prof. Abba Isa Tijani lamented the dearth of skillful workers, especially specialists in museums across the country, saying many of the younger staffers in these areas of specialisations, have not been retrained enough because of lack of opportunities. He said that the ongoing partnerships are very beneficial to the conservators, as they afford them opportunities to up their skill.

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    “One key advantage of the partnership is to have the training here in Nigeria. This kind of partnership will afford our conservators the opportunities to up their skill. But, how practical is the skill back home? That’s why the practical aspect of the training is localised.  So, to that extent, we will learn more from it even for the US partners. Don’t always assume it is better to go to US for training. As a professional, we must try to attract others to Nigeria for this programme. I hope the support will continue to be there,” he added.

    U.S. Consul General, Mr. Will Stevens stated that the workshop periods afforded them the opportunity to meet people that no one in the political sector or the ambassador could ever meet, saying it is however, more than that. According to him, ‘we’re not doing this to do something nice for Nigeria. We’re doing this to be meeting each other. We can’t do it on our own.’

    “We always used to talk about African solutions to African problems, and it’s true, right? But I also think we need African solutions to global problems. The problems we face are so big. We can’t do it on our own, and sometimes, they’re so small, we can’t do it on our own. We need to learn from each other and the kind of respect I heard from the conservators.

    “And we have to learn together and we have to work together. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with people in Nigeria. I love this country, and I love working here. I’m so inspired by Nigerians every day, and it is absolutely wonderful to be with you today. I came here on the opening of this project and I got a great tour and I’m happy to be back to see some of the objects that were conserved and restored,” he said. 

    Continuing, he said: “One of the things I’ll also say that I think it is really quite important is that I’m a huge fan of the uptake of Nigerian culture around the world right now.

    “We are living in a renaissance of African culture. At least the 2nd half of the 21st century will be the African century, and right now, we are seeing the first wave of that. Afrobeat has just taken over the world. The number one song in America is by a Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter, Divine Ikubor, aka Rema. Nigerian film festivals are attracting world-class artists from around the world to work and open their movies in Lagos, globally. Last year, Disney opened Wakanda Forever right here. That kind of huge cultural dynamic, I think allows Nigerians and to a broader aspect, Africa to tell their own story. I’m really proud that the United States of America is part of that and is helping to support and learn from you,” Stevens said.

    Associate Curator, Yale University Art Gallery, Dr. James Green, who was part of the team, described the collaboration and experiment as the best way forward in safeguarding Nigeria’s cultural heritage. He said the collaborations have been a tremendous success and a learning experience as it was a knowledge sharing exercise.

    “Participants gained knowledge and experience in the field of wood conservation, including best practice methods for cleaning and restoring objects. I want this to be on going as knowledge has moved in both directions, and we’ve learnt so much about the climatic conditions here, which are very different from New Haven. Objects are different and we need different methods and techniques too,” he added. 

    Commending the hard work of the conservators, Dr. Green said the conservators complete their works so that the objects will live more generations, but that they are never celebrated. A conservator, he said, is the unseen hero of the museum. “So, this is a very rare opportunity to celebrate conservators. Your dedication to the field of conservation and hard work over these three workshops has made this a success, and I hope that you’ll take this knowledge and share and that we’ll continue to learn together,” he added.

    Speaking on behalf of the participants, Chief Conservator, National Museum, Dr. Ogechukwu Okpalanozie observed that sustainability was a unique factor considered during the workshop, saying that they had to compare the materials brought by the visitors with the local materials.

    “We compared both based on sustainability because if it is not sustainable, it will be of no use to us here in Nigeria. Another thing that was unique during our training was that we all learnt, new knowledge was acquired, new skills acquired, new methodologies learnt, and we shared experiences, not just among us the trainees but also among our resource persons. We learnt from them, they learnt from us. It was a two-way traffic,” she noted. The conservation workshops were supported by a grant from the US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria.