The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • Cafe One hosts 2019 Caine Prize winner

    Cafe One, Nigeria’s first digital, hybrid experience centre by Sterling Bank Plc, recently hosted award winning Nigerian writer, Lesley Nneka Arimah, in collaboration with Farafina Books. She is the author of a collection of short stories titled, “What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky,” which won the 2019 Caine Prize for Africa.

    According to Tobi Jaiyesimi, Business Manager, Cafe One, the book reading event tagged “In Conversation with Arimah,” is one of the ways through which the platform is connecting with its community of innovators who are desirous of upping their craft.

    The session was anchored by Ope Adedeji, managing editor at Zikoko, who quizzed the author on the inspiration behind the themes explored in her stories, her journey as an author, her mentors, hobby, among others.

    Responding, Ms Arimah said she was elated when her work was selected as the winning entry in the Caine Prize for Africa writing competition. She told the audience that she tries to follow human logic while writing, saying “it is good we are telling our stories by ourselves.” She said the inspiration for the book came from an observation she had with a friend.

  • ‘Nigeria’s problems, solutions documented, but leaders don’t read’

    Nigerian leaders would be more aware of the country’s problems and solutions, if only they would read the newspapers. This was the submission of Mr. Kayode Akintemi, a broadcaster and Managing Director of Plus TV.

    Speaking at the Science Media Award organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), Friday night at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Akintemi said reading through the 22 entries submitted for the awards, he was impressed by the depth of work by journalists to raise awareness about challenges in the country and how to solve them.

    Unfortunately, he lamented that political leaders would be oblivious to them because they do not read.

    “I went through all 22 entries and as I read through the reports, it opened my eyes to the kind of situation we live in Nigeria.  It made me realise that our leaders do not read.  Because all of our problems are clearly stated in the papers and the solutions are there,” he said.

    In her keynote address, Caroline Southey, Editor of Conversation Africa, a website that gets academics to write about science in layman’s language, praised Nigerian journalists for pursuing and staying with issues affecting the society.

    The South African said the ingredients of good science stories are – asking unexpected questions about familiar issues that affect society, investigating them and telling the story in a compelling way.  She said past winning entries had these three ingredients.

    “There are many more examples from the body of work submitted to the NAS awards over the past eight years. All the winners have the same special qualities: unexpected questions, hard, dogged reporting, and good story-telling capabilities.

    “All show what journalism can look like at its finest. It is not gimmicky. And it is not the sort of work that has you rubbing shoulders with the rich, the famous, the notorious, or sharing Instagram images. But it’s brave because it involves identifying where the shoe pinches, and then embedding yourself in communities to get first-hand accounts of what people feel. What they think. What’s actually happening….

    “The joy of it all is when there is impact. And you shift the dial. And you can see the consequences of your endeavours.  This is why the work you do as journalists writing about science and health matters so much. Why it warrants special recognition. Why you should be proud of the profession you’ve chosen. And the brilliant work that you are doing,” she said.

    President, NAS, Prof Mosto Onuoha, said the winners that emerged were unanimously selected independently by the judges because of their consistency.

    He thanked journalists for writing science stories despite the difficulties associated with doing investigative stories, including lack of funding.

    He said the Academy also wished to do more but was limited by funds. He therefore thanked Vitafoam for bankrolling the competition without expecting tangible returns on investment.

    On his part, Group Managing Director Vitafoam, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, said as a firm that depends on science for its products, Vitafoam would support any initiative that promotes science.

    “We see it as an avenue to educate minds and get people interested in science.  Countries that move ahead, their bedrock is science.  So when we see an organisation rewarding innovation, we want to support such.  It is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives to give back to society,” he said.

    Calling on organisations to support investigative journalism, last year’s winner of the Science Journalist of the Year (print), Mrs. Hannah Ojo Ajakaye said her story would not have been possible if she had not got an international grant to carry out her investigations.

    She said, “Companies should hold workshops for journalists to learn to do compelling science stories.  They should provide grants for investigative stories.  The story that won me the award last year would not have been possible without a grant from the international organisation.”

    Mr. Isaac Anyaogu of Business Day won the Science Journalist of the Year Award for Print; while Mrs Nkoli Omhoudu of AIT won the award for Broadcast.  The Runners up were Mrs Omolara Afolayan of TVC News (broadcast) and Mr Afeez Hanafi of Punch newspaper (Print).  The winners of each category got N200,000, while the runners up got N50,000.  All four winners also got N50,000 voucher from Vitafoam.

  • Tivs write Taraba governor’s wife on birthday to broker peace with Jukuns

    TIV people, in Nigeria and the diaspora, have written the wife of the governor of Taraba State, Mrs Anna Darius Ishaku, over the ongoing communal crisis between Jukun and Tiv in Southern Taraba State.

    Mrs. Ishaku, a prolific lawyer, is Tiv from Vandeikya, Benue State, but married to the governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, a Jukun architect.

    She had been bestowed the Tiv chieftaincy title of “Msughshima u Tiv Taraba,” meaning ‘one who comforts Tiv people living in Taraba in times of sorrow and misery’.

    Anna Ishaku clocked 64 penultimate Saturday — the day Jukun militants were suspected of attacking a Tiv village –Tor-Damsa, in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba.

    300 houses were reportedly set ablaze in the attack.

    When this reporter published Mrs Ishaku’s picture, decorated in Tiv’s famous black and white cultural regalia —anger, on his Facebook wall, announcing her birthday, a flurry of goodwill messages by Tiv folks greeted the post.

    Beneath felicitations, however, were biting commentaries urging the governor’s wife to talk to her husband to ensure the crisis between the two tribes was brought to an end.

    Cosmas Karachi Gbaa said he would not celebrate her because of the killings. “What is exciting about her birthday when others are mourning their loved ones in her domain?” He asked.

    Read Also: Buhari to traditional, religious leaders: Stop escalating Tiv/Jukun crisis

    It was gathered that the Jukun/Tiv crisis is an aged-long recurring feud, which only known cause is a claim by the Jukun that the Tiv are “settlers” in Taraba State, and ipso facto, have no ownership right to the land they occupy and should leave.

    Worried and pressured, Governor Darius Ishaku recently declared that Taraba Tiv are indigenes, contrary to the proclamation by his kinsmen.

    Ishaku’s pronouncement was expected to trigger a cessation of hostilities. But the President of Southern Taraba Tiv Youth Progressive Forum (TYPF), Kelvin Katyo, disclosed that Ikyergba —a Tiv village in Takum was again attacked and seven persons were feared killed.

    Katyo has cried out over a threat to attack them in Takum and Donga local gov ernment areas in days. He raised alarm that he has received a warning from a suspected Jukun militia group of the impending attack, adding that Tiv residents in Takum and Donga have been given a seven-day ultimatum to pack out of their homes.

    The threat has built fears in the areas, it was learnt.

    Police spokesman, David Misal, confirmed the threat but said he does not know those who issued the threat.

    “Yes, we are aware of a threat to attack some communities in Taraba and our attention has been drawn to it. But we don’t know the hoodlums or whatever group that is issuing the threat.

    “However, we are on ground to make sure we do everything possible to repel any attack by whatsoever group; whether they are hoodlums, militias and or bandits,” Misal told The Nation.

    Katyo, in a statement averred that he has lost 93 Tiv persons while 42,000 are displaced in separate attacks since hostilities between them and Jukun began in Kente village of Wukari Local Government Area on April 1.

    In his birthday letter to Mrs. Ishaku, Polycarp Tersoo Andura, a stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, urged the governor’s wife to tell her husband to follow the footsteps of his predecessor, late Danbaba Suntai, who he said, embraced peace throughout his reign.

    His letter reads: “Ma, please tell your husband that Jukun are killing your Tiv brothers. Queen Esther used her position to save Mordecai and the Jews.

    “I believe God sent you to bring peace between us and Jukun, by marrying Darius Ishaku when he had no idea of becoming governor.

    “May the soul of Governor Danbaba Suntai rest in peace. Taraba enjoyed relative peace during his regime.

    “Baba Suntai never supported Tiv/Jukun crisis. Peace started eluding Taraba as soon as God untimely took his life.

    “The children of Israel experienced war when Ahab reigned as king, so let your hus band’s administration embrace peace. Happy birthday Your Excellency and dear mother.”

    Uvirkaa Akumaga, a Tiv Geography Lecturer in Oklahoma University, US, in his message, expressed disappointment over the renaming of Tiv settlements in Taraba State during Ishaku’s administration.

    Akumaga, who wrote from Columbia, Missouri, said: “Happy birthday ma. I am surprised, that despite the fact that you are a Tiv First Lady, the governor, who is your husband still went on to rename all Tiv settlements in Taraba State.

    “I expect a stronger unity in the land instead of hatred. Darius Ishaku’s children are both Tiv and Jukun, and so are many other kids in Taraba.

    “The hatred going on is unnecessary. We cannot allow few bad eggs to continue causing crisis in the land. We must live together as one family.”

    Terver Burbwa, an engineer, described Mrs. Ishaku as a “great woman and rare gem.” He said: “Your Excellency, I celebrate you on this occasion of your 64th birthday anniversary. We are inspired.”

    “Happy birthday ma. May the Lord grant you the wisdom to reunite Tiv and Jukun people,” wrote Targule Damian.

    Jeff Gbise wrote: “If only Tiv people could see her in every Jukun person and the Jukun see her in every Tiv person, then we all would have made her a symbol of peace. Peace is a necessity. We all must seek ways of sustaining peace.”

    The Taraba governor’s wife, described by many as a humble and God-fearing woman, is seen by Tiv as Esther —the biblical faithful and courageous daughter of Abihail, who married King Ahasuerus Darius of Persia, who saved her Jews brothers from massacre in 473 BC.

    The Tiv are urging Anna to plead with Ishaku for Tiv and tell the governor what Esther told King Ahasuerus. Historians said, when the king asked Esther what was her wish, the queen answered: “My wish is that I and my people may live, because we are about to be destroyed and exterminated.”

  • Disabled athlete denied treatment despite Lagos State law

    Eight years after the Lagos State Special People’s Law was signed, guaranteeing people living with disabilities free healthcare, government-owned health facilities still claim ignorance, thereby jeopardising the wellbeing of these special people. Dorcas Egede reports.

    Lagos State-born, Abiola Rahamon, 37 is a Paralympics medalist, who has represented Lagos and Delta states in Table Tennis at national competitions, and made the National Team once, to represent Nigeria at the All African Games in Algeria. But today, this champion is battling with blood sucking and life threatening multiple fibroids and needs to undergo a surgery as soon as possible.

    Unlike many Nigerian women out there who are afraid of surgery and would rather resort to all sorts of unorthodox options to shrink the fibroids, Rahamon is ready to go under the knife to have her fibroids removed. She however lacks the financial capacity to foot the bills. The only family she has, her mother, is a petty trader. She doesn’t make enough to afford a surgery for her daughter.

    Her search for financial assistance got the attention of Ngozichukuwuka Uri, lead volunteer at Empathy Driven Women International Initiative – a non-governmental organisation that works “with women with disabilities.”

    According to Uri, she has written several letters to get the attention of the CMD at Ayinke Hospital, and weeks after, nothing came out of it. “It will be great you did this story because this lady is on wheel chair, she has multiple sclerosis. She is a 5 time tennis champion. Now, she has fibroids.”

    Bleeding champ

    According to Rahamon, she was admitted on the 31st of July, 2019, after some tests revealed that her blood level was dangerously low and she had to be urgently transfused. The low blood level was occasioned by multiple fibroids which caused her to bleed heavily during her menstrual cycle, making her use up to three packs of sanitary pads.

    “When I got here, I was asked to do some tests. They now said my blood level is low and they must admit me. They put me on admission and said I would have to be transfused with blood. I wanted to go home, but the doctor insisted that I couldn’t with my blood level so low. She wrote an emergency note on my card that I should go and collect blood from the lab, then she wrote some tests for me to do. That’s how I got admitted.

    “After the tests, one of the facilitators came and collected my samples, took it to the lab and they brought blood from the lab. But after giving me two pints of blood, they stopped giving me, saying I had not donated. The doctor still wrote that this was an emergency and that I will donate. Usually, when you want to get blood transfusion, you have to bring a donor; but if it’s an emergency, they will allow you get the transfusion before bringing donors.

    “During the weekend when the doctor was not around, they stopped giving me blood. The doctor had told them to give me four pints. Later the woman (facilitator) came back to say that I have not brought the donors and that they’re disturbing her in the lab. She said I would have to pay N7,000 for the screening of each pint. So, we paid N28,000 for four pints.

    “Later that day, I’d slept when the third pint was released, then the fourth. But they insisted that I must bring a donor before I could be discharged. The doctor prescribed some drugs for me and suggested I did a full blood count test, while the senior consultant in my unit told me he would advise surgery, if I had money, so that the blood that had been transfused doesn’t waste away during my next period.”

    So now, she faces the challenge of raising money for the surgery. But then, there is a provision of the Lagos State Special People’s Law, 2011, which states that persons living with disabilities should have free healthcare.

    To this effect, Rahamon went to Ayinke Hospital at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) with the hope of taking advantage of the proviso. But to her disappointment, she had to pay for everything, from patient’s card to seeing a doctor, blood test, scan, pints of blood. Her frustration heightened when she was made to present donors and was refused transfusion until she was able to produce two donors.

    “Madam Uri has tried a lot for me. She has been a backbone; she has been there for me financially and in every way.”

    Passion for sports, dashed hopes

    With tear beads glistering in Rahamon’s eyes seconds before making their free course down her cheeks, she told of her passion for sports and many dashed hopes. “I play table tennis. I have been to National Sports Festival. I once made the Nigerian Paralympics team, but was later dropped for financial constraints, according to the people there. In special sports, we are multi-talents. You can do another sport apart from table tennis. So, I was told that because of my class (lower class) of disability, I was best fit to participate in short put and discus at the Commonwealth Games.

    “So, I trained for it and made the national team. We were camped in Ibadan in 2010. I came second during the trials. Three of us who came in the first, second and third positions were invited to the camp, but after some time, after submitting all our travel particulars, they now told us that the government did not release funds, and that only one person would be taken. The person that came first was chosen.

    “Even in table tennis, they don’t take lower class disability (disability relating to spinal cord injury) like mine. I have passion for sports. I train every day if there’s a tournament, but if there’s no tournament, I train three times a week because of the distance of the National Stadium from where I stay.”

    Rahamon also worked with the Delta State Sports Commission during the administration of Governor James Ibori. “The governor said then that the Delta State government would employ anybody that won a medal at the National Sports Festival held in Abuja in 2004, and I won a bronze. I also won a silver medal in the 2006 Gateway Games. As a result, I was employed by the Delta State Sports Commission based in Asaba between 2005 and 2010.

    “In 2005, we were camped in Asaba for preparation toward the 2006 All African Games in Algeria, but after some time, they said Algeria removed our game, which was Table Tennis. I then had to leave the camp.

    “Later, my coach (he’s late now) issued me a query saying that I wasn’t taking my table tennis training seriously. This was because I started attending training in short put toward the Commonwealth Games. As a result of the query, my salary was stopped.”

    By 2010, her mother insisted she returned to Lagos because she was wary of her frequent travels, especially after she was involved in a road accident and was the only surviving passenger.

    Asked what keeps her going, Rahamon said, “It is God’s doing, and the trainings.”

    And on lessons from her disability, she said, “My disability has taught me to be self-disciplined. If you have self-discipline, you can go far in life.”

    Rahamon looks forward to raising a family of her own some day.

    NGO interventions

    Uri who runs the Empathy Driven Women International Initiative has been at the forefront of the fight for Rahamon. According to her, Rahamon is “very strong, very resilient, and has a fantastic spirit.” When she first spoke to this reporter, her frustration at the injustice she believed was being done to Rahamon was strong.

    “When she was admitted at Ayinke, they started transfusing her. One pint of blood is 7,000 and we paid N28,000 because she needed four pints. They gave her two pints of blood and said they would not give her again until she brought a donor. Apparently there is a very punitive law in that place, you pay 7,000 for a pint of blood, they give you the blood, but you have to go and look for a donor to replace that blood. They call it replacement. It’s scandalous.

    “So, after she took the two pints, they told us that we have to bring donors. I went to donate and called some other people to donate. Now, I couldn’t donate because they said that once you’re a woman and over 50 you can’t donate. I didn’t know that.”

    According to Uri, up to five other persons who came to donate blood for her were turned back either because they didn’t have ID card or they weren’t good matches. “And to donate the blood is not even easy because you have to sit for hours. Then they will come and address you, send you to go and do some tests before anything. So, it takes the whole day to donate. Tell me, how many people will agree to go through such to donate. It’s punitive.”

    After begging to buy blood from elsewhere or directly from the bank to no avail, they eventually agreed that they paid N7,500 each for the remaining two pints of blood. “We have the receipts. But why didn’t they ask us to do this earlier? Why did they keep us for extra two weeks before asking us to pay N7500? Well, I paid the N15,000. This is apart from the initial N28,000 we paid at first.

    “Look at the trick, in looking for donors; you’re being kept in the hospital. It can take you two weeks to get donors and each day at the hospital costs 7500. So, your bill is accumulating every day. There are people there whose bill has risen up to N800,000. It’s madness!

    “There’s a law in Lagos state which states that persons living with disabilities should get free medical care, but the doctors at the hospital said they don’t know about that law. The president signed the disability bill this year, January. And the bill states specifically free Medicare for persons with disability. What my NGO wants to do is to start sensitising doctors in these hospitals for them to know.

    Another person who has been fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the 2011 Lagos State Special People’s Law becomes a reality and not just something for the books is Daniel Otti. Otti, who describes himself as ‘a media person and a social inclusion advocate’, says “I advocate for persons with disabilities. I host a show for persons with disabilities on Nigeria Info. Generally I advocate enhanced wellbeing for everybody, including persons with disabilities. I advocate for a fair and equitable society.”

    According to him, “Lagos state special people’s law, Section 27, Sub-section 1&2, guarantees the free medical treatment of persons living with disabilities. The law was enacted in 2011. Let us assume that 5 years was like a gestation period, now we are in 2019 and we are still having a situation where even doctors claim that they have to confirm with their legal department in a situation of emergency. This is what a doctor at LASUTH CMD’s office told me.”

    “We brought a letter from Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA) and also got an excerpt of the law. It was after he saw the excerpt of the law, where it specifically stated that there should be free healthcare, that’s when he now said he would pass the letter to the board.

    Otti noted that it behooved the Lagos State Ministry of Health to sensitise doctors about the existence of the law and how to handle cases pertaining to persons living with disabilities. “I can assure you that more than 70% of the doctors in Lagos state will claim they don’t know.”

    Narrating how they once lost a young man living with disabilities, Kola Kazeem, around Computer Village, Lagos, Otti said, “The bottlenecks are many. And it is not just about one person, it means that the institutionalised structure about this law has to be overwhelmingly reviewed, and capacities have to be built from midwives to all health attendants have to know about this law. If you say you can’t guarantee 100% cost of medical care, you should specify what you can bear as a state based on what the law states.

    “Kazeem was paraplegic; meaning his immune system easily got weakened, so he began to develop urinary track issues, so we took him to LASUTH. They gave him a catheter to urinate, told us they didn’t have beds, and discharged us.

    Unfortunately, Kazeem despite all efforts, still died. And Otti believes that if the hospital had done the needful in good time, the young man would still be alive.

    “The guy was at the hospital a day before he died and was told to return for surgery. I think he was told to go and recover before he could qualify for surgery, but each time he went, they would say he was not due, and the situation was getting worse.”

    “If Lagos State says they want to set up a health intervention fund for persons living with disabilities, I think well-meaning Nigerians can come and place in the fund, just like they have in the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. Is the health or wellbeing of persons with disabilities not as important as that? For instance, if the government decides that they want to set aside N1b for the health fund of persons living with disabilities, government should launch it with N500M and see if well-meaning Nigerians will not swing into action. From CSR, the funds will come in.”

  • Leadership, democracy and good governance; challenges and prospects

    First and foremost, I wish to thank the FEMI OYEBANJO FOUNDATION for the great honour and privilege of asking me to give this birthday lecture in honour of Chief Femi Oyebanjo, the Aro of Oke-Oro, Ekiti, a man I have always held in great awe and respect.  The Aro and I came a long way and for over three decades I have been more than privileged to learn at his feet. I first met Chief Oyebanjo in 1981 during the calm that preceded the tempestuous 2nd Republic politics in Ondo state. (We will henceforth omit all reference to Chief Oyebanjo as events conspired to ensure that the lecture, God willing, will now be given on the occasion of his 90 birthday. Amen).

    This recall, therefore, is only a precursor to articles which will soon appear on this column in answer to some of the questions that have arisen since the emergence of Prof (Senator) Banji Akintoye as the YORUBA LEADER. As is usual with the Yoruba, the articles will be handled syllogically; that is, applying deductive reasoning to arrive at conclusions so there would be no need for any abuses, whatever, from any quarters.

    The title, lest I have got you carried you away is: Leadership, Democracy and Good Governance:  Challenges and Prospects.

    In full disclosure, let me quickly make a confession.  I could not have been luckier in drawing this topic.  Why, you’d ask? I am particularly blessed that a John, not the Baptist, preceded me in interrogating the very issues I have been asked to deal with here today. I refer here to Dr John Kayode Fayemi, a Development Scholar, solid academician and governor of our dear state who, only last month at the CHATAM HOUSE, London, gave a lecture on Democratisation, Development and Good Governance. Though today’s topic is not on all fours with what he dealt with, he said enough, for me to leverage on.

    What then is LEADERSHIP? Leadership has been variously defined down the ages, but for o purpose today, I shall  adopt  the  simple  Microsoft Encarta dictionary definition of Leadership as the ability to guide, direct, or influence people because it is in these very areas that Nigeria, as a country, has so lagged behind that people have questioned what type of leaders God gave Nigeria. Many here, I suspect, must have heard the apocryphal story of the visit of the U.S President, the British Prime Minister, the German Chancellor and of course, their Russian counterpart to God to complain about the excessive human and natural resources He endowed Nigeria with.  God was reported to have laughed heartily; agreed He was favourably disposed to Nigeria but wondered aloud whether His August visitors have ever bothered to interrogate the type of leaders He gave her.

    What then are the essential ingredients of leadership, and which one world leader, past or present, can we use to demonstrate them?

    I proceed, here under to list them just as I shall be using the truly unique British Prime Minister, the indomitable War hero and statesman, Sir Winston Churchill to demonstrate each.

    INTEGRITY:

    A leader must have unimpeachable integrity.  He must have unshakeable moral values. Sir Winston Churchill was voted in a recent BBC poll as the Greatest Briton ever in history. Even in war time he never once understated the hard facts of the consequences of the war. Rather he promised Britons sweat, blood and tears. This rallied, rather than cow, the British since they trusted and respected him greatly.

    CONSISTENCY:

    Churchill was consistent. He had spent years warning of the ever growing Nazi threat. For some time his warnings went unheeded. He was, in fact, dubbed a warmonger. When the sitting Prime Minister was keen on appeasing Hitler, he stuck to his cause, rather than give in to the naysayers. For him, Hitler was a demon and the Nazis were too evil to be trusted about anything.  He would later be called upon to lead the nation and his consistency redounded well to the benefit of Britain and humanity.

    EXPERIENCE

    Experience is key to leadership. Churchill had been a Member of Parliament for nearly 40 years by the time he was made Prime Minister. For 25 years he had held high ministerial office in a wide range of departments. He had been in the government and served on the front line during the First World War. He had seen action, was captured and escaped from a prisoner of war camp. All these were crucial in his leadership role during the horrifying war years when hordes of German planes were daily pounding London.

    HARD WORKING

    He had an incredible work ethic and was a perfectionist. He demanded much from those around him – but more from himself of the extreme high standards he had set. He was, for instance, quoted  as  saying “Each night before I go to bed, I try myself by Court Martial to see if I have done something really effective during the day – I don’t mean merely pawing the ground, anyone can go through the motions, but something really effective.”

    KNOW YOUR PEOPLE

    Finally, a leader must know the people he leads, or indeed, wants to lead. He must show empathy and identify with the yearnings of the people. He must, at all times, demonstrate leadership traits that are worthy of his place in society.

    Britons, even in the agonising war felt close to Churchill. He was very sympathetic to their cause. His speeches touched everyone’s heart. He was a natural communicator, had no airs and was seen as an open book by his compatriots. Everyone knew where they were with Churchill.

    Shall we then take a quick look at Democracy and then, Good Governance, without which a country, state or even local government will be in great peril.

    Some 55 odd years ago in 1957, at the United School, Are-Afao Ekiti, my class teacher, Mr Fajana, later Chief, defined democracy for us as ‘the government of the people, for the people and by the people’. Events in the last half a century in Africa have strenuously questioned that definition of democracy. But our governor, to whose lecture I referred earlier, has done some good work of defining levels of democratisation in Africa.

    He identified three broad categories.

    I quote him: “First, I think we all need a typology of Africa’s democratisation that further interrogates the broad categories away  from the  Manichean divide – of success  and  failure, pessimism and optimism, sub-optimal performance and unprecedented progress – which is possible and indeed, necessary because of its practical implications for policy choices by African citizens, their governments and development partners. In this vein, one could clearly talk about five strands and even within them, experiences remain mixed and non-linear. One, there are states in the process of consolidating democracy and achieving better governance due to more legitimate and accountable governance, reformist economic management, rights based agenda, and a more active and demanding citizenry among other critical success factors – Botswana, Benin, Ghana will qualify here. Second are states in various stages of transitions – Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania. Third, are states in conflict or emerging out of conflict – DRC, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone.  Fourth are states in relapse or re-militarization – Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar and Mauritania and fifth, in my view, are out rightly authoritarian states”.

    What I understand Dr Fayemi as saying here is that the type of democracy in place in each category has determined to a significant level, to what extent Good Governance, in its proper essence, can be delivered to the peoples of these countries.

    What then is good governance?

    Modern economies are not built with capital or labour as much as by ideas. Put differently, wars are won in the map room. To talk about Good Governance, therefore, is obviously not to re-invent the wheel since the subject has agitated the minds of scholars for long, but much more seriously within the past decade as a result of the concern, worldwide, for best practices. Good governance, as terminology, is used in describing the desired objectives of a nation-state or a geo-political zone, as we are in South-West, Nigeria. Put simply, it is anti-corruption, i.e a system in which the government and its institutions are accountable, effective, efficient, participatory, transparent, responsive, consensual and equitable. Once a system meets these stated desiderata, the end is what the Avatar, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, described as the raison detre of any government, i.e catering to the happiness of the greater majority of the people.

    At the 2005 World Summit, leaders across the world concluded that good governance is integral to economic growth; to the eradication of poverty and hunger and towards ensuring sustainable development. Good Governance, the summit observed, ensures that the views of the most at risk segments of society, the oppressed: women, youth and the poor, are reckoned with because they suffer the most from the consequences of lack of good governance.

    The Independent Commission on Good Governance in public services established in the UK in 2004 by the Office For Public Management (OPM) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, whose primary aim was to develop a common code and set of principles for good governance across public services to serve as a guide, came up with six core principles. These are:

    1. Focus: good governance means focusing on the organisation’s purpose and their outcome for the citizenry.
    2. Effective performance in defined roles.
    3. Promotion of values.
    4. Taking informed transparent decisions.
    5. Developing capacity and capability for effective governance, and,
    6. Engaging stakeholders and making accountability real.

    Having thus laid the philosophical underpinning of our core categories, let us now take a quick look at the challenges and prospects which Leadership, Democracy and Good Governance pose for us as a geo-political zone or as a state.

    SETTING GOOD GOVERNANCE AGENDA FOR YORUBALAND

    The desideratum for good governance is peace; political as well as social peace.  We need to, first of all, examine the sources of conflict and the structures available for conflict resolution in Yorubaland. The major source of political conflict in Yoruba land in the last twelve years or so has been the marginalisation of the Yoruba nation in the political scheme which came to a head with the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, the war of attrition that followed the annulment, with the consequent decimation of the cultural and political leadership of the Yorubas.  This led to the mainstreaming agenda which dislocated our political and social life.

    With Yoruba land back in the progressive political platform, an agenda for good governance becomes a sine qua non. It is, therefore, a time for rebuilding; a time for working out  a blueprint for sustained social, political and economic development of Yoruba land.

    Leadership in Yorubaland

    Our leadership tradition is two-tier, i.e cultural and political but with both merging a-times. The Egbe Omo Oduduwa and Afenifere provided cultural cum political leadership; Obasanjo’s mainstreaming agenda created an out-rightly unpopular splinter group led by the Yoruba Council of Elders and the Akinfenwa AD as arrow heads. For the current political peace and harmony to be sustainable, our public office holders must be seen to perform optimally to the satisfaction of the citizenry as well as create a cultural leadership in its own image taking cognisance of the generational shift of the new political class. A Pan-Yoruba cultural organisation into which a lot of work has gone for the past five years with a thriving secretariat – THE AGBAJO YORUBA AGBAIYE- can, with judicious re-engineering, adequately fit the bill. It is led by Lt. Gen Alani Akinrinade, one of Yoruba’s finest specimens. It is my hope that the South-West governors’ forum can lead the charge here. It will not conflict with the new and improved ARG which is strictly political, and in my view, its Yoruba Academy is to serve as the intellectual power house for Yoruba land.

    GOOD GOVERNANCE

    The Yoruba race is one that inherited a good tradition of good governance in Nigeria. The high level of education of our political progenitors created a milieu that we can always look back to today to shape our political future.  The question does not arise, therefore, as to what good governance is all about for our new leaders.

    I proceed, therefore, to spell out the dividends that the new progressive governments should deliver to our people in the geo-political zone.

    Agenda for Good Governance

    1. The development of the Southwest must be done along regional lines, i.e regional integration. Fortunately, this is the trend that our new political leaders are already charting. The region is an economic block, and as such, a regional approach will be cost-effective and economically viable especially in the areas of infrastructure procurement, industrialization, commerce, the environment, and agriculture.

    Education:  Given the anti-intellectual posture of the PDP which would rather ravage resources, our education is in the doldrums but it is obvious the governors have taken education as a major priority of their government. For instance, I served on the Ekiti state Education/Visitation Panel set up by Governor Kayode Fayemi and chaired the Communique Committee at the subsequent Ekiti Education Summit. Similar summits have been held in other states in the region. There is a gaping need for increased attention to be paid to technical education, with particular emphasis on skills acquisition through the formal school system  – trade centres, vocational schools, traditional apprenticeship, reinvigorated Polytechnics etc.  The gigantic work of development cannot be accomplished with a top-heavy technocratic class without a competent class of those who translate dreams into reality. This restructuring will benefit the entire regional economy.

    Agriculture:  All the states have potentials for agricultural development but this must be harmonised to take care of areas of comparative advantage in food and cash crop production.  Food storage, preservation and processing industries should also be established, as well as, harmonised to avoid artificial glut. Agriculture should be used as a means of youth empowerment.

    While mechanisation is the ultimate for mass production, the consequences on the environment should be taken into consideration. Peasant agriculture should still be given attention because it has sustained us for a long time and a huge percentage of our farmers are engaged in it. Agriculture should also be used for women empowerment.

    Agro forestry: The Governments should go back to the preservation of our forest resources and also the afforestation and reforestation of overused land. There should be uniform laws to curb unauthorised logging, bush burning, poaching of wild animals etc because the entire region has the same forest resources. The youths should be massively involved in a forestation programmes across the region as a means of employment.

    Industrialisation: Industries are cited where the raw materials are available.  Good transportation in the region can bridge the disadvantage of access to the market. Major industries should be jointly-owned to ensure viability.

    THE ROAD NETWORK:

    Here is one area where the main streamers, under the lead of Ogagun Olusegun Obasanjo, has hurt us the most and there is no gain-saying its critical imperativeness.

    Luckily we have as governors, highly committed young men who know exactly how to tap into development partners and approach institutions like the IDA to come rescue us because roads are key to all our developmental plans. They should also find PPP -Public Private Partnership, attractive, with a strong regulatory frame-work to manage it.

    I haven’t the slightest doubt that we are poised for a very challenging but extremely exciting period of renewal in Yoruba land.

    A ju se. Odua a gbe wa.

    Congratulations Sir. Many happy returns.

  • The battle for revalidation and renewal of hope in Bayelsa

    Like Yenagoa, like Dubai. Both cities were founded on nothing but products of necessity some years ago. And like the proverbial mustard seed, they have grown to become the envies of their neighbours.

    The story of Yenagoa is becoming increasingly fascinating. Its foundation stones were literally laid on its pronouncement as a state capital 23 years during the days of late Gen. Sani Abacha. Many Nigerians (not just foreigners) would still mistake its geographical identity for northern Nigeria in the first five years of its existence as a state. Its journey to fame was that tortuous.

    Bayelsa’s growth trajectory was not less tortuous. What has become a prosperous state in the name of Bayelsa was nothing better than a collection of fishing communities clustering along the seas but carved out from the old Rivers State on the basis of what many considered as ‘boyish’ expectation of the military administration. Tugging on with marks of its afflictions and hard-earned crowns, the state has become a beautiful bride. For young Nigerian professionals and artisans, the crèche is now ‘see Bayelsa and live’.

    And for Bayelsa indigenes, who have remained grateful to Abacha for seeing hope amid despair and demonstrating sufficient courage to create a state for the Ijaws, the days of solitary are well over. Indeed, its time is ticking albeit so fast that its peers in the Niger Delta region cannot but see its glowing gaiety that has showed its true essence as ‘the Glory of all Lands’.

    In the intervening years, roads have been laid. Schools have been built. Bridges have been constructed. Investments have been made across critical sectors. Those who have been to the state can confirm that construction, especially roads, is not a fanciful adventure. Without determination and purposeful leadership, nothing gets done in its geographical space. It is thus not frivolous to approximate that much of the development witnessed in the past few decades was laid on the foundation of exemplary leadership.

    With its governorship election scheduled for November 2, Bayelsans are at a crossroad again. It is not a question of whether they should stick to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which has had an unbroken reign since the inception of this democratic era or take a new wife. It is equally important to decide whose version of PDP they will adopt. Perhaps, the second question is much more significant for four reasons: Bayelsa is a traditional homeland of the PDP; it is ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s home; the current administration is generally acclaimed to have been successful and there is a general discontent against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The groundswell to the PDP primaries speaks eloquently of the facts that political gladiators’ perception of the nomination as the ultimate victory. The forces and political interests are so enormous that one could only pray that ‘Beyelsans’ do not become the prey. While a study into the political horse-trading may amount to an academic adventure, unpacking the personalities in the PDP ticket grand plans is vital for linking promises with realities and characterizing the next phase of Bayelsa.

    Here are the major individuals that will be participating in the PDP primaries on Tuesday – Kemela Okara, Timi Alaibe, Duoye Diri, Reuben Okoya and Frederick Agbedi. These men have not only held tight to their political turfs as the days go by, they have also become entrenched. They have also come along in the state’s political affairs well enough to have seen governorship slot as the ultimate payoff.

    Every political actor is the ultimate arbiter of himself, and history is swift in documenting how this process affects the journey of man to perfection, the moral lessons therein and the overall gains for the society. This is the most probable lens through which the interests of the key contenders of the PDP tickets could be reviewed. Now, Okara comes across as a very important case study not only in this review process but also in the whole debate of Nigeria’s contemporary politics. Relatively new in the politics of Bayelsa, Okara, in 2012, contested the governorship race with Gov. Seriake Dickson on the platform of the Action Congress on Nigeria.

    Four years later after the political battle, Okara, who lost to the current governor, honoured an invitation to serve as the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, a portfolio considered as the dearest to Dickson’s heart. He moved on to become the Secretary of State Government, a promotion Dickson confirmed was a reward for the exceptional passion with which Okara marketed the Bayelsa offerings to the outside world and for successfully repositioning the state as destination of choice for investors and fun lovers. And Okara, with the backing of his former boss, has pulled through to emerge as an aspirant to beat in the coming primaries.

    The Okara storyline is unusually unique in this clime. And the rareness of this narrative seems to matter as much as the credentials, as a successful lawyer and advocate of justice of international repute, he throws into the race. The thought-provoking questions are: how was he able to swallow his pride to accept to work with his former political ‘enemy’ as a commissioner, taking into consideration the international brand he had built for himself? How did he work so closely with Dickson for upward of five years without suffering the ego bite that has become the albatross of the country’s political progression? How did he manage the crucial political party transition so seamlessly and evaded the usual upheavals?

    Every permutation could be true but not certainly any that borders on unspoken personality clash with Dickson. That he was able to subdue his personal ego for the past eight years for the love of his people is a crucial point for Okara going into this race. His choice of campaign key message, ‘for the good of all and the love of Bayelsa’, is probably the most authoritative explanation of his political philosophy. And if Dickson is going outside old political circle for a ‘new comer’, there is possibly something much more spectacular about Okara than the rest of Bayelsans already know.

    Luckily for the aspirant who hails from Yenagoa Local Government, his Central Bayelsa Senatorial District is mostly favoured by the party’s zoning arrangement. Come Tuesday, Okara will be adjudged by his performances as a commissioner and SSG. As a commissioner, Kemela Okara was able to articulate a clear vision to make Bayelsa a model of Africa’s economic success story. In collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), his ministry shepherded an industrial policy to leverage Bayelsa’s comparative advantage in oil and gas, power generation, agriculture and manufacturing.

    An obvious success story of his tenure was the hosting of the Bayelsa State Investment and Economic Forum (BSIEF) in 2014 and 2015. Whether he emerges as the PDP candidate and proceeds to win the election or not, Okara’s journey back home will be remembered for the opportunities the summit has created for Bayelsa to unveil its unique selling point to the highly-competitive global investment market.

    Still, there is no much one can say about Dickson’s Restoration Group without espousing the ingenuity of Okara. Inspired by the need to unveil a grand vision for the state and the Ijaw nation within the context of Nigeria’s yearning for a more glorious identity, Dickson has pursued the restoration agenda, for which Okara has become an intellectual caste, with vigor and almost commitment to the admiration of other nationalities. The mention of Okara thus reawakens the interest of the entire Ijaw in how their largest homeland transitions the agenda to successive administrations.

    Weighed against history and the available options, Okara’s aspiration is seen as purveyor of renewed hope.  But his option certainly rattles the old establishments who are also scheming and playing the sentiment card to sustain their relevance. Alaibe’s return to the trenches itself symbolizes the fight for the old system’s resurgence. What are the strengths of Alaibe coming into the race?

    Evolving with the politics of Bayelsa and serving as Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under the late Umaru Yar’Adua administration when militancy became a knotty issue has endeared him to the ‘boys’. Secondly, he has a deep pocket, which matters a lot when viewed against the backdrop of the culture of cash-and-carry politics. Also, Alaibe enjoys the rare support of key members of Jonathan’s inner circle, especially George Turner. The extent to which these factors can go in delivering him is a function of the disposition of the critical stakeholders towards the old thinking.

    Of particular interest is the fact that Alaibe’s aspiration does not offer a fresh perspective to the political dynamics. Come to think of it – he has been in and out of the PDP, a trait that may have reinforced the disenchantment against his brand of politics. And if he, against all odds, wins the primaries, it is not because his camp can connect with the new aspiration of the Bayelsa but essentially because they have learnt new tricks of playing their old game differently. And this will not likely happen.

    Like Alaibe, like Reuben Okoya. Both of them are of the Jonathan political lineage with their legacies dating back to Diepreye Alamieyeseigha’s era. Interestingly, Okoya is going to the political battlefield with even more moral-bankrupt weapons.

    For one, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate saga has been a talking point as far as his aspiration is concerned. While the aspirant may have put the issue behind him, it is not particularly certain the party is ready to take over that moral burden beyond the primaries and face APC with the moral cost.

    Douye Diri, currently representing Bayelsa Central at the Senate, is definitely not a pushover. Diri shares a lot with Okara, a reason many political watchers say the interest of Dickson could be fluid in the coming days. He has the ears of the governor, having worked with him also to deliver on the Restoration Agenda. The governor may also be tempted to deliver him for envisaged political gains.

    However, there is a snag. His inability to win the 2019 senatorial election convincingly casts shadow on his personal political sagacity and strength of character. Even with the popularity of PDP in the state, Diri pooled a mere 83,978 as against APC’s 70,998 to win the Senate. Both PDP and APC have realized that this is one election neither can win from the comfort of a strategy room. They need to be on the streets to touch base with the voters, an engagement an arrogant Diri is yet to master as a politician.

    For the Bayelsa poll, the stakes are high for both political parties. It is also believed that the best will have the tickets though surprises have become an undeniable feature of the Nigeria politics.

  • NKOLI OGBOLU

    Nkoli Ogbolu was the Creative Director at Rosabel Advertising before setting up her own company. She is also the National President of the International Women’s Society (IWS). In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her passion, running a skill centre, memorable moments and reaching out to the less-privileged.

    When did you become IWS president?

    March 2019. It’s been very challenging but I have put in 16 years of membership with IWS. Of course, you understand that all these years, you would have learnt a thing or two about IWS. I am using all that to run this tenure.

    What took you to the organisation?

    It was Evelyn Akeredolu. She was my classmate in Queens College. At that time, I was at a cross roads of what to do. I had just left Rosabel as creative director and I was starting my own business and I felt it was time to give back. She told me about IWS and I said why not? So, I joined the organisation.

    What type of business did you start on your own?

    It was same advertising.

    How has the sector been for you?

    It hasn’t been easy. You know how it is; everybody is a copy writer, an artist, a printer. Everybody is everything in advertisement now. Sadly, that sector of the economy hasn’t grown because it’s like the owner takes all kind of business.

    I would have thought that with the advent of social media, things would be better now

    It is the social media that has really grounded advertising. Everybody is doing it themselves. They are their copywriters and their artists. And they can do basic graphics.

    Are you trying to diversify and look at other areas?

    Of course, after my tenure at IWS I am looking at doing something that has been my pet dream but let me keep it quiet for now.

    Let’s talk about IWS since you took over. What are the programmes that you have done?

    When I took my tenureship, one thing we had to do is to restrategise. A 62-year-old organisation has a lot going for it but if you do not listen to the wind and what it brings for, then this change that you want to have happen, would not happen. One thing we had to was to look at the possibilities and opportunities that have presented themselves in this 21stcentury with technology and with what is happening around us so that we can uplift. If we say we are a charity organisation and we want to be at the very pinnacle of charity giving, then we must hold our own in that space. And if you look at the trends, you find IDP’s widows are becoming more and more because of the war in Nigeria, so to speak, especially in the Boko Haram areas. Many widows abound. Of course, 10.5 million children are out of school. Can you imagine 35 million widows in Nigeria for a population of 200 (million)? It’s a lot and government is doing so much but it is not enough. So, it behoves us as civil society, NGO to help out and that is what we are trying to look at and do. And of course, that strategy is very key in all of this.

    What are some of the programmes of the organisation?

    We have six charities. The oldest charity is the IWS Day Nursery School in Yaba; it was established in 1963. And the 2nd charity is the LUTH Library Trolley service established in 1968 where we read to patients every Wednesday. That that has been going on since then. We drive the trolley round the wards and give the reading materials to patients to keep them busy and happy. Take a look away from other problems. We also have the Widows Trust Fund that was established in 1998; and in 1999, the skill centre was established. The skill centre celebrated its 20th anniversary last week.

    What do you do at the skill centre?

    We have vocational skills that we teach like catering and events management, sewing and fashion designing, beauty and salon services and adult literacy. Our adult literacy is really gaining grounds and it includes those who have never gone to school but they are mature. We also have hospitality and we are a dynamic organisation, we listen to the needs of the people. That is why we set up the hospitality department. Here, drivers, housekeepers and maids are trained properly.

    How do you reach out to your targets?

    We send out fliers and when they come we register them. It is a very big organisation with proper structures in place.

    How would you describe Nigerians and charity; are they givers?

    Yes, they are givers but it could be better. We are complaining about funding because corporate donors are fatigued. Everybody is rushing to them for funding. So, we have to look elsewhere.

    In recent times, people have been talking about hunger in the land. Is there a way you help to fill this need?

    Yes, we are having a soup kitchen in September and it is going to be one of our major charities for the year and every year now going forward.

    We are going to be feeding 500 people, to help address the hunger need. Government really should hearken to our needs, they should do more. There is so much hunger and poverty in the land. And this country is so endowed that we don’t have to be begging. The government needs to do more.

    Women are also talking about being in public life, are you doing anything about this?

    We are doing more of charity but there are all kinds of things open to us now. The other day, we condemned rape, the trending case. We are going into advocacy and strengthening women for political purpose. That is where we would make the laws that would favour them. So, we are going to be doing all of that, expanding and collaborating with other people.

  • ‘I function as journalist and scholar’

    Akin Adesokan is a Professor of African Cinema and Literature at the Indiana University, USA. He is also a writer, a journalist. He worked with a couple of media organizations in Nigeria, before relocating to the United States of America. He is the author of Roots in the Sky, among other books. He is a member of the Fagunwa Study Group, a group of intellectual think-tank devoted to the promotion of Yoruba culture and literary values. Edozie Udeze encountered him in Akure, Ondo State, during an international conference on Soyinka and Fagunwa

    This is the second edition of the Fafunwa International Conference put together by the Fafunwa Study Group, what does this really mean to the group and to humanity generally?

    Yeah, that is an interesting question because it was purely accidentally that the group came into being.  There has always been a group of people who are contemporaries who in informal ways always talk to one another, the way you journalists do with one another.  In our own case we used to meet from time to time.  But it became clear at a critical point that this group will come into being.  We realized that D. O. Fagunwa is a canonical writer.  But then the last book on him was published in 1984, so what is so important about him that we should form a group around him or in his name?  There was some kind of lacuna in the awareness about literature and literary writers in Nigeria.  Even here in this conference mention has been made about how people truly began lately to show interest in Professor Wole Soyinka’s works.

    So when those complaints came we then felt we could regroup to reassess the works of Fagunwa.  This came to be in 2013, as part of the anniversary of the death of Fagunwa.  That was why we had that conference in Akure in 2013.  We said instead of really complaining or doing a one-off journal, or a special issue of journal of the works of Fagunwa, why not a conference by a group of friends where we will talk about him.  So we chose Soyinka, a renowned writer who has also translated the work of Fagunwa into English to give the keynote.  Soyinka has equally been influenced by works of Fagunwa.  It was really beyond our expectations.  The family of Fagunwa warmed up to it.  The conference was indeed great and it came out successfully well.  The governor of the state then, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko really supported it.  The conference was held and the Centre For Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) then headed by Professor Tunde Gabriel Babawale also supported it.  And then a book came out of it.  When the book came out in 2016, which I edited with Professor Adeleke Adeeko, it came out in West African review.  The book presentation took place at the University of Ibadan.  There also was Mimiko who graced the occasion alongside other scholars and important personalities.

    Even the Fagunwa family was there.  So everybody really felt energized and encouraged.  The idea therefore is that having had that success, we have to sustain the tempo.  This gave birth to this second conference which incidentally coincides with the 85th birth day anniversary of Professor Soyinka.  All of these happened unexpected but ultimately justified the efforts put into them to make them work.  The idea is to use the name Fagunwa but tie it to Soyinka and still have both as theme for our conference.  This deepens the intersection between both of them.  This is so because the first conference was strictly on D. O. Fagunwa.  But this one is on Soyinka, sort of continuing and it intersects with Fagunwa’s own works because the group is called Fagunwa Study Group.  He is considered a canonical figure, I mean D. O. Fagunwa and his works embody what the Yoruba cultural values stand for.

    African modern literary values are espoused by him.  Yet he was not alone in this regard.  There is Thomas Mopolo from Lesotho who wrote on Shaka the Zulu.  So there are other writers like Fagunwa who championed literary narratives in Africa.  They also need to be celebrated on equal scale.  In different ways these writers have been celebrated in their countries.  Thomas Mopolo has always been celebrated in different ways and in different locations.  It only follows that Fagunwa should follow suit.  I am not also forgetting Peter Abrahams of South Africa who wrote Mine Boy in 1946, a book that exposed for the first time the atrocious deeds of whites in South Africa.  Or what was seen as Apartheid.  Abrahams did his work, yet these other group looked at the cultural values of the people in their literary offerings.  They stood at an intersection between what you can call oral culture and literary or writing culture.  Peter Abrahams was a writer in the sense that he was using the English Language, writing novels the way people like Charles Dicksens and others did.  But Mopolo was collecting oral history, the stories of the people and their beliefs to render their tales.  He told the story of Shaka the Zulu the way it had not been told before.

    Fagunwa’s attention was on forests, using forests to tell his stories and relating same to human and animal existence.  This embodied both oral and traditional African narrative style and you are now relating both to modern times.  How do you reconcile them in this conference?

    Okay, the point essentially is that two things are involved.  It is not only the way the stories are located in the forests, but because it happened at the beginning of literary history, if you like, literary tradition, those were therefore standard expectations.  Fagunwa was trying to work at a level where a particular generation of story tellers were about to be known.  So, he became a pioneer who became versed in his people’s culture and language.  He served as a bridge between the old and the modern forms of literary culture.  He dwelt on story of hunters and what they did in the forests.  He mastered names of animals, trees, plants, shrubs.  He knew their ways of life and how they related among one another.  But no work stands on its own.  A few years after Fagunwa wrote his own, people started writing about history and in fact among Yoruba writers there was an attempt to create new writings.  What we are saying is that this is a forest of a thousand demons, Olodumare and all that.  But now we are living in the cities.  We no longer live in the forests or near forests.  So, the scenes have changed, the narratives have taken new shapes and forms.  So people who wrote afterwards truly shifted attention from those.  By 1953 people made efforts to promote what you can call realistic literature.  We had stories on crimes in Lagos, about urban dwellings and so on.  These were stories about colonialism.  Cyprian Ekwensi and others came into the picture with interesting stories on modern life styles and the cities.

    Ekwensi wrote the title The Loco Town and so on.  At that time too people began to use music to relate our experiences in modern times.  So the literary firmament grew.  All of these came together to give us modern literature.  And also Fagunwa stories I see them as parables, stories of narratives we enjoy.  But they are also parables that you can find some kind of writing on philosophy and psychology of the people.  There are lots of philosophical ideas in what Fagunwa wrote.  Irrespective of the fact, that he was setting these stories in forests and things like that, like ghosts and spirits and animals, he was using them as metaphorical figures.  Or what you can call arch-types that actually allowed him to see how the real life works.  In these forests were prefigured things that actually pertain to modern life, modern issues…

    You were into journalism where you reigned for years.  Now you are on the other side as an academic.  What has the transition been like?

    In a way itself, when I was a journalist, I was also an activist journalist.  When we were in Tempo and so on, we tried to combine both.  We were always being shut down, living underground and running from place to place.  So, there was always that urge to add some kind of political bent to it.  I would write about arts, but I would also talk to politicians like Abiola and others.  So, for me it was a way to prepare myself.  All these happened during the military regime.  When it was clear that Obasanjo was to become president and those struggles by Abiola and Abacha were over, I decided it was time to move on.  I decided to move, for I was not only a journalist, I was also a writer, a committed writer.  It then became clear to me that I could not do that in Nigeria.  I needed to leave, to change to a new clime, where I would exercise my intellectual prowess to the full.  And the only way to do it and where to do it was the United States of America.

    Where I would be to be more productive and study more, was what was uppermost in my mind.  In the US I went to a graduate school and there once you go to graduate school you can either return home to teach or branch out.  For me then there has never been a separation from academic writings and journalism.  For me all those intertwine and up till today, I do all of them together.  It was only in the last year and half, that I stopped writing my journalism column.  It was in Premium Times.  It was a monthly column.  I still do it once in a while but not with the kind of dedication you guys give to journalism.  The point is that I still use the same skill as a journalist.  The difference is that being an academic in America, for instance, is very professional, very tasking.

    Every year, I turn in what I have done and what I have to do to my employers.  I have to tell them how many books, how many articles I have written.  Then how many conferences I have attended, how many journals I have reviewed or written for.  This is called annual report, and even before I traveled out I had to inform them.  That is part of the urgency of my work as an academic, a scholar.  It is on the basis of my contributions in these aspects that, they will decide either to increase my pay or not.  When I was to come for this conference, I told them.  And when I get back I will give them the costing and they will pay me the expenses.  So, that is how it works.  For me however, writing is part of my culture, whether as a journalist or as a scholar.  I can write on Wole Soyinka or on Lagos culture as part of my academic contribution.  But for me, writing is a part of departure whether I write about Wole Soyinka or about Lagos, or write a column on Ganduje or whoever.

    In other words, academics does not place any restrictions on your freedom to write?

    Well, in a sense that nobody is going to ask me, if I do not produce a novel.  So, to that extent, you know, it doesn’t put any restrictions on me.  Even before I became a Professor, it was always, when – when will I have time to write?  In fact, what journalism has done for me is to give me the discipline to sit down to write some kind of paper.  I write, when I write on academic paper, I write from a different register than when I write fiction. This is so because I have developed the skill.  I’ve also found that the kind of writing that I found most useful, is the one I really enjoy.   When I do academic paper, I do what I really care about.

    The face of colonial literature has changed considerably.  Suddenly the issue of feminism, gay rights, have come up now.  Now, cultural writing does not seem to have space anymore.  Do you think therefore that because most Nigerian writers at home who do not write about these issues are being short-changed in areas of global literary recognitions and awards?

    Well, that is true and it is true for every period.  There is always what you call the ruling ideas of a time.  The ideas that are dominant, the ideas that people feel are interesting like at a point afro hairdo was good.  People felt it was modernization.  People who didn’t believe in modernization didn’t follow.  That is always a part of history.  So, what we have now is a grand swell of questions of identity, questions of identity in terms of being female or being gay or in terms of being marginalized or in terms of being disabled and so on.  Point is that previous periods had a way of ignoring these certain identities.  And if you ignore something, it doesn’t mean that that thing is going to keep quiet.  It is going to find a way of being relevant, making you pay attention to it.  So, that is what is going on and what I’ll suggest now is that ideas are focusing on these current issues, focusing on question of feminism as you put it, questions on transgender and everything.  Those are issues you focus on and when you do that you tend also to ignore the other aspects.  And those you now ignore will also come back at a point to demand for attention.  But I think the best way to do this is that history does not stand still.  And what is important is that if you have something to say even if it does not agree with the issues of the moment go on and say it.  Just manage to say your own – manage the space available to you, and say it in a way that it will become integrating and interesting.

    I keep saying it like I said it in the session I chaired.  Why have people suddenly become interested in the book The Interpreter which Soyinka wrote in 1968, when he was in jail?  He even wrote it earlier and it could not be published because he soon went to jail.  That was over fifty years ago and now people talk about it as if it was written yesterday.  So if you say and write something with integrity, it will remain relevant.  No matter what it is; the topic you treat, somehow it will find its own space.  Now what happens outside the country sort of places pressure on writers to write or speak in a particular kind of way.  But I think it is not really what it should be.  People have to keep in mind that a tree does not stand alone.  What you at a time may ignore may at another time come to be important and relevant.  It is the nature of history and also of culture because in the area of fashion things will come to change the scenario.  This is how it works.  At a time we are complaining we are also able to use android.  On one hand, we have access because we are able to have a new mode of communication.  May be you are even technologically more savvy than someone in America.  Many of them do not have access to what you know and have.  There are people in America who do not have access to water.  There are people even in Ohio who do not have access to water.  That’s a question of poverty; of class differences.  So when you talk of America it is not as if everybody in there is privileged.  No.  There are people in America who are not well-taken care of.  Yet there are people like Dangote who have it all.

  • If I should love again

    (To Hajia Halimat Yusuf with love)

    I won’t hesitate to play the game

    I’ll be as happy as a sand boy

    ‘cause love to me is the only thing

    That truly serves as a lifebuoy

    It simply douses fears and everything

    I tell you Lima,

    should I ever love again

    especially with someone as lovely as you

    I tell you, I won’t screw up!

    you can cross my heart to see what’s up!

    I tell you Lima I’ll do it pretty right

    as right as right can be!

    Nothing in the world will ever stop me

    I’ll go through whatever there is to go through

    And to prove that my convictions are truly true

    I’ll even go through near-death pains

    Even if it means enduring all strains

    God knows I won’t ever renege on my words

    And should I ever falter;

    you can yet have my whole head

    I’ll do all these on my honour

    If I should venture love again!

    • Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

    Head, Business (Sunday)

    The Nation Newspaper

  • Goldberg Larger wears new look

    To sustain the spirit of celebration and cultural heritage, Goldberg, the premium quality beer which has become a cultural staple for pleasure-seekers for years, has launched a new golden look that speaks to its respected status in the beer community as a cultural symbol.

    With its refined, classy look, Goldberg was relaunched on August 9, 2019 at the finale of the brand’s talent hunt show, Ariya Repete, at the Ikeja City Mall, Lagos with the theme, “The Mark of Respect.’’

    For years, Goldberg has retained its spot as the regional mainstream brand for South West Nigeria. Like the traditional talking drum, Goldberg has commanded attention at weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and other parties across the cities in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo as well as Kwara. From its towering look of effervescence to the lingering bitter-sweet taste, this larger beer from the leading brewer, Nigerian Breweries Plc, is brewed for quality enjoyment.

    Goldberg represents a cultural heritage and excellent craftsmanship. It is also a common find in any cultural gathering such as festivals where oral poetry tradition is celebrated. Its panegyric element is synonymous with the Yoruba’s oral tradition which is passed down from one generation to another to preserve history and culture. To bridge the gap between tradition and modernity, Goldberg’s new look appeals to the next generation of consumers who share the values of respect, enterprise and dignity.

    It is for this reason that Goldberg earns the title of “Omoluabi’’ which conveys the value of good character, respect, enjoyment, dignity and integrity. Over the years, Goldberg has stayed true to its core value of reverence and quality enjoyment which makes it different from other mainstream beer brands in Nigeria. As a beer that treasures tradition, Goldberg has a competitive edge of restoring the true communal spirit as the toast of socialites in the South West region. Indeed, Goldberg is an iconic beer that has defined and still redefines the cultural landscape for beer consumers who cherish and relish traditional values.

    The Senior Brand Manager, Goldberg and Life, Maria Shadeko, in her remarks noted the distinctive elements of the Goldberg brand that has made it a market leader in the beer industry and how the new look will impact on the consumers. ”Goldberg beer is an ideal complement to consumers who place value on tradition, respect and culture. With its new look, Goldberg offers more than just high-quality taste for pure enjoyment but an enhanced visual delight which will make it the choice larger beer for every connoisseur.’’

    Speaking to the new theme, Shadeko added that ”with the new theme ‘mark of respect’, we will be speaking to the excellent craftsmanship and impeccable quality of Goldberg, elevating its credentials to a position of reverence and admiration. While ‘Omoluabi’ encapsulates the ethos of the Yoruba people and their values of “Respect, Enterprise, Dignity” (R.E.D), of which enjoyment is a manifestation.”

    It’s been an eventful year for Goldberg Larger. 2019 has seen the brand unveil a new brand ambassador, successfully sponsor the 2019 edition of Ariya Repete as well as re-invent itself in a new and exciting way. With a new label, a new crown cork and a newly formulated larger which promises a great tasting experience, Goldberg seeks to further establish itself as the market leaders.