The Nation Newspaper

Tag: nostalgia

  • Nostalgic feelings of an artist

    After being away from the Nigerian art scene for many years, Kunle Adegborioye is back with Nostalgia – Glimpses from Diaspora, Edozie Udeze reports

    After being away in the United Kingdom for many years, Kunle Adegborioye is back.  He is back with a bang.  With the title of his art exhibition as Nostalgia – Glimpses from Diaspora, he shows that East or West, home is home.  His  outing  last weekend in Lagos truly showed that he is not totally out of touch with his cradle.  Almost all the works on display bore the marks of Nigerian local scenes.  Art is home and home is art – that seemed to be the silent symbol in Nostalgia.  Yet Adegborioye never departed from those things he learnt at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, before he hit global art scene in 1992.

    Of all the works he has been doing in the global arena, Adegborioye does not want to forget most of the topical political, economic and social issues that define the art scene in Nigeria.  These are the issues he put on canvas, juxtaposing same with his repertoire of experiences in world arena, mainly in England.

    His works came in mixed media, acrylic and oils on canvas where he described his artist’s condition, his oeuvre exposures.  These works show his own way of dealing with contrasting identities and influences in his life, having been born and raised in Nigeria.  For many years, however, he has lived and worked in the United Kingdom.  Adegborioye falls within that realm of hybridity, many of whom are Nigerian artists caught between the two cultures. Today, this scenario has given birth to the Diaspora artists living in different parts of the world, yet they often return home to touch on the local arts, mixing same with what they have acquired in Diaspora.

    This is exactly what Nostalgia stands for, drawing from memories of childhood, depicting those things that matter most in the lives of the people.  His works dwell extensively on social problems that affect the people’s welfare.  Even the title of the exhibition shows an artist in quest of his bearing, ever eager to be in touch with his roots.  Moreover, the works are not really on his roots per se, but on things that will help government to maintain a society where things must work, where people are happier.

    This is why he captures our realities, our deep sense of loss, where no one ever takes responsibility any longer.  Adegborioye was happy that he could turn out such rich collections of works on myriad of Nigerian scenes.  While offering hope, love and care, he also draws attention to the collective inertia in our body polity.  With these array of experiments, the artist succeeded in creating awe-inspiring works that harp on nostalgia, on those deep glimpses from home and from Diaspora.  For him, “this is the time to be home to showcase these works”.

    In state of a nation, for instance, he paints the suffering masses of the nation.  He makes it appear apparent that these are people living in the midst of an ocean, yet wash their hands with spittle.  The deep frown on people’s faces depict total squalor, anger, frustration and the fear to live for tomorrow.  Indeed the crowdedness of the work depicts an eyesore unparalleled in the annals of social deprivations. Even the choice of dull colours, very incongruous indeed, help to redefine a society at a crossroads – showing different people from different backgrounds – converging on the same arena, only bound together by the same fate.  This is the fate of poverty, and hopelessness and more.

    In survival – mixed media on canvas, he draws attention to the many hard labours people do to make it in life.  Here in Nigeria, as against most societies of the world, life itself is hellish.  People suffer to live and live to suffer.  They resort to all sorts to survive, yet the crop of leaders  produced to help the masses, do not do much to improve the lots of the people.  Here kids queue to get ‘essential’ commodities.  Their parents wear long faces to earn a living.  All over the place women carry their babies in search of their daily bread.  Only a few of the women wear glimmers of smiles on their faces.  Their appearances depict hunger, a brutish system that raises hope and dashes it at random.  All these show Adegborioye’s concern for a change  predicated on good leadership and the love for the people.

    Also in Jewel of the blue sea – a mixed media on canvas he shows a little boy of about eight years as a fisherman.  He hangs out alone by the sea side where he throws his net inside the water, catches fish and hopes to make money from the sales.  He stands on an elevated platform to do his work.  He catches a fish, looks to see if there is anyone ready to buy.  This is in the midst of the roaring  sea, with its almost deafening noises.  Yet this jewel of inestimable value still believes that beneath this sea lay his treasures, those items that will help to add meaning to his life.  The fishes are there for him to catch.  The hope is written boldly on face even when he seems to toil so hard to achieve. It  is one of the vintage Adegborioye who hopes that with works like these, attention could be finally drawn to the state of the nation.  But how long will it take the leadership to genuinely improve on the lots of the people?

    In pomp and pageantry  he seems to raise a new hope.  By tomorrow, it can be better if the proper people are put in place to lead the people.  Also the faces of the people depict hope.  The colours applied show hope too.  Indeed, Adegborioye comes back swiftly to show the way forward.

    After his Higher National Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, in 1989, he went to England where he did Masters in Arts at the University of Camberwell, London.  While at Yaba, he won the Yusuf Grillo Art Award.  So far, he has exhibited at different venues in Europe, America and Nigeria.  Often his works define his person. His love for change and for which he has also won world acclaims and recognitions.  The exhibition runs for seven days.

     

     

  • Nostalgia opens at Omenka Gallery

    A solo art exhibition Nostalgia: Glimpses from Diaspora by Kunle Adegborioye opened last Saturday at the Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos. It will end on April 14.

    The exhibition is featuring his recent works in mixed media, acrylics and oils on canvas.

    The work shows the artist’s condition, his oeuvre: that is, his way of dealing with contrasting identities and influences on his life, having been born in Nigeria, but has been living and working in the United Kingdom.

    Several Nigerian artists share this condition of hybridity, many of whom have either been born, raised in the Diaspora and relocated to Nigeria or studied here, but now live and work abroad. Unlike many of them who feel a sense of shame, loss or displacement, Adegborioye depicts memories drawn from his childhood in Nigeria. But they are not always happy memories as the title of the exhibition suggests.

    Though reminiscent of his past in the country, a few of the works speak of persistent social ills and impoverishment brought about by the military dictatorship and corrupt politicians that have served the country for several decades. These hardships, the artist has accentuated in his canvases by the incorporation of texts gleaned from newsprint.

    Adegborioye said: “Text in my work allows a modicum of response to the creativity, as the process of creativity is endless. It also forges my identity, especially in our society that is full of riddles and puzzles. There’s never a shortage of ideas as the society evolves every day.Though complex in preparation but easy to understand, the text in my paintings gives clues to the title of each work.”

    Adegborioye established a trans-Atlantic practice shuttling between Nigeria and the UK to facilitate his research. Though his work is informed primarily by his experiences in Nigeria, the narrative is not concerned with a search for roots, but about maintaining a presence amid others who share his world. This world, he then creates and populates, perhaps by understandably casting himself in the characters.

    He said: “I have visited many cultural activities in Nigeria and the cultural leanings are the same. I witness the same spirit, energy, heritage and costumes.”

    He has completed a Masters of Art at the Camberwell College of Arts, London, but his works retain much of the strongly figurative tradition of Yaba College of Technology, which he attended.

    In all, the works are strongly individual and showcase an artist of sound technical ability and a deep understanding of society. Collectively, they capture our reality, offer hope and will remain powerful and relevant long past their time of creation.

  • Nostalgia as Kasimu Yero takes a bow at 70

    Nostalgia as Kasimu Yero takes a bow at 70

    Oond memories of television dramas of yesteryear have emerged, following the death of foremost Northern Nigerian actor, Kasimu Yero who is dead.

    The veteran actor, according to his eldest son, Mansur Kasimu Yero, died at his residence in Magajin Gari, Kaduna, on Sunday after a protracted illness. He was 70.

    Since the news broke on Sunday, Nigerian filmmakers, and art enthusiasts who are familiar with the deceased heydays have been immersed in discussions regarding the impact of the actor on stage and television, while others have been sending tributes on social media.

    Yero is well noted for his role as ‘Uncle Gaga’ in the ’80s sitcom, ‘Cock Crow At Dawn’, and TV series, ‘Magana Jari Ce’, a TV series by Abubakar Imam.

    ‘’Magana Jari Ce…I remember this, oh my heart!’’, lamented filmmaker Justin Morgan. ‘’He was also a great story teller, alongside Bala Miller, who I recently met…this is our heritage, personified! This man is iconic; his poise, classy disposition was everything!’’ He said.

    For another filmmaker, Uzodinma Okpechi, Yero was ‘’Confident in his abilities even when it was evident that he was in pain.  He delivered. He delivered well,’’ he declared.

    Recalling that ‘Magana Jari Ce’ was adapted from a book of the same title, Kabat Esosa said: ‘’I grew up in Kano watching him on such great series like ‘Magana Jari CE’ which incidentally was part of our literature texts in school those days. He was indeed a colossus. Non like him. May his soul rest in Peace.’’

    In his tribute to the deceased, Northern Nigerian actor and filmmaker, Sani Muazu said, ‘’ I had the pleasure of working with Kasimu Yero on several projects but none brought recognition and rekindled interest in our work like a radio drama we did more than 10 years ago, KARAMBANA – A DAWO LAFIYA, where I featured him as a fun seeking truck driver that had a close shave with HIV.’’

    According to Muazu, ‘’No actor of Northern extraction measures up to Kasimu Yero. None had the versatility to have lasted like him. None established a cross-generational cult following like him.’’

    Continuing, Muazu said, ‘’Kasimu had played serious roles like Uncle Gaga so seriously, just the way he played comic roles like ‘Karambana’ so humorously. He was simply an actors’ actor with a capacity to hold diverse roles in TV series like ‘Magana Jari Ce’ and its English equivalent ‘Wisdom Is An Asset’, keeping these gigs on the front burner for as long as they ran.’’

    He noted that the deceased worked till the last few days of his life doing what he loves doing. ‘’…and doing it well until the stage curtain dropped on him today in a life drama in which the Almighty is the Director. The end. We mourn him. He was loved and will be missed by all his fans and the industry,’’ said Muazu.

    Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has expressed his condolences to the friends and family of  Yero.

    In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday, the minister described the late Yero as an iconic actor who, along with other thespians like Samanja, laid the foundation for Kannywood.

  • Nostalgia for true federalism

    One subject that had been topical in our recent national discourse is the current status of our federalism. The voice on it had been so loud that the need to revisit the kind of federalism we operate can and must not be ignored.

    All kinds of words have been used to describe what many people see as the lop-sidedness of our present federal system. Some have styled it power devolutions; while still some have described it as restructuring. However, proponents of the two theses agreed on one thing: that the political stability of the country depends mainly on the revisit of the present federal structure.

    Whereas, I agree both in principle and in practice with the advocates of restructuring, the only area where I disagree with some of the postulates is where they say it is a particular section of the country that is against restructuring in the country for the benefit of power perpetuity in the zone.

    Let me state with all sense of clarity that the level of our national political development has reached a stage that no zone can claim dominance over others. For instance, in 18 years of our return to democracy, the southern part of the country had occupied the office for more than two thirds of the duration, without any voice of dissent from the North. This is because the principle of zoning had come to stay in Nigeria.

    Besides, the shout of marginalization at the federal level have not been less vociferous in any section of the country including the North. Perhaps except in the area of personnel recruitment, no zone of the country, to the best of my knowledge, enjoy noticeable infrastructural advantage over other zones.

    The call for secession by a particular zone of the country is certainly not the solution; rather it is borne out of frustration and despondency; which however should not be ignored.

    To me, whether we call it devolution or restructuring, the need for a return to the First Republic federalism can never be overemphasized. The current power centralization is certainly a military version of federalism, which is not desirable in a democratic federalism.

    Fiscal autonomy of the federating units is the beauty of true democracy. It was under this arrangement that the old Western Region under Chief Obafemi Awolowo was able to set infrastructural model in areas of education, agriculture and industry for the country. One could notice that in such institutions, like the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Liberty Stadium at Ibadan, which the British Ace Boxing promoter Jack Solomon described as the Mini-Wembley Stadium in London because of the facilities provided in that stadium, WNTV, the first Television Station in Africa, the Premier Hotel Ibadan, the first five-star Hotel in Nigeria, the first dualization of Mokola road to the State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan which was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II during her first visit to Nigeria in 1956, and not forgetting the farm settlements across the region.

    If only because of the healthy rivalry that existed among federating units of that time, both the eastern and regional governments were quick to take a cue from Awolowo’s initiative. That resulted in such institutions like the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium among others in the Eastern Region. In the North on the other hand, we saw such infrastructure like the Ahmadu Bello University, Ahmadu Bello Stadium, and Northern Nigeria Television among others.

    All these were achieved without recourse to the federal government. But the first assault to our federalism was that all those regional projects were forcibly acquired for the federal government by the Murtala/Obasanjo regime between 1975 and 1979; and that was the beginning of political imbalance in the country with which we are still battling today

    The regions at that time were allowed to harness their resources according to their respective initiatives for the benefits of their regions. One can imagine the state of unease the region would have found themselves were their natural resources be under federal revenue. That makes the current agitation in the Niger-Delta region somehow understandable. The only difference is that resource control agitation does not have to go with the destruction of public institutions or any kind of violence.

    In my own opinion, for Nigeria to remain stable and united, the centre must be made less attractive so also should be the cost running government at all levels. The central government should be restricted to such areas like Defence, Currency, Immigration, Foreign Affairs and few others. In areas of internal security and maintenance on law and order, police should be on the concurrent list whereby state police will operate without any hindrance from the central police. A lot of modern day crime like kidnapping and its likes can be avoided were state police to serve as a kind of vigilante to their respective communities.

    Unfortunately however, the craze for federal attention has reached such a level that even some highly placed traditional rulers in the country have also ‘gone federal’ – demanding a slot in the federal revenue allocation for the maintenance of their headquarters. Before we know anything, they would be demanding for recognition as the fourth tier of government in the country.

    If I have taken any serious exception to a unified traditional institution in the country, suffice to say that it is not a personal matter between one or any of the traditional rulers concerned. Rather, it is borne out of the fact that as custodians of custom, culture and tradition of their subjects, they should be content with the preservation of their peculiar cultures and customs without making any attempts to liberalize or nationalize it in the name of national unity of any form. I nurse no personal grudge against anybody.

    It is personally painful that what we are operating at the moment is a one-tier functional government. This is because the state government which is supposed to be the second leg on which true federalism rests is more or less a lame duck. This is as long as it depends on the federal government for its budgetary obligations to its people.

    I make bold to say that in actual sense, the Yoruba political system is the original home of true federalism, dating back to the old Oyo Empire which lasted for more than 600 years in history.

    Each of the traditional Yoruba kingdoms was a federating unit running their administration with local peculiarities. The role of the Alaafin as the Central Government was to defend the Yoruba territorial integrity against any external aggression as was the case in Iganna, Okeho and Kishi when Alaafin invited the British for military intervention to halt French aggression. Another was in the area of settling boundary disputes among various Yoruba communities. Few of such cases were boundary disputes between Ede and Ife which the Alaafin determined at Shasha; between Ibadan and Abeokuta which the Alaafin settled at Bakatari in favour of Ibadan.

    If we all want the Nigerian project to succeed, we must face the stark reality of history and empirical postulates of true federalism.

     

    • Oba (Dr) Adeyemi III JP, CFR, LL.D. is the Alaafin of Oyo and Permanent Chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
  • Fanfare, nostalgia as Ooni pays historic visit to Ekiti

    Fanfare, nostalgia as Ooni pays historic visit to Ekiti

    CULTURE and tradition were on the bounce penultimate Thursday and Friday when the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, paid his maiden visit to Ekiti State. The youthful and lively king received rousing welcome in all the three towns—Aramoko, Ijero and Ado—he visited in his continued bid to promote unity among Yoruba traditional rulers, which he believes is a prerequisite to the development, progress and prosperity of the race.

    The Ooni, who came along with some traditional rulers in Osun State, expressed joy and fulfillment at visiting his brother monarchs, the Alara of Aramoko Ekiti, Oba Adegoke Olu Adeyemi; the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole and the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe with whom he shares historical ties.

    The first port of call for the Ooni, who had the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedotun, on his entourage, was the Alara’s palace in Aramoko where Aramoko residents trooped out in large numbers to receive the foremost king in Yorubaland.

    As early as 8 am, residents of the town were in bubbling mood in anticipation of Ooni’s visit. Itinerant drummers, masquerades, men, women and youths danced round the town before converging on the Alara’s palace.

    The atmosphere was electrified at about 12.15 pm on Thursday when Ooni’s convoy entered the palace arena. It took Oba Ogunwusi about 10 minutes to waltz his way through the crowd to take his seat at the inner courtyard with other monarchs from the neighbouring towns.

    Other Ekiti monarchs who joined the Alara to receive the Ooni included the Olohan of Erijiyan Ekiti, Oba Adegoroye Omosebi; the Elerio of Erio Ekiti, Oba Johnson Bamigbade; the Olupole of Ipole-Iloro, Oba Babalola Oladele and the Onikogosi of Ikogosi Ekiti, Oba Elijah Olorunnisola.

    The eye-catching wonder-on-wheels, Rolls Royce 2016 model, which the Ooni rode to Ekiti all the way from his domain was the main attraction for many of the youths of the community, who took photographs of the vehicle with their phones.

    Alara, Ajero and Orangun feature prominently in Yoruba cosmology, drama and panegyrics, as actors always make reference to them. But a lot of people do not know their historical relevance to the Yoruba nation.

    Oba Ogunwusi explained that the three Obas were direct sons of Oduduwa and that they were born by the same mother before they settled in their various towns. He noted that the meeting of the three brothers meant a lot to the unity of Yoruba nation.

    The foremost Yoruba traditional ruler then called on all Yoruba sons and daughters to preach peace and unity anywhere they are, adding that the nation will witness tremendous growth in the years ahead if all leaders and their subjects see themselves as brothers and sisters.

    He expressed happiness to be in the company of the Alara, the Orangun and the Ajero on the same day, saying: “I thank God for the opportunity to come here today. We Obas are nothing before the Almighty God, because God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

    “It is God who installs kings. He is the King today, tomorrow and forever. I am so happy to have the Orangun to my right and the Alara to my left, and we are all going to see the Ajero together. Unity has come to Yorubaland. There is nothing like unity.

    “It is my prayer that our youths will be gainfully employed, the barren will be fruitful and when there is unity, there will be development and things will go well.

    “The new era in Yorubaland will bring good things to us. We want our youths to be empowered, businessmen and businesswomen to be prosperous in their businesses. Peace will reign in Aramoko, peace will reign in Ekiti, peace will reign in Yoruba land.”

    In his welcome address, the Alara, Oba Adeyemi, congratulated the Ooni on his ascension to the throne of his forefathers, wishing him a long and fruitful reign.

    He said: “The entire people of South-West in particular and indeed Nigerians are deeply impressed by your (Ooni’s) campaign for love, unity and understanding among the Yoruba royal fathers rather than unhealthy competition for supremacy.

    “That was a notable step in the right direction; I must say without equivocation that Your Imperial Majesty have made a good start and an indelible mark.

    “Equally highly impressive is your Youth Empowerment Programme through a focused agricultural revolution, which is already making waves. Your Imperial Majesty, your widely acclaimed recent tour of the United States with a huge retinue of traditional rulers, among others, is a major boost for Yoruba culture and its sacred traditional institution.”

    Before the Ooni and the Alara exchanged gifts during the visit, guests were shocked when the Alara disclosed that his forefathers had a room inside the Ooni’s palace, which is still being maintained till date.

    Apparently overjoyed by the landmark occasion, the Ooni sang in Yoruba: Alara, Alara, Ajero, Ajero, Orangun Ile Ila, baye se n yeni ree o, meaning the coming together of Alara, Ajero and Orangun is a glorious spectacle.

    The Alara and other Obas led the Ooni to the palace of the Ajero in Ijero where another big crowd was waiting for them. Their arrival enlivened the community and the sight of the three brother kings, and the Ife monarch sparked nostalgic feelings among residents.

    An Ijero indigene, Segun Fatuase, said: “This occasion is great. What we are beholding today had not been witnessed in many decades. Today is historic because I used to hear the elders referring to Alara, Ajero and Orangun, but I didn’t know that their thrones are this great.”

    The people of Ado Ekiti showed class with the lavish reception organised in honour of the Ooni. A mammoth crowd thronged the palace of the Ewi to be part of history and catch a glimpse of the custodian of the Ile Oodua.

    The crowd had gathered at the palace amphitheater since 10 am awaiting the Ooni, but it grew until the arena was filled to the brim. The throng extended to the palace gate where a sea of heads had waited patiently for the august visitor.

    Traders at the Erekesan Market, otherwise known as the Oja Oba, which is directly opposite the palace, and other passers by strained their necks to catch a glimpse of the Ooni.

    Chants of Oonirisa, Adimula, Arole Oodua, Oluaye, among other appellations, rent the air as Ooni’s car screeched to a halt in front of the palace. Oba Ogunwusi was welcomed by Oba Adejugbe, who ushered his guest into the arena.

    Oba Ogunwusi and other monarchs on his entourage from Osun State were entertained by cultural dancers who showcased the cultural heritage of Ado Ekiti. Popular musician, Yinka Ayefele, who was on the bandstand, sang Ooni’s praise to high heavens, which the monarch acknowledged with intermittent nods of approval.

    Oba Adejugbe expressed joy at the visit and recalled that in 1937, Oba Adesoji Aderemi visited the Ewi; in 1980, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II visited the Ewi and thanked God that in 2016, Oba Ogunwusi Ojaja II was visiting.

    The Ewi said: “I am happy because the visits are not at close intervals, and I pray for long life, unity and cooperation among the people of Yorubaland.” He particularly commended the Ooni for the meeting of traditional rulers, which he said was a precursor for unity among Yoruba communities of the South West.

    The Ewi charged the Ooni to continue in that stead so as to sustain the growing unity among Yoruba people.

    Oba Ogunwusi declared that he would not rest in his ongoing peace initiative across the country until every ethnic group is at peace with one another. He therefore urged mutual cooperation and peace among all segments of the society, especially the Yoruba traditional rulers and their subjects so as to make the goal achievable.

    The Ooni, however, called for caution in the implementation of a new law in Ekiti State to regulate grazing because of the sensitive nature of the matter.

    Friday marked the peak of the visit as the Ooni was hosted by Governor Ayodele Fayose at the Ayoba Villa Government House before the monarch paid a visit to Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), where he was hosted by the Founder, Chief Afe Babalola, and other principal officers.

    On return from ABUAD, the Ooni performed some rites at some shrines in Ado Ekiti, which many indigenes believed was the “real reason” why the monarch came around.

    Some residents claim that every Ooni who is new on the throne must perform those rites once during his reign. One of them said: “Ado had its roots in Ile Ife and any Ooni who has not performed these rights cannot come here unless he has done so.

    “The last time we witnessed this was in 1980; that is 36 years ago, when Ooni Sijuwade came to perform these rites. That explains the historical importance of Ado and the bond it has with Ife.”

    The first shrine visited by the Ooni was the Ilegemo in Odo Ado at about 6 pm directly on his way from ABUAD. Residents of the area had waited for hours with women singing enthusiastically.

    The Ooni arrived amidst a staccato of gunshots by traditional hunters who hailed the king endlessly. The Ooni was followed to the shrine by traditional priests and was prayed for by the priest in charge of the shrine. The Efas (Ado Ekiti traditional policemen) were resplendent in their white attires, serving as escorts to the monarch.

    The next stopover for the Ooni was at Ori Ekiti located at Ojido where residents swarmed around the Ooni like bees. Women worshippers of the deity wore white loin clothes, beating traditional gongs and sang traditional songs as it was getting dark.

    The Ooni performed the rite at Ori Ekiti shrine by raising his scepter thrice, communing with the gods. Other shrines visited by the Ooni were Okiti Omolore at Inosunja, Ile Ajija at Idolofin and Ewi Otu at Odo Otu-Atikankan area.

    As the train moved round the town, the crowd following the Ooni grew and defied the darkness.

    The visit of the Ooni will certainly remain indelible in the memories of indigenes and residents of the Ekiti towns he visited.

  • Studio of Modé holds Nostalgia

    Studio of Modé holds Nostalgia

    Modé Aderinokun unveiled her third solo art exhibition, Nostalgia on Sunday at Studio of Modé, Ikoyi.

    The exhibition explores the derivation of Nostalgia, the sentimental value of how pain affects one and it will run for six weeks.

    “Nostalgia is a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact, to a former time in one’s life, and is often triggered by memories of home, family, and friends. The expression evokes a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time; however happiness is not the artist’s focus for this exhibition,” she says.

    The artist delves into the ache and sadness of Nostalgia. Relying on intense self-reflection, she presents art pieces that explore perceptions of beauty, equality and self-liberation.

    Although the art pieces reveal raw emotions and pain, Modé hopes that exposing parts of her vulnerable self will enhances her connection with viewers of her work. She gives the viewers a bit of herself, to create a context in which people can share their feelings and deeply think about themselves in ways they ordinarily would not. The artist hopes that her work will stir up a wistful desire for healing.

     

  • Demise of Adewale Thompson’s wife revs nostalgia about late jurist

    Chief (Mrs.) Adesiyanbola Ayoka Thompson, wife of eminent jurist and Afenifere chieftain, the Late Justice Adewale Thompson, answered the last call all mortals dread on Sunday November 15, 2015, over a decade after her husband had passed on.  One of the children, ADENIYI THOMPSON, pays this glowing tribute to the respected woman.

    Chief Mrs Ayoka Thompson: Exit of woman of substance Chief Mrs. Adesiyanbola Ayoka Thompson nee Vaughan was born on Wednesday, September 8, 1937 in Lagos. Her father, Dr James Churchill Omosanya Vaughan, died when she was three months old. Therefore, she was raised by her mother, Alhaja Rabiat Olayemi Olaribigbe. She attended a primary school owned at the time by the late Lady Ademola and, thereafter, Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Lagos. One of her classmates in primary school was the late Sir Molade Okoya Thomas, who was also born in 1937 and passed away in February, 2015.

    Pedigree

    It is nigh impossible to write the biography of Mum without more than a casual mention of her pedigree. In fact, one must be cautious not to get carried away by the rich ancestry of the Vaughan family. The recorded history of the Vaughan family started with the Owu Prince, Scipio Vaughan who was taken to the United States of America in 1805. He had two sons Burrel Churchill Vaughan and James Churchill Vaughan.

    James Churchill Vaughan had two sons, Burrel Carter Vaughan and James Wilson Vaughan. Deacon James Wilson Vaughan was the father of Dr James Churchill Omosanya Vaughan, my maternal grandfather, whose daughter, Chief Mrs Adesiyanbola Ayoka Thompson, we celebrate today.

    Mum’s paternal siblings were Mr James Kehinde Vaughan, the late Mr Johnny Vaughan, late Mrs Anike Willoughby, late Mr Joseph Ebun Vaughan, Deacon James Olabode Vaughan, Mr James Adebayo Vaughan and late Mrs Omowunmi Vaughan.

    The Maiden

    Mum spent part of her early childhood at the Vaughan family home at Camden House, 206, Igbosere Road, Lagos, before her relocation to her mother with whom she spent the rest of her childhood and teenage years. Her name as a maiden was Ayoka Vaughan and she was very beautiful. I imagine that she must have spent a lot of time with her grandmother whom we fondly referred to as Mama (with the rising accent on the first ‘a’). Mama was Mrs Olaribigbe nee Akinsemoyin.

    This association with her grandmother must have had a significant effect on Mum because in many ways she was wiser than her years. She knew virtue that could only be taught from a lifetime of experience and she was too young to have that experience in one lifetime.

    The Wife

    She met the late Mr Adewale Thompson (as he then was) in 1955 when she was 18 years-old. He was later to become more famously known as the Honourable Justice Chief Adewale Thompson, former Secretary General of the Yoruba Council of Elders, former Justice of the High Court of Western State and former Attorney General of Oyo State (under the administration of Chief Bola Ige). He was an upwardly mobile young professional, from the well-respected Gureje-Thompson family whose patriarch in Lagos at the time was his father Hezekiah Ajayi Gureje-Thompson, one of the earliest surveyors in Lagos. Dad must have been enamoured of this beautiful young lady and had to have her hand in marriage.

    The story of their union started much earlier (unknown to them) with a chance encounter between young Adewale Thompson and Dr James Churchill Omosanya Vaughan. Dad met Dr J.C. Vaughan for the first time as a chorister at St. John’s Aroloya in 1936 when Dr J.C Vaughan had assembled choristers from different churches to sing the ode of the Nigerian Youth Movement. In Dad’s words, “the entry of Dr Vaughan was like the entry of father Zeus into the arena of his Olympian children”. He was indeed larger than life. Little did Dad know that fate, by that encounter, revealed to him a glimpse of his future father-in-law, as Dr Vaughan would not be alive to witness the union of his youngest daughter and Adewale Thompson. We postulate that it was a meeting of destinies arranged by fate as a signpost for the soul.

    It will not be surprising to find that Dad’s political inclination and love for Mum also found affinity in the political stature of her illustrious father, making for a perfect union.

    The marriage proposal was received by her mother and conveyed to the then Head of the Vaughan family, the late Mrs Aida Ibiremi Moore (nee Vaughan) wife of the late Eric O. Moore. She blessed the union with God’s grace for a blissful marital life.

    Mrs Ayoka Thompson got married at a time when society still held the view that a woman’s place was in the home. Some of her contemporaries of course escaped that norm but the majority acceded to it. Mum, however, happily took her place in the difficult task of keeping the home and raising her children. Her eldest daughter, Adeshola, was born in 1955. Adeyemo, Adeniyi, Adesegun and Adebola followed thereafter. Dad as a Justice of the Western State of Nigeria was often transferred to different parts of the state. This resulted in the tedium of packing, moving and settling only to start packing again. Needless to say, Mum must have borne the brunt of this frequent dislocation. Some of us attended not less than six primary schools!

    Mum was widely travelled. Dad made sure of that. They attended the Olympic Games at Munich, West Germany. They travelled to different parts of the world visiting many of the major historical sites of the world in Greece, Rome, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and Brazil. The annual summer holiday to the United Kingdom was a ritual.

    When her husband participated actively in politics, she stood by him through thick and thin. An incident she often recalled was when a rival political group sent thugs to their residence with homemade firebombs which they threw into the house. Only Adeshola was born at the time. They had to hide in the wardrobe to escape harm.   Other incidents occurred later in her life in which Mum’s loyalty and steadfastness were put to the test, and she always overcame. She was conferred with the title of Owaremi of Ilesha by the Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland Oba Agunlejika II in 1972 in recognition of her support for an illustrious son of Ijeshaland in The Honourable Justice Chief Adewale Thompson who was conferred with the title of Lotun Aiyegunle of Ilesha on the same day.

    Undoubtedly, one of the fundamental duties of a Yoruba wife and one which is bound to please her husband the most is the maintenance of harmony within the home, with relatives, friends and associates and the world in general. If a wife falters in this respect, it may not only ruin her family life but also all around her. The weight of this duty rests on the Yoruba woman. Even her husband’s discordant nuances will be blamed on her.

    Mum was expert at maintaining a harmonious relationship with all relatives, friends and associates. One family that particularly comes to mind are the Cokers (Dad was in a law partnership early in his career – Thompson & Coker – with Mr Adegboyega Coker). The families were very close and remain so even today.  There were the Adejumos; the Ajayis were in-laws. She maintained a healthy relationship with my paternal Aunts: the late Mrs Ajayi and Mrs Odunlami. We remember Mama Muyiwa (Mrs Thompson – wife of Dad’s younger brother), Mr and Mrs Sodade, the Sodimus and many others too numerous to mention.

    The Mother

    There’s no gainsaying in that to the Nigerian woman of her time, the most important part of life was the family. Family was about caring for the husband, supporting him and raising the children. Childbirth was fulfilment. Happiness was in nurturing the young and imparting social and public values to them as well as smoothing their character of any genetic rough edges. Mum’s success in the foregoing was etched into the very fabric of our lives. We lived her injunctions and she did not spare the rod despite her gentle nature. She loved her children with such maternal fervour that you could not but feel special. She extended this love, without hesitation, to all their spouses, without exception.

    Mum would do everything within her power to guide and protect her children. This was sometimes a disadvantage to her four sons because it meant they got into trouble for coming back home late from “unavoidable teenage musters”. Dad only realised we were not home when he observed her pacing around the front porch. This soon turned to panic for Dad and trouble for the offending child. We often wished she would fall asleep so as not to alert Dad to our absence but she never did. The next day she would tell you at what time you came in the previous night no matter how stealthily you had sneaked in. She is survived by her children: Dr Adeshola Thomas, Mr Adeyemo Thompson, Mr Adeniyi Thompson, Mr Adesegun Thompson, Mr Adebola Thompson; her grand-children: Dr Oluseyi Temishe, Ms Aderemi Thompson, Mr Babatunde Thomas, Mr Akinyemi Thomas, Miss Adetayo Thompson, Mr Adekola Thompson, Master Adedayo Thompson, Miss Adekemi Thompson, Master Adetokunbo Thompson, Miss Adetoun Thompson, Master Adewunmi Thompson, Master Adeniran Thompson, Miss Faramade Thompson; and her only great grandchild, Joshua Ayomide Temishe.

    Mum was not only mother to her children but extended the role to her younger siblings and in-laws. In the house at No. 20, Akinsoji Street, Fadeyi, we remember Uncle Michael and Uncle Maxwell, Dad’s maternal cousins from Warri; Dad’s younger brother Uncle Adebowale Thompson, formerly of Berger Paints; Mrs Jokotola Oni of the Goldrush fame who was virtually a member of the nuclear family and lived under Mum’s care until sometime before 1975 when she travelled to the United Kingdom. We remember Laniyi and Sakiru Akanbi who were the children of Mum’s maternal elder sister, Alhaja Sidikat Abeje Akanbi nee Animashaun. We cannot forget Mrs Kudirat Balogun nee Egbebi, another maternal sister whose second son, Owolabi, lived with Mum until he began university studies.

    We remember accompanying Mum on numerous occasions to visit her step-father, Alhaji Egbebi at Idi-Ape, in Ibadan. She certainly played her role in the family cheerfully. As children, we always observed her demeanour and we observed that she never shirked her duty to the extended family and to the home.

    The Entrepreneur     

    While Dad was an intellectual, writing judgements and numerous books, and devoting his energy to the cause of social inclusion and equal rights for all, Mum was the bookkeeper. Each trip with her to her shops at Oje area of Ibadan and Mokola where she sold drinks held the promise of free soft drinks to your heart’s content. She also had a cement distributorship of West African Portland Cement.

    One of the lowest periods of our family life was when Dad and other notable public servants of the time were unfairly treated by the government of the day and their families were left to suffer. Mum’s small business was what sustained the family through those dark days. She had five children at different stages of their education in university and secondary school while the breadwinner was incapacitated. Anyone with a family knows how daunting life must have been for her but she survived it to smile once again, without taking any hasty decision to jeopardise their safety or compromise her children’s education.

    Character

    Chief Mrs Adesiyanbola Thompson was known to all as a gentle soul. If you met her, you at once got a sense of the essence of her being. Her trademark was faith in God, patience and a forgiving spirit. If you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you will understand the guiding philosophy of Chief Mrs Adesiyanbola Thompson’s life. She exuded virtue naturally. You would never find her in the midst of gossip or intrigue. She had a close-knit group of friends in Mrs Adeniyi, the two Mrs Williams (late Mama Dupe) and Aunty Tunde Williams. They called her “Ayoks Ade”. One observed their banter from the priceless vantage point of a little ‘pitcher’ with ears cocked, assimilating their conversation from a position of invisible participation (not eavesdropping). Mrs Adejumo was another close friend. She was the wife of late Dr Adebiyi Adenrele Adejumo. Mum visited with them often at Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, with us in tow.

    Mum was a devout Christian. We attended All Saints Church, Yaba with her. At some point we attended St James’ Cathedral Oke-Ado and finally All Saints Church Jericho, Ibadan where she was a chorister until illness hampered her ability to sing. She loved being a chorister. She imbued her children with Christian values. She read bible stories to us as children and imparted her natural God-given talent of honesty and hard work.

    We remember Mum’s smile and genuine laughter. The world was sunny when she was happy. Although there were times of sadness, the sadness was soon dispelled.

    Epilogue

    No one knows what illness their old age may bring or the manner of their exit from this world; when all vigour is gone and material cares are but secondary to the pull of the next dimension; when the veil of life is lifted at the cusp of transition and consciousness merges with eternity and our transitory existence finally comes to its end. Then, we can only live on in the memories of those to whom we have shown love. Chief Mrs Adesiyanbola Thompson showed love to all. She was a good wife, a dependable friend and a wonderful mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She kept her faith in Jesus Christ through all the vicissitudes of life. She was never given to superstition but believed firmly in the existence of God’s creation in all realms beyond the physical. She seemed to know instinctively that all she needed in life was her faith in God.

    Mum’s story will not be complete without mention of her close friends in the twilight years, those rare friends who could only have been destined to be there in her time of need: Professor and Mrs Ogunmola; the All Saints Church Jericho family; her neighbours in Idi-Ishin and her doctor, Dr Femi Ogunlusi. They saw in her the love and compassion they showered on her in her later years.

    On Saturday November 14, 2015, I sat beside her and recited Psalms 91 and 23. Although she only managed a jerk of her hand, it was enough acknowledgement that she heard. She passed to the other side on Sunday, November 15, 2015. We miss her dearly but we understand that she has played her part in this existence and must depart at the time appointed by her Creator. May her gentle soul find solace in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

  • Buhari fights corruption with nostalgia

    Buhari fights corruption with nostalgia

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is considerably besotted with nostalgia. Whenever he speaks with the Nigerian community in the diaspora anytime he travels, he is even more voluble and revelatory. During a visit to South Africa a month after he assumed office, he bemoaned the inevitable limitations age would place on his performance as a 72-year-old president. “I wish I became Head of State when I was a governor,” he grumbled, perhaps to the exasperation of his aides and media managers. “Now at 72, there is a limit to what I can do.” President Buhari was governor of the then North Eastern State when he was a 33-year-old military officer. Now he is president at 72. Last week in Iran, again speaking with the Nigerian community, the president regretted that democratic strictures, especially the rule of law, limited the swiftness with which he would have loved to tackle corruption.

    President Buhari must learn to move on. He must strenuously begin to resist comparing the present with the past, particularly his past, if his present and his presidency are not to be stymied by policy and bureaucratic distortions and anachronisms. The extent to which he can escape his past will, however, be connected with how effectively his handlers and critics can coax him to reassess his extempore speeches and break down and remould his ossified worldview. It is indeed an urgent task for him.

    Proof that he needs to move on to the present is contained nowhere else than in his last interaction with the Nigerian community in Iran. His audiences in Iran and South Africa were reportedly  animated by his presence, and might have been inured to the inconsistencies and inappropriateness of his personal comparisons. But for those who had the luxury of analysing his references and even psychoanalysing the hidden meanings of his messages days after he had delivered them, they would be flummoxed  by the dangerous import of his views, not to say the suggestive messianism that sometimes crept into them.

    In Iran, according to his media aide, Garba Shehu, the president had told his fretting and questioning audience that the need to comply with the due process of the law was responsible for the delay in prosecuting looters. That statement sounded apologetic. But complying with due process should be routine, one of the ennobling essences of democracy and modernisation. It should not be an issue for discussion or reference, let alone be a subject of emotive distress. By suggesting that due process delayed prosecution, the president came across as stigmatising that aspect of the law as an inconvenience, a hindrance in fact. Yet, due process helps to check prosecutorial excesses, tame judicial exhibitionism, and curb the general predilection for lynching and mob tyranny.

    It appears President Buhari is inherently impatient, and for a man who sets great store by his famed slowness and meticulousness since he assumed office in May, he is paradoxically unaccustomed to the beatifying deliberateness of the millstones of justice grinding slowly and grinding fine. In 1984, he had baffled Nigerians by railroading three drug traffickers to the gallows, one or two of whom suffered the corollary of the then Gen Buhari’s application of retroactive justice. The world was astounded, and Nigerians were shocked. Decades later, during his presidential campaign in 2015, the electorate graciously overlooked the misapplication of justice in 1984 and voted for him. The president didn’t see any reason to be contrite, and it seems that even if he had been punished by the electorate’s withheld  votes, he still wouldn’t be penitent. All he said to questions asked on his peremptory application of military justice was that he accepted responsibility.

    It is impossible to return to that freewheeling era when the head of state’s word was law. Things might have been done quicker and, as they used to say in those days, with immediate effect and automatic alacrity. But comparatively, things were not done better. By their brusqueness, the military bastardised the civil service, destabilised the polity and assaulted the people’s freedoms and liberties, and generally ended up weakening institutions and distorting and rending the fabric of civilised society. Had Nigerian heads of state been capable of the reflection and contrition necessary to properly evaluate the past, it is unlikely they would romanticise their fast but often destructive pace of doing things. The past may be the present’s rearview mirror, and may even be necessary for progress, but President Buhari sometimes gives the impression the past teaches far better lessons and signposts the future much more acutely than the present.

    He regards his period as a military governor at the age of 33 as a time of great ebullition, a time of unlimited possibilities, when he was not constrained by age, fear and perhaps the pathologies of age. Conversely, he sees his advanced 72 years of age as a natural and irresistible constraint. It took his spokesman, Femi Adesina, to begin philosophising on the values and blessings of old age, rephrasing the president’s message and redacting his sentences to fit idiomatically into a newer and more ingenious interpretation of age and wisdom, and their symbiotic relationship. Mr Adesina made sense; but what he said had nothing to do with the original message of the president. President Buhari was simple and direct. He wished he had the energy and vibrancy of the past, and could apply both to the present and his presidency. He said nothing about the wisdom that comes with age, nor of the patience and control that frequently ennobles advanced years. His mind wandered along only one tract, of energy and zealotry, a tract that opens a disturbing window into his suspiciously narrow worldview.

    Rather than seem to mourn the constraining properties of due process and rule of law in his battle against corruption, rather than make his regular and depressing references to the past, it is time President Buhari looked optimistically to the future. Many commentators have suggested he should set out the rubrics of Buharinomics. Great. But more importantly, it is time we began to hear from him his original ideas of the modern society, of modern Nigeria in particular, and of how the law scrupulously applied, without abridgement of any sort, can be deployed to build a stable, just and equitable society. His economic team can help him build Buharinomics; but they cannot help him conceive an original and intuitive philosophy of a modern Nigerian society, better than any in Africa, and one of the best in the world.

    But perhaps this column is investing President Buhari with a transcendental assignment far superior to anything he is ever capable of conceiving. Perhaps all he wants is just to arrest corruption or minimise it, knock insecurity into a cocked hat, get the economy on an even keel, and vacate office not as the failure his humiliating overthrow in 1985 presupposed, but as a fairly successful returnee and elected president who had served one term or two. Whatever his ambitions are, modest or vaulting, his constant and instinctive resort to the past will continue to hamstring his presidency, constrain his already limited elbow room, and widen the gap between his aspirations and capabilities. It is time President Buhari put a stop to rule by nostalgia.

  • Nostalgia

    Nostalgia

    On November 10, 1969, Joan Ganz Cooney, an American television producer and Lloyd Morrisett, an experimental psychologist created “Sesame Street,” a long-running children’s television series. The programme – under the umbrella of the Children Television Workshop (CTW) – is known for its educational content, and images communicated through the use of Muppets, animation, short films, humour and cultural references.

    Though an American concept, the programme made so much impact on children – and even adults – of my generation in Nigeria and beyond. So great was the impact that even as an undergraduate I continued to watch it until I called it quits when it gradually fizzled out of our television screens when 24 cable satellite stations took over.

    I was nostalgic when I read last week that Sonia Manzano, the beautiful lady with the stage name “Maria” will be leaving the show after a 44 year active involvement. I didn’t know she was still around. I had to fish out a DVD collection of the show I bought to show my son how educational programmes were done in those days. Today, most things revolve around violence and stuffs that adds nothing to posterity.

    What caught my attention about “Maria” were the long years she dedicated to impacting the lives of millions of children around the world. On the show, she ran a Fix-It Shop with her on-screen husband, Emilio Delgado.

    The two-time Emmy nominee and award-winning writer – who is 65 – joined the show in 1971. She regularly gave advice to characters like Big Bird and Elmo. She was born in New York City and was raised in South Bronx. Her parents moved to the city from Puerto Rico.

    Also an author, her children’s book “No Dogs Allowed,” published in 2004, is one of five books selected by the General Mills – an American multinational manufacturer of consumer foods – initiative “Spoonfuls of Stories.” Apart from helping children across the United States gain access to books, it also encourages them to read.

    The aim of the show over the years was to improve the cognitive skills of preschoolers so that they would be better prepared for primary school education. By using TV as a medium, the CTW succeeded in bringing the educational message to a large proportion of preschool children. In fact, among its target group of 3-5 year olds, “Sesame Street” is very popular. It was reported that over 1.4 million households watch this program whenever it is shown.

    How can one forget Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and their zany companions? However, it was not merely puppets and a host of clever attention-holding tactics but a well-defined set of educational goals that made “Sesame Street” so successful. I read that more than 1,000 studies have been conducted on the impact and influence of the show on children who watch it.

    One of the evaluations showed how children were tested on a variety of items such as identifying body parts, letters, numbers, geometric forms, sorting and classification before and after a six-month viewing period.

    Children who watched the programme showed a marked improvement in a variety of cognitive skills; more important, as viewing became heavier, the amount of improvement increased. The more they watched, the more they learned. The results were not restricted to middle-class children alone; disadvantaged children who watched showed marked improvements as well. Perhaps one of the most interesting outcomes is that reading skills improved, even though this was not specifically taught on the show.

    One of the studies also revealed that Bangladeshi children who watch the local version, Sisimpur, were reported to show faster attainment of academic skills such as literacy and math, with literacy scores of 4-year-old viewers 67% higher than those who don’t watch.

    Similar advances are seen elsewhere. In Egypt, 4-year-olds who watch the local version of, Alam Simsim, were said to perform at the same level on math and literacy tests as 5-year-olds who watch little or not at all. And children with exposure to Galli Galli Sim Sim, the local Indian version, show significant gains in Hindi literacy, especially those from less privileged backgrounds.

    Strong improvements on a whole range of learning outcomes were also measured in Indonesia. Children who frequently watch Jalan Sesama outperform children who don’t watch the show on early cognitive skills (15% higher), letter recognition (10% higher), number recognition (15% higher), and counting (15% higher). And as another study shows, the impact adds up: Children who watch Jalan Sesama regularly over an 18-month period do better on academic skills, with letter recognition up 23% over those who did not watch.

    Messages about sharing and growing together, dealing with difficult situations, and accepting others have been at the heart of Sesame Street from its inception. One study that focused on the socio-emotional impact of watching it demonstrates that children who view it with pro-social messages exhibit significantly higher levels of pro-social behaviour – such as cooperating, helping, and sharing – than those who do not watch.

    Back to “Maria;” she was able to make an impact because she is one determined lady. Determination is a key attribute of sustained success. It is sometimes referred to as drive, which was what pushed her to give 44 years of her life toward the development of children across the globe.

    Determination is closely associated with resilience: the ability to bounce back from setbacks, rather than giving up. Perseverance and persistence are also highly related. There is the old saying that a challenge is an opportunity, not a threat and we need to see failure as a chance to learn new ways of doing things. In her long years on the show she must have faced challenges that would have propelled her to call it quits, but she remained and forged on, not because of pecuniary gains, but to impact children.

    When I watch children programmes these days, all I see are mostly meaningless cartons that add little to the learning process of a child. Most relish in the gun and violent culture that is prevalent today which is why we need more “Maria’s” to help our children realise that there is more to life than guns and violence.

    I believe that violent cartoons have the potential of greatly affecting children’s behaviours growing up. Violence is a learned behaviour and therefore children need to see violence in order to become violent themselves. If a child is viewing their favourite character hitting, kicking, and beating up the “bad guys” a child will learn these behaviours too. And because most of these cartoons do not show any consequences for these behaviours – and in a sense glorify violence – children think that this is an acceptable form of problem solving.

    It was revealed in one study that what a child watches on TV at eight years will be one of the best predictors of how aggressive he will be as an adult. What the child watches after eight years is not nearly as important as what they watch before that. The study pointed out that TV violence desensitises children to real life violence. They see the cartoon characters beating up the bad guys so when they see a bully at school picking on another kid they are less likely to find anything wrong with that situation.

    A new genre of children’s cartoons said to be the most violent has been sweeping across satellite TV for the past few years. This type of cartoon called Anime is a type of Japanese cartoon based on video games. Such shows include Dragon Ball Z, Digimon, Pokemon and a host of others. These are shown on some cartoon channels and others.

    My advice in this post-modern age is for parents to pay careful attention on what their children watch.

  • Sardauna nostalgia in Kwara

    Sardauna nostalgia in Kwara

    The name of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, resonated in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, when Gamji Members’ Association, inspired by his sterling qualities, looked back at his legacy.

    Gamji is a name given to the late Premier of the North for his political greatness and sagacity.

    President of the Kwara branch of the club, Dr Abubakar Ibrahim, in a lecture entitled “Wither The Sardauna Leadership Legacies?” said Nigeria is suffering from lack of capable and effective leadership.

    Dr Ibrahim promised to establish a GAMJI centre to mould good leaders.

    “Nigeria is now in dire need of good legacies for it to overcome its current social, political and economic crises,” he said. “Such leader must possess moral authority and esteemed values of integrity, honesty and must be ready to undergo hardship and suffer deprivation on behalf of the poor masses.

    “Such leader must be competent and sound in the art of managing diverse people and abundant resources and must properly understand  his mandate as father of the nation, not a as a son or daughter of Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Ijaw, Nupe or Ebira.

    “Such leader must clearly know that Nigeria is a pluralistic society. He must be capable of bringing out a vision of what he wishes to achieve and have the requisite knowledge and experience about how to solve the mirage of problems currently bedeviling our nation. Such leader must be ready to be fair to all and must be capable of managing crises as they arise.

    “In fact, Nigeria requires a leader that will end insurgency in sixty days… a leader that will lead the war against insurgency, a leader that will recover our daughters from insurgents, leader that will diversify our economy. Leader that will end power problem, create industries in all state capitals to provide employment for teeming youths, leader that will restore security to all nooks and cranny of our nation, leader that will declare his personal properties and forfeit same, leader that will lead by example, leader that will be incorruptible, honest, trustworthy and accountable. This is our search in GAMJI.”

    The GAMJI president expressed delight that the late Sardauna “in spite of wielding enormous powers in the First Republic, was simple, upright and incorruptible whose guiding principles in public services was honesty, public probity, accountability, efficiency, dedication and hard work and in the pursuit of these principles, he did not care whose ox was gored.

    “In fact, after several years as Premier of Northern Nigeria, with a land size of about 56 per cent of the present day Nigeria and undoubtedly the most powerful man in Nigeria during his time, when he died exactly 49 years ago, he left virtually nothing, except the two local mud houses in Sokoto town and Rabbah which he had built before becoming premier.”

    In his remarks, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state, represented by the state Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Alhaji Saka Onmimago, expressed the hope that the lecture will “explore the Sardauna’s leadership legacies especially in the context of the country ‘s current search for transformative leadership.

    He said that “it is on record that the foundation for much of the development and unification of Northern Nigeria was laid by the late Sir Ahmadu Bello.”

    Ahmed advocated for a “combined leadership and entrepreneur skills in the school curriculum to catch the children young and prepare them for leadership.”

    The guest lecturer of the day, Prof Hassan Saliu of the University of Ilorin said the late premier’s integrity was clearly lacking in “our present political system.”

    The professor of political science added that the Sardauna was honest and not materialistic, saying that “unlike our current politicians whose desire is to conquer the material world with acquisitive tendencies, Sardauna was a highly contented leader who at a great cost to his personal comfort sought for public good for the greater majority of his people.”

    His words: “Some key issues that had agitated the mind of Sardauna of Sokoto during his reign as the premier of the North would form the basis of drawing lessons from his Spartan life for our politicians who have shown a discomfiting level of importance to the core values of honesty, tolerance, religious accommodation making politics to serve the cause of development, promotion of national unity and integration.

    “To be more specific, it is a statement on the contemporary politicians that almost five decades after the demise of Sardauna, Northerners and indeed, Nigerians are still eulogizing him and praying quietly that may another Sir Ahmadu Bello be raised among the country’s contemporary politicians. What this simply means is that our politicians need to search their souls and adjust themselves in terms of the value they subscribe to and legacies they want to bequeath to the nation.

    “Sardauna was a highly sensitive leader who had his eyes and ears all over the Northern region. He formed the habit of consulting with party members all over the region, including Ilorin. As the leader of the north he was closer to the people and had firsthand knowledge of their needs. Throughout his life he worked for his people and the elitist politics of today had no place in the governance architecture of the late Sardauna.