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Tag: Omojola

  • Omojola marks 60 with Deep in cultures

    Omojola marks 60 with Deep in cultures

    Attaining the age of 60 comes with celebrations. While many will roll out the drums, some may choose to reflect on their lives through publication of memoir, biography or autobiography. For Funso Omojola, one of Nigeria’s contemporary artists, who turned 60 on February 18, hosted a solo exhibition as part of activities marking his 60th birthday is the way to go.

    The solo exhibition titled Deep in cultures opened on February 15 at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja and run till February 20. Special guests of honour were Mr Kunle Samuel of LSDPC, Lagos; art lecturer, Dr.  Akinwande Onipede of University of Lagos and Mr Audu Segun of QZ Company. The chairman of the event is President Lagos Country Club, Mr Seyi Adewunmi. 

    The Ekitikete Art-Links man has held three solo exhibitions and many group exhibitions both home and abroad. After many years of dedication to art and paintings as his major medium to convey message of peace, love and dignity in labour, he has diversified into hand-made illustrated artistic wear that is so much in high demand.

    Omojola can be regarded as a post-modernist who injected the use of viscosity into pointillism. His dazzling lines are used to express impressionistic and abstract art distinguished his style in comparison to brush strokes in a way to position art side by side with architecture. 

    Some of his collection for the solo exhibition includes Mother Oduduwa, Aanu (favour), Great expectation, Unity, Affections and Sewa.

    Omojola said: “I use acrylic and oil paints to disrupt the purity of a blank canvas with African abstract shapes and lines. I feature very loosely interpreted landscape and abstraction figures too. I have lived my whole life steps away from the art generally and I find it the most meaningful inspiration. My pieces attempt to join the joy of abandon with colours to create bold, bright, daring pieces. Living in Lagos, the Center of Excellence, I am no stranger to vibrancy and I create works that transport others to this magical space.”

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    Born in Ayedun Ekiti State, Omojola said his encounter with art was accidental. He said none of his family members were into art as they didn’t consider it as a career.

    “For me, I never received any education in art, besides a few elective classes while in college. To me, art was only a concept and out of my reach. However, over the past years, I have slowly embraced a new identity as a fine artist.  And it was never an easy journey. I remember my father used to tell me “funso don’t give up.” And little by little, it has changed my person and my view of life,” he noted.

    His last shows were held at Yusuf Grillo Gallery, Yabatech Lagos on June 2014, and at Daystar Christian Centre, Ikosi Lagos on July 2014.

  • Plot to ‘bury’ Daramola, Omojola murder cases uncovered in Ekiti

    AN alleged attempt by agents of Ekiti State Government to ‘bury’ the murder cases of the late World Bank consultant, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola and the late Tunde Omojola has collapsed, it was learnt yesterday.

    The state high court has adjourned the cases to October 6, after a civil society organisation and families of the deceased raised the alarm over plans to conduct a secret trial and dismiss the cases.

    The families of the deceased are crying foul that the cases were re-opened and being heard secretly without their knowledge.

    Omojola was murdered during the May 28, 2005, councillorship by-election in Ifaki Ekiti  in Ido/Osi Local Government Area, where he served as an agent of the National Conscience Party (NCP).

    The NCP agent, who came from the Netherlands to participate in the by-election, challenged agents of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who were allegedly manipulating the electoral process in favour of their party and he was killed in the ensuing violence.

    Daramola, who was a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the run-up to the 2007 general election, was killed on August 14, 2006, at his country home in Ijan Ekiti in Gbonyin Local Government Area.

    The killings took place during the first tenure of Governor Ayo Fayose between 2003 and 2006 and some of his aides were arrested and arraigned in connection with the murder incidents.

    A civil society group, Ekiti Overseas Committee for Justice and Equity had raised the alarm in a petition dated July 8, alleging that a very senior government official in collusion with a senior member of the Bar and a willing judge had planned to secretly sit over the murder cases to clear the suspects of complicity.

    The Nation learnt from a highly-placed source that the judge that was handed the case file was rattled and was unwilling to be used to kill the case, fearing that his career and life are at risk.

    Former Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration re-opened the two cases after the families of the deceased petitioned his government, demanding justice.

    The source said: “The case that was being handled by Rotimi Jacobs on behalf of the state government contained all the facts of the murders, including those known to the public and fresh ones.

    “However, the cases were not pursued as planned before the change of government.

    “Recently, a very senior government figure stumbled on the records of the case in the Ministry of Justice and quickly moved to close the case through dismissal.

    “He approached Jacobs to surrender the documents on the case in his possession to enable the state government continue with the case.

    “Jacobs refused telling the senior government figure and the agents that the families of the deceased were also part of the prosecution/complainants and so he would not surrender the brief until their approval was sought and granted.

    “A Senior Advocate of Ekiti origin was hired to prosecute the case secretly with a judge already handed the assignment to sit secretly on the cases and get them dismissed to let the accused persons standing trial off the hook.

    “The said Ekiti born senior advocate was scared about the backlash of this conspiracy should the bubble burst at the end of the day.

    “For this, instead of taking up the brief and signing the affidavit and other documents on the matter, he directed the junior lawyers in his chambers to append their names.

    “In an affidavit deposed to by a junior partner in his chamber and dated June 28, 2016 in charge number HAD/2c/2007 in the Motion on Notice No HAD/71cm/2016 between the state government and complainants brought under Motion on Notice pursuant to Section 56 of Ekiti State Criminal Justice Law 2014 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court, listed are the state government as the plaintiffs while the defendants at Dayo Okondo, Adegoke Olatunji, T.A. Aina and S.K. Dada.

    “The case in which the affidavit wanted to be listed for fresh hearing, sought the following reliefs:

    • That the case that was struck out on June 21, 2016 be re-listed for fresh hearing
    • That upon reading the record of the proceedings of June 21, it was discovered that the honourable court only struck out the action for want of diligent prosecution
    • That the prosecution witnesses are ready to state their case without delay of any kind
    • That the prosecution undertakes to prosecute and conduct trial from day to day as may be agreed and convenient to the honourable court until the matter is fully disposed; and
    • That the mistake leading to the absence of the prosecution witness and their counsel is absolutely that of the prosecution counsel.”

    The source added: “All these are being done without putting all the complainants, including the families of the deceased and their lawyers on notice. The families of the deceased never knew anything about any court hearing and the witnesses will now be selected by the government.

    “In fact, the deceased’s families have no information that the case has been re-opened. The judge made a mistake by not dismissing the case outright.

    “It is when they discovered that striking out a case does not foreclose the re-opening of the case again in the future that they started a fresh, secret move to get the case dismissed outright”

  • Socialist Party eulogises Omojola

    The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) has described the life of the late Baba Omojola Oluwide as an inspiration to the young and the old.

    “Baba’s engagement in the politics and social issues in Nigeria was an inspiration to both the old and the young.

    “He helped and inspired the civil rights movement as well as political formations. He was an engaging Marxist and revolutionary socialist who took practical steps to effect the principles in our economy and politics,” the SPN said in a tribute to the activist who died penultimate Saturday in Akure.

    He was aged 75.

    In a statement yesterday, Chairman of the party’s Publicity Committee, Professor Idowu Awopetu and 27 others, said Omojola “lived a life of service.”

    “Throughout his 60 years of struggle, he was engaged with others not only in talking about the many ills confronting the Nigerian nation – the sorry state of government and politics, the plight of the working people, an economy run for the rich and powerful, the breakdown of social values but was actively involved in the struggle to ensure that the situation was reversed,” the SPN said.

  • Ikuforiji extols virtues of Onisarotu, Omojola

    The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has described the late Alhaji Bisiriyu Onisarotu and Pa Baba Oluwide Omojola as great men who are worthy of emulation by all.

    Ikuforiji stated this on Thursday at the 8th day fidau prayer for the late chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bisiriyu Onisarotu, held at the National Stadium, Surulere in Lagos and when he led other lawmakers on a condolence visit to the residence of the late Omojola also in Surulere.

    The Speaker, while responding to questions from newsmen yesterday after the two activities said, “I wish we could all emulate a man like Alhaji Onisarotu and Pa Omojola.”

    On Onisarotu, he said, “He was a great man and a man of exemplary character. Although as human being when you are still in flesh you cannot be perfect, I pray for the repose of his soul.”

    While commenting on Pa Omojola’s exemplary character, Ikuforiji said, “The words of encouragement coming from different sections of the country should serve as fortitude for the deceased’s family.”

    While stressing on the goodwill of the late Omojola, the Speaker said, “When you compare his exemplary beginning with the life that he led, you would discover that he stood for the masses in his entire life. This is a man who stood on the path of truth and justice.

    “If you didn’t even believe in him in the past, you can see where we have come to meet his family. Those who do not have as much education are living in mighty mansions. This is a man you could not even trace any misdeed to.”

     

  • Omojola’s experience hits Lagos street

    After an unsuccessful sojourn to Spain in 2001, Funso Omojola, (aka Ekitikete) returned to Nigeria and dared all odds to rediscover his talent as an artist. His chance encounter with a roadside artist in Ikeja, Lagos was all he needed to get inspired. Since then, he has kept faith with the roadside practice.

    But this weekend, road side exhibition, a path less attractive to most Nigerian artists will be the focal point of many on Sunday, September 30 when Omojola rolls out his current collection of artworks for a solo exhibition on Ikosi Road, by Day Star Church, Ikeja, Lagos. The show entitled My Experience, will run till October 1, and will feature hundreds assemblage of miniatures, medium and large sizes of paintings and portraitures of some selected leaders from across the globe. The portraitures are done in prints and embellished with some of the icons’ quotable quotes, which add more value to the portraits. Among the leaders whose portraits will be display include the late Pa Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Chinua Achebe, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Mother Theresa and Wole Soyinka. Others are John Rockefeller, Michael Jordan, Julius Caesar and Gani Fawehinmi. The collection is a pot-pouri of abstract, figurative and floral.

    In a preview session, Omojola who trained at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, said the exhibition is providing him the opportunity to share his personal experiences in life using his artworks as vehicles. He recalled that studio practice with the sum of ten thousand five hundred naria, which was his salary as a security guard in 2002. But he was full of thanks to God that today his art has improved with good clients too. For some time now, he has been exhibiting at the Day Star Church, Ikeja, Lagos every Sunday.