Going by his antecedent, President–Elect Muhammadu Buhari may not be a frontline patron of the arts. But, some of his contributions qualify him as a lover of the arts. Former Deputy Editor of The Guardian Mr Ben Tomoloju reflects on the cultural legacies Buhari left behind between December 1983 and August 1985 as Head of State.
Thank you. But I wish not to take the issue of discipline for granted in assessing a man of culture. Whether it is in terms of environment, society, a people’s spiritual engagement and world-view, or their creative and inventive capacities, discipline is paramount. So your admission concerning ‘his discipline’ presupposes, in the first place that he is a man of culture. A man of culture has the potential of being visionary, though his effort at making such vision a reality is a different kettle of fish. A man or woman of culture exudes great passion in pursuit whatever he or she considers a societal ideal. In the same vein, a man or woman of culture cherishes ideas and lives by them; which saying that he is a dynamic agent of enlightenment who applies his vast intellectual resources to the development of society.
By these parameters, I believe that General Buhari can be described as a man of culture except for aspects of the last criterion where he had a terrible reputation in press censorship and the jailing of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti when he was a military Head-of-State.
It is an established cultural imperative that a good statesman must be a patron of the arts. One cannot say precisely now that Buhari is a patron of the arts judging by his record nearly thirty years. Yet, for some who governed Nigeria for a year and seven months or so, he had a few points that qualified him to be referred to as a lover of the arts. But he must go beyond being a lover of the arts to that of a grand patron of the arts in his present, re-nascent presidential status.
What were the cultural legacies of Buhari as Head-of-State between December 1983 and August, 1986?
Yes, I believe it was General Buhari’s military administration that laid the foundation for an enhanced ministerial status for the cultural sector. And this is very very important. Before his administration, culture was lumped into one ministerial behemoth called Ministry of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture.
But sometime in 1986, the Buhari administration appointed a Federal Sole-Administrator for Culture and Archives in the person of Colonel Tunde Akogun. The Federal Sole-Administrator, by that appointment was equivalent to the present-day Minister of State and he reported directly to the Supreme Military Council. This initiative of the Buhari administration, however shortlived, energised the cultural sector, although not without some sour experiences.
Can you be specific in this regard?
On the positive side, the Sole-Administrator restructured the sector. The Department of Culture and Archives was split. The two former divisions became autonomous departments in their own rights.
But, beyond this, Buhari set up the panel on the review of Theatre and Film, chaired by seasoned University don and Artistic Director, Mr. Bayo Oduneye. Some of the members included, pioneering culture administrator and poet, Mr Frank Aig-Imoukhuede, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce and representatives from other relevant ministries, including the police and armed forces. The recommendations of that Review Panel went a long way to open up the cultural sector and release its potentials as it made positive projections on the desirability of a National Troupe, the film industry, copyright matters and generally the promotion, propagation and preservation of culture among others.
Part of the credit goes to the then Group Captain Sampson Emeka Omerua who was the Minister of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture.
One of the problems culture stakeholders had with the Buhari administration of the military era was its side-lining of the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST). On record, the 1993 edition of the festival was the last before the Buhari administration came to power. In spite of its high quality in concept and implementation, it was squeezed out of the nation’s cultural calendar. I do agree with those who remark that such posturing by anybody or government against a national cultural heritage cripples the collective intelligence. This happened nearly thirty years ago. I believe the General has experience more than a simple measure of the the democratisation process to encourage creative and other forms of expression to flourish. But it has to be admitted that, it nowadays, culture sometimes appears as the senior partner in a ministerial arrangement, Buhari charted the course.
Can you recall such moments he lent support to major cultural event.
You see….I don’t know….It seemed fashionable in those days for soldiers to look tough, wear stony, unsmiling faces except when they were in the mess. Buhari wasn’t caught out attending shows. It was his Minister, Omeruah and Sole-Administrator, Akogun who frequent the arts beats and clubs like the theatre, Art Alade’s Arts Place, the Jazz Club of Nigeria events, Jazz 39, Bala Miller and NUTAF Port Harcourt among others. But, the General actually was the Special Guest-of-Honour at the Command Performance of Ori, a drama production of the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture. It was written and directed by Funmi Odusolu and Produced by the State’s Director of Culture, (now Oba) Gbenga Sonuga. That was on February 5, 1985. As Command Performance, it meant that the Head-of-State ordered the presentation of the play, which went on to tour the United States a year later even before the establishment of a National Troupe. I don’t if it was just one-off thing, but it was significant.
Any chance of him re-enacting such in this new dispensation?
Really, it’s not about General Buhari attending drama shows, art exhibitions and concerts, but to ensure that the democratisation process also guarantees the full democratisation of culture. If he had had the erroneous impression that the creative industry was on the fringe of the economy, developments in the movie, music and the popular arts in general today has proved otherwise. The good thing is that he laid the superstructure to some of these developments. You know, after the Oduneye Panel, enlarged group of culture stakeholders was constituted shortly before Buhari was overthrown on August 27, 1985. Papa Steve Rhodes, Mr Frank Aig-Imoukhuede, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Bala Miller, Taiwo Okupe, Naiwu Osahon and Dan Awodoye were among the members. Permit me, I can’t remember all, but they were the leading lights. Ben Murray-Bruce and my humble self were the youngest. The Buhari administration gathered them from across Nigeria. Although he was overthrown in August, the brain-storming still held for two days in September, 1985 because the Federal Sole-Administrator whom Buhari appointed was retained by the successor. The group set a long term agenda for the cultural sector. And I think, Buhari should not find it difficult now to relate to the practical demands of the sector; for instance, job-creation and wealth-creation. Government should invest directly in culture. If it is possible for Governor Fashola to build mini-stadia across the Local Governments in Lagos, there is no reason why cottage theatres and art centres to accommodate the mass of artistic talents cannot be established in every Local Government Area in States where they are viable. This is our advocacy in Nigerian theatre today and one of the practical demands of the culture sector. And I think there is a chance of pulling this and other strategic agenda through because of the foundational role he played in the past. Government should encourage inputs into policy formulation and implementation from all interest groups, so that we can all claim the heritage and celebrate it as “Nigerian”.’
