With his studios located in front of the Redeemed Camp of The Redeemed Christian Church of God along Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Seun Sogunro has really positioned himself as one of the best mural and mosaic artist in the society.  In this interview with Edozie Udeze, he talks about his natural penchant for this difficult aspect of the visual and why, in spite of the odds, he still loves to do murals and mosaic arts

Seun Sogunro is a painter, one of those fine artists who chose, from the beginning, to devote his whole life to studio practice.  Trained at the Yaba College of Technology in the 1980s, he has been working as a painter ever since to prove his mettle and leave an indelible mark on the sand of times.  “Yes, I have been into art practice since 1981 when I graduated from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.  I have been doing paintings.  My area of specialty is doing paintings on the walls.  I do works for various churches and for other establishments”.  A specialist in wall murals, Sogunro uses such to showcase his dexterity as an artist.  This is one area of the visual that is not common.  It is only appraised and appreciated by the well-to-do in the society.  But as an artist, Sogunro delved into it to prove a point – that it is an art that can distinguish him from the rest.  “I do it mainly on canvas and on wood slabs.  I just did an exhibition recently on it and Professor Yusuf Grillo was also a part of it.  My works are within and outside the country.  Mostly murals, they show the sentiments of Nigerian environment and what place that art has for us in Nigeria”.

Even though Sogunro practices his art in Lagos, with his studio located right in front of the Redeemed Christian Church of God premises on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, he also has a studio in Port Harcourt, Rivers State where he once served as a Minister of God.  “The one in Port Harcourt I established it when the church sent me to go and serve in Rivers State.  So, I now shuttle between P H and Lagos, working and supervising various works of art I have in stock.  What I do is that when I go to P H, I stay there for two weeks, then come back here, stay two weeks as well.  This way, I have been able to manage the two studios effectively well”.

For Sogunro who knows that both murals and mosaic are not common in Nigerian art scene, how does he cope?  Who are his clientele and how often does he get attention from those who love these two genres of the visual art?  “Yes, art is for the rich, right?  It is those who really have the interest, who have the means that go for it.  I remember the first mural I did, one man came along and said; oh I have been looking for a work of this nature.  He said, he’d been looking for someone to do this sort of work for him.  He was so happy to see that particular mural”, he explained.

Although it was a work Sogunro did for someone else in Ondo State, the interest shown by that client indeed reignited his interest in doing murals and mosaic.  “The man built a big mansion and I was the one who did all the murals in the house.  I did it on the entire front and the sides and this made the house so beautiful and spectacular.  The man was so appreciative.  In fact, people, those who know the value appreciate this mode of the art very well.  It shows that art is not for those who are suffering; those who are struggling to survive.  No, it is not,” Sogunro mused.

For those who actually know, the appreciation for art is there.  Those who value those works live with it, they look for it.  Indeed, they pay for it so long as it meets their desires.  Sogunro explained further when he said, “Yes the interest is there, shown by those who love the art.  But you have to also know them as an artist.  It is good to know those who have more than enough and then want to invest in the art.  Apart from those who do it on their buildings, private offices, homes like I have done for banks – Eko bank and other finance houses – so, the appreciation is growing”.

He admitted that this has been quite profitable to him.  “Yes, yes, it has been very profitable to me”, he said nodding his head positively.  As he did so, a bright little smile perched on his lips.  The glow on his face showed an artist who has indeed delved into an area that gives him not only his daily bread but that which also satisfies his professional yearning and dream.

One of the most remarkable works he has done is the work of murals at Saint Paul’s Anglican Church, Isolo, Lagos.  “It is still there, a very wonderful work indeed.  I also did the last supper for one certain rich man in the East.  It was also a remarkable work by all standards.  We did the work here in Lagos and then transported it to the place in Imo State.  There we installed it in the man’s roof.  I do not only do for churches, but because of my position in the church, more people approach me through the church, through some people I know in the church”.

He also does portrait paintings for those who care for them.  “I do more of abstract portrait.  My works in this mould come in form of what Kolade Osinowo does.  I learnt most of this from Yusuf Grillo who was my teacher at Yaba Tech.  I did my attachment with him and I believe from there, I got my love for murals and mosaic.  When I began to practice it people began to show interest.  It is painting that interest me most, indeed I love it more.  But mural requires so much of your energy; strength, monitoring and all that.  But painting, you can easily do at home”.

In spite of the difficulty involved in the execution of murals and mosaic, Sogunro still sticks to it because of what he gains from it.  It is rare, it is golden and it pays his bills in the most outstanding way possible.

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gospel artiste, song writer, speaker and television host, Anu Akinlagun, has donated some items to the less privileged in the society.

Akinlagun, Founder of Mulc Foundation, donated items worth thousands of naira to Modupe Cole Child Care and Treatment Home in Akoka, Lagos.

The items, including toiletries, cartons of Indomie Noddle’s, cartons of biscuits, detergents, drinks, cloths, books, sweets, snacks and Custard Powder, was her own way of giving back to the society.

At the presentation of the items, many of the children at the Home hugged and shook hands with Akinlagun and other members of the foundation.

MULC Foundation led the children into praises, which many of them sang and  danced to. The children at the Home could not hide their joy of receiving Mulc Foundation in their midst. Even though some of them could not talk, their smiles, expressions and gestures to members of the foundation said it all.

The foundation also gave gifts to the head teacher and the assistant head teacher of the Home.

According to Akinlagun, the foundation is about caring for the less privilege children as well as the disabled. “We are here to let them know that they are loved and that they have not been abandoned. We aim to make the life of everyone count by impacting other people’s lives.

“MULC Foundation is a nongovernmental organisation that was founded on the bedrock of love for the less privileged and children in particular. We initiate projects that provide children with educational support, health care and welfare.

“Our mission is to ensure that every under privilege child we come across or that comes through our path gets that warmth of love and that reassuring comfort of belonging to a family. We aim to create a safe haven for the distressed child. Our vision is to build a home/shelter for abandoned, orphaned and abused children; to set up a legal team and system that defends and protects child rights and privileges.

We also aim to train and build children’s mental capacity especially the less privileged and abused ones, to organise skill acquisition  and empowerment forums for them in order to move them from  dependability to becoming job providers,” she said.

She added: “We chose to visit Modupe Cole Child Care and Treatment Home, because it is not just a home for the underprivileged children, it is also a treatment home. We have been following them for some months and we appreciate their efforts in taking care of these children. We believe that children in the Home also deserve to be loved and happy. This is why we decided to visit them with food items, clothing’s, toiletries and drinks among other things.

“Aside the children, we also gave gifts to the head teacher and her assistant for a job well done. “

She urged all well-meaning Nigerians to visit the Home and see how the kids with different kinds of deformities ranging from cerebral palsy to other varying forms of mental challenges and physical challenges live; they are skilled, they need love and care, they need to be given a sense of hope and belonging,” she said.

MULC Foundation Project Supervisor, Alexander Chude, said the gesture was to extend the love of Christ.

“When Jesus Christ was in the world, he healed the sick and fed the poor. This is what MULC foundation is replicating today.  The significance of today’s gathering is to spread the love of Christ and the joy that comes with it.

“These children have potentials in becoming great people in future. There is ability in disability because when there is life there is hope.”

He urged the children to keep their faith alive.

Head Teacher, Modupe Cole Child Care and Treatment Home, Mrs Rabiu Sherifat, thanked the foundation for the gesture.

She called on other private institutions as well as the state government to be of assistance to the Home, noting that although the state government has put in efforts towards the Home, but government cannot do it alone and the Home needs more to cater for the children.

“The Home, established by late Modupe Cole in 1960, now has over 450 children of which the oldest is 66 years,” she said.

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Oreoluwa Bakare, 17 is a JSS 3 student whose future ambition to become a banker is about to be cut short by a terminal disease, Lymphoma, a doctor’s report has confirmed.

Oreoluwa’s predicament, according to her sister, Mrs Funmilola Bakare, whom she lives with, dates back to July last year when she suddenly began snoring heavily in her sleep. In addition, she also began complaining of slight pain in her throat.

She was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, where examinations were carried out on her. A CT scan revealed a nasopharyngeal mass. A biopsy of the mass was done and histology showed Lymphoma.

Oreoluwa was referred to a hospital in Enugu for radiotherapy, which was terminated after about a week, owing to a breakdown of their machine.

Oreoluwa has now been referred to a medical facility in Bangalore, India for continued care and monitoring.

The referral letter issued by the Clinical Oncologist at Charis Medical Centre on December 28, 2017, reads in part: “The above named (Oreoluwa Bakare) presented at our centre with complaints of generalised edema of three months duration, which started in the throat and neck.

“A CT scan of the post-nasal space was done, which showed a huge nasopharyngeal soft tissue mass – Lymphoid hyperplasia. She later presented with axillary and inguinal lymphadenopatgy. A biopsy of the nasopharyngeal mass was done and histology showed poorly differentiated carcinoma, likely alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma immunohistochemistry showed LCA and CD20 positive, Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She has had 26Gy of radiation to the nasopharynx and cervical lymph nodes.

“We would hereby like to refer her to you for continued management.”

Oreoluwa’s mum, who has single-handedly raised her and her two sisters since her husband deserted them over her inability to bear him male children, is unable to raise the money needed for Oreoluwa’s treatment in India.

She is therefore appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to come to her aid and help raise the N8million required to cover the medical bill and return trip of Oreoluwa and herself to India.

Since August last year, no less than N2million has been raised through the help of family, friends and church members and spent on tests and treatments thus far.

Contributions can be made to Bakare’s Guarantee Trust Bank (GTB) account: Acct Name: Bakare Funmilola Abosede, Acct Number: 0141228933.

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Following a number of attacks on worshippers at prayer vigils, some worshippers have started canvassing self-defence. Some are even considering arming themselves with bottles of acid. Gboyega Alaka reports

Increasingly, it is becoming a trend; albeit an unsavouiry one. Worshippers at prayer vigil, like never before, are being attacked almost on a weekly basis and it’s looking like undesirable elements and men of the underworld have suddenly found them attractive.

Just last week, news broke of how a self-acclaimed apostle, Paul, allegedly abducted and raped Esther, a 21-year-old in Ibusa, Asaba, Delta State. Paul, as the story goes, hypnotised and held Esther captive in his shop for about a week, raping her on several occasions before he was caught and the victim, set free.

Esther had attended a vigil at the Living Faith Church on Ibusa Road with her family members on January 12(Friday), when she was allegedly charmed and kept in the shop where Paul sells bible literatures. Her family after searching fruitlessly for her lodged the case of a missing person at A Division of the Delta State Police Command.

The bubble however burst when a friend of Esther’s brother went to make some purchase at the shop and spotted the missing girl.

Esther, according to her brother, is a ‘special child’ who had suffered convulsion as a little girl which affected her and can therefore neither read nor write.

A test at the Police Clinic in Asaba, reportedly indicated ‘smothered labia majora/minora,’ an indication that she’d been raped.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, said the case is under investigation.

If one is tempted to view that incident as an isolated one, fuelled by one man’s amorous desire; what does one make of the attack in Ilorin, Kwara State in the early hours of January 1, 2018. The worshippers, Muslims and Christians, were attacked by irate youths as they returned from their respective worship places, where they had gone to usher in the new year.

Reports say the Christian worshippers mainly from Methodist Church on the popular Ibrahim Taiwo Street and other churches in the environ and Muslims from the Quareeb Muslim Society that had their new year eve prayer at a secondary school on the street, were viciously attacked. Three people sustained injuries, while vehicles and other property belonging to the worshippers and residents in the area were indiscriminately vandalised.

The irate youths were said to be reacting to the refusal of the landlords and community leaders to allow them hold a carnival that same night.

The state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed describe the act as “criminal, satanic and alien to the state.” The police announced shortly after that it had arrested ten of the suspected youths.

At about the same time, some cultists were attacking another group of worshippers returning  from their crossover service in Omoku, a village in Egbenma in Ogbe-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. No less than 20  persons were shot and killed, with the nation waking up to a gory image of death and corpses.

Subsequent investigation revealed that the worshippers fell victim, after the assailant cultists could not find the community vigilante members, who were their original targets on the night. The gunmen were said to be out to avenge the arrest of mother of their leader,  Don Waney (now late), for which they blamed the vigilante men for giving her away to the police.

Similarly, one cannot forget in a hurry the various attacks on worship places in Ikorodu by members of the dreaded Badoo gang, who preyed on worshippers who went to their respective churches for prayer vigils.

Sometime in July 2016, a gang of robbers invaded Shokoya Street and LK Junction in Oworonshoki area of Lagos. Aside robbing the sleeping residents, they also attacked a group of Muslim worshippers who were observing vigil for the Ramadan month’s Lailatul Quadri night. The hoodlums, wielding machetes and knives beat up their victims, robbed them of their valuables and vandalised vehicles.

Rape

In March 2015, Nigerians woke up to what many still consider a most bizarre and brazen news. Some women and girls worshipping at a vigil service in a church in Benin, Edo State, were attacked and raped by some hooded robbers. The men were said to have rained bullets on the roof of the church, Salvation Givers Church Ministries International, instilling fear in the worshippers, before descending on them.

The robbers reportedly  attacked the church after robbing a nearby building where they shot and killed two people. They had also reportedly raped nine women in a nearby church before attacking Salvation Givers.

Dangerous trend – Worshipper

For a nation facing genocide attacks on several fronts, including herdsmen attacks, boko haram killings, ethnic killings, worshippers are of the view that this is one trend that calls for urgent attention, else it snowballs.

According to Omotayo Adeoye, a Christian faithful, who claimed to be of the Pentecostal Redeemed Christian Church of God, the attacks are gradually becoming a regular occurrence and the government needs to do something urgently. “The way things are going, I think it may get to a stage where churches would have to be soliciting the services of policemen to guard their churches, whenever they have late night or overnight programmes. If you’d recall, this was how attacks on long distance luxurious buses began before they took the initiative and started getting armed policemen to guard their buses.”

As for those who go as far as raping worshippers at prayer vigils, Adeoye said that is the height of impudence to God, and the perpetrators will surely not go unpunished. “In fact, as I am speaking, most of the perpetrators would have met their nemesis; it’s just that we may not know. If not that the fear of God has suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, how could anyone attack worshippers of the most high God with the intention of raping them?”

Worshippers taking precaution

One of the victims in the new year attack in Ilorin told our reporter that following that incident, most of them have resolved to go to vigils, armed with some defensive mechanisms in their bag. The lady, who shuttles between Lagos and Ilorin said, some of her church members now go to late night prayers with little bottles of acid, while some arm themselves with little knives in their bags or purse. They will not wait to be caught unawares, the lady who would not like to reveal her identity said.

However, Bridget Alade, another Christian faithful in Ikotun, Lagos, believes the best precaution is to leave early for the church and return late, when day has broken. “That way,” she said, “one is not likely to fall into the hands of criminals. And as for those who invade church premises, I leave them to God.”

It is the duty of the state to provide security -CAN secretary

Secretary, Christian Association Nigeria (CAN) Lagos and Prelate of Motailatu Church, Cherubim and Seraphim Worldwide says Christians can only fight back with prayers.

Attack on worshippers on prayer vigil seems to be steadily creeping into our consciousness, how would you react to this?

It will be difficult to give a direct answer to that. I am an academician and I know that you have to come up with a statistics to make such assertion. I have only read about such incident once or twice in recent memory and that may not be enough to draw such conclusion. I would not like to come across as an alarmist. However, if I have enough fact, then my response will be firm.

From your standpoint as CAN secretary, Lagos, do you think that the church should put up a system of defending its members if this trend persists?

Taking it from the church’s perspective, I will say Christ is our security and that is why the bible says that he who tries to save his life will lose it. Also, one must not because of personal attack now say ‘I won’t be able to propagate the word of God.’ Christianity has nothing to do with fear. The persecution of the church does not have to be from the state. It may be from the weakness of the world or the economic depression of the state, especially where we have unemployment and hunger.

The recent display of affluence in the church may be another reason church goers are now object of attacks. people now see church and church-goers as places they could access money. But in actual fact, the church has no money, because no individual can claim to own the church. It’s just that people now treat the church like personal empire.

CAN (the Christian Association of Nigeria) as an umbrella body for Christians, CAN can only advise members to increase their level of security without losing sight of the fact that Christ is our security.

Our investigation revealed that some people are now taking precautions by arming themselves up with small knives and bottles of acid. What do you think of this?

To tell the truth as a Christian leader, you don’t have any reason to attack anyone who attacks you. The only thing to do is to pray that God subject the attackers to know that what they are doing is wrong. Besides, the law of the world is that anybody who kills will also be killed. And if you escape judgement in this world, it doesn’t mean you have escaped justice altogether because there is the hereafter. The tendency is that we might end up thinking that two wrongs can make a right. In fact, the bible enjoins us to pray for our enemies.

How about getting the police to provide security?

The church is not operating in a vacuum but within a society; so, the nation should provide the security. It is the responsibility of the nation to secure these places of worship, not for the church to secure or provide security for itself. we have to challenge the authorities to provide the security.

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Lateef Sanni takes a look at the trend of cough syrup abuse, wondering if it isn’t time to take action.

In the past, real stuffs like cocaine, heroin or marijuana were the in-thing. You’re either into these or you just didn’t belong and couldn’t frolic with the ‘dudes’. Well, all that seems to have changed, as cheap stuffs have taken over. Cheap drugs like cough syrups and painkillers. The drugs are being taken without prescription and for the sole purpose of ‘getting high,’ irrespective of the likely harm they can cause.

A few weeks back, Doctor Fatima Hassan, a pediatric consultant at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) raised an alarm on the dangerous rate of cough syrups abuse. These syrups, originally meant to suppress cough and other throat/respiratory infections, are out on sale and obtainable ‘over-the-counter’ without any recourse to doctor’s prescription; she therefore called on the  Federal Government to place a ban on cough syrups in the country.

As a combative measure, she made a case for a relentless campaign against illicit drugs supply and distribution in cities and rural areas in the country.

Dr. Akin Oyejoko, a pediatrician at General Hospital, Otta, Ogun State, admits knowledge of the abuse and addiction of cough suppressants but said he is yet to treat clients diagnosed with complications resulting there-from.

He however does not subscribe to cough syrups being banned, arguing that not all cough syrups are harmful. He agreed that “some cough syrups contain codeine, which is said to make people feel high. That group of cough syrup is particularly susceptible to abuse because some people take it just to feel high. I am saying we should not ban cough syrup because, first of all, cough syrups help people relieve their cough before they get to see a doctor. Usually, it does not influence the diagnosis and does not hide the diagnosis; so despite taking it, the doctor can still investigate and find out the cause of the cough. But we could ban cough syrups that contain codeine, such that they could be accessed only with doctors’ prescription.

Discussing the different types of cough syrups, Oyejoko said a drug like Ventolin cough syrup provides relief to chest tightening for people who have asthma, or chronic smokers. He said these people have to take it with them everywhere they go, especially children who cannot use inhalers for one medical reason or the other.

He also spoke of broncholytics cough syrups, which he said is meant for people who have chest congestion and thick phlegm in their chest. “What the cough syrup does is to dissolve the thick phlegm so that it will become more liquid and they can be expelled.”

“There are stronger cough syrups like those that contain codeine. The codeine there serves to calm the person. It is that calming effect that leads to abuse. It tends to calm you down and help you sleep. Cough is something that makes it difficult for a lot of people to sleep; I think that is the reason codeine is added.”

Advise to parents

“My advice to parents is to make sure they get prescription for all medicines and more importantly, use according to prescription. Get the prescription from someone who is licensed to prescribe, and not just from any neighbour or passerby. Also, you need to be sure your child needs a medication before you administer or let them take it.” He concluded.

We just love the feeling – addicts

Some of the cough syrup addicts spoken to said they did not just venture into the habit. It started from using the syrup to suppress cough; even as some said they were influenced by friends. They said they use it as a means of getting out of their worries, heartbreaks and boredom.

Michael (not real name), a student in one of the nation’s higher institution, who said he has been taking cough syrups for the past three years, said, “It makes me feel relaxed and I feel as if I don’t have any problem. Once I take it, all my body just goes calms.”

Revealing how he got addicted, Michael said, “At first it was just cough and I just loved the feeling; thereafter I started buying it even when I didn’t have cough.”

When asked if he has plans to stop the habit, his reply was shocking. “I have not actually tried to stop and I am not planning to stop anytime soon because I love the feeling. I love the feeling of calmness. Anytime I have a problem and things are not working out for me, I just talk to my codeine and everything comes back to normal.”

Another respondent, Chuks, also a student said he feels good anytime he takes it. “I feel good anytime I take the cough syrup, (that is when I start my craze) it makes me reason far.’

Lukman, a worker and part time student said, ‘Codeine makes me feel slow, free and sleep normal. I’ve been taking it before I gained admission and that is about four years ago. I was influenced by friends; whenever we hangout, they tell me how it makes them feel. It turned out to be a quick way out of my heartbreak and boredom.” Sometimes he takes it ordinary, some other times; he mixes the codeine with other stuffs.

Lukman said he is not ready to shelve the habit now because it helps him to reason and he loves the feeling.

Olasunkanmi, a graduate said he has been taking the cough syrup for three years. He said the drug “makes one jonz and sleepy and high and sometimes if you fight, the sleep you go just dey parah till you fall asleep.  You fit try am with tramadol and refnol,” he recommended.

Balogun, who said he gulps a bottle of cough syrup at a go said ‘I get sleepy when I take it and use it just to calm myself whether I have cough or not.”

Interesting? Bizarre?  There may just be an urgent need to give another thought to Doctor Fatima Hassan’s advice.

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Initially it was established as Our Lagos Your Lagos Initiative before the present administration in Lagos State. It was later changed it to Connecting Lagos, a platform which is being used to protect and nurture the interest of Lagos State across its various tenets and values. In this interview with Omolara Akintoye, the Convener of the initiative, Executive Director, Connecting Lagos and, Sisi Oge, the Pride of Africa, a platform which promotes African Heritage, Mr. Idris Aregbe, explains how he has devised various methods to ensure that Lagos culture and by extension, African culture is valued over the years. Excerpts

What prompted you to establish Our Lagos Your Lagos Initiative which is now known as Connecting Lagos?

I was born and raised in Lagos. I believe Lagos belongs to everybody in as much as you want to add to the progress of Lagos, if you have true passion for Lagos, you’ve got the zeal to make Lagos work. This is a state that accommodates everyone and with this in mind, we came up with the concept, OLYL, which is targeted at connecting Lagos to the world. We are looking at connecting Lagos through arts, culture, tourism, and investments among other sectors. This is about connecting people, generations and possibilities to move us all forward. This is about unity and prosperity.

Tell us more about initiative and the Itesiwaju Ipinle Eko Concert which was born out of it?

Our Lagos Your Lagos is a proactive initiative that nurtures and protects the interest of Lagos as a state across its various tenets and values. It employs forward-thinking and strategic initiatives geared towards ensuring a more secured, well informed, peaceful and habitable place for its residents.  As a result, we came up with the Itesiwaju Ipinle Eko Concert to interact with people and as we all know, Lagos is the hub of entertainment in Nigeria and it is a metropolitan city representing so many ethnicities. The Concert is a moment to unite and celebrate our common values as a people through music and dance.

What impact has the initiative had on people?

There are lots of success stories with lots of women and youths being empowered in different areas. I believe in teaching people how to fish because I know that this is what will take them far in life.

What are the challenges you have encountered?

Challenges are something that you encounter on a daily basis. Whether we like it or not, the society is bad and we’ve lost our values. Things have changed, looking at corruption and bad governance in this country is from the top and this cannot help us unless we go back to the root. The degeneration is so high that you will do something wrong and the society will still hail you. Mind you, there are still many of our leaders who stand by these values, let’s learn from them. We need to go back to the root, knowing more about our values and appreciating it.

What are your other interests?

Building a peaceful community is a glorious task that must be done. My other interest lies within my community and the people around. I love to see people happy.  I love to empower, engage and redirect‘ the people around me.

What stirs your creative and entrepreneurial spirit?

Digging deep for answers and my philosophy that impossibilities don’t exist. Solution lies somewhere, so I dig further. I like to create and always come up with a unique style that will bear my signature.

What is your definition of youth empowerment?

Youth empowerment to me is not just calling youth together and buying start-off pack for them; to me, it is about engaging them to know their needs before giving them the necessary skills so that it can benefit them. The reason for this is to guard against their selling off these starter packs which happens in most cases. I’ve empowered so many people and I’m still in the business and it has made a lot of positive impact because I engaged them first, be it women or youth, before empowering them.

It’s been 11 years of promoting African culture. Would you say it has met your expectations?

I think the first thing to have in mind is that life is not a bed of roses and whatever you have to do, do it right. The Almighty God has been our cornerstone and we are quite hopeful for the future. And that is the reason we are here today. Organising a cultural event of this magnitude for 10 years in this country is not an easy task. We have seen a lot of people come up with different concepts but within a short period they just fade out but we have been able to stand through the years in spite of the challenges we were confronted with.

How are you funding the initiative in all the 57 local government areas?

As an entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer of over two companies, I invest the profits I make from these businesses on people and it is something I’ve been doing over the years. Apart from this, I also have people that I look up to who believe in what I do and also invest in these projects.

Will this initiative outlive the present government?

Definitely, it will; it is a project that is being appreciated by both the government and the people. We will have a Lagos that will be a place of pride for generations to come.

What are your plans for this year?

The Season 1 of the Connecting Lagos Talent Hunt is on, it was designed to discover, celebrate and reward youths in the state in the areas of dance, music and other creative exploits with auditioning on-going. We are going to organise a lot of empowerment programmmes by collaborating with Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN) as well as Nike Arts Gallery. The aim is to raise ambassadors and people, who believe in connecting Lagos, it is an avenue for connecting people to their culture as well as afford the opportunity for people to generate possibilities in terms of business investment, tourism, arts and culture among others for the growth of Lagos State. Our amiable governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is playing his part and for us as citizens all we need do is to come up with different ideas and initiatives to support Ambode’s laudable ideas. Also, this year, the Sisi Oge, the Pride of Africa will be 11 years;  a lot of people have dreams and trying to live that dream is a problem for many because we have somehow lost our values. It has been 11 years of promoting African values and 11 years of celebrating our cultural heritage, as well as exchanging cultures all over the world knowing more about our values and roles; it’s something that we are happy about; we believe in and we are glad to be doing it and it has come to stay. The pageant is predicated upon the promotion of Africa’s heritage and values to the outside world. The event is aimed at the public and in particular the youths, with an objective of reconnecting them with their roots and origin using arts and culture as tools for national development.

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Title: A guide to correct English pronunciation
Author: Sandra Chime-Age
Publishers: Mireya Educational Services Limited
Year of Publication: 2017
No. of Pages: 32
Reviewer: Yetunde Oladeinde

As you go through this book titled A guide to correct English pronunciation, you are fascinated with the simple style of writing, vivid presentation as well as the aesthetics displayed with the design of the book cover.

The author, Sandra Chime-Age also took her time to explain the importance of the book and the impact she intends to make on her readers. In the preface she informed that: ‘’the importance of good diction is to convey our thoughts clearly in everyday life using appropriate words and pronouncing them well.’’

Interestingly, experts have revealed over time that this aspect of the English language is not usually given the attention required. Proper diction for effective communication makes a difference but for many there is a missing link.

As you read through the book you get the importance of diction and the values it can bring to the workplace, the home and in every day conversation are enumerated. Mastering diction therefore helps navigate the complexities and nature of language particularly when it is a foreign language. She adds: “Over time, I have observed that Nigerians just go with young and old, someone says, ‘sometimes ago’, instead of ‘sometime ago’ and before you know it, a lot of people are saying the wrong thing.”

In the eight chapter essay packed into a tiny book, Chime-Age, a Linguistics graduate of the University of Benin, Nigeria, underscored the need to master diction. She argues that to ‘’have a good diction is to speak confidently anywhere, anytime and in order for one to employ good diction in everyday language use, one must be able to identify the International Phonetics Alphabets (IPA).’’ This comes into play when you need to check the correct spelling of a particular word or/ and its meaning, she adds.

Her perspective is impeccable and the shadows of her explanations and definitions fall across it. Ignoring those presents the prospect of losing sight of what is most important in a conversation and I am certain that for many, it is difficult to find patterns in the differences of all human languages if not properly equipped in diction.

Chimke-Age’s concern is to introduce the beginner to good diction and in her own words help anyone who is passionate about pronouncing words right to refresh his/her vocabulary or just knowledge of good diction.

She outlined in the book structure of diction divided into a number of subfields. They include Phonetics/Phonemes which are defined as the study of sounds of human speech using the mouth, throat, nasal and sinus cavities, and lungs.

Vowels; speech and sound which is produced by opening the vocal tract, with vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction, and which is a unit of the sound system of a language that forms syllable.

Similar clarity and definition are provided for diphthongs, consonants, diagraphs, nasal consonants and the ‘H’ Factor. On her part, Chime-Age also talks about the things that motivated her to write about the book this way; ‘  I felt the need to do this because I know a lot of people know that their diction requires some ‘adjustments’ and most people are too busy to attend classes anyway. This is my first publication; I still have a whole lot I am still working on. Some are even ready. I am doing a lot for children too”.

As a diction coach and speech therapist, the author has for a number of years authored lectures for students and facilitated diction training sessions for journalists and teachers.

The book also comes more from her excursions and definitions: her brief easy to understand style and her knowledge of the intricacies of language and communication. It is its best as the books of Naom Chomsky, the American linguist whose book was widely used in Nigerian universities. We remain lucky to have this book. Interestingly, the book comes with an audio CD which captures the information in the book.

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Idowu Mohammed, Executive Secretary Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC, speaks with Gboyega Alaka on the efforts of her agency towards attaining a clean Lagos, VisionScape Limited and the nuisances of cart pushers.

Lagosians are still grappling with the essence of this new agency in orange and green otherwise known as LAGESC. As the Executive Secretary, could you tell us about it?

You know there is the Cleaner Lagos Initiative. LAGESC, meaning Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps is the enforcing agency. We used to be Kick Against Indiscipline, KAI, until it was rebranded and the name, changed last year. The agency was rebranded under the new Environmental Sanitation Law that came into force in March 2017. We did our inauguration on the 30th of June, 2017. We are the enforcing agency for environmental laws and we are responsible for abating the nuisances on the streets of Lagos. Right now, we are focused on abating the nuisances of the cart-pushers. The governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has said he doesn’t want them anymore and since the directive, we have been going out. The Deputy Corps Marshalls, DCMs have been going out every day with close to 40 LAGESC officers to get the cart-pushers off the streets. It’s been a successful enforcement so far. We get assistance from the Lagos State Task Force in terms of armed officers. Last week (Thursday), we went out and arrested about 30 cart pushers and seized over 50 carts. Some, who were pushing kegs, were also arrested. The following day, our men also arrested 30 men for various sanitation offences. In the course of duty, they were attacked by four armed men who were seen selling meat on the drainage. They brought out knives and cutlasses and attacked them. Luckily, we had back-up from the task force officers and the men were promptly arrested and brought to our office.

Are you saying the law against cart-pushers is not limited to refuse cart-pushers?

No. It refers to anyone pushing carts; and this is because we’ve observed that often whatever is in the carts usually causes nuisances because they don’t dispose of them properly.

Some have queried the governor’s rationale for banning refuse collecting carts, when he has not provided enough vehicles to evacuate the wastes…

I would say that is false. Right now there is a company called Vision Scape, which is tasked solely with the responsibility of carting away wastes in the state; and they’ve been working, because we have been working with them. As LAGESC, we have been identifying where the wastes are; then we notify them and they move in. This exercise is being done day and night. We have however found out that some people still sabotage this effort by dumping refuse indiscriminately in places that have been cleaned. We see these acts probably as attempts at undermining the efforts of the government. But what we have been doing and what the state government is committed to is to make sure that the streets of Lagos are extremely clean.

Is Vision Scape incorporating the people involved in the refuse business before it came on, you’d recall that there was a grouse before the transition to this new system?

I really do not know anything about that. What I know is that Vision Scape is a company responsible for evacuation of waste.

Is it a wholly Nigerian company? There were talks that the state government was partnering with some Indian company…

Again, I don’t know anything about the constitution of its management. All I can say is that Vision Scape is a private company registered in Nigeria.

How long have they been working? This should give the public an idea of how soon they’d get round to covering the state – because as we speak, there are still visible refuse heaps in visible places.

Vision Scape has been working since 2017. What they were doing initially was tackling the black spots – areas where there have been refuse heaps for years. But now they are everywhere. I’m sure you have been seeing the Cleaner Lagos Initiative refuse bins. This is for easy evacuation. So we are more or less urging Lagosians to make good use of the bins to properly dispose their refuse and not dump them indiscriminately on the road.

Is LAGESC role clearly different from what we use to have under KAI?

No, we still have those roles and more added. But of course the uniform has changed. LAGESC wears orange on green. We are still supposed to arrest those crossing the highways, because now we have the power to arrest. That is why the government is providing pedestrian flyovers everywhere. We are supposed to abate the nuisance of people selling or hawking on the roads. It is illegal and both the sellers and buyers are guilty. We’re supposed to prohibit people from selling on the drains because that is why the drainages are clogged. We are also to prohibit people from selling on the sidewalks.

What is the work duration for your men, because traders have a habit of waiting until your men have closed to move their wares onto the roads and constitute their usual nuisances?

We work 24 hours, day and night; and as such the chances of that are now limited.

What if I tell you that this practice of traders taking over the roads still subsists everywhere: Ikotun, Iyana-Ipaja, Iyana-Iba, even Mushin? Does it mean you don’t have enough men or they are shying away from their duties?

No, it’s not that we don’t have enough men and it is not as if our men are shying away from their duties; but you have to understand that Lagos is a very big place. I can tell you though that we do our best to be everywhere as often as we can.

Back to Vision Scape. You just said Lagos is very big. Don’t you think that Lagos may be too big for just one organisation to clean?

I want to believe that for Lagos State to have gone into partnership with a company, they must have seen that they are more than capable. So I believe they are capable. Don’t forget I started with the issue of cart-pushers. They contribute a lot to the visible heaps of refuse you see on the road, plus of course those trying to sabotage the works that the government is doing. You and I will testify that these heaps of refuse only started becoming very visible in 2018.

What’s the punishment for offenders caught dumping refuse at the wrong places?

They will be charged to court and according to the laws of the state, sentenced or fined, if found guilty. The minimum sentence is six months or N60,000.

How soon should Lagosians look forward to a real sparkling clean Lagos?

I’d say sooner than later.

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Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has inaugurated an arts gallery in the University of Uyo in honour of his mother in-law, the late Professor Stella Idiong. Mrs. Idiong was the first female professor of Fine and Industrial Arts in the country, hence, the building of the arts gallery by her family to   showcase her works.

The gallery was built ten years after her death as a memorial, to also promote art in the institution.

Speaking at the Main Campus of the university, Emmanuel commended the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Enefiok Essien for allowing the sponsors of the gallery build the arts centre.

He promised to connect the gallery to the national grid.

He said: “I also want to thank you for the peace in the campus. Not all campuses are as peaceful as the University of Uyo. Whenever you see peace of this nature, it is leadership. Let me thank the members of this committee that put up the fine and international work here, the family, and everybody.

“I thank the University community for giving us the space, the Vice Chancellor, Senate and the entire governing council of this university for this honour done to a great woman, who touched lives, who meant so much to a lot of people who are living and can still bears testimony to the quality of life that she lived.

“In memory of the first ever female Professor of Fine and Industrial Arts in this country and the first ever female dean of the University of Uyo, Late Prof. Mrs Stella Idiong, I commission this Arts gallery to the glory of God the Father, and I pray this will serve as a resource centre for industrial arts, and people that will study here will make meaning into this country and into the continent at large.”

Wife of the governor Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, who is also a daughter of the late professor, said the gallery was built to satisfy the desire of family members to immortalise the late Idiong, and promote the achievement of students in the university.

She described her mother as “an artist, a great teacher who distinguished herself in a seemingly male dominated career; who also exhibited discipline and love in her motherly role to us and a pillar of support to her husband despite her academic attainment”, and appealed that the gallery be maintained.

Continuing she said, “Today, on behalf of my siblings and family, we stand here to fulfill a longing in our hearts to immortalize our role model, our shining star, a one in a million mother by providing the University of Uyo the first of its kind Art gallery which I believe will support innovation, encourage exhibition by showcasing the achievement of students in the University.

“It is my hope that this gallery will facilitate collaboration between the teachers and students. By establishing this arts gallery, we have established an enabling environment for the development of painting, sculpture as well as developing the graduates of this department for social and economic gains”.

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The pendulum swung and the clock ticked; Kolade Oshinowo the master painter of bucolic sceneries and elegant figurative compositions is 70. Yesterday, February 6, he joined the septuagenarian club—a privileged age in our tumultuous country Nigeria. If the success of great contemporary Nigerian artists is measured by erected sculptures, Oshinowo’s image would have been monumental.

Oshinowo is a master of poetic ambience. His canvases of scenic rural villages are usually rendered in palpable naturalistic presence. There is an excellent command of good draughtsmanship and remarkable painterly qualities in his works.

In the hands of Kolade Oshinowo, canvases are saturated with layers of translucent yet opaque palettes. The brush strokes are rapid but tamed in their restless mobility. In his search for the ultimate visual resonance, Oshinowo imbues his works with effervescent ebullience, thereby making his paintings ever so adorable.

Though his greatness was spurred by his creative industry, he is also a beloved mentor; having tutored many students and younger generation of artists in Nigeria. Oshinowo was a lecturer at the reputable Yaba College of Technology between 1974 and 2008,the year he retired gracefully. He at varying times served as Head of Department of Fine Arts and Dean, School of Art, Design and Printing. He was later appointed as the Deputy Rector of the entire Institution where he demonstrated abundantly that an organised artist could be a unique asset to successful administration.

Oshinowo’s sterling qualities include unparalleled adherence to professional best practices. An artist with good reputation for finesse, he never left a painting unsigned and carelessly completed. His relationships with connoisseurs remain mutually respectful which to a large extents accounts for his entrepreneurial success.

Oshinowo is the quintessential “omoluabi” in Yoruba sociocultural worldview. He is a complete gentleman who in spite of the acquired meritocratic fame remains humble. He is a leader who treats his mentees with dignifying respect. An unassuming Master artist, Kolade Oshinowo always creates time to inspire and attend exhibitions of upcoming artists.

His selflessness culminated in his elections to serve the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) his umbrella professional body in various capacities including the clamour for it’s presidency in 2005. When he completed his tenure as SNA President, he had navigated the ship of the association from stormy waters to a more restful abode.

Oshinowo is one of the few Nigerian academics who successfully combined active studio practice with the demands of scholarship. During the long period of his teaching career at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, he consistently engaged the public with fresh paintings at regular solo exhibitions and group shows. This in spite of the exigencies of teaching and administrative responsibilities made Oshinowo astonishingly

prolific. His fertile and inventive mind finds luxuriant expressions  in painting the countryside and country life. He equally interrogated the social conditions of those living in urban slums and translated his findings into visual realities.

While valourizing the sartorial elegance of  females in many of his figurative compositions, he depicted them as a positive and purposeful gender in our male chauvinistic society. He nevertheless captured their fears and anxieties both as weaknesses and as strengths that define femininity.

It may be difficult to find another painter with nobler intentions and aspirations than Kolade Oshinowo. He is unmatched in visual pellucidity. In an unusual creative manner, he poetises his paintings by eliminating the extraneous thereby making his messages comprehensible. Even in the seemingly ambiguous crowded scenes with ambivalent visual possibilities, Oshinowo is still faithful to art as a veritable means of clear communication.

Recently, he pointedly paid attention to the ills of the Nigerian society which is equally emblematic of other African States. He interrogated issues of violence as noticeable in the Boko Haram insurgency, the unwarranted killings and kidnapping in many parts of the country and the new phenomenal herdsmen and farmers violence. In spite of the thematic distaste, Oshinowo manages to bring out paintings that are forever formally enduring and endearing.

Oshinowo is proud of his Zaria Art School background. He enrolled in1968 and graduated in 1972 with a flying grade. He belonged to the second generation of those who graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. These set of artists decidedly eked out a good measure of fame and recognition from the the first generation who were significantly notable and already well established. The intervention of the “Zaria rebels” in contemporary art historical narrative cannot be underestimated. The revolution of synthesizing indigenous traditions with that of Western art culture was carefully orchestrated and branded  in the 1960s and 70s by the first generation Zarianists; the ripples still continue till date.

The students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in the late 1960s and early 1970s belonged to a new Post Independence era. They considered the issue of sociocultural identity as peripheral unlike the dominant Pan Africanist spirit before independence. Their immediate ideology was to foster the new prevalent Nigerian social consciousness.

The oil boom from the crude oil wealth in the 1960s and 1970s had engendered elitist social values resulting in intense merrymaking, materialism and epicurean adventures. There were also the negative consequences of the recklessness such as avarice, corruption, military aberration and the eventual civil war in the Eastern parts of Nigeria. These became the thematic preoccupation of the fresh graduates in the 1970s and early 80s.

Oshinowo and his Zaria colleagues celebrated good draughtsmanship and established a new form of academic naturalism; each with nuanced stylistic offerings. They therefore knowingly or by accident challenged the orthodoxical tendencies of the first generation and thus established a more contemporary realism in Nigerian art. Prominent amongst the new protagonists were David Dale, dele jegede, Sina Yusuf and Gani Odutokun to mention a few.

Oshinowo toeing the footsteps of Yusuf Grillo,  probably more than any other lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos influenced and steered the paths of many students to the peculiar academic naturalism that is today typical of the Yaba Art School. The Yaba phenomenon include the graphic and semi graphic visual renditions of  popular  Lagos scenes and everyday urban occurrences.

In spite of his simple thematic engagements,Oshinowo transcends the vanity orientation of many upcoming artists who seem to be triumphant in popular naturalistic renditions.  His subject matter are contextualized and properly interrogate Nigerian sociopolitical exigencies. His strong sense of reality according to him,made him to be preoccupied with man and his environment.

Oshinowo has won many national and international awards for his robust creativity and commitment to artistic excellence. He is revered as an artist, educator, mentor and indeed has become a living legend. A good number of articles, essays and books on his oeuvre have been published. A  book edited by Jess Castelotte was recently published and it contains dissecting articles from eminent scholars including his bosom friend; an intense, penetrating and insightful words smith in the person of Professor dele jegede, who a couple of years ago was celebrated by family and friends when he also clocked seventy.

Beyond the façade of professionalism and intellectual seriousness, Oshinowo is very friendly. Ebullient amidst friends, he laughs heartily and cracks creative jokes. He is loyal and generous to his family and friends. His biological children are very successful and he stoically bears life after the demise of his beloved wife who as an artist was his main inspirer.

This week,the drums are rolled out for a well deserving master of the visual arts, a consistent and devoted teacher, a creative guru, a role model of professional best practices and a legendary painter of rustic sceneries and figural elegance. We can only wish him more fruitful years ahead and pray that his creative spring never dries.

Dr. Filani was the former Provost of the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta and President of the Culture and Creative Arts Forum (CCAF).

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Journalists in developing countries who encounter time and budget constraints in telling visually engaging human trafficking stories have been advised to work with advocacy groups for better results.

Addressing a group of reporters in Houston, Texas, United States during a reporting tour organised by the Foreign Press Office of the US Department of State, Jeremy Campbell, an award-winning American investigative journalist, gave the admonition while discussing Selling Girls, an investigative documentary series which showed how sex traffickers targetschildren.

Campbell, an executive producer with TEGNA, a media content company which distributes investigative pieces to reach large audience base was joined at the discussion by two other journalists – Erin Gutierrez and Jeremy Rogalski.

“One ofthe things to do if you are on a time or budget restrain is to start talking to advocacy groups who have done research and studies in  human trafficking as they may have additional information and statistics,” he said.

Selling Girls, an investigation into the U.S Child Sex Trafficking situation was a six-part digital episodic series which demonstrated the realities of child sex trafficking among children who are U.S citizens. The six episodes cover topics, including sex trafficking 101, how victims are coerced and lured and also revealed the business model that connects buyers with young girls.

“We tried to look at how pimps are being punished and where they are being punished. Data showed that those charged with child trafficking were getting a slap on the wrist for these crimes,” Jeremy regretted.

Another member of the team, Rogalski, who advocated a victim- centered approach to human trafficking stories, spoke on the efficiency of using explainer videos with animations in telling stories in a way to make children who could be victims better understand the concept of sex trafficking.

“Sex trafficking is a heavy topic but by putting it in animation, it makes the topic less sensational and educative”, Rogalski stated.

On her part, Gutierrez an executive producer with TEGNA, who used to work with CNN gave tips on fact checking, stating that tools like Lexis Nexis could be used to pull out public records of pimps while google advance search with keys words could add additional information when investigating pimps perpetuating sex trafficking by local journalists.

“For us the stakes was high because this  was a national investigation so we had to have our facts tight for the piece. We were two groups with two different focus, so we came up with a bunch of stuff we could give to our local journalists to help them highlight what is going on locally so that they can delve into the records wherever they are,” she said.

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After touring Nigeria for six years, armed with his camera, Moses Oghagbon, one of Nigeria’s contemporary artists held a solo art exhibition Scapes from Nigeria, at Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos in September 2011.

It featured a rare collection of the nation’s landscape, among others. That effort set the tone for the subsequent shows that culminated into the yearly Argungu Series.

Since 2013, when Oghagbon initiated the Argungu Series of exhibition at the Terra Kulture, Lagos, the art scene has been inundated with rich collection of landscape paintings on Argungu and its heritage. He has also celebrated the famous yearly Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival through his exhibition series in the past five years.

But this year, Oghagbon has shifted the paradigm by dedicating the Argugnu  Series 7 to honour one of Nigeria’s master artists Kolade Oshinowo, who will be 70 on February 6. It will hold at the Terra Kulture Gallery, Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos between February 17 and 26. By this effort, the Yaba College of Technology-trained painter, water colourist and photographer has demonstrated his strong belief in the artistic philosophy of Oshinowo and also to say a big thank you to a master of all times.

According to the artist, “in this exhibition, I am exploring mixed media painting and featuring diverse mediums of paintings from Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival and my Kebbi State experiences to tell the story of the great people of the ancient Northeastern Nigeria, Argungu Emirate of Kebbi State in particular.’’

No fewer than 40 works will be exhibited and they include Common goal Argungu (mixed media) Study Bisi (charcoal), Memories on Argungu I and II (mixed media) African beauty (oil on canvas).

He said it was pleasing to him to identify with legendary Oshinowo the great master of masters, his teacher and an icon that has influenced the contemporary landscape of Nigeria art in no small ways. He added that for Oshinowo at 70, ‘’I am using this great opportunity to celebrate, honour and to say a big thank you for touching my life positively and that of others.’ Dedicating the show to Oshinowo is to be expected after all Oghagbon was a student under him at Yaba College of Technology Lagos, in 2003.

On the link between Argungu series 7 and Oshinowo’s 70th birthday, the artist said it was about a ‘father and son documenting and representations for generations to come’. He described the Argungu series art exhibition is an idea borne out of the need to engender positive propagation and promotion of the rich cultural artistic heritage of the Argungu Emirate of Kebbistate for generations’ developmental consciousness in a sustainable manner.

“It is important to acknowledge that visualdocumentation/representations are very potent tools of communication for social consciousness and orientation. Information disseminated re-vibrates indelibly in the recipient’s sub-conscious perpetually. The bedrock of meaningful development in any society or community has been identified and established as the conscious and passionate appreciation and respect for prevalent cultural trajectory,” he said.

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EIGTHEEN years after they passed out, the 2000 set of Government Junior Model College, Owutu, Ikorodu, Lagos returned last Wednesday for the inauguration of the school’s sick bay, which they financed. They also donated medical equipment, drugs, bed bunks, among others, to the facility.

The Education District Director, Mrs Ganiyat O. Busari, who inaugurated the project, praised the former pupils for their gesture. Noting their good deed, Mrs Busari, who was accompanied to the ceremony by her colleague Mr Kolawole Fashoyin, said the government welcomed such partnership. She urged other ex-pupils of the school to emulate the 2000 set.

The school’s Principal Mr Samson Bayo Afuwape, said it was good for former pupils to give back to their school. He said the project, which started last October, was completed on schedule.

Ex-head girl Mrs Esther Oguntola and Raymond Ajibade, who led the group, thanked the immediate past principal of the school Alhaji N. O. Saheed for giving them the nod to execute the project. They urged the school authorities to maintain the facility, adding that this would encourage them to do more. They sought areas where they could assist in future. ”We hope to move,” Mrs Oguntola, who was known as Miss Akpede, in school,” assured said. Ajibade said their set is a microcosm of the school’s old boys association, adding that the group was planning to execute their projects in the school.

At the senior school, they also made a similar request to the principal who promised to support them to enable them realise their objective.

Memories of school life came alive when ex-pupil Akeem Adeyemi, was called upon to give the vote of thanks.  After the vote, Mr Adeyemi, sang the school anthem: ”God of universe… help our teachers too” effortlessly.  He received an ovation for his effort.

A JS I pupil of the school Fathia Arowosafe, said: I thanked the former pupils for what they had done. The sick bay is beautiful.”

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It was a moment of honour for Canada-based Nigerian writer and academic Prof Nduka Otiono when the Ottawa community honoured him with a Black Ottawa Builder Award.

The event, which coincided with the launch of Black History Month at the Ottawa City Hall penultimate weekend, was attended by ministers, members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps in Canada, family members and friends.

The award was in recognition of Otiono’s outstanding community service as ‘an excellent educator, distinctive academic, and committed community builder.’

The event was anchored by popular Ottawa community activist and broadcaster Sarah Onyango.

Theme of the celebration was Our Canadian Story: Honouring the U.N. International Decade for People of African Descent. It featured the unveiling of the BHM stamp, presentation of the Royal Bank of Canada national BHM student essay competition winners and the proclamation of Black History Month in Ottawa by the city’s Mayor, Jim Watson.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s brief but moving goodwill message ignited the celebration of the contributions of Black Canadians to the Canadian multicultural mosaic.

In his reaction to the award, the multiple awards-winning Otiono, who lectures at Carleton University, Canada, was so excited about the recognition that he wrote on his social media page: “Feels good to be honoured with a Black Ottawa Community Builder Award at a well-curated event to celebrate the official launch of Black History Month in Ottawa.”

In a goodwill message, Founder/  CEO Karisfest Corp Duchess Onyekaah described Otiono as an iroko and an achiever by all standards.  “I have always been an advocate for blacks to be celebrated globally, especially those doing us proud internationally. In line with this, it gives me a sense of pride to join the world in celebrating a great African and Nigerian-born Canada-based writer and academic, Prof Nduka Otiono.  We, at Karisfest, join his family, friends and well-wishers to celebrate this iroko and achiever by all standards.”

The citation for Otiono says he has “won numerous other awards for his professional excellence, passion for teaching, and community service. These include the Capital Educators Award; Excellence in Teaching and an Early Career Award in Research Excellence; and the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship (for two consecutive years). As a professor of African Studies at Carleton University, Dr. Otiono is known for his dedication to student success.

“For this, he was among 18 winners of the 2016 EduGala’s Capital Educators Award. These outstanding educators were nominated by students and the winners were selected from a pool of 63 finalists from elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions. Dr. Otiono was recognised for his relentless commitment to showcasing his student’s talents, which is best demonstrated by his position as the founding Faculty Advisor for the IAS Undergraduate Research Conference. What began as a class discussion soon blossomed into a historic milestone in the annals of undergraduate research in African Studies in North America. Dr. Otiono inspired his students into filling a lacuna in resources for undergraduate students in African Studies, thus inaugurating the First Institute of African Studies Undergraduate Research Conference in North America. As one of his students testifies, “Professor Otiono has not only demonstrated excellence in teaching, he has also supported education in African Studies on a wider scale.”

Also, another student said: “His teaching style, passion for his field, and willingness to aid students, is unlike that which I have seen in other instructors.”

Those familiar with the trajectory of Otiono’s career attest to his long-term commitment to community building and to selfless mentoring of young people and support for professional colleagues. As a journalist, he wrote stories that focused on cultural advancement and community-building. He was for four years the General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), during which the association experienced some if its most memorable development and creation of prizes, including the  defunct Literary Journalist of the Year award and two prizes for the promotion of Children’s literature. Otiono has also served as founding of the National Committee for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage and founding member of the Board of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG)-sponsored $100,000 Nigerian Prize for Literature.

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Two Nigerians, Ayobami Adebayo and Lesley Nneka Arimah, have made the final shortlist for this year’s 9mobile Prize for Literature, sponsored by telecoms company, 9mobile. With them on the list is South Africa’s Marcus Low.

The shortlist for the Pan-African literary prize, announced by 9mobile, has three shortlisted titles: What it Means When a Man Falls Down From the Sky (Farafina, 2017) by Nigeria’s Lesley Nneka Arimah; Stay with Me (Canongate Books, 2017) by Ayobami Adebayo, also a Nigerian, and Asylum by Marcus Low (Pan Macmillan South Africa, 2017).

Adebayo, Arimah and Low were on a  longlist unveiled last December, which featured nine books chosen by the prize’s panel (a Nigerian academic and poet, Prof Harry Garuba (chair), Ugandan writer Doreen Baingana, a fellow of Ebedi International Writers Residency and South African writer Siphiwo Mahala).

The three finalists, according to Garuba, were selected after a thorough, objective and painstaking review of their books. “These three books embody what we would like to see coming from young African writers – fresh storylines, intriguing plots and characters you would want to meet in real life,” he said.

The judges are faced with the task of deciding which of these three impressive first-time writers will win the year’s edition. The winner will be announced during the Grand Finale to be held this year.

The winner of the 9mobile Prize will receive £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, and a 9mobile-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia, where he/she will be mentored by renowned literature teacher Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland, while the three finalists will have copies of their books purchased by 9mobile for distribution to schools, libraries and book clubs across Africa. This, according to the prize’s sponsor, is in fulfillment of the company’s goal of making books available across the continent, and developing the publishing industry.

“We are happy to have reached this stage. Knowing the high standards desired by the 9mobile Prize for Literature, we ensured that the adjudication process was objective, while upholding quality and relevance. We congratulate 9mobile and the shortlisted writers, and note that the entire exercise we went through gives us a glimpse of an even more promising and rewarding literary industry for African writers,” he added.

9mobile Prize for Literature is the first pan-African literary prize that celebrates debut African writers of published fiction. It is open  to writers from Africa, resident anywhere in the world. Zimbabwe’s NoViolet Bulawayo won the inaugural edition of the prize in 2013 with We Need New Names, and South African novelist Songeziwe Mahlangu won with Penumbra in 2014. Fiston Mwanza Mujila from the Democratic Republic of Congo won in 2015 with Tram 83, and in 2017 Nigeria’s Jowhor Ile won for his first book And After Many Days.

While restating the company’s support for African literature, Director, Brand and Experience, 9mobile, Elvis Ogiemwanye, voiced his satisfaction for the fact that every stage of the 2018 9mobile Prize for Literature has been inspiring. He commended the judges and patrons for their diligence.

He said: “We at 9mobile have always been amazed by the resilience and commitment of writers on the continent in spite of the huge challenges they face. This was, in fact, one of the reasons we initiated the prize and it’s heartwarming that we are almost at the end of another cycle. We are as excited as the rest of Africa and can’t wait to see who will emerge winner at the grand finale. I’m sure it will be a great outing, with African literature the better for it.”

Lesley, based in the US, is 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa winner. She has twice been shortlisted for the Caine Prize. She was named as one of the fiction writers honoured by the National Book Foundation, called “Five under 35” September 2017. In 2016 and last year, she was shortlisted for the Caine Prize. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, Per Contra, The New Yorker, and other publications. Her debut collection of short stories was published by Riverhead Books and Tinder Press (UK) in April 2017. Entitled: What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, the collection was republished in Nigeria, by Farafina Books, in November 2017.

Low’s is one of South African brightest young minds, whose debut novel, Asylum, speaks of a strong voice of advocacy. The novelist is also a journalist and public health specialist and advocate based in Cape Town. Marcus has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town.

The 2017 winner of The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts and Culture, Ayobami was listed by the Financial Times as one of the bright stars of Nigerian literature in 2015. A fellow of Ebedi International Writers Residency, Ayobami, based in Nigeria, was shortlisted for the Miles Morland Scholarship in 2014 and 2015; and has also been a writer in residence at Ledig House Omi, Hedgebrook, Sinthian Cultural Institute, Ox-Bow School of Art, Siena Art Institute. Stay with Me, her debut novel, was shortlisted for last year’s Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.

The post Two Nigerians make 9mobile £15,000 prize final shortlist appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

At first, one could pass the gathering at the Shehu Musa Yar ‘Adua Centre, Abuja for a birthday bash. But, it was not. It was the launch of Mrs Hadiza Isma El-Rufai’s first book: An Abundance of Scorpions, which celebrates the Nigerian Muslim woman’s strength and perseverance. She spoke on how her family’s travails and political upheavals of 2008 reawakened her interest in writing, why she wrote the book on Nigerian Muslim family, and her dream of being  a published writer, among other issues. Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME reports.

Until 2008, Mrs Hadiza El-Rufai was not known to the literary world. Though a housewife and an architect with a Master’s degree in Architecture, the wife of Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has always dreamt of being a published writer. Her family’s travails and political upheavals ignited her love for writing – a passion she had always nurtured. Last Thursday, she did not only join Nigeria’s literati but also presented her debut book, An Abundance of Scorpions, to the literary world at Abuja.

At an interaction with Dr. Olaokun Soyinka during the launch, Mrs El-Rufai said she had always dreamt of being a published writer despite being an Architecture major. She said to hone her skill, she enrolled for a Master’s degree programme in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom. That decision, she said, was informed by her belief that she needed to know the craft in spite of the desire and passion in her to do well in writing.

“In 2008, my family had lots of travails and political upheavals. It was a turbulent and confusing period for us. It was at that period I remembered that I used to love reading books. So I started reading, and I attempted to write. But I realised I needed to learn the craft of writing. So I decided to do a Master of Art Degree in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University, UK. There was no regret for me. I learnt a lot of things there, and that was the beginning. I was lucky because my husband was busy and that gave me the opportunity to write,” she said.

Mrs El-Rufai, who is also the founder of  Yasmin El-Rufai Foundation aimed at awakening and nurturing creativity in children and improving the literacy skills of disadvantaged young women in Northern Nigeria, recalled her anxiety while waiting for the birth of the first book.

“Since I decided to write and of course I had the dream of being a published write. And when a writer is published it makes some kind of validation. Even writers that are not published it is not to say they are not good writers. But publishing make you feel some kind of validation. Of course, I had wanted to be published and I feel excited. The first time I saw my book in published form, I was very excited,” she added.

When asked if the use of suspense in her book was deliberate, she replied:”I don’t know and I won’t say it is deliberate. You know how these things happen. Sometimes, the book suddenly rewrites itself. Of course, not many of you have read the book. On page 4, I wrote about sex there. I got questions about that too. I did not deliberately put that there. I thought it was important to add that. I wanted to show the intimacy between a wife and her husband, after all, it is part of life. Also, I wanted to show the life of Muslims and Northerners that is different from the stereotype that lots of people have. I want people to read the book and see our family life and know that we are not so different.”

On the thrust of the book and how it mirrors her person, Mrs El-Rufai described the question as a frequently asked question, but said the “book is on a Northern Nigerian Musilm woman, Tambaya, from the same culture. She is a woman that suffers a lot. Apart from that, the whole story is pure fiction. I made it up. I am working on the second book. I plan to write for the rest of my life.”

Publisher and CEO, Ouida Books, Lola Shoneyin, who is also the initiator of Ake Arts and Book Festival, said she was very proud of Hadiza Isma El-Rufaia, adding that she enjoyed every moment and felt greatly privileged to have been involved in guiding the delivery of the book.

“But what was the mother like while in the throes of labour? Well, like it is with every text that is cooked to term, we had to do a little snipping here and there. We did our breathing exercises and had long debates about punctuation, language, pace and even the title. But through it all, this mother was cooperative, painstaking and diligent,” she said of the processes that led to the birth of the new book.

She recalled when she was introducing her at Ake Festival: “I whispered to her that this was the end of all that Your Excellency. I explained that you haven’t really “arrived” as an author until people refer to you by your first and last name. She looked at me with a wry smile and said: ‘I am very happy with people calling me by my given name.”’ she said.

Continuing, she added: “You’ll hear that name quite a lot today. It won’t just be because Hadiza Isma El-Rufai has become a member of what is still an elite group of published Nigerians, it won’t just be because she has earned our respect; it will be because her baby, her book, An Abundance of Scorpions, is beautiful and worth celebrating.”

Shoneyin, who noted that writers often describe the act of seeing the first bound copy of their books as akin to childbirth, said running a publishing house is one of the most fulfilling things she had embarked on though it is tough and frustrating when things don’t go the way you want. But, added that nothing compares to the sheer joy that that one experiences when a book is born.

In his keynote address, Dr. Anwalu Anwar said between 1980 and 1990, the northern region experienced an explosion of women creative writers with the emergence of Yaya Hassana (NuniCikinNishadi, 1984), Talatu Wada Ahmad (Rabin Raina, 1987), Balaraba Ramat Yakubu (BudurwarZuciya), Zuwaira Isa, Bilkisu Ahmad Funtuwa, Sa’adatu Baba Ahmad, and Lubabatu Shehu, among others. The trend, he said continues till now.

According to him, in 2014, Mace Mutum Writers Association in Kano produced a 266-page book, Hannu Da Yawa, on the themes of Talla (hawking), Fyade (rape), Aikatau (menial job), Rikice-rikice (trouble making), Almundahana (fraud), Yaki da Jahilci (adult education), Daba (hooliganism), Barace-barace (begging) and YanarGizo (internet). Anwar, who spoke on The Significance of Northern Women’s Voices to the Nigerian Literary Canon, said the significance of Northern women’s voices to the Nigerian literary canon is embedded in the nature of issues the authors discuss in their books. These, she said, include issues such as girl child, girl education, early marriage, polygamy, domestic violence, unpredictable and often sour relationship with in-laws, gender issues, gainful employment, entrepreneurship, economic independence, workplace politics, ethno-religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence, social responsibility and political awareness.

He said that the emergence of women literary voices in English  was recorded in 1984 when Zaynab Alkali was discovered through The Stillborn and The Virtuous Woman (1986), Cobwebs and Other Stories (1997). Other authors in the category included AsabeKabirUsman, Fatima Alkali, BilkisuAbubakar, Bilkisu Ahmad Funtuwa, Razinat Muhammad, HalimatSekula, Cecilia Kato, The Kabafest Celebrities and HadizaIsma El-Rufai. He identified the objectives of the writers to include identifying the position of northern woman, to express her yearnings and aspirations, to tell her own story without distortions as effort to dismantle all barriers against her true identity and development.

He therefore urged Northern leaders at all levels to sponsor the translation of women literary works from local to international languages, while governors should embark on genuine education reforms and development, especially at the primary and secondary levels. “Government at all levels should pay more attention to vocational and technical education. There is need for mentoring to encourage up-coming writers. Both the Old brigade and the New-breed writers need societal goodwill and support in order to sustain their literary activities for transformational purposes and development,” he added.

The evening was not all about talks and speeches, as there were drama sketches Deihlar Musa, musical performances by Jeremiah Gyang and Uche Onah,  screening of short film on the book by Lilian Byoma. Book presentation was done by the duo of Tony Elumelu and Hakeem Bello-Osagie, while goodwill messages were sent by well-wishers such as Deputy Secretary General, UN, Amina Mohammed, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mohammed Uwais, Maryam Uwais, Zainab Alkali and Association of Nigerian Authors, President Denja Abdullahi. Present at the launch were Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai, Alhaja Zainab representing President Muhammadu Buhari, APC Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Managing Director Nigerian Port Authority  Hadiza BalaUsman,  Director General National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe, former Corps Marshal, FRSC Osita Chijoka, wives of state governors from Kwara, Imo, Zamfara, Gombe  and Sokoto.

The post ‘Family travails ignited my love for writing’ appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

Couples who have been married over two decades share their stories.
In a few days, it would be Valentine’s Day. Lovebirds are already counting their blessings and cupids arrow pointing in different direction. Love, for many these days, is on the run; just when you think you have it, it slips away. Luckily, some have managed to find love, keep and nurture it. In this category are couples who have been married for two decades and more. In an age where marriage is fast taking the shape of the ephemeral, such relationships are worth celebrating. Yetunde Oladeinde, Dorcas Egede and Lateef Sanni report.

Modupe Mulero.

For the Mulero’s, love certainly makes the world go round. As a couple, they have seen and conquered the emotional terrain raising a family that they cherish so much.

Happily, Modupe Mulero shares her story: “Looking down memory lane, there is so much to be thankful about. I got married 25years ago and I must say that the experience has been good. That does not mean that there are no challenges in the relationship. It is actually the way you handle such challenges that would determine how far you can go.”

To buttress her point, Mulero does a quick flashback, recalling the good times as well as the things that kept the relationship going in spite of the odds. “When we signed the dotted lines on our wedding day, we were determined to love each other and be there for each  other. We knew that the admonition of for better, for worse meant that we have to endure with every situation and stay with each other through thick and thin.”

She adds that: “From the onset, I was determined to make it work and I made sure I supported my husband in everything to make life better for us. We did everything together and jointly we trained our children to make them useful for us. I must confess that it was not a bed of roses, but God has been helping  us to succeed and wax stronger as the days and years roll by.”

The motivation and inspiration for the marriage came basically from the faith in God. “The truth of the matter is that there were a number of difficult situations and circumstances, some things that you were not expecting to happen; but instead of dwelling on the problems, we look ahead for solutions. At such moments, we usually look up to God, pray to him and we didn’t let the situation get us depressed or discouraged. Instead, we became more focused and continued praying until we overcame.”

Mulero traced the success of the union to endurance and patience, which she says is lacking in a lot of relationships these days. “I would therefore use this opportunity to advise young couples to be patient, prayerful and be contented with whatever they have. This would enable them live in harmony with each other. They should see each other as helpmates working together for the progress of the family and not as competition, where one sees the other as a rival or servant.”

Sandra and Eugene Chime Age

Sandra and Eugene Chime Age have weathered the storms together for over two decades, shared a number of memorable moments and submit that it’s been a very exciting journey together. Was it a very smooth emotional journey? Not really but the lovebirds are willing to tell anyone who cares to listen that they would do same all over again if they had the opportunity. “It started in 1992 when my brother-in-law invited my husband home for his birthday party. There Eugene saw me and according to him, he just knew I would be his wife. We got married in 1995, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Dedication, determination and perseverance are some of the values that bound them together at the beginning of the relationship. It paid off and gradually, they began to reap the fruits of their actions with some memorable moments. “There have been so many but the one that stands out is seeing our first daughter’s sonogram to confirm a pregnancy we had waited on God for, after 9 years of marriage.”

Like most marriages, they went through the vicissitudes of life, breaking barriers and conquering their world. “Our mutual love and fear of God has kept us going. We enjoy each other’s company, whether indoors or outdoors; and the communication lines are always open, so we talk, talk and talk about anything and everything.”

Romantic? Yes, that aptly sums their emotional story; and as they wax stronger on a daily basis, Sandra has a word of advice for younger couples and those who are about to tie the knot. “The success of the relationship depends on you.  Hopefully, if you marry your friend, all that is required is true friendship. If you fear God, there’ll be fewer hassles because you will not dare to do certain things. Talk to each other as often as possible, so you can build up your strength together. There is no need to hide anything from your spouse, that way you will enjoy peace because you have a clear conscience.”

Victoria Olufunmilayo and Gboyega Awomolo

At 60, Victoria Olufunmilayo Awomolo has the world in her pocket. A good career, family and a loving husband. “I would say God has been faithful. I have enjoyed my life beyond some of the challenges people face in life”, she enthused.

Like her husband, she is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN and this became possible because of the support she got from her better half.  “I was doing well as a teacher, but my husband being someone who has always shown interest in me and my career since the first day we met, wanted more for me. By the time the opportunity presented itself to toe another career path, he held me by the hand and pulled me up by throwing his weight behind me. Apart from God, my husband has been there all the way.”

She adds: “I don’t have any regrets about life. I have had a good marriage surrounded by a loving husband and wonderful children and a grandchild.” Happily she recalls how it all started. “I met my husband 35 years ago in my brother’s office. I didn’t know he had interest in me because I just greeted him and left. A few days later, my brother called me that his friend (my husband) was interested in me, but he had already told him that I was a serious-minded person. By the time we got talking, he showed genuine interest in me and was passionate about my career. He didn’t sound desperate. Looking back, I saw a man who knew what he wanted and waited for it.”

They dated for two years and realised that theirs was love made in heaven. “He is a loving, kind and generous man. He likes to showcase me wherever he goes. The marriage is blessed with four children- two boys and two girls. One of them is a lawyer. My first son read Economics and is currently studying Law; the last one whom I had while pursuing my law degree did Electrical Engineering at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti. Another one read Mass Communication at Bowen University and went to University of Aberdeen in Scotland to study Human Relations. So far we have had a beautiful life.”

Secret of longevity?

“A peaceful married life, contentment and contentment,” she opines. “Life is good when there is peace of mind and you are not troubled by the ups and downs of life. Be content with what you have and take each day as it comes. Whenever I am faced with life’s challenges, I just laugh over it and don’t allow it to get to me because I believe it is a phase that will blow away?”

Chief and Mrs. W. O. Edoja

Chief Edoja, 91 walked into the living room to receive the reporter whose coming had only been announced few minutes earlier. Apart from the dimness of his sight, nothing gave away his age. When he spoke, his voice had the strength of youth; his sense of humour revealed a man who knew how to have a good laugh and make people around him have same; the detailed report he gave on how he met his wife (as if it was just yesterday) revealed a memory made possible by a blissful and peaceful married life.

Pa Edoja told the reporter he and his wife had been married for 61 years. “Wow! 61 long years?” this reporter exclaimed.

To this the Nonagenarian replied, “Is 61 years long? If God spares our lives, we are praying to make it up to 80 years. We hope break the record of the oldest couple alive. The Chinese couple was married for 110 years.”

The Edojas got married February 2nd, 1957. Theirs was a case of love at first sight. With memory too sharp for a man his age, Pa Edoja began narrating the chance meeting that led to their 61 years of happily-ever-after. “We were not friends. I was a teacher. I had completed my grade three teachers’ training and was already teaching, but she was a student. I went to my mum’s place to spend some holidays. And she was there to see her aunty. I said to myself, ‘What a black beauty.’ That was the beginning of the whole thing. I told my mum and uncle that I liked the girl. They were very surprised to hear me talk about liking a girl. Before we knew it, the match-makers were already at work. She went back to school, and as we used to do in those days, I wrote many letters to which I never got a reply. You know, shy girls don’t reply letters, they just read and keep them, they never tear them. But that didn’t stop me from writing,” he said teasingly. To this his wife, who had been quiet all along, laughed and replied, “Who told you I kept the letters?”

Continuing, he added, “You know what we used to do in those days; we used blue pad to write and put some scented powder inside it. That was the style in those days. When they open it and see the powder, they wear it, and then, the show is on.”

Narrating their chance meeting, Mrs. Edoja, 79 said, “I had gone to visit my mum on holidays and he had too gone visiting his aunt. One afternoon, as I went to dry the tapioca that my aunt had just fried under the sun, someone walked up to me and said he likes me. I looked at him wondering to myself that “I came on holidays; I didn’t come to look for a man. That was how it all started.” She said amidst laughter. The couple sure knows how to have a good laugh.

This chance meeting was in 1956, and within a year, the love birds had taken the stroll down the aisle; precisely in February of 1957.

Does happily-ever-after signify a trouble-free marriage? No. Pa Edoja is of the opinion that marriage is fraught with many challenges but communication and understanding each other as a couple is key to the success of any marriage. “She is a very enduring woman. All young men go bad sometimes. Men are very naughty. When such naughtiness crop up, she overlooks them and there is no trouble. It’s not that when two people live in the house together, they don’t have little misunderstanding, but she is just very understanding. When I say understanding, I mean you would do something that you think should get her very annoyed, and she will sit you down and ask why you did it, and then, the matter is talked over. That’s all. We communicate a lot. One thing we have in common is that when we have a misunderstanding, we don’t bring it to the public. We settle it between ourselves.

For Mrs. Edoja, the challenges are distractions from other women, some of which saw the birthing of children other than hers. Did she tear down the roof? “The damage had been done; what is the use of fighting to further complicate the situation?” was her reply.

What is Pa Edoja forever thankful for about the marriage? “She is not a troublesome or quarrelsome woman. She’s a business woman, very enterprising. If she leaves the house for two days, we miss her and want her to come back.”

In this age where most women see wedlock as a padlock because their husbands tend to clog their wheel of progress due to insecurity issues, Ma Edoja said her husband is most supportive and doesn’t hinder her from achieving anything she aspires to. “You know some women say their husbands don’t allow them do things for themselves. But my husband, if I say I want to build a house of my own, he will stand and support me to the last. I will give him money, and he will stand and build the house for me.”

Asked to describe his 61 years of marriage, Pa Edoja does so in two words, “Beautiful, memorable.” For mama, “Our 61 years of marriage is a happy one. We always thank God for the day we met.”

Advice to intending couples?

Pa Edoja spoke first, “First of all, they must learn patience, and they must be understanding. You must understand that your partner has a view point. Each time you’re doing anything or discussing, listen to her. Don’t just brush her aside that she’s a woman. She must bring something to the table. Even if you’re opposed to it, consider it. If you’re against it, explain why, she will understand. I’ll summarise it as understand each other.”

Mrs. Edoja on the other hand says, “Learn to be patient and tolerant. Stop castigating your husband in front of everybody. If your husband tells you he doesn’t have money, leave it at that and do what you need to do with the little resources available. When my husband tells me he doesn’t have money, I don’t disturb him. If I have the money, I use; if I don’t, I make do with what he gives me. Some women search their husbands pocket for money. I have never done that.

“Another thing is listen to your husband. Some women prefer to do the opposite of what their husband says. This does not help the marriage.”

Mama didn’t end without acknowledging the fact that a successful marriage needs God. “We pray together for God to help us keep our marital vows. They often say that the family that prays together stays together.”

Ahmed and Zainab Adamu

Pa Ahmed Adamu has been married to his wife Zainab for over three decades. The secret of the union, they say, is the fact that they share so many things in common. Today they have become a great source of joy to their children, grandchildren and other family members.

“We are from the same village in Kano state. I met her through my parents and as soon as she was introduced to me, I liked her. Ever since that first encounter, my feelings for her have not changed. In addition, she has been a very loyal wife and that loyalty is something that earned my respect over the years” spoke more about.

Adamu their love story this way: “We have never lived apart since we got married. She goes everywhere with me and somehow we have became inseparable. In the neighbourhood, people have taken  notice of us because we also wear the same cloths, move around together. And each time someone sees me without my wife, they asked questions because it was unusual.”

Has anything changed?

“Nothing has changed. I still see my Zainab as the young pretty girl that I married almost forty years ago. One other interesting part is that our children have learnt a lot about marriage from us faithfulness, devotion to one another and the importance of companionship. Unfortunately, many young couples are not usually there for each other. Everyone is busy running after money, career and fame; and the marriage and children usually suffer.”

Feyisara Salami

“I got married on February 14, 1988.

My experience so far has been very interesting. Over the years, I have found that marriage is an institution that works when you understand and master the rules. Sadly, anyone that does not have endurance would find it very difficult to survive and have a relationship that is healthy.

Salami goes on to talk about some circumstances that could make or mar relationships. “The most important fact in any relationship is that the couple is from different backgrounds and therefore has different values. Patiently and painstakingly, they begin to learn and understand each other. That, usually, is the secret to the success of the union.”

Going down memory lane, Salami takes you into their world and the things that motivated and inspired the relationship. “What kept me going was the fact that I wanted the relationship to survive. So, the major strategy for me was endurance and prayers. I refused to focus my attention on the problems because that would bring frustration. I believed that sooner or later we would achieve our goals.”

The trying period luckily did not last and having a supportive spouse made things get better. “Luckily, I have a man that is very supportive and has a listening ear. Prayer was also very important and it made it easy to overcome the trying periods in the marriage. We managed every problem and pushed ahead with the opportunities that came our way. This brought the breakthroughs and gradually we began to count our blessings.”

Advice to young couples

My advice to young couples is that they should put God first in their relationship. It is a tough race and you survive by being determined, working hard and being prayerful. As young people, it is better to persevere and be patient. Unfortunately many are impatient and that is why you have a lot of violence in marriages these days. It is important that they listen to each other, as they chart a positive way forward in the marriage. It is also important to plan for the children and not just wait until there is a problem. That is what brings frustration, anger and aggression in some marriages. I also think that elaborate weddings create problems in some relationships. If you can afford it fine, if not, it is better to cut your coat according to size. It also depends on the couple and their family. It requires solid arrangement and the culture or taste of the families in question.”

The post Love over the decades appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

Udemma Chukwuma captures some of the high points at this year’s Diamonds in the Sky mentorship programme for teenage girls organised by Temilolu Okeowo’s Girls Club of Nigeria.

Naomi was nine years old when she visited her grandparents during the summer break. But it was one visit that has stood out like a sore thumb. Her grandfather defiled her and life has since never been the same.

13-year-old Joy on the other hand was constantly abused sexually by her brother and father under the same roof. The shameful act became a public secret when she became pregnant. One cannot but wonder where her mother was while all this abuse was going on.

Even boys are victims of the act. The list is endless. While this happens relatively every day, some of the victims keep to themselves and those who speak out are called all sorts of names. Some are even questioned and blamed for what happened to them. Meanwhile some families of the victims don’t talk about it; they are too embarrassed and thus refuse to seek help or report the case to the authorities.

But as the victims endure, the menace continues, gaining upper hand in the process.

How this can be curbed and prevented were some of the things discussed at the last edition of Diamonds in the Sky, a mentorship programme for teenage girls; held at the Jesus Evangelical Assembly Church, Lagos. The programme was organised by the Girls Club of Nigeria.

Temilolu Okeowo, founder of the club and the Girls Apostolic Ministry of All Nations, during her remark said parents have a lot do to curb the menace. She said they should take engaging their children in conversation seriously, as this will give the children confidence to confide in them.

Okeowo said it is heart-breaking when “you hear the girls talk about what they are going through and their parents are too busy to notice what is going on.”

She advised the girls and boys, as well as the ladies in their 20s and 30s at the event to be chaste, as “it is a well known fact that this generation has lost its sense to ungodly sex.”

To her, the television and the social media have contributed to this, as nudity has become the order of the day, especially in the musical videos and movies that are being released every day.

She informed them on why it is important to keep their virginity till their wedding night. “Girls, no gift from any man can match what God has prepared for you,” her voice echoed in the vast church auditorium.

“Millions of stars which were created to be weapon in the hands of God have been shut down and a lot of female never discovered their purpose in life till they die.

“If Mary could be trusted by the God to bring His son Jesus into the world and has since effortlessly remain the most celebrated woman of all time because of her purity and superb privilege, what can’t God do for you if you remain chaste till your wedding night?

“Girls, once you get deflowered, life is never the same again. There are too many dire consequences you can’t handle. Wait till your weeding night,” she advised.

Okeowo nonetheless agreed that being a virgin till the wedding night is not a guaranty to a happy marriage but being prayerful and putting God first.

Funke Felix-Adejumo while addressing the girls said parents are carried away by the daily activities, thus having little time for their children. She said this has led to all manner of abuses.

Bolu Adeleke, who won the first prize of the day, said it was her first time of attending the event and she had learnt a lot. She thanked her father for bringing her to the event.

“I have learnt today that staying pure is the most beautiful thing in the world. A guy takes away your virtue when you let him sleep with you.

“The Girls Club of Nigeria is very good for teenagers, I believe every girl in the world should follow it and they will be blessed.”

Okeowo said since the Girls Club of Nigeria was founded in 2007, she receives calls even in the middle of the night from girls who are going through different challenges.

She is a lawyer, author and entrepreneur. She wrote her debut book The Beauty of Life (a guide for teenage girls) as a teenager and has other unpublished works. The book discusses the trials and triumphs of the girl-child in a morally decadent society, with a godly undertone, proffering solutions. In her passion to influence positive change in the female folk, made possible by her personal triumphs in a male-dominated society, she birthed the Girls Club of Nigeria.

“The Purpose of Girls Club of Nigeria is to help teach girls across the federation how to become good citizens, skilled homemakers and good mothers. It is also to promote and enhance the development of girls by instilling a sense of self-worth, competence, usefulness, belonging and influence in them. It also involves various programmes that address today’s most pressing youth issues and teaching them the skills they need to succeed in life while restoring traditional moral values. And lastly, to bring out the very best in them and help them realise their dreams and fantasies in spite of many seeming odds.”

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As the news of the passing of Hugh Masekela reverberated all over the world and many governments, corporations and individuals poured encomiums on the legend, Nigerian Jazz musicians were also not left out. Othello’s, a leading upscale hospitality outfit in Lagos, hosted them to a tribute session to the International Jazz icon, music legend and father of South African Jazz, who passed away on January 23, 2018.

The event was powered by leading marketing and activations company, Inspiro Productions, organisers of the annual Lagos International Jazz Festival. At such short notice both the host and organisers were able to pull together a top crop of Nigerian Jazz Musicians, who came to pay their homage to the great musician. Present on the band stand that night were Jazz Master & Director of The SPAN Academy of Jazz & Contemporary Music, Bright Gain; Top Jazz Trumpeter & Educationist, Biodun Batik; Ace Jazz Trumpeter, Taiwo Clegg; multi-instrumentalist and performer, Seun Olota; Femi Slide the Afrojazz/Highlife Trombonist; leading Jazz Trumpeter, Kwitee; fast rising Saxophonist Darex and a host of others.

The event themed: ‘White and black and baddest’, was a tribute session as part of Othello’s monthly hangout event and the performances, speeches, experiences and more were shared by various people, who in one way or the other had been influenced or impacted by Hugh Masekela. The live performances were interspersed with tributes to the great man, his music and impact.

Jazz Impresario Ayoola Sadare CEO of Inspiro productions and founder/festival director of the Lagos International Jazz Festival, spoke glowingly about his encounter with Bra Hugh and contact over the years and announced the dedication of the Lagos International Jazz Festival in April 2018 to Hugh Masekela.

Dede Mabiaku, popular musician and protégé of Afrobeat founder, FelaKuti, spoke passionately of how over the years Hugh Masekela had become a father to him, his connection and many visits to Nigeria. Others like Biodun Batik spoke along the same lines and many more followed. The beautifully decorated and lighted outdoor venue had images of the legend dotting the space.

At the well attended event, guests were received with exotic cocktails and light refreshments before the performance kicked off with Rapha the comedian, compering the event.

Amongst the many dignitaries and guests at the event were the German Consul-General Ingo Herbert, a delegation from South Africa led by their Vice Consul Political, Mr. Mbedzi and representing Lagos Commissioner of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Steve Ayorinde,   was Mr. Frank Legunsen of the same ministry.

Other guests included President of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association of Nigeria and his wife Mr. and Mrs Pretty Okafor; Nigerian contemporary musician JazzMan Olofin; son of Highlife legend Bayode Olaiya, who represented his father, Dr. Victor Olaiya; Thisday  Glitterati Editor Nseobong Okon Ekong; Muyiwa Moyela – Contributor for Forbes Africa; media consultant and former GM Metro FM Cordelia Okpei and a leading fashion designer Meg Doris, amongst others.

The tribute session rounded off with a raffle draw and the prizes were for guests to win. Othello’s five Days of Valentines package of a three-course dinner per couple during the valentine period. Five lucky winners emerged from the exercise. Othello’s later hosted the guests at the after party in their prestigious indoor lounge till the early hours of the morning.

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CORA/Arterial Network Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a leading full service commercial law firm, Ajumogobia & Okeke, for pro bono professional legal advisory services to Nigerian artists and creative industry entrepreneurs, under an initiative called Arterial Nigeria Enterprise Support Programme (ESP).

Mr Odein Ajumogobia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who signed on behalf of the law firm, expressed his firm’s excitement to partner CORA/Arterial Network Nigeria to provide the much needed legal backing and support for artists and creative entrepreneurs to succeed in their businesses.

CORA/Arterial Network Nigeria, Chairperson Jahman Anikulapo, who signed the MoU on behalf of the Network, thanked the management of Ajumogobia & Okeke for the confidence reposed in CORA/Arterial Network and their recognition of the potentials of the creative industries. He assured the law firm that members of the CORA/Arterial Network Nigeria would utilise the opportunity judiciously.

Subject to the terms of the MoU, Nigerian artists and creative entrepreneurs, who are members of CORA/Arterial Network Nigeria, will enjoy free legal advisory on their projects and business documentation.  These benefits will include pro bono general legal advisory services to CORA/Arterial Network’s members on Intellectual Property protection, advice in contract negotiations (exclusive of contract drafting), sponsorship, tours and agency. The law firm will also assist members, on pro bono basis, in trademark registration and protection, copyright notifications, brand protection and licensing. Members will be guided by the law firm, on pro bono basis, in the preparation of legal documents required for processing credit facilities with banks, especially the Bank of Industry’s facilities for the creative industries.

These legal advisory services will be available for artists and creative entrepreneurs, who are members of CORA/Arterial Network Nigeria living and working in Lagos (and its environment), Abuja (and its environment) and Port Harcourt (and its environment).

CORA/Arterial Network was represented at the formal execution of the MoU by Anikulapo; National Coordinator Ayodele Ganiu; Treasurer, Adesola Alamutu; Copyright Advocacy Group Leader Fola Martins and the secretariat’s intern Amaka Obioji.

The event was witnessed by journalists from mainstream Nigerian media.

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