Showing posts with label Edition 209. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edition 209. Show all posts
Monday, 2 November 2009
To the rescue
(PANORAMA)
BY REBECCA AKINMOLAYAN
HAVE you ever had a challenge of trying to help a loved one –– either a family member or a friend struggling to overcome destructive addictive behaviours such as alcoholism, eating disorders, drug problems and so on?
Those who have addictions usually deny their situations. While you are moaning and groaning, they just cruise on, pretending to be unaware of the consequences of their actions.
In truth, people who are under this category actually long for a solution but do not know the way out and are ashamed to admit it. So they spiral round and round like an insect caught in a spider web.
Think of the emotional, mental and physical trauma those who are married or related to chronic drunks, smokers and other harmful vices go through, even parents, whose children (especially adolescents) are victims –– you would appreciate the spirit behind this article.
It would not help anything trying to nag, threaten or hope that one day they would ‘see the light’ and change.
The best way to handle these cases medically is by intervention (not divine please). Intervention is just a means of helping a loved one to overcome his or her addictive behaviours to make changes before things get out of hand. It involves both parties with the affected being persuaded to accept treatment. Experts give the following steps:
Planning. A family member or friend proposes an intervention and forms a planning group.
Gathering information. The group members find out about the extent of the loved one’s problem and research the condition and treatment programmes. The group may make arrangements to enroll the loved one in a specific treatment programme.
Forming the intervention team. The planning group forms a team that will personally participate in the intervention. Team members set a date and location and work together to present a consistent message, treatment plan and changes each person will make if the addicted person doesn’t seek treatment. Keep the plan confidential until the day of the intervention.
Deciding on specific consequences. If your loved one doesn’t accept treatment, each person on the team needs to decide what action he or she will take. Examples include asking your loved one to move out or taking away contact with children.
Writing down what to say. Each member of the intervention team should detail specific incidents where the addiction has resulted in problems, such as emotional or financial issues. Discuss the toll of your loved one’s behavior while still expressing care and the expectation that your loved one can change.
The intervention meeting. Without revealing the reason, the loved one is asked to the intervention site. Members of the core team then take turns expressing their concerns and feelings. The loved one is presented with a treatment option and asked to accept that option on the spot. Each team member will say what specific changes they will make if the addicted person doesn’t seek care.
Follow-up. Involvement of a spouse and family members is critical in helping someone with an addiction stay in treatment and avoid relapsing into old patterns. This can include changing patterns of everyday living to make it easier to abstain from the destructive behavior, offering to participate in counseling with your loved one, seeking your own therapist and recovery support, and knowing what to do if relapse occurs.
Financial sharks to avoid
(Biz tool Kids)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
IT is not enough to make much money, it is also important to protect your money legally from financial sharks. The world is full of people who are only looking for an opportunity to prey on the rich. As you aim to improve your financial life, you must also be prepared to protect your estate from coming under attack by financial sharks.
The seven financial sharks we should keep an open eye on are as follows:
Bureaucrats
Taxes are an expense for living in a civilised society. Nigeria is just beginning to reposition its tax system and give teeth to legislation against tax evasion. This is a step in the right direction. However, entrepreneurs and investors have to watch out for excessive taxation. Our state and federal governments in a bid to increase their income generation drive are coming up with tax regimes that may result in cold comfort for business activities. Therefore, smart organisations should employ accountants who are knowledgeable about our tax system or work directly with tax consultants so they can enjoy certain provisions in the system not open to the “uninitiated” and protect their businesses from predatory taxation. Also, people should, aside having earned income, begin to grow their passive and portfolio income. The taxes on these types of income are less.
Bankers
Bankers are supposed to protect your money and that is what they do. But recent events have confirmed the fears of people that banks and mutual fund institutions can also turn out to be sharks preying on the monies entrusted in their care e.g. Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford. Therefore, when you bank your money, peel your eyes and make sure your life savings are safe.
Brokers
A broker is another word for a salesperson or agent. Of course, we need brokers and there are very good brokers around, finding the good ones is a difficult task. This is because good brokers are busy working with their higher networth clients. So watch the broker you have. They can make you sink or swim financially! Warren Buffett had this to say to that effect, “Wall Street is the place people drive to in their Rolls-Royce to take advice from people who ride the subway (train).”
Businesses
All businesses have something to sell. The question we should ask ourselves is, “Is this business’s product or service making me richer or poorer?” “Is it making me healthier or a better person?” Some people buy products that make them poorer or sicklier.
Brides and Bridegrooms
Some men and women marry for money rather than love. Like it or not, money plays an important role in marriage. But some people are attracted to men and women and marry them, not because they love them, but because they love their money. So watch out for love predators as a young man, woman or rich person.
Brothers-in-law
Michael Jackson was saved the embarrassment when initially they thought he had died without a will only to discover that he had one prepared for him in 2002. Family, friends and the government show up at funerals when the deceased individual is rich. Those with a high financial intelligence have wills, trusts, and other legal means of protecting their wealth and final wishes from death predators.
Barristers
Do you know somebody once sued MacDonald’s claiming the coffee was too hot? That is an example of a financial predator. And you know what, lawyers are ready and will be willing to defend such financial predators?
KNOWING these financial sharks are waiting for an opportunity to pounce on you, should make you do the following:
Keep nothing of value in your name. Don’t have your houses or properties in your name rather in your company’ name.
Insure your assets and properties.
Hold assets of value in legal entities like limited liability, public limited liability companies and limited liability partnerships.
As you can see, there are financial sharks prowling everywhere looking for whom to pounce on. We all require to groom and grow our financial intelligence.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd, bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Speaking your mother tongue
(GOOD MANNERS)
BY MIKE EKUNNO
SPEAKING ones mother tongue can be such a cozy and re-assuring thing to do especially in situations where one has not had the opportunity to do so in a long while. Such situations include living in a foreign land or cosmopolitan city.
A cosmopolitan city constrains and curtails our freedoms in many subtle ways. One of these ways is in not being free to ‘rap’ our mother tongue with reckless abandon.
As an African, my mother tongue is one of God’s gifts to me and it is to be cherished. No matter how English we try to sound, I have observed that some situations are better expressed in the mother tongue.
As a teenager in secondary school, whenever English Language was imposed on the class as a medium of conversation, noise-making ceased. That means noise-making is better done in the mother tongue.
I’ve also observed that people who habitually shout in the guise of talking do so when they are speaking in their mother tongue. Exclamations and ululations are naturally rendered in the mother tongue too.
On the other hand, our national lingua franca, English, has comparative advantage in specific circumstances.
These include lying! Lying is not to be encouraged in the society but my people have a saying that lying is better done in the English Language. This is not said approvingly but in a condemnatory sense.
English Language has such a breadth of usage as to allow one talk from both sides of the mouth. This facility does not quite exist in my language except one chooses to have recourse to proverbs.
My parsing about mother tongue today was triggered by my experience the last time at the barber’s. While getting a hair cut, my barber had his tribesman seated on the couch.
Two of them were locked in an animated discussion in their mother tongue which I didn’t understand. Man, did I feel unsettled! Suddenly I felt he was wasting my time and had to tell him as much.
On second thoughts, I may not have felt the same way if they were speaking English or my mother tongue – see how selfish we can get? If I had been let into the gist and flowed with it, chances are that I would have felt relaxed.
I am not alone in feeling left out when members of a group switch to a language not understood by others in the group. It is certainly ill-mannered to switch to an esoteric language in a cosmopolitan group.
This is often done subconsciously. But sometimes it is done consciously to gain advantage. Imagine being involved in a traffic matter with a fellow who starts addressing the Police arbiter in their common mother tongue. That alone compromises the officer’s neutrality.
Also official businesses are supposed to be conducted in English. Some countries like South Africa have added indigenous languages to the borrowed one as lingua franca.
They use these concurrently even in parliamentary debates. But these do not include Nigeria yet. We are therefore bound not just by etiquette but law and convention to conduct our official verbal transactions in English.
That way we build a more inclusive society using one of colonialism’s more positive legacies – English language!
chudiekunno@yahoo.com
Becoming Business-Wise
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
THIS week, as I was preparing to leave my house for a meeting, I received a phone call from a lady based in Abuja, who decided to reach me after reading one of my articles on entrepreneurship.
Take the first step. A Chinese proverb says, “a journey of 10,000 miles begins with a step.” The lady wanted to come to my office to, in her own words, “discuss some challenges that I am facing in my business and personal life with you.” She took the first step by calling me, and that decision paid off.
Make that call. You may be three calls away from getting a positive response to your proposal or request. Keep doing things that will draw you closer towards achieving your goal, and never quit. Someone somewhere has a solution for you.
Seek expert advice. There was a time I almost got lost, save for the fact that I asked a young man for the address I was looking for, and he took me there himself. I wanted to visit a friend for the first time. In your business and personal life, you may need the services of a life coach for direction.
Beginning is associated with hardship. The lady established a business, which failed after barely a year. She wanted to start the business again, but she felt she needed expert advice. I told her the beginning of a new thing is usually associated with confusion, until you eventually learn the ropes.
Learn from the school of life. I told the lady that life is a teacher, and the day you will graduate from the school of life is when you die. I encouraged her to learn good lessons from her bad experience. It is not bad to fail in business, if only, you will learn to pick yourself up and try again.
Set the proper foundation. “In everything you do in life,” I told the young lady, “the foundation is very important.” It is not wise to use sophisticated building materials to build a house if the foundation is bad, because the house will eventually crumble.
Be patient. In this jet age, it is important to gain speed in what you are doing, provided you are not in a hurry. I counseled the lady to bounce back to her business and be ready to set the proper foundation for her business.
Plan your work. Before building a house, there has to be a plan designed by an architect. Building a successful business is like building a house. You will need a plan, in this case, a business plan.
Planning is winning. A carpenter’s adage says, “measure twice, cut once.” This means that a minute spent in planning may be worth two minutes in execution. You have to act on your business plan.
Give yourself room to fail. Be realistic. You will always meet challenges. You ability to stay put, and overcome your challenges is what makes you an entrepreneur. Don’t wish you wouldn’t fall. Instead, wish that you will stand up, dust your body and move on, after falling.
Develop your financial intelligence. Money is very important in succeeding in business because of its purchasing power. The first step to developing your financial intelligence is to spend less than you earn, because expenses will always rise to meet income.
Keep records. Deola, the girl online with me, told me that her major challenge in business then, was that of mismanagement. She sold some expensive fabrics on credit, and some of the customers paid their debts in installments, which made it hard for her to gather the fund. I told her the importance of getting an accountant, and the importance of keeping financial records.
BY REBECCA AKINMOLAYAN
HAVE you ever had a challenge of trying to help a loved one –– either a family member or a friend struggling to overcome destructive addictive behaviours such as alcoholism, eating disorders, drug problems and so on?
Those who have addictions usually deny their situations. While you are moaning and groaning, they just cruise on, pretending to be unaware of the consequences of their actions.
In truth, people who are under this category actually long for a solution but do not know the way out and are ashamed to admit it. So they spiral round and round like an insect caught in a spider web.
Think of the emotional, mental and physical trauma those who are married or related to chronic drunks, smokers and other harmful vices go through, even parents, whose children (especially adolescents) are victims –– you would appreciate the spirit behind this article.
It would not help anything trying to nag, threaten or hope that one day they would ‘see the light’ and change.
The best way to handle these cases medically is by intervention (not divine please). Intervention is just a means of helping a loved one to overcome his or her addictive behaviours to make changes before things get out of hand. It involves both parties with the affected being persuaded to accept treatment. Experts give the following steps:
Planning. A family member or friend proposes an intervention and forms a planning group.
Gathering information. The group members find out about the extent of the loved one’s problem and research the condition and treatment programmes. The group may make arrangements to enroll the loved one in a specific treatment programme.
Forming the intervention team. The planning group forms a team that will personally participate in the intervention. Team members set a date and location and work together to present a consistent message, treatment plan and changes each person will make if the addicted person doesn’t seek treatment. Keep the plan confidential until the day of the intervention.
Deciding on specific consequences. If your loved one doesn’t accept treatment, each person on the team needs to decide what action he or she will take. Examples include asking your loved one to move out or taking away contact with children.
Writing down what to say. Each member of the intervention team should detail specific incidents where the addiction has resulted in problems, such as emotional or financial issues. Discuss the toll of your loved one’s behavior while still expressing care and the expectation that your loved one can change.
The intervention meeting. Without revealing the reason, the loved one is asked to the intervention site. Members of the core team then take turns expressing their concerns and feelings. The loved one is presented with a treatment option and asked to accept that option on the spot. Each team member will say what specific changes they will make if the addicted person doesn’t seek care.
Follow-up. Involvement of a spouse and family members is critical in helping someone with an addiction stay in treatment and avoid relapsing into old patterns. This can include changing patterns of everyday living to make it easier to abstain from the destructive behavior, offering to participate in counseling with your loved one, seeking your own therapist and recovery support, and knowing what to do if relapse occurs.
Financial sharks to avoid
(Biz tool Kids)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
IT is not enough to make much money, it is also important to protect your money legally from financial sharks. The world is full of people who are only looking for an opportunity to prey on the rich. As you aim to improve your financial life, you must also be prepared to protect your estate from coming under attack by financial sharks.
The seven financial sharks we should keep an open eye on are as follows:
Bureaucrats
Taxes are an expense for living in a civilised society. Nigeria is just beginning to reposition its tax system and give teeth to legislation against tax evasion. This is a step in the right direction. However, entrepreneurs and investors have to watch out for excessive taxation. Our state and federal governments in a bid to increase their income generation drive are coming up with tax regimes that may result in cold comfort for business activities. Therefore, smart organisations should employ accountants who are knowledgeable about our tax system or work directly with tax consultants so they can enjoy certain provisions in the system not open to the “uninitiated” and protect their businesses from predatory taxation. Also, people should, aside having earned income, begin to grow their passive and portfolio income. The taxes on these types of income are less.
Bankers
Bankers are supposed to protect your money and that is what they do. But recent events have confirmed the fears of people that banks and mutual fund institutions can also turn out to be sharks preying on the monies entrusted in their care e.g. Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford. Therefore, when you bank your money, peel your eyes and make sure your life savings are safe.
Brokers
A broker is another word for a salesperson or agent. Of course, we need brokers and there are very good brokers around, finding the good ones is a difficult task. This is because good brokers are busy working with their higher networth clients. So watch the broker you have. They can make you sink or swim financially! Warren Buffett had this to say to that effect, “Wall Street is the place people drive to in their Rolls-Royce to take advice from people who ride the subway (train).”
Businesses
All businesses have something to sell. The question we should ask ourselves is, “Is this business’s product or service making me richer or poorer?” “Is it making me healthier or a better person?” Some people buy products that make them poorer or sicklier.
Brides and Bridegrooms
Some men and women marry for money rather than love. Like it or not, money plays an important role in marriage. But some people are attracted to men and women and marry them, not because they love them, but because they love their money. So watch out for love predators as a young man, woman or rich person.
Brothers-in-law
Michael Jackson was saved the embarrassment when initially they thought he had died without a will only to discover that he had one prepared for him in 2002. Family, friends and the government show up at funerals when the deceased individual is rich. Those with a high financial intelligence have wills, trusts, and other legal means of protecting their wealth and final wishes from death predators.
Barristers
Do you know somebody once sued MacDonald’s claiming the coffee was too hot? That is an example of a financial predator. And you know what, lawyers are ready and will be willing to defend such financial predators?
KNOWING these financial sharks are waiting for an opportunity to pounce on you, should make you do the following:
Keep nothing of value in your name. Don’t have your houses or properties in your name rather in your company’ name.
Insure your assets and properties.
Hold assets of value in legal entities like limited liability, public limited liability companies and limited liability partnerships.
As you can see, there are financial sharks prowling everywhere looking for whom to pounce on. We all require to groom and grow our financial intelligence.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd, bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Speaking your mother tongue
(GOOD MANNERS)
BY MIKE EKUNNO
SPEAKING ones mother tongue can be such a cozy and re-assuring thing to do especially in situations where one has not had the opportunity to do so in a long while. Such situations include living in a foreign land or cosmopolitan city.
A cosmopolitan city constrains and curtails our freedoms in many subtle ways. One of these ways is in not being free to ‘rap’ our mother tongue with reckless abandon.
As an African, my mother tongue is one of God’s gifts to me and it is to be cherished. No matter how English we try to sound, I have observed that some situations are better expressed in the mother tongue.
As a teenager in secondary school, whenever English Language was imposed on the class as a medium of conversation, noise-making ceased. That means noise-making is better done in the mother tongue.
I’ve also observed that people who habitually shout in the guise of talking do so when they are speaking in their mother tongue. Exclamations and ululations are naturally rendered in the mother tongue too.
On the other hand, our national lingua franca, English, has comparative advantage in specific circumstances.
These include lying! Lying is not to be encouraged in the society but my people have a saying that lying is better done in the English Language. This is not said approvingly but in a condemnatory sense.
English Language has such a breadth of usage as to allow one talk from both sides of the mouth. This facility does not quite exist in my language except one chooses to have recourse to proverbs.
My parsing about mother tongue today was triggered by my experience the last time at the barber’s. While getting a hair cut, my barber had his tribesman seated on the couch.
Two of them were locked in an animated discussion in their mother tongue which I didn’t understand. Man, did I feel unsettled! Suddenly I felt he was wasting my time and had to tell him as much.
On second thoughts, I may not have felt the same way if they were speaking English or my mother tongue – see how selfish we can get? If I had been let into the gist and flowed with it, chances are that I would have felt relaxed.
I am not alone in feeling left out when members of a group switch to a language not understood by others in the group. It is certainly ill-mannered to switch to an esoteric language in a cosmopolitan group.
This is often done subconsciously. But sometimes it is done consciously to gain advantage. Imagine being involved in a traffic matter with a fellow who starts addressing the Police arbiter in their common mother tongue. That alone compromises the officer’s neutrality.
Also official businesses are supposed to be conducted in English. Some countries like South Africa have added indigenous languages to the borrowed one as lingua franca.
They use these concurrently even in parliamentary debates. But these do not include Nigeria yet. We are therefore bound not just by etiquette but law and convention to conduct our official verbal transactions in English.
That way we build a more inclusive society using one of colonialism’s more positive legacies – English language!
chudiekunno@yahoo.com
Becoming Business-Wise
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
THIS week, as I was preparing to leave my house for a meeting, I received a phone call from a lady based in Abuja, who decided to reach me after reading one of my articles on entrepreneurship.
Take the first step. A Chinese proverb says, “a journey of 10,000 miles begins with a step.” The lady wanted to come to my office to, in her own words, “discuss some challenges that I am facing in my business and personal life with you.” She took the first step by calling me, and that decision paid off.
Make that call. You may be three calls away from getting a positive response to your proposal or request. Keep doing things that will draw you closer towards achieving your goal, and never quit. Someone somewhere has a solution for you.
Seek expert advice. There was a time I almost got lost, save for the fact that I asked a young man for the address I was looking for, and he took me there himself. I wanted to visit a friend for the first time. In your business and personal life, you may need the services of a life coach for direction.
Beginning is associated with hardship. The lady established a business, which failed after barely a year. She wanted to start the business again, but she felt she needed expert advice. I told her the beginning of a new thing is usually associated with confusion, until you eventually learn the ropes.
Learn from the school of life. I told the lady that life is a teacher, and the day you will graduate from the school of life is when you die. I encouraged her to learn good lessons from her bad experience. It is not bad to fail in business, if only, you will learn to pick yourself up and try again.
Set the proper foundation. “In everything you do in life,” I told the young lady, “the foundation is very important.” It is not wise to use sophisticated building materials to build a house if the foundation is bad, because the house will eventually crumble.
Be patient. In this jet age, it is important to gain speed in what you are doing, provided you are not in a hurry. I counseled the lady to bounce back to her business and be ready to set the proper foundation for her business.
Plan your work. Before building a house, there has to be a plan designed by an architect. Building a successful business is like building a house. You will need a plan, in this case, a business plan.
Planning is winning. A carpenter’s adage says, “measure twice, cut once.” This means that a minute spent in planning may be worth two minutes in execution. You have to act on your business plan.
Give yourself room to fail. Be realistic. You will always meet challenges. You ability to stay put, and overcome your challenges is what makes you an entrepreneur. Don’t wish you wouldn’t fall. Instead, wish that you will stand up, dust your body and move on, after falling.
Develop your financial intelligence. Money is very important in succeeding in business because of its purchasing power. The first step to developing your financial intelligence is to spend less than you earn, because expenses will always rise to meet income.
Keep records. Deola, the girl online with me, told me that her major challenge in business then, was that of mismanagement. She sold some expensive fabrics on credit, and some of the customers paid their debts in installments, which made it hard for her to gather the fund. I told her the importance of getting an accountant, and the importance of keeping financial records.
Rewarding brilliance
BY JUMOBI ADEGBITEIT is often said that success is reward for hardwork and commitment. This was the lot of some students of the Chief Executive Officers Business Academy (CBA), Lagos. They did not only distinguish themselves among their colleagues in the country, but also stood out among millions of students around the world after being awarded scholarships for their good performance in the just concluded Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) professional examinations.
The excited students, who were very much applauded by other students, aspiring to be like them, were soaked in praises, as they all filed out to receive their certificates, scholarships and gifts. Their lecturers were also beaming with smiles, seeing that their labour was not in vain, and that the seeds they planted were already bringing forth desired fruits for the academy.
The President of the academy, Mr. Emeka Ukpai, could not really find the exact words to express how joyful he was, not specifically for the academy, but for what Nigeria stands to gain, in terms of the social and economic status in the comity of nations.
The students awarded scholarships include Adeeso Adetoye, Pelumi Makinde, Adesola Anwo, Kennedy Ahaneku, Olorunfemi Folashade and Agrawal Siddharth.
Others are Miriam Angali, Smart Akinmejiuwa, Viyon Owolabani, Kazeem Adebayo, Sunmola Omotayo and Oyeleye M.O.
One of the awardees, Anwo, thanked God for giving her such a privilege to be celebrated among millions of people around the world.
The University of Lagos undergraduate urged her fellow students at the academy to put all their trust in God if they want success to smile on them.
Another beneficiary, Akinmejiuwa, also acknowledged God as the secret of his success. “I tried my best, but it could not have been so good to have qualified me for the scholarship going by the calibre of people studying at the academy,” he said.
According to Ukpai, the good performance of the students will really improve the image of the country both locally and internationally.
“These scholarships has come at the right time, when Nigeria and the world need professionals to solve some of the economic crisis pervading many nations today. Most especially, Nigeria is in dire need of business executives that would help improve the economic situation in the country,” he said.
He noted with dismay that Nigerians are diminishing from the state of knowledge seekers, saying that many are still ignorant of basic knowledge because of their backgrounds. Many, he said come from backgrounds where they don’t understand their future — an act that is not good enough for a country in pursuit of economic excellence by 2020.
Mzanzi... The Sage in Madiba’s land
BY SAGEMy first experience of South Africa started at the embassy here! I can’t say i was not warned! I was!But the picture Makin Soyinka painted was far tamer than the riot I was accosted by. The process was mad, maddened and maddening. It was mayhem. I am Nigerian and i am rarely skewed by outrageous and outlandish behaviour but I daresay I am still traumatised by the event that normally ensues at the Lagos SA high commission every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday –– it took me two and a half weeks to even make it through the visa section doorway and the assistance of a senior police officer and a gang of armed police who were recruited to create some semblance of order.
The SA High Commission in Lagos is not a zoo; its a refugee camp spotting on some of the most crazed socio-economic refugees you will come across anywhere on any CNN war region reportage. Getting a visa was almost impossible without the ‘skilled assitance’ of embassy touts getting fat on the spoils of the situation. I finally got my visa through some good fortune; meeting a friendly embassy consular at the bank and explaining my travail. And when he finally handed my passport with affixed visa, he said, “next time don’t trail me to the bank!” with a you-lucky-gag look and wry smile on his face. I sheepishly stammered my rebuttal to the accusation to no avail. I later found out thay he had communicated the incident to Langa Mancunga my host in SA, and they seemingly had agreed, I probably, was destined to visit Mzansi.
That notwithstanding, I missed my flight seven hours after getting the visa and left four days later: Hence missing the Cape Town gig, probably not performing at the biggest show of my career –– just like it happened last year at the Thisday Music Festival in Abuja.
But finally I’m aboard SAA enroute to Jo;burg, trying to communicate with my girlfriend, my mom and friends that I was on my way, the exercise, made totally futile by a number of Nigerians (Igbo’s to be precise), who chose to make a racket, turning the cabin into Alaba. I almost understood why Mr Malaji at the SA embassy could treat us the way he did, lording over the grounds of the high commission like a demi-god.
MZANSI was cold. A cop stopped me on my way to customs; he searched my luggage came across my CDs and asked me to make a plan. I convinced him my plans had nothing to do with letting go any of my dollars,except of course he wanted naira. He wisely declined and set me on my weary way, having rejected a truce offer of a personal copy of my CD ‘ twinkle twinkle superstar’. I didn’t mind.
Langa Mancunga, dreadlocked, t-shirt wearing, calm-talking host and organiser of the Arts Alive Speak The Mind Poetry Session, picked me up at the airport over an hour later than scheduled, the designated driver was unable to make it for some reason, and Langa had to leave his wife and warm bed as early as 5am to drive to Jo’ burg from Pretoria. I was grateful he did.
Beside Langa, the policeman with a plan, and the hustling airport cab man who would not let me stray farther than a bench, opposite the money exchange kiosks; Tumi the hotel receptionist was my first warm welcome in Jo’ burg; she was from Botswana, spoke in a singsong lilt, spoting a constant smile, a curious chatty intelligence and the most kicking hips ever on a skinny Chick. I spent hours talking to her for obvious reasons - intelligence! Right!
Tumi called me saaageee and I responded in kind etumilaaanggg (her full name was etumilang). There was Daniel the middle-aged mason doing some work at the hotel taking a meal break less than two hours after starting work to snack on pap and curry. Pap looked no different from the tuwo corn meal I grew up seeing in the north of Nigeria. I smoked a cigarette in the cold while listening to him talk about his food and watching him eat his pap and liver curry.
I spent my first day visiting malls and taking in Jo’ burg. It was a simply laid beautiful city, organised and ordered,with massively structured malls anywhere you go. I saw the infamous Hillbrow, Yeoville, New Town, Midrand.I stayed at Melrose, visited Rosebank, had my first Mcdonald’s big Mac –– (I’ve had better).
BASSLINE the venue of the event was located in New Town, an area designated as an arty environ. Bassline was a hot venue for all the serious music and cultural shows. It was not a MUSON or ICC Abuja or even a Presidential Hotel in Port Harcourt or Hill Station Hotel in Jos or anything. It was more like a Terra Kulture or even the new defunct Studio 868, but just a bit more artsy, with foyers and offices and lounges and car parks sitting squat surrounded by classy joints like sophia town, bookstores like Xarra (where you can find my album! ) and you may be lucky to even meet the prince of New Town with his cutlery decorated crown and acquire a cutlery ring for anything between 20 and 50 rand depending on how impressed you are and how good you haggle.
My first show took place on a Friday. I was nervous as hell (ok maybe not as hell). But before then, the other acts on the bill with me had arrived .First to show up was our own Bassey Ikpi, a five time Def Poetry Poet, who left Nigeria for the U.S at the age of four. If you have seen DVD copies of Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry on HBO, I don’t need to tell you that she is just best at her game. And beautiful too! Then there was the oh-so delectable and strong TJ Dema with a casual yet deliberate style of delivery that remitted strong sensuality and reeks not of cheap sexuality. Just pure poetry to bowl you over by subtle hypnotism. Kojo Baffoe is Ghanaian and European but he’s lived in Jo’burg and is married there. His words in one word –– beautiful. Then the South African cats like Malisiswe who is a brilliant poet, smart lyricist - endearing performer. Kabomo hits you before you meet him, a larger than life personality that holds nothing back –– saying it as he feels it not minding about gored oxen and whatnot. He is boisterious, forthright and unpretentious. There was the funny Flo with his collective (group) serving as MC of the 2nd night. Nomsa, younger sister to Thandiswe (or Thandiswa) who is female member of Bongomaffin a popular music group –– in her harem pants, full body, sweet personality topped only by her sonorous vocals and sultry show. If I thought I was going to be the star of the event I had another thing coming! Everyone was out to prove their mettle and the audience was the better for it. A great encouraging crowd who nevertheless wouldn’t be gyped into buying my overprized CDs. So i just gave copies out for free.
The highest point of my trip was not the big mac, the big malls, the big big gals, the orderliness, the show; it was Soweto! But before then there had been the Apartheid Museum. A gallerium of pictures, history, videos, audio recordings etc that gives you a sensory feel of what it could have been in the darkest era of South Africa’s modern history. I felt empowered by the experience seeing the insecurity, weakness, fear and ignorance of oppression and oppressors and the ridiculous-ness of that state. And how hope, faith, truth, knowledge and rebellion can bring the worst evil down on its face.
I went to Soweto on a Saturday a few hours before my second and last show right after visiting a number of stores run by Nigerians at Branfontein. Floyd, our tour guide of Botshelo touring company, took time to take me round, showed me the highbrow area of Soweto, pointed out the coloured parts, gave me the history of how the white suppressors separated the women and the men in different quarters/hostels and proceeded to systemically take advantage of the women and spawning off a sub-culture –– coloured South Africans, almost unaccepted by both black and white South Africans; who by the way are not integrated, each maintaining a distinct socio-economic culture, albeit singly South African in outlook and in character. It’s a beautiful country I tell you that for free.
By the way Soweto looked better than most of Lagos. As much as Pretoria looked mostly like Banana Island –– the poshest place in V.I (most of us don’t know where that is I understand).
Soweto revealed the soul of Mzansi in larger doses. It was a Saturday as I said and a street party was underway on Floyd’s parents’ street. So I insisted on joining the excuse being that I wanted to soak in Soweto! But honestly it was partly because it had gone past lunch time and free grub was not going to hurt in the least. I’m not sure what I had but it could have been sem-millet. I ate it with as much relish I could muster. Then I got a cider from a pub.
I was a bit popular at Soweto, a few people had watched one of my interviews on SABC (I did three of those) and there was a little excitement as I gave out CDs. It happened quite a few places people recognising us from TV. I realised the people here watch more of SABC and very little of channel O.
From that street party I reluctantly made my way from Soweto. We returned to Floyd’s house in a beautiful estate a beautiful house, where I attended a house party hosted by his wife. I met his mother-in-law, friends and especially his adorable kids, his son Kamu, stealing my heart with his charm, intelligence and insistence that I perform for him. I obliged. I like the boy.
I was a lot more relaxed for my second show. I was fitting in. It was a blast, the crowd was wonderful and so were the performers. Nomsa was on her way to India with her superstar bongomaffin sister Thandiswe (wa) and I miss her somewhat. But there were the enthusiastic Mimi (with Victor Dlamini), Xola the kind and so-hot photo-jo chick, Lunga the awesomely beautiful and young looking SABC producer, Collen the Nigeria-mimicking newscaster, Aviwe the host assistant, Kgomotso who exchanged banter with me on and off stage, the supportive poetess Thereska, the cool Ayob, the exciting Zim boys Elvis (thanks for the extra cup of wine) and Monah, the sly and retreating Dee (is that your name? Really?!), the involving Kethi (send the video will you) and her crew, Lorato and Fatima. Ade at the house of Nsakpo (when am I doing my set at that joint hey?), Rami and Vanessa (Arts Alive organisers). I cannot overlook the other performers at Arts Alive who were not spoken word poets, especially Neo Muyanga. The lovely young couple at the bar Cindy and Sipho (I like your mohawk too dude), Prince Shapiro (better luck selling your CDs next time dread), Dinkie Sithole (I should have given you a copy of my CD bra) and the presenter from SA FM Karabo (looking forward to sharing another cigarette with you! Ok maybe not –– we should both have quit then!) And not to forget dj bubbles, Ernest Rantao and Tebogo Ramatjie. And to Migs or Miguel my pal from South America –– next time don’t step on the lady’s feet when dancing with her you will enjoy a longer time on the dancefloor.)
But Jo’burg cannot be captured in an article (a book perhaps!) –– whether it’s the right handdrive freaking Bassey out and kept me waiting for the accident to occur, eating Japanese (still have my chopsticks), walking round oversized malls when the muslim shopkeepers were out on a prayer break, giving five rand coin to a white beggar pretending to play a wind instrument, getting lost at the metroplex airport, or observing a gay teenager at Alex town just before my workshop where I encouraged a group of shy students to write and recite poetry for the first time –– (Mandela and Desmond Tutu were reputed to have lived in Alex Town).
I saw young ones idling away on front porches, bar steps/fronts and teenage single mothers in street corners, I thought I caught sight of two female students going at each other in a French kiss; or eating sem-millet, potato paste and pap with beetroot melon and soggy veggies with a grimace and getting really pissed on boxwine (avoid those); trying to sell spoken word poetry CD, almost freezing even though it’s almost summer, dancing to Olufemi’s live performance with a mostly white audience at House of Nsakpo; or even being asked how come I was not loud spoken if I was Nigerian.
BN all my time all I did was marvel at the excellence shown in planning and executing the Arts Alive International Festival Joburg –– 50 venues and 63 stages. Rivers and Calabar Christmas Carnivals are both coming up in December and I’m wondering, how come arts can’t come alive in Nigeria? Can’t we borrow a page from the South Africans? Hey I’m just speaking my mind before poetry dies on my watch, neh!
Sunday, 1 November 2009
A pink war against women’s foe
BY OYINDAMOLA LAWALHER passion for helping people, most especially, women, made her study Psychology in the university. And more importantly, she was interested in making impact in the society.
One possible battle line is cancer: breast and cervical cancer.
For this, Orode Jade Uduaghan has established a foundation.
While studying abroad, the 20-year-old graduate of University of Window, Canada and the founder of Pink Pearl Foundation, discovered a need to create awareness on breast and cervical cancer, among Nigerian women.
The foundation started in October 2007. It was started as a passion to help Nigerian women to have good health. We had a concert to raise money in December 2007 at Expo hall, Eko Hotel, Lagos. Artistes like P Square, Banky Wellington, Olu Maintain and a lot of comedians who performed.
“I am a kind of person who loves doing things for people and not just sending people to do it because I don’t get satisfied when they do it for me. It started out of the passion I have for the Nigerian women and the lack of awareness I found out in our country, Nigeria,” she says.
In setting up her project, she discovered that the knowledge of these diseases among Nigerian women is poor. With this, she decided to go on a ‘state to state’ campaign.
“We have a lot of country that know about these diseases. I schooled in Canada and every month, there is some sort of awareness campaign in schools even at secondary schools. So, an average 15 years old girl has a clue of what this disease is and how to prevent it. But coming back to Nigeria, my heart bleeds to see that Nigerian women have no clue about these diseases.
Commenting on the birth of the foundation, Jade posits, “since we started this campaign, we have had a lot of people come up to us, asking what breast cancer and cervical cancer is all about? What should I do? How should I go about it? And that is where the passion and drive came from. It is actually killing a lot of people and if you have noticed it is increasing more than it was before. We are also embarking on state-to-state campaign as another medium. We have done one in Asaba last month and it was a huge success.”
According to the young lady, “we were able to go round Asaba, went to the markets, walked for a very long time, shared handbills and talked to people about breast cancer even in Pidgin English. We also did one in Lagos recently, with the first lady of Lagos State, Abimbola Fashola.”
She says, “we walked from Onigbongbo Market (Maryland) to Alade Market (Ikeja). Basically, our goal is to create this awareness for Nigerian women on breast and cervical cancer.”
With two years of waging war, treating and teaching women on breast and cervical cancer, Uduaghan believes that using entertainment medium and advocacy campaign to reach out to Nigerians will help in achieving the goals of the foundation.
“We were able to raise some money and thereafter, embarked on a campaign and seminar, where we invited a lot of women, who were given free talk and free breast check up in Warri. We had over a thousand women in attendance, and over 50 women had free breast checkup. Thereafter, we went ahead with a concert in 2008. We got money to help us do our project in Warri, where we had Faze, Kefee and a good number of people to support our concert and performed during that concert,”
She adds, “we used the money we got from the first and second concert to get a manual grand for the Central Hospital in Sapele, Delta State that was in December 2008. We did yet another campaign in January 2009 in Asaba. We had over a thousand women again at the campaign, free check up, and since then we have made a lot of progress. We carry out daily free check-ups for women in Asaba, Delta. We have two doctors that are working with the foundation that carry out these daily check-ups. So women are able to just go in and get themselves checked if they want to and someone they can consult.”
One of the experiences that has kept her going on the campaign in spite of the challenges was the death of her aunt, caused by breast cancer.
She reveals, “yes, I lost an aunt in 2005 due to late detection of breast cancer. She was pretty young. That again was another push and we had to do something about it”
Jade Uduaghan states that one of her greatest challenges is poignant challenge. “ There is a lot of emotional challenges because you get to meet a lot of these women; they come to you when this disease is already deadly. Early this year, we had a case of a woman, who came to me when we had our campaign in Asaba. She showed me her breast, it was already gone but we can’t say no, we did the surgery for her but after two weeks she died.
“These are the kind of things we face; a lot of people come to us but they don’t come to us early enough and by then our help can’t really do enough, we cannot do as much as we will want to do to save their lives. We also have challenges of funding but loosing people have always been one of the major challenges.”
For many, inspirations come from their experience and God, but to Uduaghan, she gets her inspiration from her patients.
She says, “ yes, I have had a patient that really inspired me. There is this youth corps member, who is undergoing Chemotheraphy now. The major problem women have is, if I take away one breast, what will become of me? But she did not put that as a set back and had operation. She is now perfectly fine, she is doing everything she needs to do and it is not noticeable and obvious but she has just one breast. She has given me that drive to still go on doing what I am doing.”
PINK Pearl was coined from woman’s colour and jewellery. She explains, “the pink for me is woman; it is a colour for woman. The pearl is a precious stone; basically it is a woman being precious. When we put it together we got Pink Pearl. I know it is very impossible to say that breast cancer will vanish forever. We want to get to a point where at least every woman can decide what to do at anytime to detect it early. Because what we discover is people come to us when it has gotten to a stage where we can do nothing about.
“We help them but at the end of the day, it is not productive because they don’t survive. Early awareness is our motive and goal, that is what we are preaching. If you know about this early, you can get to us and you can save your life. We are trying to create early awareness about early detection.” She added
How has she been able to get funds for such a huge and tasking project? She disclosed, “We get funds from companies, individuals. For example during the concert, people bought tickets 10 times more than the actual price as a donation or a gift. And sometimes Individuals just come up and pick a patient and pay for treatment. Also, we get sponsorship from companies. But no money coming from daddy.”
Of course a lot of people would think she embarked on this project because she is a governor’s daughter. Uduaghan however says, “If you know me and ask people around me, you will know that I have the passion for helping people. I’ve always had this passion to help people. In my secondary school, I was the health prefect. Because of the zeal to help people, I decided to read psychology. Helping people is what I really love doing, even if I am not in this position as the governor’s daughter, I will still do it, but thanks to God I am here. It has given me the upper hand and the opportunity so I might as well just use it.”
Her advice to Nigerians is, “for the men, we always preach, do not look down on your wives, who have had one breast removed as a result of breast cancer but that they should show them love. For the women, after treating them physically, we build their mentality that they can still go on with life with one breast and after talking to them about it they can now move from feeling depressed.”
She says. “We reshape their mentality and after that we noticed their life begins to change from depression to a more stable state. We do a total package, total wellbeing. Then we let them know that they should put their faith in God who created us all. Cervical cancer is the most difficult, breast cancer is what you can see but for cervical cancer, you don’t even know you have it. We are preaching go and get check. And when you know you really cannot afford the treatment, will do it for you.”
Owen Gee’s long route to stardom
BY CHUKS NWANNEThis is Owen Gee’s car,” my friend announced, pointing to a blue Toyota Corolla packed in the corner, as we made our way into the premises. He actually helped to arrange an interview with the comedian since both men are neigbours.
Immediately Owen stepped into my friend’s apartment with his little son, David, the atmosphere became charged. Did I hear you say by Owen? Well, everyone knows what Owen can do as a comedian, but that night, his son was totally in charge. In fact, it was like performing a ritual, trying to stop David so we could record this interview.
First, he grabbed my two phones from the centre table. Knowing what he’s up to, Owen quickly took both from him. Then he reached for the glass centre table, pushing it up and down. Again, Owen moved the table to the corner. As if that was not enough, little David turned to the TV set showing one of the English Premiership matches.
“Dis boy, you no dey hear word,” Owen shouted as he jumped from his seat. “Because of him, I don’t have glass furniture in my house anymore; I’ve changed everything to pako. I had to put my mattress on the floor because I’m afraid this boy would fall from the bed one day,” he said looking so worried.
Thanks to my friend, who kept David busy with a pack of fruit juice and a bowl of chin-chin while we did the interview. Anyway, that did not stop David from breaking into our chat at intervals. Truly, to be a father is not a day’s job!
BORN and brought up in Ilupeju area of Lagos, Owen Gee is one man, who has succeeded in carving out a niche for himself in the already crowded comedy scene. Funny enough, his biggest dream was to become a Petroleum Engineer.
“After my secondary school at Baptist High School, Obanikoro, Logos, my mind was made concerning my career line. I did JAMB several times, but couldn’t get up to the cut-off mark for the course. Those days, there was no post-JAMB.”
Rather that wasting his time writing JAMB every year, Owen was advised to take Poly JAMB.
“I almost had no choice. I filled Maths and Statistics, thinking they will not take me, so that I could still pursue my petroleum engineering dream. But as God would have it, I beat the cut off mark very well and the admission letter was sent to me from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. Initially, I just decided to start, hoping to still pursue an admission to study petroleum engineering. You know what happened, that admission never came. So, I ended up having HND in Maths and Statistics.”
In 2002, Owen Gee did his one-year compulsory National Youth Service with the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC) after which he got a job with an oil company, but had to voluntarily resign halfway.
“I had to resign to pursue my true love, which is entertainment. I actually started very early; at my son’s age (two years), I was already a dancer. I started our very young.”
AT 12, Own Gee had become a known kid dancer in Lagos, representing his school and community in dance competitions.
“That was when dance was just coming up in Nigeria. In fact, in school, I was a member of rap group called Your Uncles From The Psychiatrics; that was where I started my comedy.”
But the group was supposed to be a music group not comedy?
“It was during one of our performances for Crush; we were performing outside and screaming with my friend and people were just looking at us. At a point, I just started talking to people, yabbing them. I was like, ‘we’ve been trying to entertain you here, but you are just looking at us? Is it when somebody dies here that you will appreciate us? If we come to your house and rob you, you will complain that we are armed robbers, that we don’t have anything doing. Now, we are trying to create a talent that will help us in future and you are not encouraging us,” he recalls with laughter.
However, these words actually opened a new page in Owen’s career as an entertainer.
“After the show, the organizers came to me and said, ‘don’t you think it’s better you become a comedian than you doing music?’ In fact, they paid me to anchor the finals of the show the following day and from there, I went on to anchor many other shows; that’s how my comedy career started.”
THOUGH popularly known as a comedian, Owen Gee still has his hands in other aspects of entertainment.
“I’ve grown to the point I can call myself an entertainment entrepreneur because I’ve done a little bit of almost everything; I’ve done stand-up comedy, anchoring events, I’ve done stage plays, I’ve done two movies and I just finished recording my album.”
You are going back to music?
“Exactly,” he quips. “I just shot two videos, the third one is coming soon. I just finished recording my 12-track album, Owencyclopedia.”
Comics?
“Well, half of it is serious, half is comedy; there are sometimes you need to get serious with issues. I’m not doing music because I want to show people that I can sing; I did it to show people how creative I can be. Music is another means you can place yourself in the people’s eye because, music travels faster than comedy; it’s universal.”
To Owen, it’s high time entertainers started diversifying.
“If you look at successful entertainment entrepreneurs abroad, you will see that they’ve been able to put their legs in different parts of entertainment. Even here, people like Julius Agwu, Gbenga Adeyinka, Basketmouth…they’ve been able to put their hands in different aspects of entertainment. That’s the only way you succeed, else, you will have plenty of time, yet you are not doing anything with it.”
He continues: “I’m on the board of my own clothing line being run by my wife; it’s called David-Jean Clothing. I’ve appeared in numerous TV and radio programmes; comedy has been able to give me a branch into other aspects of entertainment.”
The comedian, who has won different awards for his talent, recalled his experience after he resigned his white-collar job for comedy.
“Nobody gave me a chance, not even my parents; in fact, my parents thought I was crazy. Some people thought I was just being lazy; people gave different excuses why I shouldn’t do comedy. But I’m someone that perseveres in anything I do, that’s my way. I never stopped, I didn’t give up; I kept writing my jokes, hoping that one day, things will get right. That’s what has taken me to where I’m today.”
Presently, Owen Gee is working on his TV series, Owen Gee’s Crazy World.
“I’m done with the scripting; we are starting shooting next month. I’m also going back to radio production because you have to give your audience more than what they bargained for. I want people continues to see me from different angles; that the easiest way to increase your fan base.”
For your information, Owen is already planning his retirement.
“There should be a time when a man should start thinking of his retirement. But for you to retire, you have to have had structures in place and that is currently where I’m now.”
Owen did not conclude without giving kudos to the forerunners in the businesses for their resilience.
“People have put in a lot of work to ensure that this trade survives; we need to give kudos to those, who struggled to get the industry to where it is today. A few years ago, comedy was there, but not viewed on a large scale; it was like a background thing. But people like Ali Baba kept pushing and promoting, bringing up young people like us. When we came up, we started attaching importance to it because, if you know you are paying a comedian heavily, you won’t treat him shabbily.”
‘My Smile… that’s my best dress item’
Blessed with a fine face, Charles Ujomu has a cute smile that gets everybody around him excited. The model, who is the face of Close Up toothpaste, hails from Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He attended Tade International School, Apapa, Lagos, for his primary education, before moving to Federal Government College, Odogbolu, Ogun State for secondary. The student of Industrial Relation and Personnel Management, Lagos State University, also anchors a show, Car Plus, on TV. Nominated for the Best Photogenic Model of the Year, at the Nigerian Models Achievers Award, he tells DAMILOLA ADEKOYA what fashion is to him.
Definition of fashion
It is what is catchy and classy with a little bit of style in it. It is what everybody accepts.
Style of dressing
I like to be a little bit edgy but simple, not too loud or flashy.
Family background
I’m from a polygamous home. We are eight in the family and I’m the sixth from my mum.
Uniqueness of style
I think it’s my smile. I believe I’m never fully dressed without a smile. No matter how good I’m dressed, so far, as I’m putting on a smile, then I’m good to go.
Stylish Icon (s)
Internationally, I love David Beckham and locally, I feel myself when I’m dressed.
Role model
No one but Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, because some years back, when I lost my dad, I had problem with self-esteem and when I heard his preaching, I really got saved.
Describe yourself in three words
Hardworking, friendly and selfless.
Favourite colour(s)
Blue! It’s very easy to combine and it reminds me of peace.
Most cherished possession
It’s my mind because I put a lot into it. It is the greatest asset anybody can have.
Most expensive Item
It’s my face, because that is what is bringing in money for me.
Favourite piece of clothing
I love waistcoats; it’s really part of my dressing.
Favourite food
I love rice and beans, any day, any time.
Turn on
I love achievements. I like making money and breaking new grounds. It makes me feel real good.
Turn off
I can’t stand lies. I do not like people that are not transparent; pretenders
Happiest moment
It was the time 10 other models and I travelled to South Africa for a Fanta TV commercial. I have had jobs through after then, but maybe because it was my first, it really comes to my mind every time even it was five years ago. It was really very memorable because it made me believe so much in myself.
Most embarrassing moment
It was when I was seven years old and I asked a girl to marry me. She actually said yes but from that day, we didn’t talk to each other again, and we became couples that weren’t talking to each other.
Projection into the future
I see myself on the international ground being so big in the industry. I also see myself owning a registered advert company.
Philosophy of life
I don’t believe that because I look good, then I can have an advantage over anybody. The only advantage I have over any other person is my mind. God gave us equal opportunities, but the way we use it differs.
If you were given a chance to change something in Nigeria, what would it be?
It would be the government. They should be more transparent and more people-oriented. They should try to get foreign ideas and not to be stereotyped. Our rulers travel out of the country and they see what happens in other countries. It doesn’t take them a dime to also apply such ideas here.
She’s got a job for you…
Tell us about yourself
I am Adekunbi Adeoye; a 500 level Law student at the Obafemi Awolowo University. I’m currently the Executive Director of Sesewa Support Services — we call it SSS.
And Sesewa?
Sesewa is a Yoruba coinage, Se ise wa, which simply means ‘is there a job?’ The whole idea is to provide jobs in form of internships for the Nigerian youth, who we believe, have the ability to become agents of change in the society and the world at large.
When and how did Sesewa begin?
The Sesewa concept was birthed in 2006, but we didn’t start operation until last year. However, it was officially launched on February 21, this year. It began at a time when I tried to find internships in companies I thought would give me a platform to express myself and learn more. I had been to several companies that didn’t even understand what I meant by internship and even those who did, did not seem to have any structure in place to let me in. Without a shadow of doubt, I knew the impact of what interning would do for me and so I decided to help young people like me gain experience as well as help companies see the benefits of allowing interns into their organisation.
Why would you decide to do this for others? What was the pull?
Well ... Quite a lot of things. I realised the Nigerian youth was the greatest recipient of most of the problems that have befallen the country. The quality of education is deteriorating and the Nigerian youth is seen by the corporate world as being unproductive and unemployable. Amongst all these is the lack of employability skills in the Nigerian youth, which border on lack of effective communication, lack of ability to identify problems and proffer its solutions and the lack luster use of information technology. The Nigerian youth must be ready to build something on something and not wait for things to come to them, it’s time we understood the need for process and self-development.
And you’re a student – how have you managed the two?
It’s not been particularly easy as I’ve had to juggle between classroom and attending several meeting but for me, it is an opportunity to practise what I preach and be a role model for other Nigerian Youth.
Does Sesewa focus only on undergraduates?
No, and that is because our internship opportunities are open for fresh graduates who are undertaking youth service but for now that’s the farthest we go.
And surely there’ve been challenges?
Oh yes…like every other organisation, we have faced several challenges but I’ve learnt to see them as stepping-stone. We are faced with companies who don’t have any structure for internships; and who don’t see the need for interns in their organisations. We are faced with an educational system that doesn’t provide any structures either except for the engineering departments, which have Industrial training, attached to their school curriculum, and also the epileptic calendar of universities has proved to be a major challenge. We are also faced with students, who do not understand the importance of process or the fact that there is a price to pay for being successful. Also our first major task is putting internships on the map of Nigeria; it is our responsibility to help these companies realise that internships is the way to improve professionalism and give the Nigerian youth work experience.
So how exactly does this happen?
We achieve this by placing students in organisations to work and gain firsthand experience, we also have a part of our organisation — Sesewa Volunteers which, serves as an intermediary between non-governmental organisations and undergraduates who want to volunteer and contribute positively to their society. We also have career fairs where we bridge the gap between jobseekers and corporate organisations thereby giving the job seeker the opportunity of knowing what is needed to achieve career success. The corporate organisation has the opportunity to open up their horizon and rather than get married on a blind date, which employing a person via their curriculum vitae is, there is an opportunity to meet their prospective employees.
Do you have organisations on ground already partnering with you to provide jobs for your interns?
Yes, we have several organisations partnering with us. These partners stem from different fields: from small businesses, to major corporations, nonprofit organisations and etc. We also welcome more organisations to partner with us.
There are loads of job agencies in Nigeria now, both real and fake; what makes Sesewa different from all of them?
Our unique selling point is our training. Before you become a Sesewa ambassador, you must have gone through the training school, which gives you the opportunity to be trained on the essentials of working in a corporate environment. Through our specially designed modules, we will inculcate in each trainee the essentials of working in a group to achieve a set objective, the ability to further increase their learning ability and capacity to recognise problems and to effect its solutions.
How do you manage with publicity and creating awareness?
We have done some form of awareness through the Internet via media such as Facebook and through our site. We have also written to several organisations, our presence in some universities has also created some form of awareness. However, we hope to have a presence in every Nigerian university.
What is the long-term plan for Sesewa?
According to International Labour Organisation, 6.4 million Nigerians are looking for jobs, which is very dangerous considering the poverty level in the country. The Sesewa initiative hopes to reduce this alarming statistics by training the youths on the basics that are required to fit into any work place and raising a better, prepared and preferred youth who would be ready and able to take on the challenges of the corporate world.
The Future Awards ... In search of the young scientists
FOR the first time in its five-year history, the organisers of the Future Awards have introduced a Best Use of Science category in addition to the Best Use of Technology category that has over the years produced technology innovators, advocates and entrepreneurs such as United Nations IT Ambassador ‘Gbenga Sesan.
Announcing the category, its Creative Director, Chude Jideonwo, said, “for many years, what we have done is try to mirror the breakthroughs that young people have made in different fields and to sustain them. However, this year, we decided we have reached a level where we can take this further and stimulate activity in the field of science as well as draw attention, and ultimately support, to that small random army of young Nigerians across the country who are working in spite of the debilitating lack of structure in science - with innovation or invention.”
Nominations for the awards began on October 1 and will continue till November 30. Nominees must be Nigerian citizens and must be aged 18 – 31. If you want to nominate anyone, all you need to do is go to the website www.thefuturenigeria.com, click the ‘Nominate’ link and fill in information about the nominees’ work and why you think he/she should win. You will also find The Future Awards link at www.naijaborn.com
According to the website, explaining the broad criteria for this category, “word out there is that there are not a long people interested in science, and with our academic environment seemingly wired against development in science, it is difficult to find young people with solid achievement in this area. But we don’t agree: under the broad categories of physics, chemistry and biology, we know there are a critical number of young Nigerians who are advancing impressive, practical innovations that can compare with the best around the world. This might also involve innovation or entrepreneurship in science.”
Other categories for the Awards this year include Best Use of Advocacy, Actor of the Year, Best Use of Technology, Business Owner of the Year, Comedian of the Year, Creative Artist of the Year, Journalist of the Year, Magazine of the Year, Model of the Year, Musician of the Year, Music Producer of the Year, On-air Personality of the Year (Radio), On-air Personality of the Year (TV), Professional of the Year, Screen Producer of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, Team of the Year, the biggest for Young Person of the Year, and a new category fort Excellence in Public Service.
“We are also beaming the search light on public service,” Jideonwo said, while explaining the Excellence in Public Service category. “Again, for the same purpose as the Best Use of Science. Our awards seek to encourage young people to think of ideas outside of government, outside of convention and to add value that way. However, we acknowledge that it is counter-productive to ignore government, and it will be helpful if we have people in public service who have integrity, believe in productivity and apply new modern thinking to problem solving. Those are the kind of young people we want under the Excellence in Public Service category. Please go to www.thefuturenigeria.com.”
thefuturenigeria@yahoo.com
Encomiums, tributes for Banjo at Unilorin
By TOPE TEMPLER OLAIYA
IT was rains of encomiums and tributes for the longest serving Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Ilorin, Prof. Ayo Banjo, at the send-forth party organised to appreciate the contributions of the Professor Emeritus of English, who served as chairman of council between 2005 and 2007 before it was dissolved.
At the event, members of the school’s management committee took turns to pay tribute to the revered don and university administrator.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of Council, Alhaji Tukur Mani, commended the former council headed by Banjo for its “excellent performance.”
He noted with pleasure that the previous council had contributed tremendously to the physical development, peace and academic stability on campus.
The Pro-Chancellor added that Unilorin had already made a name for itself among tertiary institutions in Nigeria and that his council would continue to consolidate on the gains and foundation laid by the Banjo-led council.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said Banjo represents one the very best that the academic can produce. He said, “as a former Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, he had brought his rich experience of the university system to bear on the leadership of the council.”
While giving the toast at the occasion, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Prof. Olayemi, described Banjo as an eminent and distinguished academic.
He said Banjo, a past Pro-Chancellor of the University of Port-Harcourt, is a democrat, an orator and a great teacher.
In his response, the Emeritus Professor of English said his council was grateful for “being honoured for just two years”.
According to Banjo, the council he chaired met a lot of challenges when it came on board but it was through the spirit of oneness that the council members were able to overcome the challenges.
Nigerian king visits campus
BY EMMA EGLI
Oba Emmanuel Adebayo of Emure recently took a tour of the campus of the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to study the model with the hope of building a secondary education programme for his kingdom. Emure is a town in Ekiti State. It is also called Emure-Ekiti. It became much better known after the king ‘s grandson, Adewale Ogunleye, made it into the NFL for the Chicago Bears.
Members of the Adassa Adumori Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Spring Hill, Tennessee, USA, that provides humanitarian and educational support to kingdoms like Emure, also came with the king. The foundation has partnered with Adebayo to provide the people of the kingdom with scholarships, a library and multiple forms of education programmes.
“We are prepared to make ourselves available and ready for the development of student programmes in Emure,” Adebayo said. “We want to make Emure kingdom a role model for other kingdoms in Nigeria.”
Adebayo said that after visiting MTSU’s dairy facility and farm laboratories, he was inspired to work hand-in-hand with the university to see how his kingdom can benefit from similar programme.
“Nigeria is a developing country, and we believe our kingdom will benefit from collaboration in the areas of agriculture, education and leadership training,” Adebayo said. “We saw all the students involved, and any student that gets involved with something that engrosses work and education shows a lot of character.”
Yolanda Shields, vice president of the foundation, said they looked at other universities in Tennessee, but felt that MTSU would be the ideal institution to model programmes they plan to develop in Nigeria. “MTSU would be a great place for us to partner with in education, economic development, business and agriculture,” Shields said. “We would also work with training teachers and leaders in the community.”
Shields said that one of the Foundation’s biggest achievements has been the development of the first community library in Emure, to be completed in February 2010. “We have had over 4,000 books donated by people in Tennessee, along with 20 computers that have been donated by a university,” Shields said. “It’s been amazing to see the number of Tennesseans that have come on board saying they want to help.”
Shields said that after visiting Emure with Princess Fumi Ogunleye Hancock, Adebayo’s cousin, she realized that the area would benefit most from a university.
Fumi Hancock, who currently resides in Spring Hill with her husband, David, said that when they make their next trip to Nigeria in February, their goal will be to start a leadership camp. “In the future, we would like students here in the states to do internship and help educate and train the values of leadership to the youth there,” Fumi Hancock said.
Egli is Assistant Campus News Editor, MTSU
The Gods Are Not Blame on Bells University Stage
By Femi Alabi Onikeku
The late Professor Ola Rotimi will once again strut and fret on the dramatic stage, as Bells University, Ota, Ogun State, performs its first convocation play, The Gods Are Not To Blame on Friday, November 6, 2009.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Adebayo Adeyemi, told newsmen that the school would feature the play as part of events marking the graduation of its “pioneering ambassadors” on Saturday, November 7, 2009.
To be directed by Dr. Bayo Adebowale, Ebika Anthony, Oyewole Olowomojuore and choreographed by Adebisi Adebayo, the play, which holds in the evening, is to be performed by the Bellstech Performing Troupe (BTPT).
The decision to stage The Gods Are Not to Blame as Bells University of Technology’s first convocation play, the vice chancellor noted, “has been a unanimous one. The play recommends itself highly because of its cultural relevance and the pride of place it gives to the oracle and the gods.”
It will also showcase “all the dramatic ingredients which the playwright, Ola Rotimi, injected into the writing of the play.”
On how the audience will react to a play as this, which does not reflect the immediate sociopolitical concerns of the nation, Adebowale answered: “The University has its destiny, which they call ‘vision’ and ‘mission’. So, destiny surrounds The Gods Are Not To Blame, the University and Nigeria.” With a promise that watching the institution’s version of the play will put an end to questions about relevance, he added: “You are not going to doubt whether this thing is relevant or not.
“We are people of destiny. Like it or not, your destiny has been sealed and there is no way you are going to change it.” And as though the Director and Founder of African Heritage Research Library would himself seal the fate of his argument, he pointed to the reporter and retorted: “It has been ordained that you would come here today.”
The performance will be preceded by a convocation lecture, titled: What Is Wrong with Nigeria? It is to be delivered by Ambassador Andrew Young, former United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Other highlights of the convocation will include the installation of the first Chancellor for the University, Professor Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje, NNOM, CON.
Honourary degrees will be conferred on eminent personalities such asProfessor Bart Nnaji, Chairman, Geometic Power Limited, the first indigenous power generation company; President John Kuffour, the immediate past President of the Republic of Ghana; Ambassador Young and Professor Mabogunje.
With 58 pioneer students in 2005/2006 Academic Session, the school has had a smooth calendar since inception and 13 of thepioneer students, whose courses ran for four years, will be graduating while the rest who are running five year courses will graduate in the 2009/2010 Academic Session.
Admission to First Degree and presentation of prizes will be given to 4 students with 1st Class Honours; 6 with 2nd Class honours (Upper Division); and 3 with 2nd Class (Lower Division).
BUK, OAU get USAID/Higher Education for Development grant
BY TOPE TEMPLER OLAIYA
HIGHER Education for Development (HED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last week, announced that an additional 13 partnerships would be funded through the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Planning Grant Competition.
While no Nigerian university made the first 20 winners of the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Planning Grant competition, two schools made it into the additional 13 lists. They are Bayero University, Kano, paired with Ohio University; and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, paired with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Funding was originally proposed and awarded for 20 partnerships in April 2009. However, the competition drew such a high level of interest, with nearly 300 applications submitted, that USAID decided to award funding to 13 additional applications. Partnerships comprised of one U.S. and one African higher education institution that will be paired for capacity building partnerships.
Grant winners will each receive $50,000 from USAID to address regional and national economic development priorities such as engineering, health, agriculture, environment and natural resources, science and technology, education and teacher training/preparation, business, management, and economics.
“We are extremely pleased to fund these additional 13 partnerships,” said
Alonzo Fulgham, Acting Administrator of USAID. “With the addition of these 13, we now have a total of six historically black colleges and universities in the initiative and a number of well-respected, top-ranked academic institutions in the United States and throughout Africa. The expertise and experience delivered by these institutions will have a critical impact as this effort moves forward.”
According to the director of USAID’s Office of Education, Joseph Carney, “this competition is an important opportunity to build the kind of higher education capacity critical to the development of Africa. The initiative was proposed during the Higher Education Summit for Global Development and subsequent regional summit held in Rwanda last year. We are delighted to see this effort moving forward and expect great results from these planning grants.”
HED, funded by a cooperative agreement with USAID, was founded by the six major U.S. higher education associations to engage U.S. colleges and universities in international development. The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
IT was rains of encomiums and tributes for the longest serving Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Ilorin, Prof. Ayo Banjo, at the send-forth party organised to appreciate the contributions of the Professor Emeritus of English, who served as chairman of council between 2005 and 2007 before it was dissolved.
At the event, members of the school’s management committee took turns to pay tribute to the revered don and university administrator.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of Council, Alhaji Tukur Mani, commended the former council headed by Banjo for its “excellent performance.”
He noted with pleasure that the previous council had contributed tremendously to the physical development, peace and academic stability on campus.
The Pro-Chancellor added that Unilorin had already made a name for itself among tertiary institutions in Nigeria and that his council would continue to consolidate on the gains and foundation laid by the Banjo-led council.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said Banjo represents one the very best that the academic can produce. He said, “as a former Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, he had brought his rich experience of the university system to bear on the leadership of the council.”
While giving the toast at the occasion, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Prof. Olayemi, described Banjo as an eminent and distinguished academic.
He said Banjo, a past Pro-Chancellor of the University of Port-Harcourt, is a democrat, an orator and a great teacher.
In his response, the Emeritus Professor of English said his council was grateful for “being honoured for just two years”.
According to Banjo, the council he chaired met a lot of challenges when it came on board but it was through the spirit of oneness that the council members were able to overcome the challenges.
Nigerian king visits campus
BY EMMA EGLI
Oba Emmanuel Adebayo of Emure recently took a tour of the campus of the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to study the model with the hope of building a secondary education programme for his kingdom. Emure is a town in Ekiti State. It is also called Emure-Ekiti. It became much better known after the king ‘s grandson, Adewale Ogunleye, made it into the NFL for the Chicago Bears.
Members of the Adassa Adumori Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Spring Hill, Tennessee, USA, that provides humanitarian and educational support to kingdoms like Emure, also came with the king. The foundation has partnered with Adebayo to provide the people of the kingdom with scholarships, a library and multiple forms of education programmes.
“We are prepared to make ourselves available and ready for the development of student programmes in Emure,” Adebayo said. “We want to make Emure kingdom a role model for other kingdoms in Nigeria.”
Adebayo said that after visiting MTSU’s dairy facility and farm laboratories, he was inspired to work hand-in-hand with the university to see how his kingdom can benefit from similar programme.
“Nigeria is a developing country, and we believe our kingdom will benefit from collaboration in the areas of agriculture, education and leadership training,” Adebayo said. “We saw all the students involved, and any student that gets involved with something that engrosses work and education shows a lot of character.”
Yolanda Shields, vice president of the foundation, said they looked at other universities in Tennessee, but felt that MTSU would be the ideal institution to model programmes they plan to develop in Nigeria. “MTSU would be a great place for us to partner with in education, economic development, business and agriculture,” Shields said. “We would also work with training teachers and leaders in the community.”
Shields said that one of the Foundation’s biggest achievements has been the development of the first community library in Emure, to be completed in February 2010. “We have had over 4,000 books donated by people in Tennessee, along with 20 computers that have been donated by a university,” Shields said. “It’s been amazing to see the number of Tennesseans that have come on board saying they want to help.”
Shields said that after visiting Emure with Princess Fumi Ogunleye Hancock, Adebayo’s cousin, she realized that the area would benefit most from a university.
Fumi Hancock, who currently resides in Spring Hill with her husband, David, said that when they make their next trip to Nigeria in February, their goal will be to start a leadership camp. “In the future, we would like students here in the states to do internship and help educate and train the values of leadership to the youth there,” Fumi Hancock said.
Egli is Assistant Campus News Editor, MTSU
The Gods Are Not Blame on Bells University Stage
By Femi Alabi Onikeku
The late Professor Ola Rotimi will once again strut and fret on the dramatic stage, as Bells University, Ota, Ogun State, performs its first convocation play, The Gods Are Not To Blame on Friday, November 6, 2009.
At a media briefing on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Adebayo Adeyemi, told newsmen that the school would feature the play as part of events marking the graduation of its “pioneering ambassadors” on Saturday, November 7, 2009.
To be directed by Dr. Bayo Adebowale, Ebika Anthony, Oyewole Olowomojuore and choreographed by Adebisi Adebayo, the play, which holds in the evening, is to be performed by the Bellstech Performing Troupe (BTPT).
The decision to stage The Gods Are Not to Blame as Bells University of Technology’s first convocation play, the vice chancellor noted, “has been a unanimous one. The play recommends itself highly because of its cultural relevance and the pride of place it gives to the oracle and the gods.”
It will also showcase “all the dramatic ingredients which the playwright, Ola Rotimi, injected into the writing of the play.”
On how the audience will react to a play as this, which does not reflect the immediate sociopolitical concerns of the nation, Adebowale answered: “The University has its destiny, which they call ‘vision’ and ‘mission’. So, destiny surrounds The Gods Are Not To Blame, the University and Nigeria.” With a promise that watching the institution’s version of the play will put an end to questions about relevance, he added: “You are not going to doubt whether this thing is relevant or not.
“We are people of destiny. Like it or not, your destiny has been sealed and there is no way you are going to change it.” And as though the Director and Founder of African Heritage Research Library would himself seal the fate of his argument, he pointed to the reporter and retorted: “It has been ordained that you would come here today.”
The performance will be preceded by a convocation lecture, titled: What Is Wrong with Nigeria? It is to be delivered by Ambassador Andrew Young, former United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Other highlights of the convocation will include the installation of the first Chancellor for the University, Professor Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje, NNOM, CON.
Honourary degrees will be conferred on eminent personalities such asProfessor Bart Nnaji, Chairman, Geometic Power Limited, the first indigenous power generation company; President John Kuffour, the immediate past President of the Republic of Ghana; Ambassador Young and Professor Mabogunje.
With 58 pioneer students in 2005/2006 Academic Session, the school has had a smooth calendar since inception and 13 of thepioneer students, whose courses ran for four years, will be graduating while the rest who are running five year courses will graduate in the 2009/2010 Academic Session.
Admission to First Degree and presentation of prizes will be given to 4 students with 1st Class Honours; 6 with 2nd Class honours (Upper Division); and 3 with 2nd Class (Lower Division).
BUK, OAU get USAID/Higher Education for Development grant
BY TOPE TEMPLER OLAIYA
HIGHER Education for Development (HED) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last week, announced that an additional 13 partnerships would be funded through the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Planning Grant Competition.
While no Nigerian university made the first 20 winners of the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative Planning Grant competition, two schools made it into the additional 13 lists. They are Bayero University, Kano, paired with Ohio University; and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, paired with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Funding was originally proposed and awarded for 20 partnerships in April 2009. However, the competition drew such a high level of interest, with nearly 300 applications submitted, that USAID decided to award funding to 13 additional applications. Partnerships comprised of one U.S. and one African higher education institution that will be paired for capacity building partnerships.
Grant winners will each receive $50,000 from USAID to address regional and national economic development priorities such as engineering, health, agriculture, environment and natural resources, science and technology, education and teacher training/preparation, business, management, and economics.
“We are extremely pleased to fund these additional 13 partnerships,” said
Alonzo Fulgham, Acting Administrator of USAID. “With the addition of these 13, we now have a total of six historically black colleges and universities in the initiative and a number of well-respected, top-ranked academic institutions in the United States and throughout Africa. The expertise and experience delivered by these institutions will have a critical impact as this effort moves forward.”
According to the director of USAID’s Office of Education, Joseph Carney, “this competition is an important opportunity to build the kind of higher education capacity critical to the development of Africa. The initiative was proposed during the Higher Education Summit for Global Development and subsequent regional summit held in Rwanda last year. We are delighted to see this effort moving forward and expect great results from these planning grants.”
HED, funded by a cooperative agreement with USAID, was founded by the six major U.S. higher education associations to engage U.S. colleges and universities in international development. The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
Ogwo’s Fourth Edition pleads
BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLWEIF the painter Emenike Ogwo had his way, he would have some measure of what he calls “balancing the structure” to protect the masses in the on-going exercise of urban renewal in major cities of the country.
This, he explained, at his just concluded show, Fourth Edition, held at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos.
From the aerial views of the sprawling and rusty rooftops of Ibadan to the slums of Lagos, Ogwo’s palette captured some of the nation’s environmental headaches.
In Togetherness, Market Place, Rusty Roof, Obedience, Makoko, Fishermen, Ijaw Settlement, among others, Ogwo’s focuses on the habitation of the lower class of people in the society.
Representing this thought more is Togetherness (oil on canvas), which is an aerial view of the slum settlement of Ibadan.
Compartmentalising the canvas into shades of scenery such as hilltop, slumming sandwiched by uncoordinated greenery and a horizon blended into the skyline, the work, he argues, “simply tells us that nature wants us to be together.”
Slum, he agrees, may not be an ideal thing to be proud of anymore, but “without these multitude in Oshodi, Ajegule, most parts of Ibadan and other highly density urban areas, life is incomplete.”
According to the artist, urban renewal should be carried out with consideration for the people, mostly low-income earners that are being affected by the exercise.
Considering the change in our environment, he says, “the role of art is crucial, because visual art has the strength to give the graphical pictures of the situation, either for documentation or other purposes.”
He argues that painting remains one of the most active medium “in documentation of Oshodi of old, for example.”
But he jokingly regretted that, for artists, “there is no more action at Oshodi.”
THE summary of Ogwo’s sojourns in Fourth Edition, particularly his dream for the affected people is alive in The Journey of Life II, a sailing ship.
“It’s like a journey of life, you do your best and allow fate to take to a destination as the ship here is being led by wind of fate,” he explains.
Shortly before the opening, the artist had explained that everybody enjoys a story or a picture because it’s exciting “in one way or the other and if it is well told using the fewest and the best words, it is a work of art. But it is not a work of art if it is badly expressed.”
Explaining his philosophy, the artist believes that a picture is a work of art if it makes you think what artist hoped you would think. It means that the lines and patches of colour forming the picture must be of unmistakable meaning giving you one idea only.
LAST YEAR, Ogwo returned from a U.K. tour on the show, Cultures in Colors, which was first held eight years ago at the National Museum, Onikan Lagos Island.
The event was sponsored by a U.K. based group, The School Partnership Trust, and three external partners in that country –– Leeds PCT, Lead Trinity & All Saints and West Yorkshire Learning Skills Council.
He graduated from the Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo State, in 1994 and was an instructor at the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering, Makurdi, Benue State during his NYSC.
EVENTS
Samuel Ajobiewe Amurawaiye makes his debut solo show at Mydrim Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos Island on Friday, November 6, ending 20, 2009.
The Exuberant Trumpet Of Lee Morgan
BY BENSON IDONIJEThere are three major trumpet dynasties in modern jazz history. Traceable to Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navaro and Miles Davis, the three have continued to dominate and influence the scene, with disciples helping to perpetuate the different lineages. While the Dizzy Gillespie dynasty has only John Faddis and Clarke Terry as disciples, with Wynton Marsalis looking up to Miles Davis for mentorship, the Fats Navaro dynasty has turned out to be the most popular with the greatest number of followers – for reasons that cannot be easily explained. The late Lee Morgan remains perhaps the most remarkable descendant and beneficiary of this dynasty.
My first knowledge of Lee Morgan was through the ensemble led in the ‘60s by organist Jimmy Smith in The Sermon, a Blue Note recording with specially selected musicians to accompany the great organist. This was in 1964, during the Fela Ransome-Kuti quintet days when I took the band to Ibadan. The album was given to me by the late Bola Marquis (himself a jazz devotee of note) who was then working for an insurance company in this big city of Ibadan, now Oyo State capital of Nigeria.
Carrying on the rich tradition of Clifford Brown who was directly influenced by Navaro, Lee Morgan was featured on the horn section along with alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, tenor saxophonists George Coleman and Tina Brooks – with of course a formidable rhythm section unit that featured Kenny Burrel and Eddy Mc Fadden, guitars, Art Blakey and Donald Bailey, drums. There was no bass player as such, in his usual characteristic manner, Jimmy Smith decided to extract the bass lines of the organ to support the progressions of the songs.
Although Jimmy Smith carries the theme by projecting the mood setting as the first soloist, and the three saxophonists wail from one chorus to the other with phrases that are quite appealing, trumpeter Lee Morgan appears to have carried the recording date with a flowing symmetry, a trumpet sound that reaches out to high octaves, low and middle registers, exploring the possibilities of these ranges with a pleasant tone.
The Sermon is the theme song of the album and Lee Morgan’s contribution is the high point of the session, unleashed as Lon Donaldson takes a rather impressive solo. As he offers this exciting solo which builds up to a double-timed climax, the ensemble riffs a figure that is reminiscent of what Miles Davis did in his arrangement of Walkin’. Morgan dominates the spotlight here after previously taking a flawlessly remarkable solo, and punctuates this riff with some well chosen high notes before the spotlight returns to Jimmy Smith who ushers the proceedings down the aisle and into the street as it were.
As far back as the 1950s, the trumpet in the modern jazz mould was in the midst of an especially lean period. Fats Navaro had died; Dizzy was trying to make it with a commercial group; Miles Davis was battling with himself to create a new trumpet sound.
There was a wealth of young saxophonists headed at the time by such hopefuls as Dexter Gordon and Hank Mobley who made his mark playing with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, but no trumpet hopefuls were in sight. Then, along came such players as Art Farmer. Thad Jones and Clifford Brown who descended directly from the Navara heritage.
Before his untimely death in an automobile accident in 1956, Brown had reached an exceedingly high level of both performance and popularity, and seemed to have a revitalising effect on younger trumpeters. Maybe it was just that the time was ripe for a new cycle, but the inspiration came from Brown.
In any event, in the middle of the late ’50s, one suddenly could take notice of a wave of impressive young horn men, including such players as Donald Byrd, Nat Adderley, Blue Mitchel and of course Lee Morgan. By the ‘60s, these players were all established personalities. In addition, Gillespie and Davis had re-asserted themselves, and the trumpet was once more in good shape.
Among the first members of this new wave to make a really big splash was Morgan who, apart from playing the role of sideman with several groups, fronted his own groups and recorded some ground-breaking albums, prominent among them The sixth sense and Take Twelve, his first recording as a leader since leaving Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the summer of 1961. Here, he exhibits both of his playing attitudes, but there is also evidence- that of new thinking, of a more pensive bent to even his most powerful blowing. Morgan would seem to have arrived at one of those points in a man’s artistic life where change, perceptible even if not obvious, takes place.
The four sidemen who helped Morgan to stand up this recording date were saxophonists Clifford Jordan, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Bob Crawshaw and drummer Louis Hayes who were at the time established musicians.
Perhaps because it was as far back as 1956 when he first joined Dizzy Gillespie big band where he immediately landed some feature spots and a good deal of attention, some people looked on him then as practically ‘gray beard’. It was true that in terms of experience, both in clubs and on record, Morgan was something of a veteran. But when Take Twelve was recorded, he was only 24. When he first sat in Dizzy’s trumpet section, Morgan was just 18.
As a matter of fact, Morgan’s talent belied his age and he handled his assignment well until that band broke up in January of 1958. The experience gained with Dizzy was clearly valuable, but it was not until he became part of Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers in September 1958 that Morgan really began to come into his own. Like most young men of his time, he had obviously listened closely to Clifford Brown, and the Gillespie period was clearly influence-creating, but it was also plain that this was a man with a way of his own.
Lee Morgan’s characteristic soaring and fiery flights were tempered with tender ballad statements, demonstrating that his capabilities lay in both hot and sweet directions.
At the time that The Sixth Sense was recorded for Blue Note in 1967, Morgan had ascended to the top as a remarkable trumpet voice. Bristling with the confidence of a virtuouso on his instrument both as a soloist and composer, he had become one of the trenchant spokesmen in music business. He was a brilliant observer not only of the music scene, but also of life. The problem was too few people were aware of his intellectual capacity. He was seen by many only as the extremely gifted trumpet player – composer, whose mercurial rise to international acclaim began at age eighteen in the big band of Dizzy Gillespie.
At this time, Morgan was also to be respected as a great thinker and conveyor of these thoughts. It might sound like putting him down to say that he was loquacious, but the truth is that he had plenty to say about jazz and the entire music business of that period – about entertainment and communications media, about politics, politicians and about the black man.
Morgan became an activist and, like the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, placed a very high premium on knowledge because, in his knowledge was his strength, and his strength was grounded in his music.
The Navaro-Clifford Brown trumpet dynasty which Morgan represented and ruled in the sixties was taken over upon his death in 1972, by Freddie Hubbard, and has even been imbibed today by a whole generation of trumpet players, including Nigeria’s Biodun Adebiyi who is on the bill of next week’s MUSON Jazz Festival in Lagos, Nigeria. But it is lamentable that not many trumpeters are rising up to this challenge. It is a global phenomenon but it is worse here in Nigeria and Africa where there is a dearth of hornmen, especially trumpet players.
Perhaps the first to bite into this newwave trumpet sound was Michael Falana who, as a young man, came across with brilliant solos as far back as 1960 with the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) Dance orchestra. He was permitted by the late Steve Rhodes who was the band’s musical director to extend his solos-even beyond the limits of prescribed scores – on account of his power of improvisation which contained sweet phrases, a good tone and the great sense of rhythm.
After Falana who made a great impact in London in the 60s before eventually moving to Germany where he teamed up with the avant garde trumpeter, Don Cherry, came Fela Ransome-Kuti. He played the trumpet all through the jazz quintet days to the Koola Lobitos years to the beginning of Afrobeat in the early 70s until he switched over to the saxophone in 1974, with the exit of the great tenor saxophonist, Igo Chico from the Africa ’70.
Currently bristling with the Navaro-Brown-Morgan trumpet legacy in Nigeria is Biodun Adebiyi whom I discovered in Festac Town in 1997 at a party held in Toyin Akinoso’s house. As Secretary of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), Akinoso was hosting a send-off party in honour of a culture-conscious foreign embassy staff. Biodun has improved greatly ever since, with solos that are brilliantly structured along prescribed progressions, a more relaxed style and a broad tone.
The scene is in dire need of horn men, but how many are taking up the instrument today in the face of a dominating hip hop culture? Even among those that are grappling with the trumpet, how many are listening to Clifford Brown or Lee Morgan for inspiration and development?
One of the great jazz trumpeters of the 60s, Lee Morgan was the natural successor to Clifford Brown, making an impact on the scene shortly after Brown’s death, and at first playing in a similar style. But he evolved his own style within the same trumpet tradition to become the greatest after Clifford Brown.
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