In Lagos, US embassy tasks media on FoI Act

JUNE 11

AS part of efforts to ensure effective use of the Freedom of Information Act, the United State Consulate General, Lagos Office last week organized Digital Video Conference (DVC) featuring Ms. Elizabeth Bryant as guest speaker. 

  Bryant, a Paris-based journalist with over 15 years on the job, stated that making document and information easily available by government is usually not the norm anywhere, saying that journalists who seek government documents to buttress their reports must push and push, demand and demand to get the document.

   Citing two examples in using the Freedom of Information Act in the United States, one, her personal experience and the other by a team of journalists, Bryant disclosed that while it took her a whole year to get document on doctors who indulged in taking hard drugs, it took the other group of journalists, 15 years to get the document they sought from government. 

  She said that the journalist who started the process had left the New York Times when the document sought was got in January 2012.

   She implored media houses that want to constantly have investigative reports in their publication to have a dedicated team of investigative reporters, whose main responsibility is to do investigative stories, with less pressure of deadlines.

  According to her, state correspondents are likely not going to be doing investigative stories because they have to report many issues and cover several beats.

   To her, it must however be made clear that the FOI Act is for all the citizens and not journalists alone while the government must understand that the citizens are the boss and information must be made available to them. She also said that because it is the right of the citizens to know what those elected were doing; the government must provide them with information when they demand such.

  She enjoined journalists to cultivate the habit of having sources who provide information though having government documents is a powerful weapon in times of litigation. She however said that reporters must be careful with information provided by sources because must sources have agenda when they provide information whether solicited or otherwise. 

  And to ensure a better understanding of the Act by the public, which would promote good usage of the Law, she suggested collaborative efforts between the government, its agencies and civil societies in organising enlightenment programmes.

Participants at the media chat

  

She also gave an insight into the operational mode in United States, where the federating units had to come up with their own version of the Law. In Nigeria, there has been argument whether the states should wholly adopt the Law enacted by the federal government or each of the 36 states should come up with a version of its own Freedom of Information Act.

   In summing up, the coordinator of the programme at the Lagos end, Mr. Femi Omowunmi, after the presentation by Bryant and the question-and- answer session, said that the United State Consulate in Nigeria is always ready to work with journalists and media related organisations to promote better understanding of the content of the Law and its usage.

At APCON, dedication to service is rewarding

Registrar of APCON, Alh. Garba Bello Kankarofi (right); past Council Chairman, Chief Olu Falomo and present Council Chairman, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi at the event

egistrar of APCON, Alh. Garba Bello Kankarofi (right); past Council Chairman, May Nzeribe and present Council Chairman, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi at the even

June 11

THE Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) last Wednesday, honoured some of its workers and people who have served the industry for over a decade. Also honoured are founding fathers of the Nigeria advertising industry.   

 The event, which held at the Media Center of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) was attended by council members, staff of APCON, some past Registrars and Chairmen.

  Founding fathers honoured are Ifeanyichukwu Moemeka, Chief Olu Falomo, Dr. May Nzeribe, Chris Doghudje, Prof Charles Okigbo, Josef Bel-Molokwu and Chief Sylvester Nwobu-Alor. 

  Staffs awarded are Deputy Director, Human Resources management, Mrs. Bimbola Ipaye and Chief Regulation, monitoring and enforcement officer, Mrs. Ijedi Iyoha, both have put in 20 years in service. Administrative Officer 1, Mrs. Juliana Chima; Head driver, Oladipo Olanrewaju and Chief Clerical Officer, Allwell Nwuzor, all have put in 15 years.

  Other awardees who have put in 10 year each are Asst. Chief inspectorate Officer, Emme Akande; Credit Control officer, Sikiru Adesina; Secretaries 1, Agatha Okonkwo and Deborah Eneanya; Asst. Executive Officer, Archibong Bassey Itomo; Chief Cleaners, Adamu Abubakar and Mohammed Useni.  

  The chairman of the event, past Council Chairman, Chief Olu Falomo, expressed joy at the occasion and advised the awardees to see the award as a blessing from God and put in more effort in ensuring that APCON is given a brighter image across Nigeria and the world at large.

  “You have performed much more than we do, over the years you have managed experience and become what you are. APCON is one of the best establishments you can work with that adds values to service. Continue to put in your best and improve on the platform which many of us have laboured for.”

  Adding, he said, “we have a long way to go and APCON will continue to grow from strength to strength” 

   The present Council Chairman, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, congratulated the awardees and urged them to continue to lift APCON through their dedication and commitment to service.

  He also congratulated the past chairmen of the Council and registrars whom he described as role models in the industry.

  The Registrar of APCON, Alh. Garba Bello Kankarofi, urged awardees to continue working for APCON, as it is the best place to be.

Foundation plans Avoidable Blunder to save sight

Mission To Save Sight Africa Foundation, a non-governmental organisation has planned a movie project titled Avoidable Blunder as a tool to reach out to Africans on certain major causes of avoidable blindness and visual impairments, namely cataract glaucoma, childhood blindness, trachoma, onchocerchissis and refractive errors.

  The movie, which will be premiered across Africa with actors and actresses from across cultural backgrounds, will focus on corrective reformation since blindness as a health issue has been with humanity for a long time.

  Speaking on the project in Lagos, the founder of the organisation, Dr (Mrs.) Oluwafunmike Ani, said with this educational-must watch movie, the right to Sight Initiative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness have taken a giant leap.

  According to her, since blindness is often not a direct cause of death, generations have down-played its significance hence it has been successfully pushed to the back burner of disease control for such a long time.

  Dr. Ani, who expressed worries over the high rate of blindness in the African continent, said the multi-million naira film project, which comes on stream in three months’ time, will remove ignorance, promote, educate and inform the African masses about blindness as well as encourage industry, creativity and research activities on blindness.

  To ensure the realisation of the film’s objective, she said the foundation has enlisted Meljenstin Nigeria Limited, a renowned Public Relations Consultants, to help recruit a reputable film producer, director, and A-rated African artists, as well as strategic communication and attract brand values for the project.

  The director of the movie project, Mr Okechukwu Ifeanyi, who has more than 50 films to his credit remarked the film will be subtitled in different African languages to engender greater appeal as well as feature some notable African actors and actresses. He said the film would be produced by one of the nation’s experienced producers, Mr. Steve Eboh.

  Managing Director and CEO of Meljenstin, Mrs. Chibuzor Patrick, called on corporate bodies to utilise the opportunity of the film to brand themselves with the project and expose the careless ways Africans treat their eyes, the consequences and solutions.

  She assured that corporate bodies would certainly benefit with the highest level of branding visibility for participating on the laudable project.

Nigeria International Book Fair… boosting the book trade, improving reading culture

"
There is something about the atmosphere when you enter into a bookshop
that encourages you to want to buy and read books, but today the
reverse is the case. Some parents spend lots of money buying movies
than buying books.Once they hear about the latest movie in town, they
will rush to get that movie. Such attention is not being focused on
books. The only books these children see are the textbooks they use in
school. So, how are they going to improve their reading habits?"


EMPOWERING the people through promotion of reading culture and
providing books and other instructional materials for better education
and self-improvement have been at the core of activities of the
Nigeria Book Fair Trust, organiser sof the yearly Nigeria
International Book Fair (NIBF).
Theme of this year’s edition of the fair, The State of
Infrastructural Development in Africa And the Future of the Book
Trade, is designed to further achieve the fair’s objectives.
  At a press briefing recently to announce this year’s fair usually
held at the Multi-purpose Hall of the University of Lagos, Akoka,
Lagos, organisers announced Monday, May 7 through 12, as date for the
weeklong book trade. Apart from providing an exciting opportunity for
tapping from the large Nigerian market, past editions of the fair show
that it is the best venue to find the latest releases in all subjects,
ranging from literature to business and economics, education, and many
others.
   Chairman of NIBF and Managing Director of Ibadan-based University
Press Plc, Mr. Samuel Kolawole, stated that the number of both
exhibitors and visitors has gradually increased over the years, and
tasked book dealers not to miss out on the opportunity to gain
competitive edge. Kolawole added that a lot of programmes has been
lined up during the fair to make it truly stimulating.
  On the yearly international conference to brainstorm on issues in
the book trade, Kolawole stated that stakeholders in the book industry
would be brought together to rub minds on topical issues that bother
on the stability of the industry. “Other crucial issues that threaten
the growth of book industry in Africa will also be discussed during
the fair,” he said.
  The book fair, which is the 11th in the series, will have
participants from countries such as United States of America, United
Kingdom, Turkey, United Arab Emirate, India, Senegal, Cameroon,
Zimbabwe, Botswana, Ghana, among others, said  Kolawole. He reiterated
that there would be buyers and sellers meeting to provide opportunity
for people in the book trade from within and outside the country to
network and do business.
   This year’s fair is in conjunction with African Publishers Network.
Another feature of the fair will be a media workshop to be organised
by Afro-Asian Book Council, together with the sponsorship of
children’s programme, which has also increased.

THE focus of the fair is on the level of infrastructure that Africa
has and how it affects the book trade in the country, especially given
that the world is now a global village, as it relates to books going
into digital format, and even online publishing.
  He argued, “If you want to take advantage of that which you have,
you must look at your infrastructure; what access do we have in
Nigeria? What of the issue of electricity? We are not only looking at
Nigeria, but Africa in particular and see what the state of
infrastructure is so that we can see how to benefit from developments
in the developed world in terms of book trade itself.
  “People would say you cannot look at America and follow them, but
whatever happens there happens in Nigeria. The only way we can move
forward is by accessing the facilities that are on ground in the
country so that we can determine how government can come in and
improve and move the book trade in Africa forward”
  According to Kolawole, NIBF also prides itself as a cultural event
serving to project the country’s literary culture to the wider world
and helping to generate foreign direct investments. The numerous
visitors and participants at the book fair are all considered
potential tourists and investors, but Kolawole said in as much as the
fair attracts foreigners into the country, it was yet to rub off on
local publishers and publishing.
  He noted, “There are a lot of things government can do. They should
have policy on education just like what NIBF is doing; nobody is
monitoring anything. There are more private initiatives than
government policies. For instance, in the tertiary area where there is
high level of publishing activities in the country, if you want to
encourage publishers in the university, you cannot use books without
Nigerians participating. Then, if publishers from outside the country
come and bring books, you can get a lecturer in the country who will
look at the books and domesticate them for Nigeria. Besides, Nigerian
publishers have to be involved, including booksellers and agents. If
that is in place it will improve local publishers. We do not seem to
be bothered about what is going on; that is why they can sit down
abroad and keep sending things to us here”.
   Kolawole urged government to setup a National Book Commission in
the country, stressing that once that is  done, it would go a long way
in developing the book sector. He argued, “When there is a National
Book Commission, there will be development in the sector. The
commission will be concerned with issues relating to books ranging
from authorship, publishing, book selling, and editing among others …”
.


WHEN the Nigeria International Book Fair opens, it will also provide
opportunity for children to see all kinds of books. According to
Kolawole, there is no better opportunity for children to see a large
collection of books in the country today than at the book fair.
  He noted, “In the past when the book trade was well-structured in
Nigeria, parents took their children to bookshops; they had the
benefit of entering a bookshop and seeing an array of books, but now
the children do not know if bookshops exist anymore because the books
are brought to their schools.
  “That is a major problem we are facing in this country. When one is
talking about reading culture, once one gets to the bookshop, one will
even buy more than the books he is looking for. There is something
about the atmosphere when you enter into a bookshop that encourages
you to want to buy and read books, but today the reverse is the case.
Some parents do not even bother; they spend lots of money buying
movies than buying books.
  “Once they hear about the latest movie in town, they will rush to
get that movie. Such attention is not being focused on books. The only
books these children see are the textbooks they use in school. So, how
are they going to improve their reading habits? The book fair is
creating that opportunity for children to come around and see
different kinds of book, ranging from literature books, fiction and
non-fiction books. There is no way a child will come to the book fair
and not be impacted upon positively”.

Echoes Of Revolution In Emema’s A Plague of Gadflies

                                 Emema

Drama

PERHARPS his name may not ring a bell now. But his works in the 80s may still stir the memory about his works, which may still linger on the minds of lovers of television drama.  Paul Emema worked behind the camera, as writer, producer and director of some Nigeria’s tele-dramas among them are Behind the Clouds and Supple Blues.

  In the mid 90s, his name was synonymous with educational offerings like Intended Outcomes, a tele-drama aimed at bringing about positive social re-engineering. It was sponsored by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). Emema doubled as director and producer of the trend-setting I Need to Know television series that ran for eight seasons.

  Against this background, the reading from his book A Plague of Gadflies published last year brings to mind again his contribution to the development of television dramas. It makes use of traditional folklore and oral performance, a satirical statement about a world Emema knows too well. The dramatic impact is structured around the best of African traditions, of a nation plagued by corruption, tottering and on the brink; it’s a nation succumbing to the plague of decadence gnaws at everything.

  Though written as far back as 1993, it captures the trend of events happening in today’s Nigeria, what with the menace of the Boko Haram sect. it also echoes the revolt in other parts of Africa - Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and others. Emema, while holding us individually responsible as active participants, carefully and clearly points out the path of redemption.

  A Plague of Gadflies is set in his native Niger Delta, of a simmering intensity that sends up the resource-rich but poverty-stricken realm of oily corruption.

  According to Emema, “The play is dedicated to the healing of Nigeria and all God’s wounded children in Africa; it satirizes the strange doings in the land of Ovrode in the heart of the Niger Delta. The traditional ruler of Ovrode, Ovie Gideon Ogbighe Okumagba, who bears the alias ‘The Night Fox’, holds court with a special breed of potentates known as the Royal Blood. The corruption of the cosmos by these controllers of economic and political power leads up to the choice of Isaiah Akpojaro as the next Odio-logbo, to wit, the noble Chief Adviser to His Majesty.”

   Emema pointed out that “Corruption is not from the government alone but it is all over the place - from the contractors to the private sector. We, as individuals, should check ourselves. I may have used the traditional setting to express my views but it boils down to looking at ourselves because we all makes up the government”.

 Producer and director of Visual Network, Iloyd Weaver, commended the drive in Emema’s pen that seeks to makes a mark.

   He said, “Emema’s courage should be saluted for giving us an epic-proportion play in this age of minimalist plays. As a big play, A Plague of Gadflies is reminiscent of the vast canvass of the late Ola Rotimi in The Gods Are Not To Blame and Kurunmi. His words are aptly deployed, and the proverbs are a joy to behold. The book deserves to travel far and wide.

  “In the book, Samson Akpojaro, the half-brother of Isaiah, aided by the fiery Ochonogo, leads a handful of freedom fighters who, alongside the entire populace, initiate an uprising that dislodges the regime of corruption. It all comes to a head at the time of the spiritual and ritual festival of peace called Egba. Houses are burnt and the revolting freedom fighters take the offspring of the oppressive gang hostage such that members of the Royal Blood are left with only the clothes they are wearing at the time of the mayhem. The revelation comes over the filthy lucre - the bags of cowries and the parcels of land they collected from Isaiah Akpojaro - members of the Royal Blood never bothered to offer the requisite traditional sacrifice to the ancestors.

  “The 23 years that His Majesty Okumagba had been on the throne of Ovrode comes to such a pass that he pronounces banishment for the Royal Blood thus: “I, Gideon Ogbighe Okumagba – The Night Fox – as I live, and because my noble ancestors watch over my throne night and day, I pronounce your exile to Bini Kingdom until your deaths.”

  Even so, The Night Fox cannot bask in innocence because Edokpe with whom he had sworn to an oath of secrecy reveals that His Majesty also wallowed in corruption because of all the villagers’ farmlands he gave to “our foreigner friends” in exchange for the selfsame bags of cowry.

  “Emema has penned a prophetic play that expands the Niger Delta canvass of oil, blood and gore to encompass such happenings as the stepping-aside episode after the June 12, 1993 annulled election, the recent uprisings in North Africa and the Arab world, etc”.

  For Emema, the moral of his play could be a challenge starring his native country in the face, “the story reveals itself; it is only a matter of time that the little things we do catch up with us”.

Gelede… The Dance Call Of Motherhood

14/1/12

ONE popular festival, apart from Eyo, that holds in Lagos and Republic of Benin, similar to North American festivals of Mardi Gras, is Gelede.

The fesitival, which incorporates dance, arts and music from all parts of Yorubaland, pays tribute to the female creative and mystical power (Iyawa Osoronga).

The celebration has so much meaning to every individual within this sub-culture, allowing each to love and laugh and honour the feminine contribution to Nigeria's rich cultural heritage.

Gelede has a storybook origin that involves a transition from matriarchal into a patriarchal society and targeted to reach out and soothe the anger of mythical mothers and ancestral spirits.

It is believed that the Yoruba woman possesses the secret of life itself with an intimate connection to almost being godlike (Iyawa Osoronga). The celebration is specifically tied to rituals pertaining to the great mother earth, serving to protect and honour women within the community as treasured for their talents and healing powers.

The celebration holds during the rainy season to ensure the land fertility and bumper harvest.

The Yoruba also perform Gelede ritual if there’s epidemic or drought so as to bring succour to the community in time of need.

Speaking with The Guardian, the Baba Egbe, Chief Akinola Akintunde who is in his 40s, said, “the festival is one unique feature that we treasure most in all our daily dealings. It has been in existence before I was born, our parents introduced us into it and we will forever keep the landmark. Its existence in Lagos is over 90 years because our Baba Lashe is over that age.”

He lamented the situation where so many youths have lost touch with their culture because their parents failed to introduce them to the belief system that should guide their activities.

Some of us who were born into it have been encouraging others to come and experience it. What really shies away many, especially the youth is the impression that it is made for the elderly alone, but that is no longer the case. Now, if you enter the shrine, you will see youths, which goes to say that whatever you are doing, you should show your children so that the legacy will not die because if you don’t, when you die, that is the end of it.

“The shrine is open to all and more dominated by the youth now, that is the difference between Gelede and other cultural group. In the Gelede shrine, there is no basic rule. The major rule is that at the front of the shrine, you won’t wear your shoe. It is not restricted to members alone. Any time we are having our nine days prayers, everybody is allowed to come in, unlike other shrines, if you are not initiated you can’t come in, is like a mother that welcomes all children.

“Unlike Eyo festival that is mostly targeted at burial ceremonies, Gelede is a social performance that is open to all without restrictions and with a soft rule.

“You don’t pull your shoes while the masquerade is dancing and we are open to invitation for celebration of any kind that our presence is needed.”

On the response of people to the festival, he said, it is yielding fruits now, as people are becoming conscious of going back to their roots. “The response of people towards the festival has been very positive. Our last festival was with the theme of Let’s join hand to celebrate our culture and preparation is in top gears for next one, which holds in April.”

On why our culture is on the verge of extinction, Akintunde said, “is due to our commitment to other ventures for development. The solution is exposing our children to the beauty of our cultural heritage, which is not the responsibility of the government alone. The parents have a major role to play in all of this.”

Though the government has a role to play in the culture promotion and preservation, Akintunde insists, this seems not to be the case. “Our government, over time, played down on our culture to make money, which to a large extent, is having an adverse effect on us. Before the involvement of the government in Eyo, it had been practiced for a long time. What the government does is to use culture to make money. They are not interested in building anything,” he said.

According to him,“before Gelede festival holds, a particular date is set with male priests notifying the community regarding the festival location and time. Messengers are sent across the community to inform singers, drummers and maskers about the event. Masks are specifically made for the celebration while masks previously used are retouched and embellished with a variety of motifs.”

On the afternoon of Gelede, a priestess will prepare a meal with the hope that the offerings will bring good fortune to the community. The festival begins with a concert held in the market place, lasting all through the night called Efe night. The celebration consists of many masked actors who perform a call to the gods (Falola). The performance also includes an orchestra that keeps the beat for actors, including intricate dance steps and drumming that give rhythm to the dances all done in honour of ‘our mothers’, female ancestors and female orisha (goddesses).”

The Gelede dancers are men, yet represent both men and women in their performance; the dancers are hidden under a costume of brightly coloured fabric composed of borrowed women's head ties, skirts as symbols of the cultural theme, ‘Our Mothers’.

A four or five year-old boy's performance first, older children go next, followed by teenagers and then adult men. The dance always ends when the sun sets, with a special celebrated mask, which closes the festival (Occasions 4). Though the festival ends, the warm spirit of the celebration remains with people throughout the year.

A literary contest of fame, fortune opens_

A new, innovative literary competition, Literary Star Search, has opened for Nigerian writers in the short story category. The star prize is ONE MILLION naira (N1m). The second and third placed writers win three and two hundred thousand naira (N300,000 & N200,000) respectively. The first 25 best stories will be published in a collection to be called Stories Nigeriana.

Also, as part of promoting and rewarding the talent of Nigerian writers, suitable stories from the collection will be entered into such famous international competitions as the Caine and Commonwealth literary prizes at the expense of organisers, Creative Alliance. Moreso, a nationwide reading tour will be packaged to promote writers in the collection, with a view to assisting to publish works they already have.

Organised by Creative Alliance, Literary Star Search is looking for the best short story writers with a view to nurturing, promoting and rewarding them handsomely in an explosive night of literary feast. The competition is also aimed at making real stars out of Nigerian writers that have long remained in the shadows of other stars in other less ennobling areas of the arts in spite of writers’ huge contributions to the nation and world culture.

To apply, writers are to submit a short story on any subject of their choice not more than 3,500 words, with entry fee of three thousand naira (N3,000). They are to enclose a N3,000-worth of bank draft obtainable from any branch of Zenith International Bank Plc nationwide with their entry, and addressed to Creative Alliance. Entries are to be submitted either by hand to 1 Oladosu Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos or mail (not e-mail) through courier service or any NIPOST office across the nation to c/o PO Box 2442 Ikeja, Lagos.

Deadline is March, 2012.

For further information or enquiries, writers are to visit: www.creativeallianceng.com; www.literarystarsearch.blogspot.com; www.creativealliance.blogspot.com.

The Literary Star Search project is powered by Vonds Verticals and Housing Circuit.