13052019 - NSITF: Kokori, Labour tackle Presidency

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38—Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019 OSA MBONU-AMADI 08070524223 osaamadi@yahoo.com Arts, culture contents of tourism – Runsewe Continued from page 30 of NCAC. “He is making more than an impact and pushing the frontiers.” Tourism, he said, is not an industry that should be neglected in any way. Bankole also said that tourism was wrongly tucked under the Ministry of Information because the Federal Government did not consider it to be important. It is time, he said, we took our position and write an open letter to the President, to let him know the importance of tourism in the economics of Nigeria, and that the ministerial position for tourism shouldn’t be given to anybody but a person who has been part and parcel of tourism. Akerri Prosper, representative of Oliver Enwonwu, President of Society of Nigeria Artists: Akerri said for a successful project to excel, it first starts from the vision of one man and then gets supported by so many other people. He went on to say that if a president of the country is not interested in tourism, there won’t be any development in tourism. He expressed his reservations about journalists’ reports of the daily crisis in the country, saying negative report kills and buries the country’s tourism because tourism develops from people outside, not within. Mr. Tarzan Ganiyu Balogun, CEO, Tarzan Boat & Jetty Services He appreciated Otunba Runsewe for his kind gesture in donating 500 live jackets to his company, then went on to stress the need for Otunba Runsewe to be appointed tourism minister. Hajia Bilikisu Abdul, President of Nigeria Association of Tour Operators, NATOP She asked: “How many of us have our country Nigeria at heart? When we tell good stories about our country, we promote our tourism,” she said, urging citizens to love their country. “To make it right in tourism, people need to have their country at heart and stop travelling for pleasure but as tourists. You don’t necessarily have to be a tour operator or be in government (to make a difference). The D-G travelled to Dubai and saw something interesting and nice that he couldn’t hold to himself. Now he is trying to sell it to us. I think if every one of us emulates him, I believe the government would look into this matter.” To the media, Hajia Bilikisu said: “This is the time to sell our country with good news.” John Likita Best He commended the D-G for always leaving a good mark, and urged him to do more. “Tourism is a huge alternative for financing the country. Showing us Dubai is not enough unless we can make a Dubai in Nigeria.” Onifiok O. Ekong Tourism needs law and order to move forward, he argued. “These are little things that matter because a visitor will not condone the disorderliness we condone in his country, especially in the transport sector.” He went on to say that the government is not making good use of our natural tourist attractions, such as Aso Rock, Zuma Rock and Gurara Falls. Alhaji Badaki Aliyu, former National President, Hospitality and Tourism Management Association of Nigeria, HATMAN: “ When the drum is beaten, it brings out a tone whether it is wanted or unwanted we leave it in the hands of the drummer. The Bata, Omele or Agbamole, the story being told is better defined through the steps of the dancer” – Olumide Akande The 10,000-capacity Amphitheatre in Okelewo, Abeokuta, Ogun State, venue for the African Drum Festival is filled to capacity and those in the overflow jostle to have a glimpse of the action taking place on the stage. The stage is glamorous, lit up magnificently and has three other mini platforms from which the drummers can perform. The stage also has two large screens from which the audience receive additional information on the performers introduced by the masters of ceremony who were smartly dressed in white and ash native attires. As the audience waits patiently for the event to kick off, one could tell that many have been through this exciting experience before from the way they comported themselves. The African Drum Festival is an initiative of the Government of Ogun State and has been celebrated since the year 2016 when it first held in the state. Originally dubbed as the Nigerian Drum Festival, it has quickly metamorphosed to African Drums Festival because of the reception and participation it received from other African countries like Benin Republic, Ivory Coast, Uganda, DR Congo and a host of others. This year’s theme is Drumming the Future and it is premised on looking at the potential socioeconomic contribution of Drumming to the future of Africa. Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Governor of Ogun State and the convener of the festival says that for development to be meaningful, the potentialities of culture to spur social and economic emancipation and empowerment of the people must be emphasized. The festival celebration received sponsorships in different forms from corporate bodies and one of such is the sponsorship •Otunba Runsewe and other stakeholders He encouraged the private sector to come together and support the vision of improving •9ice performing at the African Drum Festival from International Breweries via one of its brand, Trophy. Trophy Lager is popularly referred to as the pride of the South-West and widely accepted as the Honourable beer that is deeply rooted in the region’s sociocultural values which explains its sponsorship of the event. Legal and Corporate Affairs Director, International Breweries, Otunba Michael Daramola tourism in Nigeria. “It is the duty of tour operators and tour agencies to put pressure on How Trophy Lager drove the African Drum Festival remarked that “The African Drum Festival is a cultural showpiece which demonstrates our uniqueness, attributes, our rich culture and tradition of the black people. Trophy is a beer that is closely linked with culture and a brand that believes in celebrating life and always rising to the occasion to make connections and bring people together.” We are so honoured to be part of this government to see the importance of tourism,” he said. Andrew Okungbowa, President, Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism, ANJET: He said: “Creative content drives tourism. With the absence of content, we have nothing to entice people with.” Andrew talked about the manner government reacts to crisis and killings in the country, including travel operators. “In our industry, tourists have been kidnapped, and three weeks after, government didn’t make any pronouncement. It was some of us that had to force the government to make a pronouncement.” Otunba Runsewe concluded by thanking everyone for their presence and thoughtful contributions. “There is no country that doesn’t have its own Boko Haram or its own slum. The only strategy of selling any country in the world is through the SWOT analysis and focus on building these tourist facilities in three or four states. international epoch-making event,” he added. It is now 7p.m. and the drumming performances are about to start, but not without the recital of the National Anthem first. The Egbedere Band comprising young boys and girls with an average age of 12 set the ball rolling at the concert. They are smartly dressed for the occasion and they did not disappoint the audience. They got down to their drums and xylophone from which they gave scintillating sounds which drew intermittent applause from the crowd. The highpoint of their performance was the rendition of a cover of Teni the Entertainer’s hit song Case. While the band played, the song’s chorus reverberated from the audience as they sang “My papa no be Dangote or Adeleke but we go dey okay yeah”. The performance of Moyo Black Troupe of Ivory Coast was exceptional. The beats they produced were so good that the crowd sang songs that rhymed with the beats. Showing the crowd their superb knowledge of Nigerian music, they played Abami Eda’s evergreen song Lady. They achieved this feat by combining the beats of drums with the amazing sound of a Saxophone. The audience appreciated their efforts by singing along the refrain “She go say I be lady oh”. The Anambra State Troupe came prepared for the event as they got dignitaries who graced the event dancing. Notably, Sally Mbanefo, a former Director- General of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation danced with so much zeal that she got ovation coming her way from the audience. With the help of two dancers and local flute players, their performance left many in awe. As part of its sponsorship, Trophy organised a music concert which was headlined by two music greats, Pasuma and 9ice whose genres resonate with the culture of the Ogun people. They performed to resounding applause of acceptance and joy for the opportunity to watch both artistes perform.
Vanguard, MONDAY, MAY 13, 2019—39 OSA MBONU-AMADI 08070524223 osaamadi@yahoo.com Omamo Akpo: : The pleasure of a life well lived in Francis Ewherido’s Life Lessons from Mudipapa By Sunny Awhefeada Sometime in the late 1980s, Kole Omotoso, university teacher, writer and newspaper columnist, published Just Before Dawn, a lengthy book which re-frames the Nigerian narrative by subjecting it to imaginative distillation to the extent that the line between history (which thrives on fact) and fiction (which is sustained by imagination) became blurred. The initial response to that book was the question of whether it was history or fiction. However, literary aficionados went to work and located Omotoso’s book in the hybrid genre called faction which is essentially a blend of fact and fiction. Other writers intentionally or unintentionally have had to follow Omotoso’s example. Francis Ewherido’s Life Lessons from Mudipapa poses the same challenge as Omotoso’s book. Although, it is weaned off historical details, the book is replete with real life events, characters, dates and places to the extent that its appropriation of facts is not in doubt. Yet, the book is also sustained by imagination and anticipatory happenings which raise the question of classification as to whether it is fiction or biography or diary? This then is the discursive puzzle that readers and literary commentators will have to contend with as the book gets circulated. Ewherido’s Life Lessons from Mudipapa can be read as a biographical fiction, a marriage cum parenting guide and above all as an inspirational book providing nuggets for a life well lived which is omamo akpo in Urhobo. Among the Urhobo, from whom the author hails, life is akpo and the world is also akpo. Therefore, life and the world in Urhobo not only intersect, but they are inseparable. How a person lives in the world is central to Urhobo metaphysics and ontology. And this is virtually the same the world over. However, the density and depth of value attached to life and the world vary from place to place. The story’s protagonist is Chief Julius Ferdinand Mudiaga Orien, PhD, a retired Accounts Director of a multinational company. Married to EseOghene (with whom he has five children; Tejiri, Emesiri, Mado, Edirin and Omo), he is also a proud grandfather and the nickname, Mudipapa, through which he is identified in the narrative was coined from Mudiaga and Papa by his grandchild, Temi. The story details Mudipapa’s early conflicts regarding the choice of vocation and life partner. After courtship misadventures he, through his elder brother Akpos, meets EseOghene with whom he settles down in matrimony. What follows is matrimonial tension manifested in the engagement of a nanny or house-help, the number of children to be born and the attendant rigour and strain of bringing up children by working class parents in an urban setting like Lagos. These put a strain on the evolving family of Mudipapa and EseOghene. However, the family is able to overcome such challenges through dialogue, complementarities, collaboration, careful planning and prudent deployment of resources. Mudipapa’s changing his job, setting out on his own, and the establishment of St. Michael’s Crèche – which blossoms into O’rien International Schools – reflect deliberate planning, focus and the agenda-setting motions of a purpose-driven family. The education of the children, the problem of juvenile delinquency, indiscretion among the children and the choice of future life partners are to preoccupy Mudipapa and EseOghene and test their parenting skills. The reader encounters Mudipapa in many rewarding and insightful counseling sessions with his children, prospective in-laws, and even friends; on how life, especially marriage, should be lived. Mudipapa’s success can be hinged on two factors, namely; deliberate planning and his commitment to cultivating an intimate relationship with God. Both factors reflect in his character, his choices, his union with his wife, his work ethics and reliance on the timely intervention of The Creator when it is sought. Both factors also reflect in the naming of his children; Oghenetejiri (God is worthy to be worshipped), Emesiri (Good children), Oghenemado (God is the greatest), Edirinverere (Patience has rewards), and Omoghene (Child of God). One after the other, Mudipapa and EseOghene watch their children grow, go to school and marry. The first is that of Tejiri getting married to Tosan, a marriage which foregrounds ethnic harmony between the Urhobo and the Itsekiri. The marriage ceremonies are not only elaborate and splendorous, but they are also meant to project the traditional significance of matrimony. The nuptials of Mudipapa’s children also show signs of conflicts, but his subtle interventions as an experienced husband and marriage counselor help to stir the young families in the right course. He teaches them to focus on understanding marital differences and the meaning of marriage. The story climaxes in a comfortable retirement for Mudipapa and EseOghene with huge investments in real estate, education and stocks in addition to heavy retirement and PENCOM accounts. Life has become blissful. Their five children are also well heeled with stable families. He takes up a part time teaching appointment with a university since, like his father, he has a flair for teaching and has also obtained a doctorate. Even at that age, he sets a new target of becoming a professor. He is also devoting part of his earnings to the service of God and humanity. He is a fulfilled man, but as he looks back and takes stock of his life’s sojourn, he spots a weakness which springs from his inability to ground his children in Urhobo lore and culture. But he consoles himself philosophically, “I guess you can’t have it all or win on all fronts. You simply win some and you lose some.” Life Lesson from Mudipapa makes a good read as it benefits from the author’s formal training in Mass Communication and his practice as a newspaper columnist. The language is simple, lucid and uncluttered; the hallmark of a master storyteller. The book’s narrative style, which is the third person omniscient narrative, gives the reader a broad view of Mudipapa’s life from childhood to the present. There is a strong didactic, even moralistic, bent to the book. The influence of the Bible, the Catholic Church and her teachings confront the reader on every page. This conforms to the moralistic ideal of literature which is to refine the moral tone of society. Periodic authorial intrusions, which the author calls “nuggets,” help to reinforce the didactic import of the narrative in a way similar to an experienced teacher’s handling of classroom lessons. The element of epiphany which manifests in his choice of EseOghene as wife is also religious. Yet, the book also has many humorous episodes that make the reader laugh. The book uses dialogue to give life, spontaneity and sense of immediacy to the events narrated. To give credence to the narrative, the author mentions real names, places as well as incidents and inspirational books and their authors. This factor will endear the book to readers as a reliable guide in life’s journey. The author’s life also intersects with characters, places and incidents in the book. The names Ukani and Akpos, places like Ughelli, Ewu, Ozoro, Osubi, Effurun-Otor, Urhobo College, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, are part of the author’s life’s reality which impinge on the narrative. The many scenes on marriage and youth counseling reflect the author’s engagement as a family interest newspaper columnist and marriage counselor in the church. Mudipapa’s niche for planning, investment and target setting are positive effects of the author as an insurance broker. The book is enriched by a deliberate and unmistakable Urhobo flavor evidenced in Urhobo names, expressions and ethno-philosophy. In spite of its artistic and functional merits, the book has a weakness; which is that life is “too sweet” for Mudipapa as he is not depicted to have grappled with any serious or tragic existential crisis to enable the reader see how he would have responded. Francis Ewherido has come in as “writer as counselor”. Life Lessons from Mudipapa, published by Laddertop Publishers and made up of 31 chapters running into 256 pages, will be useful in a multiplicity of domains; sociology, psychology, literature, marriage counseling, church, education, parenting, mentoring, and more. The book will be very useful in a society grappling with social crises occasioned by a fast paced modernity and socio-economic anemia. The book will help to consolidate the ideals of marriage and family values. The end result will be a stable social order for the society is made up of families and if every family is stable then society will be stable. I recommend it to everybody; the young and the old, not just as Life Lessons from Mudipapa, but as a guide in the journey of life. (Sunny Awhefeada is a Professor of Literature and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Delta State University, Abraka) *Participants at the Career Advancement & Leadership seminar organised by the International Association of African Authors & Scholars, IAAAS held in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. IAAAS harps on leadership development as panacea for Africa’s growth The Executive Director of the United States-based International Association of African Authors and Scholars, IAAAS, Mr. Chinedum Igwe, has said the socio-economic growth and development of the African continent lies in the effective training of leaders who will take up the mantle of leadership that will catapult the continent to the next level of development and nation building. Mr. Igwe made this assertion at the maiden edition of IAAAS Career Advancement and Leadership Skills Seminar held in Port Harcourt, River state, Nigeria. The Nigerian-born, USbased trained author and career/ leadership expert said for Africa to get it right, new crop of leaders who will be selfless, committed and dedicated to the development of various countries in Africa need to be trained and given the right leadership perspective and mentoring that will impact their mindset positively. He emphasized that the training was in partnership with two universities in the USA (Beulah Heights University and University of West Georgia), two great institutions who are ready to accept African students By Elizabeth Uwandu In line with President Buhari’s cardinal agenda of ‘ease of doing business’,The National Library of Nigeria, NLN has launched an app that will enable publishers who apply for the International Standard Book Number and International Standard Serial Number to get the number within 48 hours, even as they have commenced this year’s national readership promotion campaign to promote reading culture. The Chief Librarian/CEO of National Library of Nigeria, Prof. Lenrie Aina, who disclosed this during a press conference in Lagos, stated that the application was developed by staff of the National Library of Nigeria to make it easier for book publishers, authors and other interested persons or organisations to apply for, and obtain international standard numbers(ISSN & ISBN) for their publications within 24 hours, regardless of time and location, without necessarily visiting any of their offices. According to Aina, the Act establishing the National library stipulates that all publications emanating from Nigeria should comply with international standard through the issuance of ISBN for books and ISSN for journals, newspapers and magazines. “Before, if you apply for ISSN or ISBN, it involves a desirous to pursue postgraduate programmes designed to enhance leadership training that will impact on organizational growth and nation-building in Africa. Also speaking at the seminar, Franklin Obiagwu, a member of IAAAS and motivational speaker said the issue of lack of good leadership has been the bane of the African continent. In his presentation, he itemized several factors responsible for poor leadership in the African continent. Amongst the factors he identified were the issues of excessive greed and endemic corruption which have contributed immensely in stunting the growth of the continent. For the upcoming leaders, Franklin Obiagwu said such leaders must be ready to shun corruption and greed, adding that they should embrace the virtue of selfless service and a genuine desire to serve their organization, community and their countries. Aside from organizing seminars and training, IAAAS programmes in Africa also include promoting African authors, book reading and library services. National library develops ISBN, ISSN apps •Commences campaign to promote reading culture process; you come either to the headquarters in Abuja or to any of our branches. We have 27 branches in Nigeria and it takes a minimum of 10 to 30 days before you can get the number. But with this application, all you have to do is go to our website, stay in your offices and you will get the ISSN/ ISBN within 48 hours.” Aina also announced that the National Library of Nigeria has commenced this year’s national readership promotion campaign with the theme: Reviving Moribund Culture of Reading in Nigeria for Sustainable National Development. The campaign which has already commenced in Anambra and Cross River states, will go around all the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory. The campaign will feature reading competitions among secondary and primary schools; book parties in motor parks; advocacy visit to maternity homes to encourage nursing mothers to introduce reading to their children at early age and NLN/NYSC reading forums, a collaboration that will extend the campaign to all the local governments through the corps members. Aina who pointed out the need for more people to cultivate the act of reading said prizes such as books, shelves, computers and reading tablets will be given out to studentparticipants across locations.
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13052019 - NSITF: Kokori, Labour tackle Presidency

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