24 — Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2022
Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2022 — 25 Peter Obi: As tough as nails (2) By CHUKS ILOEGBUNAM From Friday, the piece continues, today, the narrative of the drama that unfolded following news of the impeachment of Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State AS Channels Television showed a few weeks later, the House reconvened in Awka under heavy security cover and the Speaker, Mike Balonwu, moved the motion. In one sentence he said: “Those in favour of the impeachment say Aye and those against say Nay.” But even before his colleagues had a chance to affirm their convictions, he brought his gavel down on his desk with a thud: “The Ayes have it.” Peter Obi stood impeached. Peter left office, parked out of the Government Lodge, and moved to Agulu, his hometown, which was only 25 minutes away. Dame Virgy Etiaba was sworn-in as the Governor. I retained my position as Chief of Staff. Most of the functionaries remained in place and Governor Etiaba ran the State until the courts overturned Peter’s impeachment. Those were momentous days. On February 8, 2007, I got summoned to report in the Governor’s office. With pen and paper in hand, as I was wont to do, I hurried to see Governor Etiaba. I had known her since before the civil war, when we lived in Kano, and I attended the Ibo Union Primary School. Their compound, the home of the Ejimbes, which was symptomatic of upper middleclass, sat next to one of the goal posts of the pitch on which we played football at school. If thirsty, we entered the Ejimbe compound and drank to our fill. They had pipe borne water right inside it. For “ordinary level” people like us, my siblings and I routinely went to the famous Ibo Road to fetch water from pumps at street corners. Sometimes one of our errant balls would fly into the compound and we would race in to retrieve it. I often saw her in those days, an adolescent, but not once did we exchange more than greetings. When she became Deputy Governor, I told her how we used to come drink water in their compound and how, at other times, I accompanied my mother as she attended meetings hosted by Mrs. Ejimbe. While the women deliberated, I and any other kids I found around the school’s pitch played soccer with the kind of ball we called “olumpik.” She remembered those days but could not recollect my face, which was not surprising for we used to invade the place in battalions. To - day, however, the mission w a s stark differe n t . When I entered CHUKS ILOEGBUNAM t h e Governor’s office, there were about seven others inside it, all of them seated, some clutching files, none of them of the Government House personnel. I greeted them. Mrs. Etiaba, a fair- minded but no-nonsense woman, went straight to the point. “Mr. Iloegbunam,” she began. Unlike Peter Obi who addressed me as Oga Chuks or Uncle Chuks, the Dame settled for Mr. Iloegbunam. Standing there, I listened attentively. She said those in her office were members of the panel she had set up to investigate the matter of unlawful encroachment on government property in Onitsha. Of course, I knew the story. Near one of the markets, Onitsha is all markets, anyway, some traders were found digging up the outsides of the market. Asked by metropolitan officials what was going on, they lied that it all had to do with •Peter Obi drainages. But, within a week, brand new buildings had been erected there, ready to be used as stalls and shops. The panel, having investigated the matter, concluded that the structures were illegally erected. They would impede free movement of people and goods. The builders deserved to be prosecuted. Governor Etiaba was indignant about the impunity. “Mr. Iloegbunam,” she said. “Get adequate security and have the structures pulled down tomorrow.” A Governor’s word was law. I contacted Mr. Haruna John, the Anambra State Police Commissioner, on the score. A fine gentleman, I had a great rapport with him. Unfortunately, he died in a helicopter crash in Jos on March 14, 2012. He had, at that time, risen to the position of Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations). We agreed that the demolition exercise would take place in the afternoon. The next morning, I sat in the office doing routine work Peter Obi again went to court, arguing that he was sworn into office for a four-year tenure which hadn’t expired; the courts upheld his case and he returned to office again – until his second term of office expired on March 17, 2014 and looking at the watch. When, before noon, I looked out of my window, I saw a limousine as long as those often seen in Nollywood movies parked just in front of the Governor’s office. I couldn’t believe it. I wondered who permitted the affront. Visitors’ cars were normally parked outside. Even if important visitors were driven right up to the entrance of the Governor’s office, their chauffeurs invariably drove the cars outside until it was time to return and pick their employers. Governor Etiaba was not in the office; she was out on scheduled inspection of road projects. So, who had come in? I asked Mr. Ayo, the Civil Defence man attached to my office, to go find out. Standing in my front he told me it was Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu that came in the car. I thought he wouldn’t come unannounced and that he would invariably be told when the governor would be in the office. I rose to go meet Ojukwu who was well known to me. Midway I saw a protocol officer who said Governor Obi’s impeachment had been overturned and that they were arranging the Executive Chambers for a handover of power back to him. Inside the Executive Chambers, the place was full of officials moving things about. Presently Mrs. Etiaba arrived, dressed in tracksuit, the kind of attire we often used for road inspections. She went into her office. Maybe a phone call had alerted her to the developments. Before long, a speech had been prepared in which the memorable phrase “right now I take the back seat again” was included. The Executive Chambers was full and people, some of whom had hurried in from outside Awka, spilled into the corridors and adjoining rooms. Peter Obi was back in office as Governor, thanks to his proverbial “nine lives” and his indomitable spirit. While he survived, Justice Chuka Okoli was compulsorily retired on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council over the alleged questionable roles he played in the impeachment process. But more hurdles waited along the way. A few months after the impeachment saga, Peter Obi was again forced from office. This was in May 2007, following the swearing-in into office of Mr. Andy Uba as Governor of Anambra State. Peter Obi again went to court, arguing that he was sworn into office for a four-year tenure which hadn’t expired, and which fact meant that the INEC election that pronounced Mr. Uba Governor was invalid. The courts upheld his case and he returned to office again – until his second term of office expired on March 17, 2014. It was not only in matters of the judiciary that Peter Obi proved his resilience. When his administration started, one of the things that bothered him to no end was the low receipts by the State Board of Internal Revenue. People devised ways of evading tax payments. Others paid far less than their incomes should guarantee. But what vexed him the most was the NARTO or National Association of Road Transport Owners. This body had all the motor parks in the Onitsha metropolis under its firm control, collecting revenue on a steady basis without ever paying a dime into the state coffers. Governor Obi thought the situation was untenable. Upon contacting the NARTO officials, he got told that there was no point fishing in troubled waters. They had absolutely no intention of relinquishing their hold on the parks. The Governor invited them to a meeting in his office. They obliged, their head who was called Ezeweruka or something, and two others. It was a strange meeting because there was hardly a discussion, just a monologue by the Ezeweruka guy. There were just the six of us in the Governor’s office, a small affair since we were still using the Deputy Governor’s office while the Governor’s office that was destroyed during the attempted abduction of Governor Ngige was being reconstructed. The NARTO leader looked the Governor in the eye and began, using his index finger to stab the air in all directions, emphasising their position: “Mr. Governor,” he said in Igbo. “I must give it to you straight. No beating about the bush. You see Onitsha? E get as e be. (Onitsha is a peculiar place.) It may not be messed with. There have been governors before you. And there will be governors after you. So, my advice to you is this: steer clear of Onitsha. If there is a legacy you want to leave, focus on it squarely and depart when your time is up. You may want to build a hospital somewhere. It may be your wish to give some local government a new secondary school. Or a clinic! Whatever it pleases you to do for Ndi Anambra, go ahead and do it. But leave Onitsha well alone.” I know Governors who would have been incensed by this kind of insolence, who would have risen and plastered the impertinent fellow’s face with hot slaps, without any repercussions whatsoever. But Peter Obi smiled. There was nothing else to say. He thanked the visitors for showing up. We all rose. The Governor walked the visitors the few steps to the door and bade them farewell. To be concluded •Iloegbunam, an author, wrote via:chuks.iloegbunam@gmail.com •From left: Funmi Arabambi, Faith Michael, Ogochukwu Ejiofor, Mrs. Modupe Ogunlesi, Naomi Oyeniyi and Taiye Erewele during the press briefing at The Content Art Gallery announcing the exhibition. At the background is Bruce Onobrakpeya’s work. Photo: Osa Mbonu-Amadi. Seven female artists painting the world through their lenses By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor WHEN a great female art lover, art promoter, art collector and luxury goods merchant, turns 70, it is not a bad idea to gather young female artists to produce works of art that view the world through female lenses and then make an exhibition of those artworks. That was what inspired the art exhibition titled “Through My Lens” billed for September 24 to October 30, 2022 at The Content Art Gallery, within the Adam&Eve complex, Isaac John Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos. “This year, I am turning 70, and I told Lekan (Onabanjo, artist and the curator) that I think we should have female artists to showcase women. In the first event we organised, we didn’t have females – young females that are enthusiastic – because you have to know that they will stay the course. If they are going to drop off, then their art will hardly worth anything,” Mrs. Modupe Ogunlesi, proprietor of The Content Art Gallery and Adam&Eve, said. Mrs. Ogunlesi said the artworks produced by these female painters will be unveiled on her actual birthday (September 24) under private viewing. The artists whose works for the exhibition have been shortlisted for the event include Taiye Erewele, Naomi Oyeniyi, Funmi Arabambi, Ogochukwu Ejiofor, Faith Michael, Nelly Idagba and Bunmi Oyesanya. Five of the chosen female artists spoke with Vanguard: Faith Michael “I am an accidental artist. I didn’t choose art. Art chose me,” Faith said. She went to the University of Benin to study Library & Information Science but she was mistakenly offered Fine Art. With a painting she titled “Ijeuwa” (life’s journey), she tells the story of her life as a woman. Funmi Arabambi “I explore mostly female figures. I enjoy working with bright and contrasting colors,” Funmi said. She will be bringing 7 works to the exhibition – Monologue, Black, Lost, In Anticipation, etc. She said she uses ‘Monologue’ (a portrait of a woman with a bare back backing the world) “to explore that aspect of life where you need to be alone and think about the way forward in life.” Ogochukwu Ejiofor I am a story teller and a poet. For this exhibition I decided to tell a story about somethings that ladies pass through but lack the courage to talk about.” Ogochukwu said she is exhibiting works in form of a diary that deals with how things affect women, especially the girlchild, and how they deal with those things. She is exhibiting 5 works in Girlchild series (titled Alone, The Thought, Heal Yourself, After the Healing and Face your Fears), all of which centre around the theme, rape. Taiye Erewele “Someone said that the cheapest commodity on earth are opinions,” Taiye said. What fascinates Taiye most are the different things going on in different persons’ heads (opinions). So, in her works she tries to capture these different thoughts going in different minds – “the essence of their personalities.” One of her works is titled ‘A flower in the field’. Naomi Oyeniyi “I am exhibiting 7 art pieces – All hands on deck, Conglomerate, True Friendship and then a series of 4 titled ‘Beyond the eyes’ which focuses on speaking through the eyes – the real eyes and the third eyes.” Lekan Onabanjo, Curator “The artists whose works are featuring in ‘Through My Lens’ have been selected carefully to reflect the dynamism of female creative professions in Nigeria. The theme of the exhibition provided the artists opportunity to share individual’s views on women perspective of life, in general, but using the medium of visual arts. “As the art appreciation space within Ikeja and mainland in general expands, The Content Art Gallery will increase our exhibitions from once a year to twice or more. We should recall how The Content started as just a theme for regular exhibition at Adam&Eve when the art for exhibitions were displayed among the luxury items. But now, those exhibitions have generated enough interests to merit a gallery space to expand the growing art appreciation of the people within Ikeja and beyond,” Lekan said. Tim and Carol Gallery of Art opens in GRA Ikeja Another art space, Tim and Carol Gallery of Art, was formally opened last Saturday in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, at 7a Oba Dosumu Street, off Isaac John. The proprietor of the art gallery is Mr. Wale Fasuyi, son of Pa Timothy Adebanjo Fasuyi, a renowned artist, art teacher and educationist. Although he later became a banker, Mr. Wale said his life revolved around art, his father's profession, hence he is driven by passion in establishing the art gallery. According to him, 90% of the works in the gallery are his personal collections. Initially, he bought artworks for love, and later for investment. He said his major aim is to promote Nigerian art in order to feed the black renaissance and Afrocentrism which which have come into vogue in recent times. On the choice of location, Wale said GRA is the next frontier of growth, and the international airport is close by, which is good for the business.
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