He appealed to Nigerians to stop painting a negative picture of the country.

Tinubu spoke at the inauguration of the newly renovated National Arts Theatre at Iganmu, Lagos.

The renovation of the National Theatre was undertaken by the CBN and the Bankers’ Committee in partnership with the Lagos State Government and Federal Government.

Tinubu renamed the edifice in July 2024 as Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in honour of the Nobel Laureate.

He also urged Nigerians to boldly and proudly project the nation’s image positively and build it together in unity.

Tinubu recalled the beauty of the National Theatre and how it was used to project Nigeria’s rich culture before its degeneration.

He also recalled how the world gathered in the edifice to celebrate FESTAC 77.

The president called for an endowment funding policy for the newly inaugurated complex, promising to be a contributor.

He commended Soyinka whom he described as one of the most talented and creative minds.

The president said Soyinka deserved the monument to be named after him for his contribution to nation building and fight for freedom.

He said he enjoyed the evening celebrating both the nation’s independence and the inauguration in a relaxed atmosphere promoting the nation’s rich culture and heritage.

Tinubu thanked the CBN governor, the Bankers’ Committee and other stakeholders for actualisation of the revamp.

On his part, Central Bank Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, explained efforts that went into the project that was approved by government in 2020.

He praised Tinubu’s vision that transformed the project from restoration into a symbol of national renewal.

“By renaming the National Arts Theatre as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in July 2024, His Excellency charted a bold course to place creativity at the heart of Nigeria’s renaissance,” he said.

Cardoso disclosed that the president directed that the centre must be ready for the historic Independence Day anniversary.

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“He underscored culture’s role not only in preserving our heritage but also in projecting Nigeria’s influence on the global stage.

“Today, the results stand as a testament to that foresight and to the power of purposeful leadership,” he said.

Cardoso said CBN, the Bankers’ Committee, the Lagos State Government, and the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy came together with a shared purpose to deliver the project.

He said the Bankers’ Committee alone committed N68 billion to the project and appealed to Nigerians to take ownership of the edifice.

Cardoso said Nigeria’s creative industries were engines of growth, with the potential to generate billions in annual revenue while creating millions of jobs.

“Yet, beyond economics, culture is about identity, pride, and the very soul of a nation.

“With this restoration, we’re investing in our youth, in our stories, and in Nigeria’s rightful place on the global stage,” he said.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State described the project as the heartbeat of the nation’s costume for development.

Sanwo-Olu said unity held sway 50 years ago in the same hall when Lagos hosted the FESTAC 77.

“It was here that we showed what was possible when culture led the way, when art became the language of unity.

“That same spirit lives here today. This historic festival took place here in this very complex,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu thanked the president for gracing the reopening on the special occasion of the nation’s independence anniversary.

He said the state was proud to be a key stakeholder and a partner in the project and had developed infrastructure, including the Blue Line Metro train with dedicated facility at the theatre.

Source: NAN

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Inspired by the prison notes of Africa’s first Nobel laureate in literature, Wole Soyinka, The Man Died, will be screened on June 15 at the FACETS, 1517 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago at 3.30 pm.

It is the 134-mins (longer) version of the film that will be screened.

Other festivals where the film had featured – across three continents – on its current global tour had screened the shorter (105 mins) version.

After the screening, the director of the film, Awam Amkpa, trained-artist and Professor of Art and Media at the New York University, Abu Dhabi and NY, will have conversation with guests to the screening. This is the exact format adopted at the Luxor International film Festival, LAFF, in January, where it won the “Best Film that treats an important African Issue.”

In its invitation to the producer of the film, Femi Odugbemi of Zuri24 Media, the ADIFF directorate, said it was inviting The Man Died to feature at both its Chicago and Washington DC iterations

Part of the invitation reads: “On behalf of the African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), I am delighted to formally invite “The Man Died,” directed by Awam Amkpa, to screen at both ADIFF Chicago and ADIFF DC.”

The Washington DC screening will hold in August.

Before now, the film has had a great run in the American circuit, having been to the Pan African Film Festival, PAFF, Los Angeles, (February 4-17); Nollywood in Hollywood, California, (February 28-March 1), and African Film Festival Atlanta, (March 13-17 ).

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A promo on the Chicago festival screening published by the directorate of the ADIFF, Artmattan Productions, captures the film’s synopsis as:

“Based on the gripping true story of Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian literary giant who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986. When his principled intervention to halt a burgeoning civil war is twisted into an act of rebellion, he finds himself unjustly incarcerated by the military regime. Inside the confines of his cell, his unwavering ideals are pushed to their breaking point as he fights to maintain his mental fortitude and stay alive… The Man Died is not just a personal story but a universal testament to the enduring power of truth and the necessity of standing up against tyranny. It is a poignant reminder that in the face of oppression, silence is not an option, and the human spirit can never truly be extinguished.”

Established in 1993, the Harlem-based minority-led not-for profit, the ADIFF, “presents, interprets and educates about films that explore the human experience of people of colour all over the world in order to inspire imaginations, disrupt stereotypes and help transform attitudes that perpetuate injustice.”

Other details in the invitation state:

ADIFF Chicago: We are thrilled to offer a screening slot for “The Man Died” at FACETS in Chicago, from June 13th to June 15th, 2024. We believe this powerful film aligns perfectly with ADIFF’s mission to showcase diverse and thought-provoking cinema from Africa and the African diaspora.

ADIFF DC: We are also very pleased to invite “The Man Died” to screen at ADIFF DC, to be held at George Washington University in August… We see a strong potential audience for the film in Washington D.C. and are excited to bring it to this new venue.

Director Attendance (Chicago): We would be particularly honoured to explore the possibility of having the director, Awam Amkpa, attend the ADIFF Chicago screening. His presence, and the potential for a Q&A session with the audience, would significantly enhance the event and provide a valuable opportunity for engagement with the film’s themes.

Written by the renowned United Kingdom-based screenwriter, Bode Asiyanbi, the film stars a coterie of popular names on the Nigerian screen, including Wale Ojo as Wole, the protagonist; Sam Dede as Yisa, Wole’s tormentor and antagonist; Norbert Young (Prison Superintendent), Francis Onwochei (Prison Controller) and Edmond Enaibe (Commissioner); as well as international actors, London-UK-based Christiana Oshunniyi (Laide Soyinka), and Los Angeles, USA-based Abraham Awam-Amkpa (Johnson), among others.

After Chicago, the next port of call for the film will be Europe, where it has been elected a “star attraction” at the 2025 African Theatre Association, AfTA annual conference holding in Stuttgart, Germany in July.

It is also being considered for special screenings at educational institutions in Florence, Italy; Abu Dhabi in the UAE; at New York University, Harvard University, and at Ithaca College, all in the USA; at Oxford University, in the United Kingdom; as well as at the House of World Culture in Berlin, Germany, among others.

This is as it is also being reviewed by at least three major global streaming platforms, and international distribution channels.

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It will be screened twice in Johannesburg, on Wednesday March 12 at Theatre on the Square, Sandton City, 8 p.m.; and on Saturday, March 15 at the Nu Metro Cinema in Hydepark, at 1 p.m.

Same day, Saturday March 15, the film will also be at the African Film Festival, Atlanta, USA, where it will be screened from 3 p.m. at the Cinefest Film Theatre 66 Courtland Street Southeast #262 Atlanta, GA 30303.

Organised by the African Film & Arts Foundation Inc., AFAF, the AFFATL, among other objectives, aims to “magnify and celebrate the visions, voices, lives and stories of people from Africa and the African Diaspora through the lens of film & the arts.”

The current screenings across the seas, are coming on the heels of its outing at the renowned Pan African Film Festival, PAFF, February 4-17 in Los Angeles; and at the famous “Nollywood in Hollywood”, the famous film exhibition project that spotlights Nigerian movies in the heart of Hollywood where it was “Opening Film” held at The Egyptian Theatre, considered one of Hollywood’s most prestigious film exhibition centres.

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The Jo’Burg Film Festival, JFF,  outing is the first time the film will be in the Southern part of Africa, having done two times each in Northern and Western  parts of the continent.

The promo from the directorate of the Jo’Burg Film Festival reads:

Wole Soyinka’s gripping prison memoir comes to life in The Man Died, a powerful autobiographical film that digs into the Nobel Laureate’s harrowing imprisonment without trial under a brutal military regime.

A story of resilience and resistance, the film shows Soyinka’s unwavering defiance against oppression.

Set to screen at the 7th edition of the Joburg Film Festival (March 11-16, 2025), the film has already made waves on the festival circuit, securing multiple awards.

Directed by Awam Amkpa and produced by Femi Odugbemi under Zuri 24 Media, The Man Died boasts a stellar cast featuring Wale Ojo, Sam Dede, Norbert Young, Ropo Ewenla, and Kelechi Udegbe.

The film has earned prestigious accolades, including ‘Best African Film That Tackles an Important African Issue’ at the 14th Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt.

It also won ‘Best Screenplay’ at both the African International Film Festival, AFRIFF, in Lagos and the 35th Carthage International Film Festival in Tunis.

Additionally, it claimed the ‘Best Audience Choice Award’ at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, ENIFF, in Enugu.

Founded in 2019, the Jo’Burg Film Festival, promoted by Multichoice, is one of Africa’s most influential film festival celebrating the best of cinematic works from across the continent.

About 45 films are featuring in the 2025 edition.

The TMD is in competition on the long feature category.

After Atlanta and Jo’Burg, The Man Died is also on the bill for the following outings:

• April 23-May 18 — African and African Diaspora Film Festival (Festival de Cine Africano y de la Diáspora – FeCADA-), Costa Rica.
• May 7-13 — 32nd New York African Film Festival. NYAFF32, New York
• June 13-15 — African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), Chicago, USA
• July 9-12 – African Theatre Association Conference 2025, Stuttgart, Germany (July 11)
• August – African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF), Washington, DC

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This is as it is also slated to be at Luxor International Film Festival, Egypt in January.

According to a schedule released by the organisers of Carthage, the film will be screened at L’Opera Cinema on Sunday, December 15; at ABC on Monday, 16th and at Amilcar on the 17th — to a diverse audi-ence of international festival attendees and the local audiences.

Founded in 1966, Carthage Film Festival (Journées ciné-matographiques de Carthage, or JCC), one of the oldest film festivals in the world, is renowned for attracting large casts of the best of global cinema family.

It is reputed to champion the cause of African and Arab countries and enhancing Global South cinema in general.

Organised by a committee peopled by professionals of the cinema industry, chaired by the Tunisian Ministry of Culture, the festival which began as a biennial, alternating with the Carthage Theatre Festival, became an annual event in 2014.

Its main prize is the Golden Tanit named after the Carthaginian goddess Tanit.

The 2024 festival is directed by Sonia Chamkhi, who has been on the seat since 2022.

Though yet to be officially released to the market, The Man Died, which since its “special-premiere” in July in Lagos to mark the Nobel laureate dramatist, poet, essayist and human/civil rights activist, Soyinka’s 90th birthday, has already won two awards – Best Screenplay Award at the 2024 African International Film Festival, AFRIFF, (No-vember) and; Best Audience Choice Award at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, ENIFF.

Written by London-United Kingdom-based Bode Asiyanbi, directed by New York-US and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based Awam Amkpa and produced by Lagos, Nigeria-based Femi Odugbemi for Zuri24 Media, The Man Died stars a coterie of renowned names on the Nigerian screen, including Wale Ojo as Wole, Sam Dede as Yisa, Norbert Young (Prison Superintendent), Francis Onwochei (Prison Controller and Edmund Enaibe as Commissioner; and international actors, London-UK-based Christiana Oshunniyi (Laide Soyinka), and Los Angeles, USA-based Abraham Awam-Amkpa (Johnson), among others.

The film, continues to garner global critical acclaims, and is already programmed for Luxor International film Festival, Egypt in January; Jo’Burg Film Festival, SA (February); African Film Festival, New York, US (March), and FESPACO in Burkina Faso (March), among others.

This is as it is also being reviewed by at least three major global streaming platforms, and international distribution channels.

It is being considered for special screenings at educational institutions in Florence, Italy; Abu Dhabi in the UAE; Jo’Burg, South Africa as well at Harvard University, Oxford University, and at Ithaca College, all in the USA, among others.

The film began its global tour in London in July as part of the Wole Soyinka at 90 celebration jointly organized and hosted by the Africa Centre and the Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange, WSICE.

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It returned to same London in October as part of the African Film Festival, and also had an educational screening at the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

It was screened on October 11 on the ‘Accra Streamfest’ bill of the “Labone Dialogues”, hosted by New York Uni-versity, NYU Accra.

The film has also had a series of home runs including on October 5 at the Quramo Festival of Words, QFest 2024, Lagos; and the Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF on November 14.

Produced by Zuri 24 Media, The Man Died, according to the synopsis on its website — www.themandiedmovie.com — is the story of Wole Soyinka’s 27 months incarceration by the Nigerian government in 1967 at the cusp of the civil war.

He was famously seeking a truce between Biafra and the Federal Government to allow time for a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

It is fundamentally a personal account.

Essentially, the subject found refuge from the brutality inflicted upon him by retreating into and living within his own mind.

At times, he drifted about the frontiers of madness, hanging on to himself by a thread.

At other times, he pondered, listened, and watched, like only the truly otherwise unoccupied can.

Importantly, he managed to scrounge paper and a pencil from time to time and record his journey of “motionlessness.”

The director of the film, an actor, playwright, director of stage plays, films and curator of visual arts, Awam Amkpa is a Nigerian-American professor of drama, film, and social and cultural analysis at the New York University in New York and Abu Dhabi.

Author of Theatre and Postcolonial Desires (Routledge, 2003), Awam is director of film documentaries and curator of photographic exhibitions and film festivals.

He has also written several articles on representations in Africa and its diasporas, representations, and modernisms in theater, postcolonial theater, and Black Atlantic films.

The producer, an accomplished storyteller, content producer, filmmaker, and media scholar, Femi Odugbemi is the Founder/CEO of Zuri24 Media Lagos, producers of the film.

His screen credits over 25 years in the creative industries span feature films, multiple drama TV series and documentaries.

He was one of the founding producers of the daily soap opera, Tinsel, as well as Executive Producer of several popular TV soap operas, including Battleground; Brethren; Movement JAPA, and Covenant, among others.

Also, producer of several award-winning documentaries and feature films, Odugbemi is Co-Founder/Executive Director of the IREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival Lagos and a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit (Proverbs 26: 4 – 5).

Once again, the media is agog with allegations of assault on freedom of speech. In this age of Citizen Journalism, such an assault, real or imagined, is also seen as an assault on journalists and press freedom, even when many of those involved may not be professional journalists in the real sense of the word. In this age of social media, it has become very difficult to define who is a journalist and who is not.

Even when those involved can lay claim to having seen the four walls of a media organisation or having conducted interviews or read news on television and radio, quackery, half-baked as well as fake journalists are a headache to dyed-in-the-wool journalists these days.

Everyone who has an android phone and can string one or two sentences together, however poorly constructed, can claim to be a journalist. This was the kind of bastardisation of “Socialism” in their own days that made Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels recoil from calling their manifesto “The Socialist Manifesto”, naming it “The Communist Manifesto” instead.

When I consider some of the persons who parade as journalists these days, biblical Nabal’s words echo in my ears as apprentices (for those of them who even ventured near a media house) who graduate themselves before their due date for “freedom”. Nabal’s exact words: “There be servants now a days that break away every man from his master…”; but we all must carry the can for them!

Many of the acts that trigger so-called assaults on press freedom are the unprofessional conduct (overzealousness, political partisanship, quackery and corruption) of desperate journalists and their Citizen Journalism counterparts. I am yet to see dyed-in-the-wool journalists of my own generation or those before and after making the egregious errors that viciously violate the ethics of the profession!

Now, what is press freedom? According to Wikipedia, “Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exercised freely”. Other definitions say press freedom is “the right of newspapers, magazines, etc., to report news without being controlled by the government”. Thus, press freedom “protects the right to spread thoughts, ideas, news and views by publishing them”.

While press freedom may be seen by many as freedom allowed exclusively to journalists or media persons but exercised on behalf and in the interest of all, freedom of speech and of expression is more omnibus as it bestows rights on everyone and these include “the right to hold opinions and to express them and the right to the free flow of information and ideas across borders through any media”.

Section 39 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution (as amended) guarantees the freedom of expression as follows: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impact ideas and information without interference”.

Unknown to many, however, there are no freedoms or liberties without obligations or restrictions. Your freedom must be exercised responsibly; otherwise, you may run yourself into trouble or the society itself may become ungovernable – like a Hobbesian “state of nature… of the war of all against all”! Your rights stop where those of others start! This is where many people, especially those not grounded in the ethics of the journalism profession, miss it.

Many people “practise” as journalists today without proper training. You cannot just don the wig and gown and walk into a courtroom and begin to operate as a lawyer without first acquiring the requisite training. So also can you not just hang a stethoscope and don a lab coat and saunter into a hospital and begin to perform surgical operation! But that is what many people who claim to be “journalists” do today!

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You are not a journalist simply because you are a lawyer; you have a flair for writing; you love the profession or you have a mastery of the English Language! There are basic rules, tenets, and ethics of the profession that you must first learn. And you must take your time to be really “cooked”, as it were. Many of the cases that have landed some so-called journalists in trouble are as a result of the elementary rules that they never learned, such as: Is it the truth? Am I being fair to all? Have I acted professionally?  Am I not serving or being used by vested interests? Is the story libelous? Will it run my organisation into trouble?

But my suspicion is, in the final analysis, both the super dog (Afe) and the under dog (Farotimi) will gain something while also losing something. Street sympathy and support for the underdog and pyrrhic victory for the super dog!

A reporter is as good as his source; facts are sacred, opinion is free; if in doubt, leave out; you must hear from the other side(s) to balance your story; the 4 W’s (what, when, where, why) and how of the story. Is it in the public interest? Does it endanger national security? Does it offend public or ethical sensibilities? These days, none of these count for those intent on settling scores; who are making skits to make money; who are hunting down political opponents or who want to write and publish just anything to make some dough to make ends meet.

If you are interested in the Journalism profession, there is no offence! Go to school and learn! There are many universities, polytechnics and monotechnics teaching Mass Communication or Journalism courses all over the country. For the professional journalists practising according to laid down rules and regulations, faithfully abiding by the ethics of the profession; they have enough constitutional backing and protection.

It is not for fun that they are called “the Fourth Estate of the Realm”; the three other estates being the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. Chapter 2 section 22 of the Constitution entitled “Obligation of the mass media” states that “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people”.

In short, the media is empowered by the Constitution, the highest law of the land, to hold the Government accountable to the people. Which is why the media is also called the “watchdog”. There is also the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011 which seeks to make public information more accessible to the public by granting access to such information to the media and other interested persons.

Section 39 of the Constitution protects Citizen Journalists who operate largely on social media – but there are also rules moderating that space and you ignore them at your own peril. For instance, there is a law that criminalises what they call cyberbullying.

Yes, none of the laws that protects is as emphatic as the First Amendment to the United States Constitution which states unequivocally that “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press”; the real problem here, however, is that even the existing constitutional provisions protecting and promoting press freedom or freedom of expression are observed more in their breach than in their observance. The FOI is a case in point.

If we have here leaders like the third US President Thomas Jefferson, the laws in our statute books are more than adequate to guarantee press freedom and freedom of expression. Jefferson it was who said: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter” Yet, this was a man the American media gave no breathing space!

Now, recent assault on publicly-outspoken Nigerians, among them journalists, has raised concern as to whether press freedom and freedom of expression are under attack. Are these assaults consistent and systematic? And for what purpose? Are the victims carefully selected? Are they those who speak out against the Government and is the assault meant primarily to punish, pulverize and silence them as well as intimidate others in the clear and unambiguous message the assaults send?

For me, it is too early to jump into that conclusion. There are many journalists and outspoken individuals pouring venom on this Government – but doing so professionally and fantastically – and they have not been touched. Which is where professionalism comes into play!

No one in his right senses will say that anyone that commits an offence should not be called in. What I disapprove of is the crude, Gestapo style often adopted by the security forces. Abductions and uncivil rendition of citizens, denying responsibility afterwards while keeping the victims in solitary confinement, is not only dangerous and worrisome but also barbaric. To make matters worse is the fact that they are then released after public outcry without anything incriminating being found against them!

Why arrest them in the first place? If you have suspicions or questions to ask, invite them, interrogate them in the presence of their lawyers, treat them decently, keep within the confines of the law and allow courts of competent jurisdiction to do their job. Security agents should not dabble in civil matters or constitute themselves into courts – which they are not. Instead, let the aggrieved go to court to seek redress. That was what Femi Okunnu did with Wole Soyinka in 1978 over his book “The Man Died”.

In the specific case of Chief Afe Babalola versus Dele Farotimi, I am of the opinion that the Chief has the right to complain and seek redress, although I think by now we should have distanced ourselves from colonial-era laws of sedition and defamation used by Imperial Britain to cower Nigerian nationalists in their struggle for Independence. Note that Chief Afe’s grouse, like Okunnu’s, originates from the puɓlication of a book by Farotimi.

By now my readers must have accepted the fact that I love quoting scriptures – like the one that opened this discussion! Consider another: Apostle Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 6: 12 that “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful unto me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

I never heard of Farotimi’s book until Chief Afe’s complaint engendered Farotimi’s arrest and detention. Now, the Chief has unwittingly helped to promote Farotimi and his book. Should the Chief have kept quiet and ignored Farotimi and his book, including whatever it contains? If he does, silence can be taken to mean consent.

Yet, there is another saying that there are occasions when silence is golden! Which, then, is which, in this case? Answer a fool; do not answer a fool as stated in the quotation above! Tough decisions! But the Chief has chosen the path of seeking redress. Much thought and deliberation must have gone into that decision. With his pedigree, age and wealth of experience, the Chief is not likely to take critical decisions without having considered the pros and cons.

The petition Chief Afe Babalola fired to the police was self-evident. His credentials as espoused therein were intimidating. There is no doubt he is a highly revered public figure and role model. If he chooses not to allow the achievements of a life-time to go up in flames, no one should grudge him. The catch here, however, is that being a public fugure and role model makes him a subject of public interest. His life is an open book for all to peruse.

On the opposing side, Farotimi has said he is ready for the legal battle of his life. If you ask me, I will say he has  more than Mount Everest to climb! The allegations he levied are so weighty and whichever of the two sides that fails to prove its case must be visited with the severest sanction possible. More than Afe or Farotimi, the judiciary that is on trial in this case is touted as “the last hope of the common man” and if gold rusts, what will iron do?

Perhaps this case will settle more than the Farotimi issue. I once listened to a very senior SAN also grumble about the Chief. Is this another Tan’fe-a-ni or pull him down syndrome at work? That is understandable: A kii moo rin ki ori ma ji. No how, no do: the head must shake on the neck! No one achieves anything without stepping on toes.

But my suspicion is, in the final analysis, both the super dog (Afe) and the under dog (Farotimi) will gain something while also losing something. Street sympathy and support for the underdog and pyrrhic victory for the super dog! So, let the battle be joined and let scores be settled once and for all! Let anyone with an axe to grind come into the open now – or forever keep their peace! And allow Chief Afe Babalola his well-deserved place in history!

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

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The media has been under intense searchlight since the last general elections. In particular, there has been a lot of conversation around the performance of journalists pre and post elections. The latest being the reaction of Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, to the one and half hour interview he granted Channels Television.

Prof. Wole Soyinka accused the media of engaging in  selective editing and dissemination. He also accused them of taking part of his interview out of context and some parts, sliced into new ones.

Soyinka, in a statement titled “Media Responsibility,” on Tuesday, spoke about the critical responsibility of the media in transmitting the spoken, even recorded word to the public, saying this was especially crucial in a time of civic uncertainty. According to him, when remarks are taken out of context, distortions become stamped on public receptivity, and the central intent of one’s remarks becomes completely unrecognisable. I agree.

What particularly impresses me about the MIP is its capacity to expose journalists to real life-case studies that can birth innovative ideas.

Situations like these bring to fore afresh the need for training and retraining of the custodians of what some prefer to describe as either the fourth estate or the fourth branch of government. While the fourth estate connotes independence from government, the fourth branch refers to media’s control by the government. But generally speaking,  people love to describe the media as the fourth estate of the realm. I guess the conclusion on where the Nigerian media stands today will depend on which medium is being scrutinized and who is doing the scrutiny.

Suffice to say that media houses have been randomly accused of taking sides with political parties with journalists openly routing for candidates on social media platforms in the last general election. I recall reading a comment on the wall of one of such journalists. The commenter had asked the journalist how he could provide  fair reportage for all the presidential candidates since he was openly canvassing for one of them. His response was that when he gets to the newsroom, he would be objective but outside, he has a right to publicly express himself. How I wish it is that simple especially in a country where journalists are not only poorly remunerated but hardly get the little pittance that is officially theirs in terms of salaries, thus making many depend on handouts from questionable sources.

How many Nigerian journalists for example can confront their leaders as Fox News’ Host Neil Cavuto did to ex -President Trump? Cavuto told Trump to his face that journalists don’t work to please either him or anybody in power. His words: “Well first of all Mr President, we don’t work for you, I don’t work for you. My job is to cover you, not fawn over you or rip you, just report on you – to call balls and strikes on you, my job, Mr President – our job here is to keep the score, it’s not to settle scores. Now in my case to report the economic numbers when they are good and when they are bad, when the markets are soaring and when they are tumbling, when trade talks look like they are coming together and when they look like they are falling apart. It is called being fair and balanced, Mr President. Yet, it is fair to say you are not a fan when that balance includes stuff you don’t like to hear or fact you don’t like to have questioned.” Some could argue that Cavuto’s statement was probably a product of his  personal disposition towards Trump.  It is possible. Nevertheless, it is daring.

The ideal thing in journalism practice is for journalists to be objective and present the facts as they are whether or not they like or agree with those facts. This notwithstanding, there are scholars that think total objectivity is a mirage even among journalists with the best of intent, so they settle for subjective objectivity. The reason is very simple. Human beings are naturally ruled by their biases. Fortunately, news reports have definite ingredients. They must be fact-based, accurate, balanced, measurable and observable, which means a journalist should ordinarily not be found fabricating stories or news reports. But is this always the case?

As an observer, I have seen journalists turn the engine of political mischief- some do this unknowingly because some of the so-called misinformation and fake news originate from trusted official sources. While the situation on social media is understandably pathetic due to lack of control, gatekeepers in some mainstream media have been compromised so they are no longer keeping the gate well. So, Neil Cavuto’s notion of journalists keeping the score and not settling the scores is still a tall order for many Nigerian journalists. These days, many journo -political analysts are just settling scores as they like. Objectivity has taken a moral flight.

In fairness to some of these journalists, things are beyond their control. They work for media owners running for political positions. And it has been long established that media contents are more often than not determined by those in control of economic and political power in any society.

According to the United Nations, Journalism is one of the most dangerous professions in the world. It is also one of the toughest. Some say it is hungry work. Apart from the job hazards, its demands are tough. No wonder journalism students these days don’t want to practice. The other time, I was invited to mentor some undergrads in journalism school, none of them was interested in journalism as a career.

This is likely to grow worse unless deliberate attempts are made to place appropriate value on  journalism and journalists. One of the ways of doing this is by encouraging and putting emphasis on training and retraining. A laudable  example in this regard is MTN’s Media Innovation Programme (MIP) specifically packaged for journalists across the entire spectrum of print, electronic and social media. The MIP, launched in 2022, is designed to help journalists build capacity at both professional and business levels. It  is a six-month certificate course run by the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University.  Fellows also go to the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa for a study-trip as part of the programme.

READ ALSO: Before Nigeria shuts down, By Olabisi Deji-Folutile

The course, I learnt, is aimed at giving participants a greater understanding of Nigeria’s technology sector and the nexus between media and technology. It is expected to help them to adapt to changing realities. With access to shared resources such as technology and expertise, participants would be able to experiment with new formats, technologies, and storytelling techniques thus pushing the boundaries of what is possible in journalism. Fellows will also have access to professional resources and mentorship from the SMC faculty.

The telecoms firm recognised a skill gap between young Nigerian journalists and their global counterparts on the professional and ethical use of advanced digital tools and resources and it moved to close the gaps. Twenty journalists benefitted from the scheme last year. And this year, it is training another 20 journalists. The focus is on the need for journalists to understand the technical know-how of cutting-edge digital tools and systems that can engender skilled reportage and professional career advancement.

Participants are expected to gain a full understanding of the 5G technology and its importance in the areas of content creation, distribution, and consumption. The 5G technology has been projected to deliver $13.2 trillion in global economic value by 2035 while generating over 22 million jobs in the 5G global value chain alone. If properly harnessed, 5G technology is expected to transform the way journalists work and deliver news to their audiences. According to MTN, it is critical to encourage the adoption of new technology to push journalistic excellence in Africa as it strives to further improve network infrastructure required for media practitioners and organisations to expand their reach.

I know that this kind of initiative will be quite expensive, but we surely need more of it in transforming media practice in Nigeria.

What particularly impresses me about the MIP is its capacity to expose journalists to real life-case studies that can birth innovative ideas. Aside helping with the quality of reportage, I see it as an empowerment scheme that can equip these journalists with the required knowledge and skills they need to thrive financially as individuals in a rapidly changing media environment. Schemes like this can help journalists grow their own businesses and boost their economic growth.

I know that this kind of initiative will be quite expensive, but we surely need more of it in transforming media practice in Nigeria. For instance, journalists need to be trained on how to use social media and how they should conduct themselves in this arena. A lot of media organisations in Nigeria don’t yet have a social media policy. If they did, some of the things that happened during the elections wouldn’t have happened.

The society should be much more involved in helping the media carry out its social responsibility functions. The Poynter Institute in Florida, United States brings journalists from across the world to the United States every year to train them on how to do their work to serve the society better. I am a proud fellow of this institute. We need to do more of this for Nigerian journalists. Invariably, the quality of  media practitioners will have a direct impact on the quality of governance and development in Nigeria .The country needs a credible media for the good of everyone.

*Olabisi Deji-Folutile (PhD) is the editor-in-chief of Franktalknow.com and Director, Operations at AF24NEWS.COM. Email bisideji@yahoo.co.uk

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When you clock 60 years just like Jahman Oladejo Anikulapo, actor, art connoisseur, culture activist, journalist and man-of-the-people, it calls for celebration and thanksgiving. It’s Jahman’s Diamond Jubilee and you know what, 60 years looks so good on him and he is wearing it graciously – like his trademark “adire” outfits, reminding one of his stage production costumes.

COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc, claiming over 6 million lives globally since 2020. Clocking 60 years is therefore a rare gift and every day that we live is a bonus. Nigeria’s current life expectancy is 55.75 years, up from 53 years in 2020, according to World Bank sources.

Under the mentorship of late Prof Dapo Adelugba (1939 – 2014), theatre critic and playwright at the University of Ibadan where he was director of the university’s theatre troupe, Jahman was encouraged to write reviews of plays and films regularly which clearly influenced his career as a journalist.

On the occasion of his 60^th birthday, it gives me great pleasure to nickname him as “Nigeria’s culture ambassador”.

Jahman always knew what he wanted to be right from his undergraduate days at the University of Ibadan: an advocate for the art and culture community and defender of the public interest. It was his own way of expressing himself and achieving a higher purpose in life.

The intersection of art and society fascinates Jahman during panel discussions. It is why he uses his prodigious intellect to explore diverse art and culture themes for robust enagements. For example, music and visual arts have enabled a thriving cultural diplomacy across borders for the creative industry with bountiful harvests.

But on the flip side of the same coin, Jahman wants practitioners in the art and culture sector to be the voices of oppressed people, fighting for their rights and insisting on a better society where government is held accountable. Is Jahman a rebel with a cause?

Through writing, television appearances, seminars, conferences and festivals, our “birthday boy” continues to communicate the values of a decent society in the midst of contrived chaos around us.

Going into the general election season, Jahman is clearly not impressed with our political leaders and their shenanigans. He believes strongly that nothing will change because politicians are selfish people who have only one goal in mind: primitive accumulation of wealth.

In speaking truth to power, Jahman is always fearless in much the same way as his mentor, Prof Wole Soyinka. Jahman has shared an enduring relationship with the Nobel Laureate over many seasons. Like Prof Soyinka, he cannot stand people who are not true to their convictions.

Jahman also expresses himself fully in directing, dramatic theories and literary criticisms. Having bagged a degree in Theatre Arts, this should not come as a surprise. He has performed in several plays and acted in Tade Ogidan’s film, Hostages.

He could easily have continued on that path as an actor but he opted to be a journalist after his encounter with another mentor, Ben Tomoloju, who had moved from The Punch to The Guardian and established the only Art Desk of any newspaper in Nigeria at the time.

That was how our “birthday boy” joined The Guardian as a news reporter, rising through the ranks to become Art Editor, Deputy Editor and Editor of The Guardian on Sunday at Rutam House. Jahman spent close to 29 years at The Guardian before retiring in January 2013 when he was 50 years old. His birthday is January 16.

Since then, Jahman has been promoting and directing art and culture events with a busy schedule. If he is not directing a shoot or screening a film, you can be sure he is at a panel discussion or anchoring a programme.

Whether it is the Culture Advocates Caucus where he has been programme director since 2009 or the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) which he chairs or the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) which he founded in 1999, Jahman is permanently in work mode. He also finds time to teach young European students media arts and culture.

His combined roles in culture advocacy groups cut across literature, film, theatre, visual arts and music, and he uses every opportunity to promote cultural diversity. Over the years, Jahman drew artistic inspiration from a distinguished list of academics, scholars and theatre practitioners who are fond of him. They include Professor Femi Osofisan, Professor Toyin Falola, Professor Duro Oni, Professor Tunde Babawale, Benson Idonije, Odia Ofeimun, Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett and Newton Jibunoh.

Jahman’s role as a mentor is widely acknowledged and his mentees are forever grateful to him. “Jahman Anikulapo is a great man who sees greatness in people, and then goes out of his way to ensure that his mentees achieve their goals,” says Armsfree Ajanaku, Programmes and Communications Manager, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education and journalist who also worked at The Guardian with Jahman.

“He is an energetic mentor,” Armsfree adds. Jahman gave Armsfree the opportunity to cut his teeth in journalism as an undergraduate. Award-winning investigative reporter, Fisayo Soyombo, tells the same story, praising Jahman for his excellent mentorship.

Andrew Okungbowa who also worked at The Guardian says Jahman is highly regarded because of his immense contribution to art and culture journalism. “He is well connected, yet he is humble and shy from claiming the podium,” Okungbowa, Culture and Tourism Editor of the New Telegraph, says in admiration of the birthday celebrant.

In Jahman’s art and culture corner, you will also find contemporaries such as Toyin Akinosho, his long-time friend who is a geologist, journalist and publisher of Africa Oil & Gas Report; Femi Odugbemi, writer, film maker and television producer; Dr Shaibu Husseini, journalist, culture administrator and film curator.

We also have Dr Yinka Oyegbile, journalist, academic and author; Dr Wale Okediran, medical doctor, author and secretary general, Pan African Writers Association (PAWA); Awam Amkpa, Global Professor of Arts, Fisch School, New York University, New York, and Dean of Arts and Humanities at NYU, Abu Dhabi; Olu Ajayi, visual artist, Toni Kan, author, journalist and PR consultant and so on.

I have known Jahman for close to three decades and we relate as brothers. He is reliable and dependable. When I wanted to float Naija Times, our online newspaper in 2020, I contacted Jahman and dragged him out of his self-imposed “retirement” from journalism. Once Jahman agrees to work on a project, his commitment is total. I can attest to his humility, hard work and resourcefulness.

Although lashing out at sloppy reporters is a way of life for Jahman, he also cares for their well-being because he believes in the humanity that spreads success and happiness.

Jahman was the one who took on the responsibility of recruiting the team and creating the different sections of Naija Times in line with the strategic positioning of the newspaper: Journalism in the service of society.

When I contacted Professor Darren Kew, an American and Director of the Centre of Peace, Democracy and Development of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA, to reflect on his relationship with Jahman, he told me Jahman is the elder brother he always wanted to have.

“Jahman is larger than life,” says Professor Darren, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Naija Times, in a glowing tribute.

“He is like one of the archetypical characters he plays on stage except that he is real: full of energy and enthusiasm, charismatic, and a powerful intellect that is only surpassed by the his love for people around him,” he continues.

“Like a director, he works behind the scenes, helping people left and right, opening doors when they need them, applauding when they do well, and taking them out for pounded yam, palm wine and good music when their spirits are down.

“He holds great influence, but you will never know it if you see him, since he won’t talk about his efforts unless you ask him, and he will always downplay his own role. He is always in his car working, so you are lucky to catch him when you do.

“But when you do meet him, he will smile and make you feel like an Oba (King), make you laugh and share good ideas to help you solve your problems. He will call you brother and even tell this ‘oyinbo’ that he is ‘Omowale’, and remind you that all of our efforts to do some good in this world are not in vain.

Jahman’s son, Oluwaseunrere who was also born in January, told me his father treats everyone around him with respect, care and love. “My dad is a great man and he cares for his family in a special way,” Seun says.

“I can never repay his many kindnesses and friendship, but if someone will teach me the talking drum, I will sing his praises.”

Family and friends continuously sing Jahman’s praises because he is a great mind and good man. For all his outstanding service in the arts and culture community, Jahman deserves national recognition. But I know he is not craving for one neither is he looking forward to such honour because he will reject it. On the occasion of his 60^th birthday, it gives me great pleasure to nickname him as “Nigeria’s culture ambassador”.

Jahman’s son, Oluwaseunrere who was also born in January, told me his father treats everyone around him with respect, care and love. “My dad is a great man and he cares for his family in a special way,” Seun says. “He does not give up easily on any assignment, no matter how challenging.”

Seun is a graduate of computer science but he wants to become a cyber-security expert. His sister, Toluwalase, is based in Germany and they are excited to see their father move up to the sixth floor of his life.

Congratulations Jahman on your Diamond Jubilee. May your days be long!

*Ehi Braimah is a public relations strategist and publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times.

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In the distant past, you wouldn’t talk about Chinua Achebe without instant reference to his mountaintop novel, Things fall apart. He was inseparable from his literary creature that outstripped its creator. But Achebe was lucky: he was spared the tragedy of bringing forth a monster which would fatally prey on its Frankenstein god. Achebe’s own genie was genial. Upon escape from the bottle-cage, it gave the illustrious novelist a new identity tag: Africa’s foremost storyteller.

However, 2012 would deliver another lingering literary lease to this great man of letters. He wrote There was a country: a personal history of Biafra. More than five decades had passed to serve as a hiatus between the book of Achebe’s youth and the new product of his advanced age. Both were mileposts, the one his first published novel (1958), and the other his last huge work before his death in 2013.

Things fall apart adumbrates a system (community) collapse, whereas There was a country mourns the arrival of the foretold decadence and disintegration.

But when on November 16, 2022, the world quietly observed the eminent raconteur’s 92nd posthumous birthday, we were all drawn to his latter-day effort rather than to the one that lionized him. Why?

Things fall apart adumbrates a system (community) collapse, whereas There was a country mourns the arrival of the foretold decadence and disintegration. Man is given to concerns about the now and how he can step on it to launch into a tomorrow unaffected by a deleterious yesterday. True, he needs to know what led him to the now, so he can disallow old pitfalls surfacing again. Yet, man must understand more of his present and work on it to enable him shape a future close to nirvana, a future defeating its own deadly past.

That’s what many compatriots salute Achebe for in There was a country. He writes of the past, the present and the future. Of the past, he sees a near-perfect Nigeria that enabled him script a bestseller at 28. There was a country that saw Achebe work at the old Radio Nigeria at Ikoyi, Lagos, in a senior position. Here, in this non-nepotistic country, he later became the Director of External Broadcasting. There was a Nigeria that put Achebe in the company of other Nigerians from the north, east, west and south, with none looking over his shoulder to see if a dagger-wielding figure was lurking in the shadows. There was also a country that took the Anambra State Ogidi-born Achebe to the University of College of Ibadan in the old Western Nigeria, where, as he studied the Liberal Arts after dropping Medicine, he beheld the progressive socioeconomic and political developments of the Action Group administration under Obafemi Awolowo. There was a country that blissfully enjoyed a centrifugal federal order where the regions were lifted to great heights because they didn’t take orders from some lordly central government. There was a country where the talking point wasn’t our fault lines that might lead to the creation of other destabilizing cracks. By the way, in that country, were there such open or concealed cleavages which held us down as they do today?

READ ALSO: 2023 poll and lessons from the masters of journalism

Now, there arose another country that deposed the ‘ideal’ one Achebe met. Here, the soldiers were at work. Dismantling the structures on the ground that had admirably nurtured the land to place her on the path heading for a golden future, the men in boots did to Nigeria what the Barbarians did to the Roman Empire in 410 AD. They sacked Nigeria and imposed on us a sterile centripetal ‘federal’ arrangement. Rome writhed into extinction after the Barbarians’ assault. There was indeed a country.

Now, there was yet a third country that arose from the battle over what was left of Nigeria, following the dissolution of its federal soul into a unitary contraption: Biafra. Those who brought it into existence said it was the answer to the untended injustices that accompanied the actions of the soldiers and their political collaborators as well as their shadowy friends in the civil service and the private sector. According to Achebe, Biafra happened because “There was a strong sense that Nigeria was no longer habitable for the Igbo…(which) made us realize that Nigeria ‘did not belong we,’ as Liberians would put it.’’ He argues: ‘’Following the ethnic cleansing in the North that occurred over the four months starting in May 1966, which was compounded by the involvement, even connivance, of the federal government, secession from Nigeria and the war that followed became an inevitability.’’

Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate in Literature and Achebe’s compatriot, has wished the book hadn’t been written. “It is a book I wish he had never written…not in the way it was. There are statements in that work that I wished he had never made.’’

Why we’re revisiting There was a country on the recent natal anniversary of its author is simply because it addresses poignant political issues we’re all talking about as we prepare for new public office holders in 2023. If we don’t want to drop again into a rapid succession of ‘countries’ the book depicts, none of which was permitted the opportunity to lead us into the Promised Land, it does us priceless good to be guided by Achebe’s observations, among them his claim that the Biafrans’ secessionist bid was a logical reaction to the apparent rejection of the Igbo by Nigeria. It’s neither here nor there decades after to ask if a breakaway was the answer to the challenge of perceived or proven marginalization.

In 2023, a better country must emerge from the ashes of the failed ones.

What matters is if we’ve learnt from what happened in those three ‘countries’. We must see more than one country, Biafra, in Achebe’s book. What we observe, sadly, is that the main players of the political class are back to that jejune old game by refusing to recognize the reality of injustice in the ‘ouster’ of the southeast from the presidential race. The presidential contest shouldn’t have been an all-comers’ affair. It should have been an exclusive southeast game to demonstrate our faith in what we profess: justice, fairness and equity for all in the land. We honoured these values in 1998 when the military and their political arm, beholding the injustice the Yoruba were suffering from following the raw deal given their son, Moshood Abiola in an earlier poll, ‘arranged’ for only candidates from the southwest to contest for the presidential slot.

In 2023, a better country must emerge from the ashes of the failed ones. That new country should outlaw political lopsidedness which makes power to move in ‘circles’ between only two geo-ethnic zones. No one would then take up arms to protest ‘’Nigeria did not belong we’’ and seek justice in a new place carved out of Nigeria.

*Ojewale is a writer in Ota, Ogun State.

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The NUJ, Kogi branch, made the call in a communique after a one-day workshop organised by Stallion Times Media Services in collaboration with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

The workshop, facilitated through the Collaborative Media Project with support from the MacArthur Foundation, was attended by journalists from broadcast, print and blogosphere organisations.

The workshop resolved that government officials should be compelled to adhere to provisions of the FOI Act by making available required information of public interest to journalists.

The communique, signed by Isiyaku Ahmed and Adeiza Jimoh, CEO/Editor-in-Chief, Stallion Times Media Services, and NUJ Chairman, Kogi, respectively, said the welfare of journalists should be prioritised by media owners to minimise undue influence or interference.

“There should be periodic training and capacity building for practising journalists for enhanced professionalism.

“The incidence of quacks should be checked by regulatory authorities like the Nigerian Press Council and other regulatory bodies.

“Government agencies should work with the media as watchdog and punish/sanction any public figure that perpetuates acts of misconduct exposed through investigative reports.

“This is to deter would be perpetrators so as to encourage good conduct, especially in governance, to engender growth, accountability, decency, discipline, transparency and probity in governance,” it stated.

It noted that for better results, journalists should apply the principles of truthfulness, “Seek truth and report it.”

The communique also enjoined journalists to always uphold accuracy and objectivity by reporting all sides to a story and to ensure fairness and impartiality to minimise harm that could be caused by their reporting.

The communique said, “Journalists, by their conduct, should act independently by putting public interest first.”

Source: NAN

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The police, releasing their findings on the invasion, described it as the case of a “stray cow as nothing was damaged or tampered with.”

In a statement he issued on Thursday, however, Soyinka expressed resentment over the claim of the police that his home was not invaded.

“How on earth could the police claim that my property was not invaded by cattle?  It was,” Soyinka said.

He added:  “I thoroughly resent the police version which suggests that the cows never invaded my home: home is not just a building; it includes its grounds. And it was not a stray cow, or two or three. It was a herd – we have photos, so why the lie? It is so unnecessary, unprofessional and suspiciously compromised. The police suggest that I have nothing better to do than to go accosting cows on the public road – to what end?  If the police demand proof, the next time such an invasion takes place, I warn that there will be no lack for cadaver affirmation and the police will be officially invited to join in the ensuing suya feast. So please, let us get serious!”

Soyinka’s statement reads in full:

MAD COWS AND EVEN MADDER NARRATIVES

The most distressful aspect of my recent interaction with cows and herders is that it has created a most unwanted distraction from the ongoing life and death Nigerian narrative. One has to take time off to deal with distortions and Fake versions, while students are being reportedly waylaid and killed and/or kidnapped in Ondo and farmers are being slaughtered in my own state. In short, the killings continue even as panels are being launched to enquire into immediate past human violations. For those who truly seek details of the Ijegba incident, I hereby affirm that I was never physically attacked, neither did I attack any cows.  The cows and herders did however attack my property – and not for the first time.

        The police need to be very, very careful, learn to be straightforward with public information. Failure to adhere to that obvious, basic form of conduct means that the public will lose total confidence in security agencies and constantly bypass them in times of civic unrest, no matter how trivial or deadly. How on earth could the police claim that my property was not invaded by cattle?  It was. My groundsmen knew the drill and commenced the process of expelling them. Fortunately, I was then driving out and was able to lend a hand by vehicle maneuvering. Both cattle and herdsmen were flushed out of my property.

 Once they were outside the gates, I came down from the vehicle and beckoned the herdsmen to come over. At first, they pretended not to understand, then, as I approached, fled into the bush. We thereupon “arrested” the cows, confining them to the roadside, while I sent my groundsman, Taiye, to the police to come and take over. Since they took rather long in responding, I summoned a replacement and proceeded to the police station. On the way, we met a detachment, turned round, and together we returned to the scene of crime. The police wanted to commence combing the bush for the fugitives but I stopped them – what was the point? Keep the cows, I advised, and the owner will show up. Of course, that owner eventually did.

        I thoroughly resent the police version which suggests that the cows never invaded my home: home is not just a building; it includes its grounds. And it was not a stray cow, or two or three. It was a herd – we have photos, so why the lie? It is so unnecessary, unprofessional and suspiciously compromised. The police suggest that I have nothing better to do than to go accosting cows on the public road – to what end?  If the police demand proof, the next time such an invasion takes place, I warn that there will be no lack for cadaver affirmation and the police will be officially invited to join in the ensuing suya feast. So please, let us get serious!

        Getting serious means seeking with a sense of urgency, ways of terminating mayhem, impunity, and the homicidal culture being imposed on us through some near cultic business minority who just happen to trade in cattle. It means not giving up on peaceful solutions, but also being prepared for the worst. Those of my line of thought have been working on various ways of sensitizing the nation to the very real and imminent danger issuing from this cattle aberration. The menace, I repeat, challenges us as a cohesive entity and as communities of free individuals, committed to the dignity of existence. Cattle imperialism under any guise is an obscenity to humanity.  So let me serve notice that we are about to commence a process of public sensitization; we hope even the police will join hands with the agenda as it progresses.

        A special practical plea: now that the railways are being resurrected, let us make cattle wagons a priority.  I grew up with the regular sight of those practical conveyances. It is time to bring them back.

Wole SOYINKA

ARI.

Kemta Housing Estate

Abeokuta, Ogun State

Feb. 11, 2021

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