Weekly   Highlights

On Nigerian Pride

SECOND ENTRY - Dr. Femi Olaleye

According to avocado associates website Dr Femi “is an easily adaptable medical doctor and a dynamic businessman with great leadership and financial strategic skills”.

Dr Femi Olaleye is the Founder / Managing Director of Optimal Healthcare Company (Nigeria) Limited – A social enterprise company, strengthening the delivery of primary healthcare in Nigeria.

He runs a non-profit organization registered with the UK Charity Commission (Wish for Africa) dedicated to improving maternal and child healthcare in Africa.

Dr Olaleye shares with Nigerians medical mission in Niger Delta and his health care programme for low income people in down town Lagos, Nigeria.

Rivers Medical Mission April 2009

The Poet From Ikere

I met him at the University of Ibadan at the Institute of African studies, the same venue where I met J.P Clark Bekederemo. I had read both poets when I was younger, so meeting them was a landmark of sort for me, the icing on the cake then would be interviewing them. One declined, the other obliged.

A man without airs, unassuming, humble, I engaged him for about an hour while he talked about books, publishing and writing his poems the youth of Nigeria and Nigeria herself. For someone I didn’t book a formal appointment with he was forthcoming, and friendly. I aired parts of the chat on Back to Basics within Am Lagos, while excerpts of it was published in the month of March in this same paper. I will always treasure the moments the interview lasted.

Before then I had met the poet from Ikere (can’t figure why this has stuck) on the pages of a foreign literature magazine called “Sables”. He made the spring/summer edition of the magazine. It is one of the most stimulating interviews I have ever read, very exhaustive and revealing so that you came off it thinking that you have known him for a long time, a bonding that makes him a familiar stranger. I read his volume of poems “Eye of the Earth” in my undergraduate days.   Those were the days I tried my hands on poetry. At the end of the interview any way, I felt I had encountered a truly great man. How? That woozy, head in the cloud, floating in the air feeling! I truly felt lucky and blessed God for my job.

I have seen Professor Niyi Osundare thrice in action now, at the recent book fair in Unilag and the Cora Art stampede at the National Theatre; I’m amazed at his depth and his oratorical powers. He keeps you rooted to the spot while he relates to you, fanning the embers of your thinking faculty, challenging your inner man and firing your inside for a self revolution. Well that’s what he did to me; he did it again at the Cora Art Stampede penultimate Sunday.

For 2hours, he engaged us all talking about Wole Soyinka and the new generation of Nigerian writers, continuities and departures. Very stimulating, down to earth so that he got a standing ovation. He has authored over 10 volumes of poetry and 4 plays, he just started writing for Children and he has won many awards including the Commonwealth poetry prize, the Noma awards and the FonLon/Nichols award for excellence in literary creativity. He has also made significant contributions to human rights in Africa.

I scanned my humble collection of books but alas “Eye of the Earth” was missing. It would have been extremely pleasurable to me to share some of the lines of the poems with you. Pity! Well some other day.

His inspiration derives from his roots, a humble background; maybe that’s the catch for me, the oral tradition of his Ikere home land. According to him his father (singer and farmer) could sing an “Alamo” for two hours without repeating a stanza: such early exposure to oral literature empowered him culturally and is the bedrock of his creative ability. Very proud to operate from the background of a language whose poetry is music.

Besides cocoyam, water yam, white and yellow yam and my father’s favorite called “esuru” in Yoruba, varieties of yam ends for me but Niyi Osundare could count up to thirty varieties in his father’s farm while he was growing up!

He preserves and exports such intimate components essential to the flora and the fauna of Nigerian life in his poems coming out as distinct, original and a true connection with indigenous Africa.
He insists that the Yoruba’s don’t read poetry. “They chant it…. Mo Fe k’ewi, I’m going to utter it “

He also derives a huge dose of inspiration from Antonioi Augustinho Neto – a physician and poet who founded the MPLA and the first president of Angola; Marmood Darwish who was honoured with the Lotus prize and whose poems were put into music in support of the Palestinian defiance; our own Gabriel Okara and lastly Pablo Neruda who wrote the book “Twenty love poems and a song of despair”- a bestseller, won the Lenin peace prize and the Nobel prize for literature in 1971. How could he commune with the works of people like these and not be a man of depth and intense reasoning that he is?

A lover of nature, Niyi Osundare wrote most of his poems by the river. I would love to sit by the river too; there is a calming effect that does –watching it flow away, constant, unhurried, gently but that’s such a dream a luxury in Lagos. Sitting at the bank of the lagoon or the beaches of the Atlantic won’t bring that feeling, too many people, no privacy at all.

“Soyinka is a vast personality, just like the nation Nigeria … a lucky man … came at the right time … timing was on his side… how can we talk about literature now without our music then? Music that inspired that generation the old time greats – Roy Chicago, Eddy Okonta… “That was Niyi Osundare celebrating somebody he had always criticized and admired, his teacher- Wole Soyinka.

“Soyinka is to African literature what Mandela is to African politics”. That was quite a jolt for someone who has been researching the most loved Nigerian personality. But the key note address was on and the poet from Ikere was giving from his fountain of knowledge. I see him as a role model because he worked his way to the top and has maintained his sanity and integrity in the successive oppressive governments we have had in the past. A friend opined that he hopes he remains so when he is called to serve the nation like the late Tai Solarin and Professor Wole Soyinka. I hope so too.

Well this is wishing the poet, dramatist and media columnist more dialogue with nature and sweeter communion with the Muse at the banks of Ajibode River and the river at the horticultural garden in U.I. How did I know? Ah! Ah! Ah! One of the privileges of being a “tafia” presenter/journalist.

The poet from Ikere said “in Africa the beautiful and the useful always go together”. So be it for you and me this weekend.

Enjoy and be here next week.

“Tafia”-Pidgin English, corruption of the word interfering.

Prof.Niyi Osundare

According to the website African books collective, Prof Niyi Osundare-Poet, dramatist, critic, essayist and media columnist – has authored over ten volumes of poetry, two books of selected poems, four plays, a book of essays and numerous articles on literature, language, culture and society. He regards his calling as a writer culturally heterogeneous countries in the world, he learnt early in life the complexities and challenges of diversity. The wide and varied exposure accruing from this has proved very useful for his writing and teaching careers.

He began his teaching career at the University of Ibadan in 1974 and rose to the position of full Professor there in 1989. From 1993 to 1997, he was the chair of its Department of English. He was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1990 to 1991 and in 1991/92, an associate Professor of English at the University of New Orleans, where he returned as full Professor in 1997 and was selected University research Professor in 2001. His areas of specialization are African literature of the African Diaspora, literary stylistics, sociolinguistics, and creative writing.

He chats with Bolatito Joseph on Nigeria Pride this week.

Dr. Femi Olaleye
Nigerians in Diaspora collectively have a platform for rallying national development using varying channels. Some of them visit, as individuals to create awareness about their expertise and their willingness to share with compatriots.

Recently doctors at Reddington Hospital, Lagos successfully completed a heart surgery. It was the first such was done in Nigeria. Both of them lived in the Diaspora for years before returning to Nigeria to use their expertise .

Dr Femi Olaleye is one of the many Nigerian doctors in the Diaspora who made a conscious decision to return to Nigeria and in spite of the challenges encountered, successfully took other doctors to the Niger Delta region to treat and operate on patients in that region.

Follow Dr. Olaleye’s story on Nigerian Pride in this edition and the next as he shares his story with show’s regular hostess, Funke –Treasure Durodola.

Dr Femi Olaleye-Dr Olufemi Olaleye – MB.ChB (Ife) MBA

Rivers Medical Mission April 2009

D’ banj on the show

It was Wednesday morning; the self acclaimed entertainer drove in to the Radio Nigeria premises in Ikoyi in the company of a ‘kokolet’ staff of HITV. He was driving up awareness for his reality show ‘Koko mansion’.

So after the interview on Metro FM’s breakfast show, I steered him off course towards Brick house, another studio within the broadcasting House for an exclusive on his sojourn in those days as a Nigerian in the Diaspora.

Dapo had become a humongous success in Nigeria with his albums shooting to number one spot each time he released his endorsement deals are mouth watering and is the stuff dreams are made of-from telecom giants, globacom to watch maker –Aire, D’banj as he is better known is the prime brand to court to sell your product in Nigeria nowadays.

But many are unaware of his very humble beginning in the UK as a ‘naija’ boy in ‘Jand’. So I took him on, on Nigerian Pride.

Enjoy this week’s edition of Nigerian Pride with Dapo  . . . .

D'banj with Funke-Treasure

Dr Femi Olufemi

Dr Femi Olufemi is a scientist who works with INTEL, one of the world’s top ten companies.

He had his first degree in Physics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and Masters in Applied Physics abroad. He is a now PHD holder in Electrical Engineering.

He has lived in the United States for 8 years and has worked in INTEL for 4 years and a half.

In this first part of a two part interview with Radio Nigeria’s Ike Okere, he shares how he landed the plum job with INTEL, his experience surviving outside Nigeria, how things can get better in the universities and recruitment of graduates by companies

Femi

In this edition we bring you the inspiring story a 3I year old Nigerian in the Diaspora.

Ayinke Martins

Ayinke Martins is a world class singer who evolved over the years as a musician. She fuses Yoruba and English vocal idiom with jazz, African and soul styles to create a unique music and vocals unlike any one else.

She started her career in Lagos, Nigeria as a soloist with an Afro Funk group called the grotto. She is one of those who under the tutelage of Frances and Tunde Kuboye introduced jazz singing to the Nigerian audience through her live sessions.

Ayinke Martins is celebrated for fusing jazz with Yoruba traditional music
She has a juju Jazz gospel single ‘Otise’ and an Afro jazz album, ‘Ayinke Now’
She is a song writer and music arranger who has her own label, Ajeji Music.

She has performed in some of the most prestigious venues both in the UK and Nigeria including the Royal festival hall, the Queen Elizabeth hall, the Barbican, the Stratford theatre, the Muson Hall amongst others.          
She has also collaborated with industry greats globally and in the Africa continent.

The world class jazz singer is back in Nigeria to promote her album, ‘Ayinke Now’.

Ayinke Martins

Mr. Bola Mogaji

Adebola Mogaji is the Director – Projects for Footmarks Ventures (an associate member of the Commonwealth Business Council CBC), Naijacommunity UK, Entwined Undertaking Nigeria Limited, and Set HIM Off Music Ministry UK.  

He has considerable experience within the business industry in strategic management, Media, Creative and content development, solutions and marketing; particularly those for businesses and community related activities.

He is the Chief Executive Officer - Naijacommunity, he led and drove the development and implementation of marketing strategy within the UK and the Diaspora markets, aligning overall corporate objectives with an ultimate goal of networking the entire but particular community globally, encouraging and facilitating honest business transactions at a profitable rate.

With18 years experience in business, community work and development, education, and capacity building, he has worked in various educational and business related international capacities within the UK and Africa (Nigeria).

Between 2004 and 2007, he lectured at the University of East London Docklands and Rayat London College (affiliated with the University of Wales) on Business related modules for Post Graduate, Undergraduate and HND levels (Business Studies, International Marketing, Branding, Strategic and marketing communications management, Consumer and Organizational Behaviour, etc).

Mr. Mogaji hosted Prince Kosoko, some ANTP members and some celebrated Nigerian Actors to celebrate the Nollywood Stars

Picture: Mr. Bola Mogaji and Prince Jide Kosoko, President – Association of National Arts Practitioners of Nigeria ANTP (1st from the right), in Grays Town Centre, Essex on the 23rd January 2005.

Ngozika Eze, AD, LVN, RN, BSN

Miss Eze, a Registered Nurse in Federal Way, Washington State, USA, was our guest on Nigerian Pride on Tuesday 3rd March 2009.

The young Nigerian-American has achieved a lot since her return to the US in 2000.

A holder of the Associate Diploma in Nursing, Licensed Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse certifications, and Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, Ngozika is billed to study Homeopathic Medicine for her advanced degree. She grew up in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, and still remembers with nostalgia the camaraderie between she and her classmates at the University of Jos.

Ngozika shares her experiences as a student nurse who worked to pay her way through school.  

Ngozika Eze

Nneka Egbuna

She had always enjoyed singing from an early age as her means of escape from her childhood nightmares. Like everyone in the 90’s she took to Hip Hop (à la Most Def, Talib Kwali, The Fugees) as a voice of her generation.
 
Like most Africans in transit in Europe and beyond who are affected by the lack of growth and stability at home, Nneka sought to explore more about her life and personal development. With that in mind, she began the hunt for a firsthand understanding of her German heritage. Moving to Germany also afforded her an alternative outlet for self-expression, as she soon teamed up with DJ Farhot.

Hamburg resident, Singer/Songwriter Roots sensation Nneka is back following her highly acclaimed debut album ‘Victim of Truth’ which the Sunday Times in the United Kingdom described to be ‘as good as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’.
  
‘Victim of Truth’ was a monster record released in 2005 that hovered below the music radar of mainstream audiences but was nonetheless captivating for organic music lovers who could spot her talent.

She managed to absorb a multitude of musical styles and feelings that reflect life on a soul level. Her heartfelt vocals combined with lyrics concerning real issues immediately tell you her heart is there and she’s fast carving a cult status.

Her sophomore album continues where she left off with production efforts coming from long term collaborator and friend DJ Farhot , who did the tracks for the majority of the songs on “No Longer At Ease” and for the first time collaborated with highly acclaimed French producer Jean Lamoot (Salif Keita, Noir Desir etc.) for this.

Nneka’s new album is very personal and though it is musically more edgy, Nneka does not depart from her custom style or direction.

This new album is an offering of love, hope and optimism dedicated to the people of Warri & the Niger Delta of Nigeria, naturally esoteric with a mainstream appeal.

On this album Nneka expresses herself more notably in pidgin-english bearing her soul and pain with social commentary depicting plight of her people, and like ‘Victim of Truth’, it’s not devoid of drama.

Nneka Egbuna was born in Warri Oil City in the Delta region of Nigeria at the height of its new found wealth in the mid 70’s.  

More information:

www.myspace.com/nnekaworld

www.nnekaworld.com

www.yomama.de,

www.fourservice.com

Engr. Samuel Obiejesi

Engr. Samuel Obiejesi is the President of NIDOE France; he assumed office in May 2008.

Mr. Obiejesi has a wine producing company in France and according to him; he is the only Nigerian with a vine yard in France.
 
He is a structural engineer by training and a director of Nestor Oil, Nigeria.

In this edition, Engr. Obiejesi talks about NIDOE France and identifies the conspiracy of silence and oath taking as a challenge in tackling the issue of human trafficking by Nigerian associations in France.

Foremost Nigerian musician in France, Asa made an appearance on the show in the song “Jailer” while Jeremiah Gyang teamed up with her in a duet titled “Higher”.

Join us at 5.30pm on Tuesday 27th January for more from Engr. Samuel Obiejesi and the NIDOE France projects in Nigeria on “Nigerian Pride”

Engr. Samuel Obiejesi

Mr. Patrick Okoye

Mr. Patrick Okoye is a minister at the Nigerian Embassy in Federal Republic of Germany. He took us through the lifestyle and the special challenges of Nigerians living in Germany.

He arrived July 2007 and works with the foreign ministry in Nigeria. He is directly in charge of NIDO affairs at the embassy.

He more importantly talks about asylum seekers and the “overseas syndrome” that makes people expect anyone who has travelled abroad to return with a lorry load of money amongst other issues
Want to be informed about Germany and how

Nigerians are faring there?

Mr. Patrick Okoye

Mrs. Paulina George

Mrs. Paulina George, a Nigerian based in Nairobi, Kenya owns one of the largest boutique in Nairobi where she is promoting Nigerian fashion.

She was featured on the programme, Nigerian Pride on the 6th January 2009.

Mrs. Paulina is married to Mr. George a Kenyan diplomat. Paulina George is a Pride to Nigerians.

Her shop is located in one of the biggest five hotels in downtown Nairobi.

Mrs Paulina George in an interview with Mr Ike Okere

A chat with a Nigerian Clergy on Human Trafficking in Germany

Hi everyone let us just say your blogger is back with the famous plea of the prodigal son, “. . . I am not worthy to be called your blogger . . ."

Bottom line is that I am asking for your forgiveness for not keeping faith with you here.

Isn’t it in the holy book that there is joy in the presence of angels of God over one sinner that repents? Ha! Ha! Ha! Thank you.

This is not a New Year resolution but a goal and it is that this page will better managed in the New Year
Resuming from where I left off which was my trip to the Netherlands, I regret the error on that last article, the town is Hilversum and it has been corrected.

I returned from Germany in the second week of December, I had been there for two weeks on the trail of human trafficking stories and exploring the common problems Nigeria and Germany share on that issue. Germany is a destination country with a huge and thriving market for sex tourism while Nigeria is a source country where some of the girls are recruited.

It is with great pride that I say that there are distinguished Nigerians in that country working in different spheres of national life there and contributing immensely to the growth of the economy-yes economy- much more than the bad eggs that are the palm oil stain on her white linen.

On the Network programme, “Nigerian Pride” this week, our guest was Pastor Kate Imasuen, who has lived in Germany for more than a decade, she talked about the scourge of human trafficking as it concerns the two countries, Germany and Nigeria.

Perhaps in the New Year we might upload past editions of the programme so that you can listen back if you missed listening  to the programme live.

 She will be addressing the issue in the New Year with a conference on the same issue, you can watch this space.

What we hope to do in the New Year on this page also is instant feedback, to ensure that you can add your comments to my entries as you visit the Radio Nigeria website and read my blog.
I wish you a super triumphant year ahead

Happy New Year 2009

Pastor Kate Imasuen,guest on 'Nigerian Pride'