Category: Art and Culture

  • Art ministry calls for entries for “Nigeria Everywhere” creative collection competition

    Art ministry calls for entries for “Nigeria Everywhere” creative collection competition

    The Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy has announced an open call for fashion designers and creatives across the country to apply for “Nigeria Everywhere: The Creative Collection”.

    This nationwide talent search aims to spotlight Nigeria’s finest fashion creatives on a global platform, celebrating the nation’s vibrant cultural heritage and artistic excellence. The showcase will take place during the Exhibition Weekend at the 68th UN Tourism Commission for Africa (CAF), scheduled for June 2025.

    Selected participants will design exclusive pieces for the Ministry and represent Nigeria at this prestigious international event.

    In addition to this honor, participants will benefit from: High-profile fashion commissions, Strategic collaborations within the creative industry and Unmatched exposure through national and international showcases

    The Ministry encourages all eligible creatives to take advantage of this opportunity to bring Nigerian artistry to the world stage.

    Further details on application deadlines and submission guidelines will be released soon.

  • Lagos Fanti Carnival returns to celebrate Afro-Brazilian heritage, Lagos Island culture

    Lagos Fanti Carnival returns to celebrate Afro-Brazilian heritage, Lagos Island culture

    On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, the Lagos Fanti Carnival returns, bringing the streets of Lagos to life with a vibrant celebration of Afro-Brazilian heritage and the unique culture of Lagos Island.

    With roots stretching back to 1890, the carnival is a powerful expression of Lagos history, blending tradition and creativity.

    As a major cultural event supported by the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, in partnership with Robert Taylor Media and the Brazilian Descendants Association, this major cultural event celebrates the historic and cultural ties between Nigeria and Brazil. This edition promises to be a landmark event, drawing guests from across Nigeria and beyond.

    The festivities unfold across three signature experiences: the Afro-Brazilian Food Showcase, a Heritage Art Exhibition, and the highly anticipated Lagos Fanti Carnival Parade. Rooted in rich Afro-Brazilian traditions and reimagined through the lens of contemporary Lagos, the celebration brings together music, dance, fashion and performance in a dynamic display of cultural pride and artistic expressions of the Lagos community. From samba-inspired beats to bold fashion statements, the carnival promises to be a feast for the senses.

    The city’s streets will come alive with vibrant hues of colourful parades, exhilarating performances, and immersive cultural showcases as the Lagos Fanti Carnival unfolds in full splendour, transforming the city into a living canvas of Afro-Brazilian heritage and the true Lagos spirit. The event is expected to attract over 10,000 in-person guests, more than 50,000 livestream viewers and generate over 2 million digital impressions across media platforms—promising an unforgettable cultural spectacle.

    The Lagos Fanti Carnival stands as a vibrant expression of youth-driven creativity in Lagos. Young artists, dancers, musicians and designers are reshaping cultural traditions, breathing new life into them through fresh perspectives and contemporary flair. This year’s celebration highlights the dynamic fusion of heritage and innovation—honouring Afro-Brazilian roots while embracing the evolving cultural landscape of Lagos tourism.

    In the lead-up to the big day, the Lagos Fanti Carnival will be offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the preparations, with special coverage of the local communities as they gear up for the grand event. Expect intimate glimpses of rehearsals, costume-making, and vibrant community gatherings, a rare opportunity to experience the carnival’s magic before it even hits the streets.

  • Scarlett Johansson to star at Cannes as festival unveils line-up

    Scarlett Johansson to star at Cannes as festival unveils line-up

    Scarlett Johansson is set to star on-screen and behind the camera at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, organisers said Thursday as they unveiled the line-up of films that will compete for honours on the French Riviera.

    Johansson will appear alongside Benicio Del Toro and Tom Hanks in Wes Anderson’s new movie “The Phoenician Scheme”, one of the films competing for the coveted Palme d’Or for best film.

    She will also present her directorial debut “Eleanor the Great”, about an elderly woman coping with the death of her best friend, in the secondary “Un Certain Regard” competition.

    Organisers stressed they were serious about giving women filmmakers a platform at the world’s premier film festival, with pressure on its bosses to take a stand on gender equality and tackling sexual abuse and harassment.

    Speaking at a press conference in Paris, President Iris Knobloch said the festival was “attentive” to the recommendations of a hard-hitting parliamentary inquiry into #MeToo abuses which reported its findings on Wednesday.

    “(Women) are no longer asking for their place, they are taking it,” Knobloch said. “We are honoured to amplify their voices, to shine a light on incredible talent that broadens our view of the world,” she added.

    Nevertheless, this year’s main competition was still male-dominated, with only six films from women directors among the roughly 20 announced by festival director Thierry Fremaux.

    A little-known French female director Amelie Bonnin was given the honour of opening the festival on May 13 with her debut feature “Leave One Day”.

    “It’s the first time that a debut film will open the Cannes Festival,” Fremaux said.

    – Heavy-hitters –
    The main competition this year includes some heavy-hitting festival circuit favourites including Anderson, Iranian director Jafar Panahi, the Dardenne brothers from Belgium, and veteran American independent filmmaker Richard Linklater.

    Panahi, who has been repeatedly detained and banned from film-making, will present his latest production, “A Simple Accident”

    He “asked us not say anything about his movie”, Fremaux explained, alluding to the pressures on him.

    Other directors in-competition include American horror newcomer Ari Aster, who has cast Joaquin Phoenix in his “Eddington”, and compatriot Kelly Reichardt who will premiere her heist drama “The Mastermind” featuring John Magaro.

    Cedric Klapisch, 2021 Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau, and Hafsia Herzi form a trio of top French contenders looking to emulate the success of last year’s Palme d’Or winner “Anora” by Sean Baker.

    French screen legend Juliette Binoche will chair the jury, taking over from American counterpart Greta Gerwig.

    Robert De Niro will also be on the Riviera to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, while Tom Cruise will make a splash with the world premiere of the latest and last instalment in the “Mission: Impossible”.

    In the documentary section, the eye-catching entries include a film about U2 frontman Bono, “Bono: Stories of Surrender”, and another by Haitian director Raoul Peck about British writer George Orwell, entitled “Orwell”.

    Palestinian twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser will showcase their latest film “Once Upon a Time In Gaza”, a tale of murder and friendship set in the war-torn territory, in the “Un Certain Regard” section.

    – #MeToo report –
    The build-up to Thursday’s news conference was dominated by discussion of the French parliamentary inquiry into the entertainment industry.

    MPs concluded that “moral, sexist, and sexual violence in the cultural sector is systemic, endemic, and persistent”, according to the inquiry’s chairwoman, Sandrine Rousseau, after six months of testimony from actors, agents and directors.

    “The Cannes Film Festival must be the place where this shift in mindset happens; the place where we say loud and clear… amid the glitter and the red carpets… that finally, we all want things to change: every one of us, at every level of the industry,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

    The opening day of Cannes on May 13 is also set to coincide with the verdict in the first sexual assault trial of French film legend Gerard Depardieu, which gripped the country last month.

    Depardieu, a tarnished hero of French cinema, is the highest-profile figure to face criminal charges in France’s response to the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to speak out against abuse.

    He is accused of having assaulted two women on the set of a film in 2021. He denies the allegations.

  • 46th Alaafin of Oyo: Tasks before Oba Akeem Owoade

    46th Alaafin of Oyo: Tasks before Oba Akeem Owoade

    IBADAN— TAKING cognizance of the power, candour and influence that the late Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi wielded before he joined his ancestors on April 22, 2022, it is a known fact that his successor will struggle hard to wear the big shoes that Oba Adeyemi left behind.
    The late Alaafin was very popular throughout his Oyo kingdom and even beyond the shores of the country but he was no doubt a controversial king.

    My Agenda — Oba Owoade

    Moved by the alarming rate of unemployment, the Alaafin-elect, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade, has stated that one of his agenda is to make sure that graduate youths who are seeking for jobs are taken away from the streets.

    He also said that he would create vocational skills for the youths.

    He made this known through the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Mr Bode Durojaiye.
    Alaafin Owoade, the release stated, would continue from where his predecessor, late Oba Adeyemi stopped, towards promoting culture, and improve on Sango and Oranmiyan festivals.

    Durojaiye said widows and widowers would be empowered in order to improve their socio-economic lives.
    “What is more, development of health facilities has been my priority and I want to be remembered for it during my reign,” he said.

    Alaafin Owoade added that he had negotiated with international organisations and they have agreed to support him to develop his kingdom.

    Oba Owoade would also make sure the artefacts taken away by the British in 1895 are brought back with some payments, as he also promised to practically revisit the inglorious era.

    Reconciliation with Isale Oyo over murder of late Ashipa

    Another great task before the new Alaafin, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Owoade, is to begin a reconciliatory move to end the age-long rivalry between the Alaafin stool and the people of Isale Oyo whose illustrious son, the late Ashipa of Oyo, High Chief Amuda Olorunosebi was gruesomely murdered on November 26, 1992 by assassins.

    His death has since remained a knotty issue between Oyo Alaafin and Isale Oyo.

    Vanguard gathered that since the death of Ashipa, the vacuum created is yet to be filled. Though former Governor Alao-Akala, trying to bring to an end the perennial crisis, appointed Alago Oja of Ago Oja, Alhaji Ganiyu Busari Ajiboye without the consent of Oba Adeyemi.

    The late monarch as the paramount ruler then challenged the appointment in a Federal High Court asking the court to prevent Alago Oja from parading himself as the traditional ruler of the town.
    The case has been in court since then.

    But after the death of Oba Adeyemi, Governor Seyi Makinde, in a letter through the Oyo State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs and the chairmen of Atiba and Oyo East Local Governments, approved the appointment of the same Alago Oja, Chief Ganiyu Ajiboye as one of the warrant chiefs who began the selection process of the new Alaafin.

    A source from Isale Oyo who spoke with Vanguard said that the new Alaafin will win the hearts of people from Isale Oyo if he recognises and allows Chief Ajiboye to fill the position that the late Ashipa left.

    “If Oba Owoade can make Chief Ajiboye to fill the vacancy of Ashipa, he will pacify many people of Isale Oyo who have been nursing bitterness against the Alaafin stool over the murder of the late Ashipa.

    Fulani incursion into Oyo town

    Unlike during the reign of the late Oba Adeyemi, murderous Fulani herders have made incursion into the peaceful Oyo town kidnapping and attacking people. Recently, the herders attacked a father and son separately at Jobele and Akinmorin in Oyo, an action considered as abomination when the late Alaafin held sway.

    In another attack, a 20-year-old herder, Salau Isiaka, and a 25-year-old farmer, Akinkunmi Tiamiyu, were hospitalized as a result of a physical combat that occurred between them when the former grazed his cattle in the farm of Tiamiyu.

    The late Alaafin once told Vanguard in an interview, that no Fulani herder could dare him by entering into his domain.

    True to his words, it was impossible to hear that Fulani herders invaded farmlands in Oyo then.
    So, Oba Owoade needs an urgent action to stem this tide. In fact, it’s one of the grey issues he has to give attention to.

    Reconciliation with aggrieved Oyo Mesi

    It is incontrovertible that the selection process was tainted with animosity and disagreement. Oyo Mesi had picked Prince Lukman Gbadegesin as the next Alaafin before the tide turned. So many allegations and counter-allegations were made which resulted in litigation.

    Also, Oba Owoade will have to calm the frayed nerves of some members of Oyo Mesi who opposed his installation and enthronement.

    As an important monarch, he has to settle the rift in his domain. He should reconcile with the aggrieved Oyo Kingmakers so that the case in court can be withdrawn and the matter be settled out of court.
    It has been a ding dong affair between Afijiio and Oyo indigenes over land.

    Interestingly, his wife, Ayaba Abiwumi Owoade has been trying to settle some internal wranglings.
    She recently went to the warring communities where she supported the victims of the land dispute with cash donations.

    Oba Owoade will do well to quell the simmering embers between the two communities.

    All is set for coronation

    The monarch, who has been in seclusion for the past 21 days, completed the last lap of traditional rites (Oro Ipebi) last week.

    Durojaiye said Alaafin Owoade will be accompanied by members of the traditional council, the Oyo Mesi, Princes and Princesses from all the royal families, traditional religion priests, the Baales (village heads), and cross section of residents.

    He stated that the royal father will sleep over at the shrine where he will put on the Sango crown by Baba Mogba in the early morning of Saturday, as the 46th Alaafin of Oyo.

    Immediately after the wearing of Sango crown, everybody present at the historical event, including the Oyo Mesi members, will prostrate and say: Kabiyesi to the Alaafin.

    The activity is a prelude to the official coronation ceremony that will take place on April 5, 2025, at the open field of Oliveth Heights, Oyo.

    Unity, important tool for devt — Alaafin’s queen

    Alaafin-elect’s wife, Ayaba Abiwumi Owoade, has stressed the need for the people of Oyo metropolis to ensure promotion of peace and communal harmony as a collective responsibility.

    Ayaba Abiwumi stated that peace and unity are important tools for community development, as peace is a fundamental asset for building robust institutions, personal growth and community development.

    She said: “Peace creates an enabling environment for human capital formation,and infrastructure development. The time to build a robust, sustainable and formidable communal unity is now, as all acts inimical to harmonious relationship must be jettisoned.

    “As individuals, let us promote peace within our town and environs by encouraging good relationships.
    Throughout history and in contemporary society, numerous examples illustrate the transformative power of unity.

    “As we navigate an increasingly interconnected and complex world, embracing unity is not just a romantic aspiration but a pragmatic imperative.”

    In addition, she said: “Together, united in purpose and spirit, people find the strength to confront obstacles head-on, emerging stronger and more resilient than before. In this way, unity becomes a beacon of courage, lighting the path towards greater achievements and collective triumphs.

    “People can pool their resources, talents, and efforts to tackle problems that may seem insurmountable on their own. This collective strength enables them to achieve greater success and happiness together than they ever could alone.”

    Ayaba Abiwumi further pointed out that one of the cardinal principles of Alaafin Owoade1 is recognising and celebrating our shared humanity while valuing our differences, and to unlock the full potential of collaboration and collective efforts.

    “This requires fostering inclusive dialogues, bridging divides, and cultivating a culture of respect and empathy.

    “By working together and standing united in the face of challenges, individuals can overcome obstacles, realise their full potential, and create a brighter future for themselves and those around them.

    “In essence, unity catalyzes growth and the foundation upon which success is built. Unity serves as a source of courage and strength, empowering individuals to face challenges with resilience and determination”, she said.

    As the new Alaafin mounts the throne, all eyes will be on him to ensure peace reigns in his domain.

  • Durbar ban: Sanusi abandons horses, drives in vehicle to pay Sallah homage

    Durbar ban: Sanusi abandons horses, drives in vehicle to pay Sallah homage

    KANO — In the face of a ban on all Sallah Durbar activities in Kano State, the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has driven in a vehicle to pay Sallah homage on Governor Abba Yusuf at the Kano State Government House.

    With this development, the Emir abandoned the use of horses which is the normal tradition and means of transportation for Hawan Nassarawa.

    Emir Sanusi also changed his normal routes from the Emir’s palace to the state road to the Government House to avoid security breaches.

    Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in Kano, CP Adamu Bakori, announced the ban of all forms of Sallah Durbar activities in the state, citing impending security threat revealed by intelligence gathering.

    Shedding more light on the development, a Professor of History from the famous Bayero University of Kano, BUK, Prof. Tijjani Naniya, said the Emir only went back to the old tradition in 1903 where the Emir visited the governor using a vehicle but by 1940 the use of horses was introduced.

    He said the visit to the governor was to brief him on developments in the state as well as the report received by the Emirate.

    According to him, “Before 1940, there was no Wajen Kano, that is outskirts the City, and the Emir as the head of Native Authority, NA, he will only pay his visit to the resident of the Governor at Government House to brief him on the yearly happenings in the City as well as report he received in the emirate and returned to his Palace.

    “But by 1940 and when outskirts Kano that is Wajen Kano was created and there were People who though must of whom were Hausas but not of Kano extraction, the Emir needed to go round and see them, the present day Hawan Nassarawa using Horses was introduced.

    “…what was stopped is for the Emir to ride on horses and pass through State Roads, that for sure would create a problem but now that he has returned to the original means of the Hawan Nassarawa tradition there is no violation.

    “And the Emir is only coming to Government House as against the usual Hawan Nassarawa that he will ride horses, go round Kano to greet everybody and return to his palace,” Prof. Naniya stated.

  • Ivorian painter Aboudia takes teen rebellion to top of the art world

    Ivorian painter Aboudia takes teen rebellion to top of the art world

    With his paintings of Ivory Coast’s street kids, Aboudia has taken his teenage misfit mutiny to the very top, becoming one of the world’s bestselling artists along the way.

    “When I was a teenager I wanted to paint but my father didn’t want me to,” Aboudia told AFP, remembering how artist was a synonym for “loser” at the time.

    Today the painter, full name Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, has made a mockery of those jibes with his success.

    Despite the challenges facing black African painters on the global market he ranks 1,311th out of the top 5,000 bestselling artists at auction worldwide, according to analyst firm Artprice.

    And with 75 of his paintings bought in 2022 Aboudia was the contemporary artist who sold the most canvases that year, according to the Hiscox Top 100 rankings.

    But before becoming a touchstone — Aboudia, who spends most of his time in Ivory Coast’s economic capital Abidjan — had to pave his own path in a society that pays scant regard for his chosen profession.

    His life story as much as his subject matter invites comparisons with African American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat: both “found themselves alone in the street, but knew how to profit from it”, according to art critic Mimi Errol.

    – ‘Children of the street’ –

    It was Ivory Coast’s post-election crisis of 2010-11 and its 3,000 dead that brought Aboudia to the world’s attention, with the chaos of “The Battle of Abidjan” unspooling in brushstrokes across his canvases.

    In line with his own past he paints young people — “the children of the street” — left to the war and to their own devices.

    “This is not their place,” he insisted, urging “parents, the authorities, any person aware of the cause of childhood, to get them out of there”.

    Aboudia took up his art studies at the conservatory in Abengourou, eastern Ivory Coast, before graduating to the Technical Arts Centre of Bingerville in the Abidjan suburbs.

    Even then “Aboudia was already very attached to the universe of children”, his old teacher and fellow well-regarded painter Jacobleu reminisced.

    Galleries in Paris, London, New York or Lagos are now vying for his works — a far cry from the reception he received when he brought his first paintings to Abidjan’s Houkami Guyzagn gallery in the 2000s.

    “I don’t know how many times he came with works we found immature, which we thought unpolished,” said Mimi Errol, who was working at the gallery at the time.

    “He would leave without a word and come back the next day,” until he found his artistic identity and convictions, the critic added.

    – ‘Work like a child’ –

    Aboudia’s particular manner of painting people springs out of each canvas.

    Lines swirl to form unsettling or provocative figures, either pitch dark or vividly colourful, giving off an air of being overwhelmed and neglected.

    Aboudia portrays “the world of those who we cannot see… a life of young people who have trouble integrating into society, who have to fight”, Mimi Errol said.

    “People think it’s something very basic and simple,” but Aboudia “strips the person away to show them in their purest form,” the critic added.

    Aboudia agreed.

    “What makes my style recognisable, I can say that it’s that naive quality: being older but working like a child,” the artist said.

    “I never wanted to paint or work for anyone, I do what I want to do. If you like it, you like it, if you don’t, then so be it.”

    In the face of the hurdles facing black African artists, “it’s true that the level he has reached is quite remarkable”, Jacobleu said of his former pupil.

    On the international stage the works of Aboudia and his African peers are often pigeonholed in the “ghettoising” exhibitions linked to continent, he lamented.

    At the head of a foundation bearing his name, Aboudia now passes on his artistic teachings, above all to the children who form his primary inspiration.

  • MOFI partners Culture Ministry to drive monetization of Nigeria’s cultural assets

    MOFI partners Culture Ministry to drive monetization of Nigeria’s cultural assets

    Nigeria’s Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy has partnered with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, to unlock the economic potential of the country’s cultural assets.

    This collaboration aims to generate new income streams for the government, create investment opportunities for Nigerian citizens and preserve cultural heritage by linking it to economic value.

    The partnership will catalog, value, and securitize Nigeria’s tangible and intangible assets, including arts, paintings, heritage sites, festivals, tourism brands, copyrights, digital content, and traditional knowledge. This initiative has the potential to transform Nigeria’s cultural wealth into a significant driver of economic growth.

    According to Dr. Armstrong Ume Takang, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, this partnership will “awaken the nation’s creativity and heritage and activate its dormant cultural assets. These assets will be cataloged, valued, and securitized to generate new income streams for the government and create investment opportunities for Nigerian citizens.

    “Today, we stand on the threshold of a new era in Nigeria, where the nation’s rich cultural wealth, previously admired yet undervalued, steps into the spotlight as a significant driver of economic transformation.

    “For far too long, we have walked past our nation’s artistic treasures without recognizing their true economic value. These cultural assets are not just decorations; they are economic opportunities waiting to be valued and optimized. Consider the profound impact: a single Enwonwu painting, ‘Tutu,’ sold for £1.2 million at a London auction in 2018, while our own National collection remains largely uncatalogued and unvalued,” Takang added.

    The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, emphasized that the project aligns with the ministry’s strategies and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate to leave a lasting legacy.

  • Georgia O’Keeffe dies

    Georgia O’Keeffe dies

    Georgia O’Keeffe, the artist who gained worldwide fame for her austere minimalist paintings of the American southwest, dies in Santa Fe at the age of 98.

    Born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in 1887, O’Keeffe grew up in Virginia and first studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago. Initially, she embraced a highly abstracted, urban style of art. She later moved to New York where she thrived within the growing community of abstract expressionists. Beginning in 1912, though, she began spending time in Texas and she became the head of the art department at the West Texas State Normal College in 1916. O’Keeffe’s time in Texas sparked her enduring fascination with the stark and powerful western landscape. She began to paint more representational images that drew on the natural forms of the canyons and plains that surrounded her. O’Keeffe’s paintings of cow skulls and calla lilies gained particular attention and won her an enthusiastic audience.

    Her marriage to the New York art dealer and photographer Alfred Stieglitz brought O’Keeffe back to the northeast. For a decade, she divided her time between New York City and the couple’s home in Lake George, New York. In 1919, O’Keeffe made a brief visit to the small New Mexican village of Taos, and she returned for a longer stay in 1929. Attracted to the clear desert light and snow-capped mountains, she began returning to New Mexico every summer to paint. O’Keeffe found a vibrant and supportive community among the artists that had been flocking to Taos and Santa Fe since the 1890s.

    After Stieglitz died in 1949, O’Keeffe permanently relocated to Abiquiu, New Mexico. There she continued to produce her hauntingly simple images of the southwestern land she loved. By the time she died in 1986, O’Keeffe was considered one of the preeminent artists of the American West and had inspired legions of imitators

  • OAU to immortalise staff killed by lion

    OAU to immortalise staff killed by lion

    The management of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has promised to immortalise Mr Olabode Olawuyi, a veterinary technologist who was killed by a lion in the university zoo.

    The registrar of the university, Mr Adetunji Bakare, stated this on Wednesday at a one-day workshop to mark the first anniversary of Olawuyi’s death, held at Pit Theatre, Department of Dramatic Arts, OAU.

    The workshop, organised by the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), was titled “Workplace Safety Awareness”.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olawuyi died on Feb. 19, 2024, while attempting to rescue a junior colleague who was attacked by the lion during feeding.

    The registrar stated that people were not gathering to celebrate Olawuyi’s death, “but his heroism.”

    Bakare assured that the university authorities would immortalise the memory of the late Olawuyi.

    The registrar saluted Olawuyi’s courage for standing in the gap of death of others.

    He assured that measures have been taken to prioritise workplace safety for staff and create a conducive environment for them.

    Speaking at the event, NAAT National President Mr Ibeji Nwokoma said Olawuyi was a martyr who died saving another life.

    Nwokoma, who was represented by the immediate past National Treasurer, Dr Rachel Hassan-Olajokun, urged the university management to rename the zoo in Olawuyi’s honour.

    Similarly, Mr Reuben Temerigha, the Managing Director of Western Diamond Energy Limited (WEDEL), charged every organisation to provide a safe and healthy environment for their staff.

    Related News
    NAAT declares one-day mourning for member killed by Lion in OAU Ile-Ife
    OAU lion: Olabode Olawuyi’s dedication, passion will forever inspire us — NBCA
    Lion attacks, kills OAU zoo keeper

    Represented by Mr Harry Ipalibo, the Manager, Health Safety Security and Environment, WEDEL, Temerigha maintained that workplace injuries and hazards remain a pressing challenge.

    He added that the deceased’s bravery and selflessness served as a stark reminder of the risks many workers face on a daily basis, calling for prioritising safety and implementing measures that would prevent such incidents in the future.

    Temerigha identified lack of awareness and training, non-compliance with safety regulations, hazardous work environments, fatigue and human error, and poor safety culture, among others, as the challenges to workplace safety.

    He suggested comprehensive training programmes, strict enforcement of safety technology, encouraging a culture of safety, regular safety audits and risk assessments, employee well-being programmes as the way out to safeguard the workers.

    Speaking, the Chairman, of NAAT-OAU, Mr Matthew Oluwaniyi, said that the programme was to honour the deceased, whose demise serves as a solemn reminder of the risks many workers face daily.

    Oluwaniyi emphasised that the late zoologist left a legacy that demands actions, not just remembrance, calling for Olawuyi’s immortalisation by naming the OAU Zoological Garden after him.

  • Netherlands to return ‘Benin Bronzes’ to Nigeria

    Netherlands to return ‘Benin Bronzes’ to Nigeria

    The Netherlands said Wednesday it was returning more than 100 “Benin Bronzes” to Nigeria that British troops looted in the late 19th century and ended up in a Dutch museum.

    British soldiers stole the ancient sculptures, including depictions of royal figures and animals, in 1897 from the Kingdom of Benin in modern-day Nigeria.

    The treasures were then sold and had been displayed at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Leiden.

    “With this return, we are contributing to the redress of a historical injustice that is still felt today,” said Dutch Culture, Education, and Science Minister Eppo Bruins.

    The 113 pieces are the biggest haul returned to Nigeria from the 1897 raid, said Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

    “We hope that this will be a good example… for other countries worldwide,” said Holloway in a statement.

    In 2022, Germany began returning items from its collections of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria.

    However, the British Museum in London has refused to return any of its famed collection. A law passed in 1963 technically prevents the museum from giving back the treasures.