Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre is a lawyer and he is one of the most exposed and well-traveled journalists in Nigeria. He was once the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Segun Oni in Ekiti State. Presently, he is the Director General, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture. In this interview (which Journalism Teachers too need to read) with Emmanuel Adeniran, he reveals how the state’s Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi is give ‘priority attention’ to the promotion of culture…Excerpts:
Let’s meet you for formally Sir.
Yes. My name is Ambassador Wale Ojo Lanre, I am the Director General of the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture. I was appointed as the DG some months ago by the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi. And since I was appointed by the Governor, I have relocated from my base in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital to serve the good people of my State wholeheartedly. I see my appointment as the DG of Arts and Culture in Ekiti State as a call to duty. Service to humanity has been my part of my life for several years. To serve is the easiest thing I find easy to do in life.
Sir, it’s on record that the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture is preparing for the Arts and Culture 2019 Day, how prepared is your Council towards the upcoming event?
Thank you my brother. The Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture under the leadership of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) in his second God-ordained term is set to invite the World to Ekiti State. We are set to invite the world to Ekiti State the Culture, the value, the heritage, the dances, the sights of Ekiti State. Ekiti is known to be the paragon of culture in Nigeria. One, culturally, we are homogeneous by the virtue of our language. Even by our dances, by our voices, and the way we speak, we are homogeneous in language. That is what that distinguishes us from the rest of the Country and from the other States in Nigeria.
EKIFEST is a product of deep thinking of Governor Kayode Fayemi who perfectly believes that Ekiti must not only resuscitate, rejuvenate and enhance its cultural values but to showcase it to the world that we are culturally minded people. This is because John Kayode Fayemi is a cultured fellow. He is a cosmopolitan fellow. He is learned. He is educated and he is a Comrade who believes in the efficacy of culture in boosting our values.
A state which does not value its culture can never survive the post – colonialism era. It can never survive globalization. What we are experiencing now is colonial globalization that uses the globalization era to colonize us. And that is why we are appealing to our people not to allow our culture and values to be eroded and obliterated. What we are experiencing now is that they are trying to take away our values from us. To take away our language from us is to take our culture away from us. There was a time they even stole our heritage from our Country, that is why we are hosting EKIFEST 2019 from December 10th to 13th this year. It’s an all encompassing festival that involves the teenagers, the young children, the youths, the teens (ages 7-12), the young people and the elderly ones.
So, in the first pre-event, we are hosting the children at the Motif Amusement Park, that’s one of the best in Nigeria. At the Amusement Park, we are going to gather about 2,000 children and there too, the children will be given opportunity to perform their own EKIFEST. You know these children are the leaders of tomorrow. Their heads are still clean. They have cleans slates. Whatever you plant there now will surely germinate. We are going to sow the cultural seed of Ekiti into these children by showcasing to them the Christine culture of the Ekiti people.
This is because according to the Yorubas, the festival that the youths are not involved will die. ‘Oro ti won ba nse, ti won ko ba gbe omode lo, o ma ku ni’. And that is one of the problems we have in Yorubaland and in Nigeria in general. Most of our young people are not involved in our cultural rejuvenation campaign. But because we are from Ekiti, that is why we are starting with EKIFEST. We are sowing the seed right from the youth when they are young people from ages 6 to 14. So, that’s the first. The second one will be the opening ceremony which will give an opportunity for us to showcase different cultures involving both indigenes and non – indigenes too. Those who stayed in Ekiti are believed to be part of Ekiti. So, that day, it is going to be arrays of cultural displays at the Pavilion. There will also be a colloquium at the Ikogosi Warm Spring where we will generally discus the intellectual aspect of Culture -where all the people will come to jaw jaw about Culture. The third day will be the closing day. The first and the second days are where we will experience the culture-preneur, the taste of Ekiti.
But how really prepared are you?
We are preparing seriously. Let’s us talk about preparation. First of all, we have formed different Committees; we have the Steering Committee, we have the Central Committee, we have Sub-Committees.
Apart from all these Committees, we are also talking to different stakeholders who should be involved. We have held meetings with almost every Association in Ekiti State- the NURTW, the Okada Riders Association, the pounded yam producers, even with the hunters, the drummers, every aspect of the economy in our society on the upcoming events. All of them have been engaged. We have also spoken with our signage agency, the security, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment, the Road Safety, all of them are already involved. So, we are really ready. So, we know we are to have a standing EKIFEST 2019 in grand style. And one of the preparations is this interview session that I am having with you.
Sir, since you came on board as the DG here, we observed that you have won so many laurels for the State looking at the events that happened in Benin, Abeokuta and in Hungary, what actually is the secret of the successes recorded?
It is not about the secret of the success. First, it is about God…God putting you there and guiding you when you are there. Secondly, it is about the vision of who appointed you. It is the vision of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) –he has a vision and a mission. He has an Arts and Culture vision. That’s the mandate. He has a strategic plan for it. It is his strategic plan that we are working towards to ensure it is actualised. Thirdly, here, no matter what, we will still talk about the civil servants. Yes, civil servants are terrible. But in my own case, I have some civil servants that I inherited, they are okay, they are amenable, they are ready to learn, they are fantastic, and so, we are working together. These are what I have seen and enjoying with the civil servants working with me in the Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture.
May be you will be thinking because of my coming here, no. I am just a person. I am just Wale Ojo Lanre. A tree does not make a forest. You understand. And why we are succeeding here is about God and we have the Governor who has a vision. I can also submit here that we have our strategic plan.
We ensure we work towards a consequential order that aligns with the vision and mission of Governor Kayode Fayemi and that is why the people here are very hardworking, they are amenable to corrections. We have been the best. We want to do the best. And all we want to achieve is the best. And that is why we did Ekiti State very proud with the State’s Cultural Troupe from here when we went to Hungary, on the second week of my resumption into office that we went to Drum Festival in Abeokuta. We also went to Abeokuta and came to the state with the first position aside the certificate of participation. We participated excellently after four years of non – participation in that competition. Secondly, we went to Benin, Benin was NAFEST (National Festival of Arts and Culture) for the 36 States. We were there and I am very happy to inform you that out of the 36 States in the country, Ekiti State emerged as the first in Innovation and Creativity in the whole of the Country. From history, Ekiti State has never had it so good like that in the Arts and Culture sector.
So, you can see. It is from this you can know our team here are truly talented. Our Troupe was invited to an International Concert which took place in Hungary during the 59th Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary celebrations. We were there and the world stood for us. Go to YouTube or goggle to see for yourself. You will see us there. You will see how fantastic it was. Of recent too, we were in Ibadan, we were invited by the Ogunde’s as a Special Guest to perform, go and see also how people applauded us. It is God through the vision of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi and the good people in the Arts and Culture.
Sir, don’t you think that these achievements have something largely to do with your personality considering the fact that others have been equally appointed by previous administrations into the same position?
Yes, it speaks but let me let you know that the paradigm is always different. The paradigm then might not be the paradigm now. The paradigm now is under Dr. John Kayode Fayemi who is a thinker, who is a philosopher and whom God has ordained to order the steps of Ekiti people and he is doing it. So, everything is about God and Governor John Kayode Fayemi and not me. I am just the servant of the people. I react in consonance with the order of the man who appointed me. I think that is just the practical and bitter truth. Good mind works with good mind. That is just the scenarios. No more. Additionally, I am a trained journalist with experience. Journalists deliver.
Sir, it was observed that you were trying to bring up an issue on the need to make ‘Iyan’ to drive the economy of the state, what actually motivated this?
Yes. It is Iyan economy. You are talking about Iyan economy. We are still on it. Iyan economy is key. We can stir and ginger up the Ekiti economy with Iyan.
How sir?
Haven’t you heard about Chinese food?
Yes, I have.
Do you not eat Chinese food? I want you to be sincere. If you are offered Chinese food, won’t you take it?
Yes, I will love it o!
What have you heard about Chinese food?
Well, not ‘heard’, I know Chinese people have different delicious dishes.
(Cuts in) So, do you wish to eat more of Chinese food? Will you like to eat?
Anytime, any day sir.
(Cuts in)Why will you want to eat Chinese dish? You will want to eat because of the stories you heard about the Chinese food.
May be Sir.
Have you heard about Ekiti pounded yam? Please be sincere, I want you to reflect on this conversation the way we are having it. If you arrive Ekiti, what will be the first thing in your mind?
Ekiti pounded yam off course sir.
So, don’t you think that is a credible source of improving the economy?
Have you been to Itawure? What are they doing in Itawure?
They sell pounded yam, Iyan. I don’t even expect you to ask me this question. When was that place called Itawure founded?
It’s been long.
Its been there for so many years.
Yes
Wherever you travel there, what did you used to do there?
At times, I stop over there.
To do what?
To eat pounded yam.
After eating pounded yam, is it only pounded yam that you buy there?
Well, plan wine. Yes, things like bitter kola, kolanut, walnut etc.
Can you take note of how much you normally spend there?
Not really.
Just take for instance, if a customer spends N1,000 or N2,000 there in a day. Have you ever sat down to take cognisance of how many people patronise Itawure in a day?
Well, so many people.
Let’s say 200 or 300 people patronize the Iyan seller in a day and spend about N2,000 there. If you multiply N2,000 by 300, how much do you think is that?
That’s a lot of money.
Just imagine that in a day for a week and then in a month -because people are taking just Iyan.
Yes.
Now, what about those that are pounding Iyan, do they steal the yam or buy?
They buy of course sir.
So, where are they buying?
From the farm and the market.
Where does the market woman buy yam.
From the farm.
Are they going to pay the farmer?
They will.
When you visits the place, is it only Iyan you eat? Are you not going to take it with soup? Will they not buy ponmo or bush meat or anything like that? Will they not use maggi to cook? Are they not going to pay those people?
Yes, they will.
Can you now see the Iyan economy? I am sure our conversation has given you the true picture of the Iyan Economy I am promoting. If 12,000 people come to Ekiti to come and eat Iyan, are they eating free of charge? Those selling Iyan, are they not going to rent houses or build houses to accommodate their businesses? If they build houses, are they not going to employ people to build for them? Can you now see how selling Iyan can grow the Ekiti economy now? That’s the essence of the Iyan economy. Can you now see how this Iyan can generate money?
So, how do you think you can replicate what is going on at Itawure in Efon and other places in Ekiti State?
I don’t need to replicate it. There are many Iyan producers already. Let me tell you that if you care to know. I have held meetings with them here. There are about 250 Iyan sellers in Ekiti State here and they are making their monies. If we are able to brand Iyan, the Ekiti pounded yam will be known worldwide. And a lot of people coming from Abuja must cross or pass through Ekiti here because of Iyan. Don’t you know you are contributing money to the economy? How do you run the economy?
Through buying and selling.
So, why are you asking me the question? Some of our people in Ekiti are mentally lazy. Today, I know you are going to eat Iyan one way or the other. There is this research that States that 25% of people who visit first go to eat pounded yam. You will see what the 250 pounded yam producers are going to do during the Ekiti State Arts and Culture day 2019. India is using their food to make money. The Chinese are doing the same thing. So, what stops or prevents us from doing the same thing.
Taking you away from that sir, looking at the Secondary and Primary Schools in Ekiti State, you will discover that most of those schools use to have cultural troupes, it got to a time we discovered that such no longer exist. What is your plan to bring back this experience in our schools?
It’s seasonal. When we were growing up, we used to have cultural troupes in schools who used to perform as part of end of the year activities. Some schools have standing cultural troupes. They were not sustained. During the John Kayode Fayemi’s first term, they tried to launch cultural groups in schools. I was not there then. We are going to start it in January 2020 in all schools – especially in our primary and secondary schools in the state. During the forthcoming Arts and Culture event, schools will be engaged in a competition that will help to bring back on board the standing troupes that once existed in schools in the State.
What efforts are you putting in place to replicate what the Arts and Culture is doing at the various local government across the State?
I have explained to you that they are coming from all the local government areas to perform and exhibit their potentials in Arts and Culture at the forthcoming event. Each local government will be presenting their groups. There will be inter-local government competitions on food, dancing, dressing, games, local wrestling. We have officers at the various local government areas popularly called Igberiko officers who monitor and sets up Arts and Culture activities at the LGAs.
Sir, we have also learnt that Mr. President and some Governors will be attending EKIFEST 2019…
Well, there was a press conference addressed by Professor Ojo Bakare and he was asked about those to be expected at the event and he told them at the press conference that the President Muhammadu Buhari and some State Governors should be expected at the event. So, do they expect him to say that we are expecting lesser people? In an event like this upcoming one, it is normal to send out letters of invitations to those wanted. Once you send out letters, you will be expecting people to come. Letters have been sent to Mr. President in Abuja and all the 36 State Governors in the country. We are not only expecting 10 Governors. We are expecting all the 36 State Governors at the events.
Sir, what is your specific message to the people of Ekiti State?
My specific message is that the people of the State should embrace their culture. They should value their culture. They should be attached seriously to their culture. They should take their culture more serious than any other one. They should know that the white man’s culture is meant to destroy and derail them. The foreign culture of the white man is meant to destroy the future of our youths. They should do away with them. White man’s culture is only meant to destroy our togetherness and obliterate our original identity both as Yoruba and a Nigerian citizens.
