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By Modupe Gbadeyanka
All is now set for the release of a historical play by a foremost Public Relations practitioner and art enthusiast, Mr Olutayo Irantiola, titled The Okeho Exodus.
It was gathered that the piece of art is scheduled for release in November 2022, and this is already exciting book lovers in Nigeria, who look forward to being mesmerised by the writing style of Mr Irantiola.
The book release coincides with the 2022 Lagos Books and Art Festival and the Okeho Day celebration slated for November 14- 20 and 20-26, 2022, respectively.
The play is a unique documentation of the story of Òkehò, the headquarters of Kajola Local Government area of Oyo State, South West, Nigeria. This is a dramatic documentation of a specific episode in the story of Òkehò, the regicide of Ońjò Olúkìtìbí, in 1916, an incident that changed the Òkehò story drastically.
After the unfortunate incident, the British colonial administration stepped in to restore law and order in its way. Its ultimate order was for Okeho to relocate from its nature-endowed refuge in the hills of Òkehò-Ahoro to its present site from which it had been forced to flee the Fulani and Dahomey invaders. It is this part of the story of Òkehò that is effectively captured in this drama.
“I am delighted to bring this work of art to life. Writing this play is a dream come true for me, and I am excited that Nigerians will read and appreciate some occurrences that happened during the colonial intrusion in Yoruba land.
“I hope that this play will form the basis for which we will identify who we are as an ethnic group and revitalize the profound ingenuity in us beyond the identity given to us by the colonialists,” Mr Ìrántíọlá said.
The Òkehò Exodus has been receiving several praises ahead of its release, especially from Professor Segun Gbadegesin, Aṣíwájú of Òkehò, who wrote the foreword to the play.
He noted that, “Ìrántíọ́lá has woven the goals of truth-telling and entertainment seamlessly and has demonstrated fidelity to historical accuracy while also achieving artistic excellence.”
According to him, “through this drama, he has effectively presented not an unhistorical entertainment, but an entertaining history. I fervently hope this volume will generate the interest of serious cultural enthusiasts, and the play will be staged in theatres across the country and the world in no distant future.”
Also, Mr Dípọ̀ Adéṣidà, the Chief Operating Officer of Verdant Zeal Group, stated that “the story began on a romantic note, goes through the unprecedented labyrinth of divide and rule, infighting, intrigue and myopia, the genesis of bloodletting and eventual loss of a kingdom and by extension, an entire nation’s identity.
“Sadly, this story is still reminiscent of many African communities today who cannot see the bigger picture beyond the immediate economic or political benefits of personal gain in exchange for building a legacy of worthy governance structure for posterity.”
Mr Ìrántíọlá debut play titled With Our Uniform, a satirical stage play that showcases societal decadence and the ruthless use of force by uniformed men, was staged during the Lagos Fringe Festival in 2022 at Freedom Park, Lagos Island, Nigeria and the SOS Theatre Festival International in the United States of America in 2021. Also, to his credit, he has an anthology of poetry in English and Yoruba languages and a biography.
Olam Agri Launches Educational Grant for First-year Students
Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN’s Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.
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Irantiola Dramatizes Societal Injustice in ‘With Our Uniform’
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By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An educational grant for first-year students in public tertiary institutions in Nigeria has been introduced by Olam Agri, a leading agribusiness in food, feed, and fibre and an operating group of Olam Group.
The funding support for the students will be open to all the courses of study offered in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Business Post gathered that only the best-qualified applicants would benefit from the grant. They would be chosen through a merit-based selection process that strictly adheres to the rules of fairness, transparency, fair play, and independent audit, from the application, and shortlisting, all through to the finalists’ selection stages.
“Enabling wider education and skill development for young people is one key area of focus. The education grant will make a valuable contribution to supporting students to fulfil their potential and more broadly developing the country’s human capital,” the Country Head for Olam Agri in Nigeria, Mr Ashish Pande, said at the unveiling of The Seeds for the Future Foundation a few days ago.
At the event held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja and attended by Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Olam chief said the foundation was designed to strengthen opportunities for farmers and communities along its value chain.
He said the Seeds for the Future Foundation would focus on four key social action pillars: supporting farms and farmers to strengthen local wheat production; enabling wider education and skills development for young people; empowering women in farming communities; and promoting health and nutrition across the country.
The Seeds for the Future is Olam Agri’s flagship N300 million wheat value chain development initiative in Nigeria, launched in 2021. It aims to contribute to the attainment of the government’s economic development agenda in key segments of the economy, such as agriculture/food security, economic diversification, women empowerment, nutrition & health, education, and skills development.
“Olam Agri is committed to supporting activities that have a direct and positive impact on farmers and their communities in Nigeria.
“The launch of The Seeds for the Future Foundation strengthens our focus on improving the livelihoods of farmers, communities, women and young people, as well as the development of the agricultural sector.
“We’re supportive of the Government’s economic development agenda, and we recognize that the private sector has a key role to play to collaborate to drive sustainable growth in communities,” Mr Pande said.
On his part, Mr Osinbajo lauded Olam Agri in Nigeria for the launch of the foundation, as well as its investments in the agricultural sector.
“Olam deserves our heartfelt commendation for giving us a reason to celebrate. The company is investing in our future through the Seeds for the Future Foundation investments in seeds that will feed our population and education that will harness the potential of our young people.
“These laudable intervention efforts in research and seed development and other critical sectors of the economy have attracted greater attention leading to the business receiving the National Productivity Order of Merit Award from President Muhammadu Buhari earlier in the year,” the VP said.
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By Dipo Olowookere
Popular philanthropist, Mr Babatunde Olaogun, has been commended by the leadership of Ogbomosho High School, Oyo State, for donating GCE forms to its students.
On Thursday, October 13, 2022, the socialite gave out 50 GCE forms to secondary school students to help them in their quest for the needed results to pursue their tertiary education.
In a letter of appreciation signed by the Vice Principal (Academics) of Ogbomosho High School, Mr Oladotun Opadokun, a graduate of the Lagos State University (LASU), was praised for believing in education.
“Being a son of the soil, coming home to lay the such philanthropic foundation is not only worthy of emulation but highly commendable and very well-appreciated,” a part of the statement read.
The school noted that, “To us, this act of kindness is not just a show of philanthropy, but clearly an indication that you believe in the saying that education is the best legacy.”
“The students who benefited from your kind gesture are equally very grateful and extend their sincere gratitude.
“On behalf of the leadership of Ogbomosho High School, once again, we thank you most heartily, and we pray the Almighty God to continue to provide for your needs,” the letter further said.
Recall that on February 14, 2022, Mr Olaogun spent Valentine’s Day with the inhabitants of Mom Orphanage Home and Stagi Cornerstone Orphanage in Lokoja, Kogi State.
He explained that the gesture was because he has been on “both sides on some Valentine’s Day love fest, and to be honest, both sides’ feelings are deep, and emotions are high.”
“This year’s Valentine’s Day, being a working day, I have decided to take time out to spend a little part of the day with the motherless babies.
“This is essentially a decisive attempt to make these younger folks feel loved, remembered and needed even in the larger society, especially during the Valentine’s Day jamboree when everyone is spreading love,” he added.
“Let me use this medium to reiterate that I will endeavour to continue to reach out to the downtrodden no matter how little,” the microbiologist further said.
A month earlier, the grassroots politician and environmental scientist was with some elderly persons to celebrate his birthday, January 13.
He was at the Old Market in Lokoja to celebrate his day with the elderly, giving them something to eat to make them feel very important.
“This giving initiative, as you are perhaps aware, is not new in my history, although it is the first in Lokoja.
“I am, however, encouraged and of the fervent belief that it is better to give when you have, but it is much more rewarding to give when you do not have.
“For me, I do not have it all. But I reckon largely with that part of the scriptures which says, “Give, and it shall be given unto you,” he said.
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By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Some young developers have won prizes, including cash, scholarships, and paid internships, at the maiden multi-country hackathon organised by GoMyCode Nigeria themed Upside Education.
It was to encourage participants to explore ways of using new technologies to create a parallel universe of educational methods that could merge virtual and face-to-face learning methods to optimize learning and make it effective, beneficial and enjoyable for both instructors and students.
The leading edtech platform in Africa held the programme simultaneously in five countries during the weekend of October 15 to 16.
The Nigerian edition was held at GoMyCode Nigeria’s newly opened Hackerspace on Herbert Macaulay Way Yaba. More than 100 aspiring and experienced developers attended the event, with just under 10 participating in the actual competition.
They worked on and presented different ideas ranging from apps that foster greater learning collaboration to platforms that rethink assessments and testing, innovative learning tracks for kids to learn coding, virtual learning assistants and a social and gamified learning platform.
The awards recognized the top three participants with the most viable ideas to solve e-learning challenges in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond.
The first prize winner, Confidence Bassey, created an immensely collaborative study app that could be a game changer for university students just returning to school after a protracted strike. The second-prize winner, Uwabunkeonye Ijeoma Benedicta, created a program for kids of all age groups to learn coding concepts. The design reflected a deep understanding of her target audience and took into cognisance issues parents, and guardians worry about when they choose to expose their wards to e-learning. Abudullahi Fahm, the 3rd prize winner, created a video learning platform that can aid collaborative learning.
The trio emerged after a rigorous 36-hour hacking session, and a presentation to a distinguished jury made up of industry experts from Mara, Renmoney and Topcoder, three organizations that supported GoMyCode Nigeria with the hackathon.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager of GoMyCode Nigeria, Mr Babatunde Olaifa, urged the participants to continue to find new ways to use technology to solve Africa’s most pressing problems, particularly in education.
He said, “Africa needs change makers, pioneers, future thinkers and dreamers. We need people that can make a difference in whatever sphere they find themselves in”.
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