Women Academics From Nigeria

"Rising to become a full professor of the visual arts at the University of Lagos bestows upon me added responsibilities. It has given me the unique opportunity of shaping lives. Many of my students have become really successful artists, some now professors in their various institutions and are able to hold their own – a few of them whom I am very proud of, and taught at either undergraduate and post graduate levels are Jude Anogwih, Tobenna Okwuosa, Nelson Edewor, George Edozie, Jelili Atiku, Bolaji Ogunwo, Ganiyu Jimoh and Alao Lukman."

"But my teaching is not limited to university students. I have straddled different categories and classes of people within the society. I have taught pupils and secondary school students, illiterates, barbers, mechanics, tailors, petty traders and welders, masons who need rudimentary skills in the arts to earn a decent living at community based workshops. In both spaces, I have had great fulfilment."

"Today, I come across a lot of youth telling me they are inspired by my life. As a female artist, I must continue to provide hope for younger females who are in search of role models particularly in a profession that has been male dominated for a long time. There are a lot of people, both male and female looking up to me for counsel and I realise that this is an enormous task. I teach them that there is a lot that can be achieved through passion, sheer hard work and dedication."

"But this is also a privilege I have enjoyed from others. I have had great mentors-Professor Irein Wangboje who employed me at the University of Benin; Professor Cornelius Adepegba, who was my doctoral supervisor at the University of Ibadan. Both of them died early in my career. God provided others who stood in the gap."

"At the University of Lagos, I was employed under the headship of Professor S. Adetoro whose sense of discipline was one to emulate. While some others may not have taught me, they have been able to support my career at various times- Professors Ola Oloidi, Abayomi Barber, Dele Jegede, Bruce Onobrakpeya and Rom Kalilu. The University of Lagos has been a great place of service. It has provided a conducive platform for expanding my creative capabilities and has given the necessary support for the growth of my profession. However, there have been challenges in my fairly long career as a teacher."

"There are several challenges facing education generally in Nigeria. There has been a steady decline in standards in the visual arts, as in other disciplines. These problems are multifarious and overwhelming! At the University of Benin art school, graduates of the college up till 1988 continued to speak glowingly about the crop of seasoned lecturers we had- Pa Omo Osagie, Osi Audu, Iro Eweka, Ademola Williams, Sammy Laye, Kweku Mensah, Akpo Teye, Ademola Williams, Emmanuel Ifeta, Irma Francis, Mr. Onemu, Norman Rosen etc. As students, the university provided materials for our art projects and we had great facilities and adequate studio spaces."

"Today, there are very poor facilities for teaching art in almost all art schools in Nigeria. How do you teach art adequately without models for drawing or painting, or teach ceramics without at least one kiln or run an art school without a proper gallery? Today, there are no technical staff for studio operations or basic furniture in many art schools. I can say this confidently because I have been to almost all the art schools in Nigeria."

"At Uniben, the university employed guild casters from Igun street as studio hands to assist students with bronze casting projects. Establishing an art school requires a whole lot of equipment and facilities, purpose built studios with proper ventilation, proper staffing and lots of space. In many of the art schools I have been to in the West, they constantly change their equipment to the most up-to-date facilities to catch up with modern trends in the world of art. The availability of materials and opportunities that their students have sometimes makes one green with envy. I look forward to such a time."

"There is also a general lack of understanding about the requirements for the visual arts. Lecturers are saddled with teaching so many courses because of the inadequate staff establishment positions assigned the profession. The poor remuneration of staff in Nigeria does not attract the very best. Any artist with a vibrant studio practice will not accept positions in a university where the salaries are poor."

"So, many times, universities are made to hire from the choices available, which may not necessarily be from amongst the very best. There is also the issue of assessment of staff for promotion, where premium is placed on the number of published papers and not necessarily the quality of the artist’s intellectual and artistic output. On the part of the students, a lot of them did not opt to study art. Their marks could not qualify them to study law or some other courses so they end up studying art. Therefore, in more than half of their school years they are distracted and wondering about the fate that has befallen them."

"Students of art are so engrossed in practical work to the detriment of research. Art books no longer have the appeal they had. The Internet seems to have replaced books as students prefer to cut and paste information gathered from Wikipedia and dictionaries. Hardly do they have critical engagement with resources that would help them develop a language of their own. The craze to acquire degrees without the attendant rigour is overwhelming. The few students that excel by trying to beat these odds give us hope to remain in this profession."

"I can only speak of my own experience as a teacher who has worked in at least three universities in Nigeria. At the University of Lagos, I have only added my bricks to those of others who were there before me. Working with a team of committed staff as we have at Unilag has helped make changes to our art department. Also important is the support we get from committed friends within the art community."

"If education should be salvaged in this country we cannot leave it to the government alone. There has to be an inclusion of the private sector. The central and important role the University of Lagos plays in the art-charged city of Lagos makes it possible to attract private/public partnership in art training."

"Over a three year period, I fostered links between a private NGO- Omooba Yemisi Shyllon Foundation and the University of Lagos in training over 1000 students from about 22 universities in art-based workshops under the headship of Professor Duro Oni. This is in addition to the U.S. sponsored workshops by Brett Cook from which the collaborative mural evolved. We once enjoyed the establishment of an arts’ gallery located close to the lagoon front by the botanical gardens. This was a great place for the university community and visitors to come enjoy the creative expressions of students of Creative arts- theatre, music and visual arts."

"The University of Lagos administration has been very receptive to suggestions. My proposal for the establishment of an arts and crafts Centre funded by TETFund was given priority by the university management. This concept when accomplished will invariably bring together students of different departments to learn skills that interface with the arts and help with job creation after school."

"This is the era of interdisciplinary research. There must be a collapse of boundaries between disciplines. As an artist trained in metalworking, I am conversant with metal casting processes- working with non-ferrous metals like copper and its alloys, gold and silver. I also use centrifugal casting systems, lost wax, sand casting methods in my work."

"There is a lot one can do with science students as this aspect of the arts lies very much in the domain of sciences. The arts and sciences interface in ways that we are yet to fully enjoy the benefits of such synergy. While my considerations may be aesthetically inclined, a student of science could tap into this expertise of an artist working in a familiar terrain. Students of engineering and chemistry can interact with the ceramics unit of the Department of Creative Arts in mould making, working with refractory bodies and compounding glazes from local resources. The same applies to the arts and architecture; both are two sides of a coin."

"The renowned artist Demas Nwoko has proven the unique link between art and architect in his impressive oeuvre of works. There is a huge potential for tourism using the arts. Universities can benefit immensely from increased revenue with the expertise that the visual art portends. Art students are trained not to be seekers of employment but employers of labour, and by the time they graduate, they have a good understanding of what art and entrepreneurship means. The Department of Creative Arts has helped transform the cultural life of the university by organizing amazing music and theatre performances and also changing the landscape with sculptures. There is more that can be achieved."

"Art draws material largely from the archives and historical episodes in Africa."

"History has always held a fascination for me and has greatly defined the trajectory of my art. I have conducted two major exhibition projects that draw on the archives. One directly refers to the sack of Benin by British invaders in 1897 titled, “Benin 1897.com” (2010) and the other, a public art project, “Whose Centenary?” (2014) was inspired by the history of the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates of Nigeria. In both historical situations, Benin seems to be the location of the activation."

"My focus on Benin history as it pertains the looting of its priced sacred objects began after two major international events I attended- first was the Benin travelling exhibition, “Benin Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria” which was shown in Vienna, Paris, Berlin and Chicago between 2007 and 2009. I attended the opening and close of the exhibition in Vienna and Chicago. When I returned, I began to think of ways of engaging theme of looting patrimony and what it means for Nigeria in this global discourse on art. My exhibition titled, “Benin 1897.com: Art and the Restitution Question” (2010) emerged. I will consider this one of my most successful projects and a major contribution to documenting local art traditions and projecting the views of a colonised people deprived of their art on various platforms."

"The second project is the “Whose Centenary?” project. A collaboration of eleven other renowned artists on a public art project held at Igun Street, Benin City. The Nigerian government celebrated the amalgamation of both the southern and northern protectorates of Nigeria in a grand style. As artists we questioned the celebration of the centenary particularly as the amalgamation was carried out for the convenience of British administration rather than for the good of the people, in what later became known as Nigeria."

"So we took a second look at the date and saw that 1914 was the year, His Royal Majesty, Oba Ovonramwen, king of Benin, who stood against British imperialism joined his ancestors. So, I came up with a public art concept to celebrate the culture, costumes, dances and art of the Benin people. The venue was Igun Street, in Benin City- the home and ateliers of the Benin traditional bronze casters. Many of the artists on this project have really become well known internationally. Jelili Atiku and Victor Ehikhamenor had shown at the 57th Biennale in Venice. Jude Anogwih, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Andrew Eseibo, Ine Valle, Burns Effiom, Jumoke Verissimo and Taiye Idahor have continued to expand on their artistic practice."

"This project, which included my mother’s participation, was a great collaboration between academically-trained artists and the guild of bronze casters. It was a multi-genre project comprising performance art, sculpture, site-specific paintings, photography, installation art and video art which was funded in part from the University of Lagos Central Research grant."

"I am grateful to the Almighty God for all he has made possible in the last 50 years. That I am alive today is the sheer miracle of God. Being 50 is a milestone in an individual’s life, particularly for those living in Nigeria with all its challenges. I am grateful for the kind of support I have received from my family, particularly my husband. It is also a time of stocktaking."

"In terms of my career, I will focus more on my studio practice and consolidate on helping to build a stronger community of creative thinkers amongst the youth. To mark our 13th anniversary of community service a lot of free art workshops in tie-dye, silk-painting and ceramics were held at the Women and Youth Art Centre. I have a couple of international engagement. I have just concluded a prestigious artist residency in the Kunstsammlung Northrein Westfalen, the Museum of the State of North Rhine Westfalia, in Dusseldorf."

"My lectures and engagement in the last two months have helped foster better understanding of art from a non-European background. It has also expanded my understanding of knowledge practices in the arts. Next year promises better opportunities. As a recipient of the Raw Residency at Rhodes University in South Africa, I will be involved with creating a new body of art works. I am excited about this residency because of its unique structure. I will be working with a writer who would engage my artistic production in a literary form, while I do my own work."

"All human beings should have access to comfortable accommodation in a conducive environment."

"Building resilient foundations means the preparedness to reduce risk, uncertainties and vulnerabilities that arise from construction project challenges which constraints the construction process."

"The recipe for success is found in the project forecast."

"People should stop bleaching their skin; we should be black and proud. NAFDAC is on the spot to ensure that these dangerous products, which come in illegally are seized and destroyed."

"The University is distraught, we are confused and sad. We are yet to get full details of her death. We have no details yet, we have not confirmed anything, but we heard she died of a protracted ailment."

"As a VC,she was able to stabilize AAU as at that time. I must say that she came, she saw and she conquered."

"I think government has a greater role to play because if you enter into an agreement, it behooves the parties to keep to the terms of the agreement. It is when you don’t keep to the terms of the agreement that you have problems. If you look at the last ASUU strike, it came up as a result of the Federal Government not playing its part after several reminders to do so from ASUU."

"Most of our courses have been accredited by the NUC. As you must know, most courses have accreditation for four or five years and most of the courses that were accredited about five years ago are due for accreditation this year. And the ones that were accredited in 2012 will be due for accreditation in the next three years; so we have most of our courses accredited."

"As far as AAU is concerned, TETFUND has done well because on an annual basis, there is normal intervention from the body to federal and state universities and this depends on how far a university has utilised what it was given previously. In AAU, we have a lot of TETFUND intervention projects to showcase."

"Right now, Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges and AAU is an integral part of Nigeria and some of these challenges are what we face – insecurity, financial problems, instability and the problem of strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)."

"Naturally, I was very happy because it was a confirmation of the fact that I have done well on the job; and the governor recognises good work and merit when he sees one."

"All these goes to confirm the avowed commitment of the people’s governor to the growth and development of the university. I must also add that just recently, towards the accreditation exercise in this university, the state government supported the university with the sum of N100 million."

"Nigerians need people who are dedicated and are ready to work and serve humanity but we need people to encourage them to do so and more."

"My positive performance in office in her first tenure might have influenced the decision of the Federal Government to re-appoint her for a second term."

"Students want to learn and that is why we are exploiting that avenue. We keep them busy with academic and entrepreneurial activities and leadership training. That is why we have experienced phenomenal reduction in cultism in the school."

"Unfortunate attitude is discouraging people from giving their best to the growth of our country."

"Nigerians had failed to encourage leaders, who had done well in their various professions."

"That the management of the institution was able to curb cultism through productive engagement of its students."

"For January we were paid and they got their salaries through December system and that is what we have been using for quite some time now. So it ought not to be an issue because they all know it is not within the control of the polytechnic."

"When we did approval it was showing insufficient fund and so in January this year we wrote to the office of the accountant general and the minister of finance to complain."

"Well, the polytechnic is on a platform where payments are made directly from the CBN into individual accounts and last year December we had a short fall of the salary and this salaries have already been uploaded. We only interact with the issue of salary online where somebody reviews and another person approves."

"The unpaid salary arrears ought not to be an issue, as it was not in the control of the polytechnic."

"Government should ensure that only people with verse knowledge of educational institution were appointed to head such institutions.This became necessary as it would not only ensure a seamless and uninterrupted academic calendar, but also the growth and development of such institutions. (NAN)"