IRAWO - MY QUEST FOR FREEDOM - 2

Oluwakemi @ 3months; with my mother

My nursery school days at Subuola nursery school, Festac Town, Lagos, were full of mischief. I was not the type that would wee or poo on my body but I remember taunting those that did and making them cry.

In nursery 2, I used to avoid going for assembly when the school bus, sometimes, brought us to school late so that I could have a taste (otherwise known as stealing) of other children’s lunch along with some of my classmates who also came to school late.

When the victim started to cry during lunch time and the teacher asked and frightened us by saying that she would call on òjùjú to help her catch the perpetrators, lying tongues began to wag and accusing fingers were pointed. I could not bring myself to lie, so I confessed but I did not mention the other pupils’ names and so I served their punishment.

Oluwakemi @ 3

 “Kneel down! Close your eyes! Face the wall with hands up in the air! No playtime for you!” 

I would cry and no friend would say that they were with me or tell me sorry.

That was the last time it happened. Immediately after putting my bag and lunch box on the shelf, I would run outside to the assembly ground.

Sometimes, I deliberately missed the school bus so that I could swing and slide for a long time. My poor grandma would have to come look for me (my mum was in nursing school and my father had gone to work).

My primary school days at Central Bank of Nigeria Primary school, Satellite Town, Lagos, were fun. From my primary one to five classes, I was always on stage performing at every prize giving day or end of year concerts. From Edo, Yoruba, Efik, Hausa, Ibo cultural dances to choral and poetry recitals, I participated.

However, my poetry recitals were cancelled before I got the chance to perform them on stage because I got nervous, forgot my lines or stammered as I recited my lines. My teacher thought that I was not good enough and evicted me from the list of participants. I tried my best to participate in speech activities such as acting and poetry recitals but I was always pulled out because I stammered. I still stammer especially when I am happy or angry but I more confident about it. I am no longer nervous when I speak to people or give career speeches.

My grades were fair; within second to tenth in a class of about forty-five pupils. The closest I was to collecting a prize was in third term, primary four. A boy named Chichi and I both came third. I was angry! See somebody contesting with my only chance to shine on prize giving day.

The school authority said that it only had a gift for one person and so, it was given to Chichi because he scored ninety-two percent in mathematics and English language while I scored ninety-two percent in mathematics and eighty-eight percent in English language. I am still wondering what math and English have to do with anything and why the headmistress was being stingy considering the caliber of our school.

Prize or none, I got the chance of performing at every end of year performances and I was congratulated afterwards by my mother and other parents for a beautiful performance. They all claimed that I danced best. That was what mattered to me.

During my primary school days, I got to perform at the National Arts Theater, Lagos. I was always in the front line because I could really dance. We were televised on several occasions and my mum would inform all our friends, relatives & neighbours beforehand to watch the programme. She always came for my stage performances. We also got to open shows for Tosin Jegede, the onetime child singer. She was a pupil in my school and was in my immediate younger sister's class. Charly Boy usually came with Tosin to our school, along with his television crew, to capture our performances for television.

I did not like Tosin. I was upset to see pupils running up and down after her during break time forcing their friendship on her. Tosin was three years my junior. My younger sister was her classmate. Once, when I saw my sister following her up and down during break time, I went to drag her away. One day, under the stair case of her classroom, she was alone and for no reason, I went to pinch her and then ran away as she cried along looking for a teacher to report to. 

Now, I realize that I was just jealous of her. I wish I could write and sing my own songs like her. That was the most ridiculous thing to have done to an innocent girl. It was because of her that we performed at the National Arts Theatre and on television regularly. I ought to give myself a slap for being so nasty.

In primary school, the adventure in me made me join the Brownie. When I was ten years old, I joined the Girls' Guide of Nigeria. I totally enjoyed the songs, games and camps.

In school, girls were not allowed to play drums in the school marching band. I knew I could play just as good but, it was a no, no! I used to wonder why boys were allowed to do some stuffs and girls were not allowed to do same. As far as I was concerned, I could do what boys could do except pee in the same way. I played ten-ten, skipping rope, suwe and clapping and singing games with the girls and then, I would play police and thief, top spinning and table soccer with the boys.

My mother always brought us to school in her white Mazda and the school bus brought us back home. Sometimes, we had to trek home if the school bus broke down. On our way home, we would buy ekono Gowon and lollipop ice cream. We would run at the sight of a man staring at us. One of us called such evil looking people, gbomogbomo. It was later that I knew that gbomogbomo was the Yoruba word for kidnapper. 

So, I wonder, these evil people have been in existence even in my childhood. May they never come in contact with us or our children. At the name of Jesus, every evil knee must bow!

To be continued

COSON - 6th AGM, 2016

From every nook and cranny of the country, hundreds of gaily dressed members of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), the nation’s only  approved Collective Management Organization for musical works and sound recordings, on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, stormed the Oramiyan Hall of Lagos Airport Hotel for the 6th Annual General Meeting of the society.

Among the many top music industry stakeholders present were Afrojuju maestro, Sir Shina Peters, ace music producer, Laolu Akins the rainmaker and Nigeria reggae legend, Majek Fashek, Music Label top guns, Obi Asika and Audu Maikori, Eko ogba gbere crooner, Pa Chris Ajilo and renowned guitarist, Feladey and amiable singer, Stella Delight among several others. The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) was also represented by Mr. Obi Ezeilo, Zonal Manager, Lagos.
 
Reading his address which received intermittent applause, COSON Chairman Chief Tony Okoroji pledged his society’s support of the Federal Government in the effort to get the entertainment industry to contribute to reviving the nation’s ailing economy. He however challenged the government to ensure that its actions match its words.

According to Chief Okoroji, “For us to play our role effectively, the government cannot pretend to understand our problems because it does not. The government must engage us closely, listen to our issues and then take action instead of just talking. In other words, the actions of the government must match its words.

“For instance, the government cannot say that it wants the entertainment industry to grow the economy and yet looks the other way while government agencies engage in horrendous copyright infringement.

“Since the present government took over, we have repeatedly called for the activation of the private copy levy scheme provided for under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have received no reaction whatsoever from a government that says that it is interested in growing the entertainment industry”.

Concluding, Okoroji said, “Around the continent, pirated Nigerian music dominates the airwaves and music shops. We believe that a government which wants to grow our entertainment industry must take interest and engage meaningfully with these nations at the diplomatic and international trade levels and ensure that these national assets are not frittered away”

Chief Okoroji also announced the development of a very sophisticated computer system that can fully capture the documentation, distribution and financial transactions at COSON. 

According to Okoroji, “Our new system called the COSONET will enable each member of the society access the records of his works with the society from the comfort of his bedroom and permit him or her to update his works when necessary from wherever he or she might be. 

The COSONET will also enable each member to monitor royalties accruing to him or her and generate a report of the royalties and their sources. It should also make it possible for instant royalty distribution, whether general or specific, removing the frustrating wait that some of us go through to receive our royalties”. 

He said that with the COSONET which is presently being test run, in operation, COSON would have achieved 100% transparency and accountability.

Reporting on the massive cases filed recently by COSON against the Federal government owned FRCN and telecommunications giant, MTN Chief Okoroji promised that more such high profile cases will be filed soon. According to the Chairman, COSON does not go to court frivolously. 

In his words, “In each case that we have taken a user to court, we must have satisfied ourselves, that all none-adversarial methods of resolving the problem had been exhausted. The cases send a loud and clear message to everyone that the era of free music in Nigeria is gone”.

Chief Okoroji also Identified the factors which have resulted in the rapid growth of COSON and its ability to collect and distribute several hundreds of millions of Naira in only six years of operation as CONSISTENCY, TRANSPARENCY and STABILITY.
 
At the elections that took place during the AGM, four members of the Board: Mr. Joel Ajayi, Mr. Obi Asika, Mr. Efe Omorogbe and Alhaji Sikiru Agboola were returned to the Board.

Culled from the COSON website.