Those who missed out on
the opening ceremonies on the 19th August may not again have the
opportunity to relive an ultra-cultural performance by a dance troupe.
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| cultural dance troupe |
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| audience |
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| dance |
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| enthralled | |
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| paparazzi | |
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| Dr. Ngozi Okpara and the Catering Unit look on |
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| Rashidat, Ijeoma, Mr Adeoti and others | |
Their
energetic pan-Nigeria dance steps, pomp and glitz moved the audience to gasp at
some of their dangerous moves, smile at funny ones, and cheer at every merry
performance. Thus was the opening
ceremony of the conference that lasted from 19 to 21 August, 2014, at the
School of Media and Communication (SMC), Pan Atlantic University (PAU),
Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
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| Fashion Designer |
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| Olusegun Afolami, Fashion Designer |
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| Prof JT Tsaaior, convener |
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| Joy Ananaba, Fashion designer |
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| l-r: Tunde Onikoyi, Chukwudi Chikwendu (cc), Patricia Edemadide and a participant |
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| Isaac Moses of Goge Africa |
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| Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya |
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| ceecee Chikwendu |
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| Sound Sultan |
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| Dr Austin Nweze, former Ebonyi gubernatorial aspirant |
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| Bayero Agabi of AIT Infotech Network and Shina Badaru of Technology Times |
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| Keynote speaker, Remy Oriaku and his son Master Oriaku |
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| Bayero Agabi |
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| Dr Pius Onabhayedo chairing a plenary session |
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As at this time, nobody
may have recalled that in the 1470s, the pioneer Portuguese explorers arrived
off the coast of modern day Nigeria, in Calabar, to precipitate the beginning
of exploitative trade that exchanged spirits, cloth, hardware, guns, and
gunpowder for slaves along the West African coast.
However,
as this is a celebration of Nigeria’s centenary, on the 20th of
August, the Vice Chancellor of the PAU, Prof Juan Elegido, represented by the
Acting Dean, School of Media and Communication, Dr. Mike Okolo declared the
conference open, after a soulful rendition of the National Anthem.
The
Acting Dean having gunned the engine on, and established a protocol of eminent
and preeminent Nigerians present and absent, the convener, Prof JT Tsaaior
engaged the first gear with an opening remark which pointed us down to the year
of an enforced amalgamation, a colonial rule, the nationalists’ struggle, the
Independence, and the post-colonial state in which we now live.
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He of
course pointed out that this is the third year of the annual conference, with
this year’s taking on the significance of the year of Nigeria’s centenary. He
was thankful to Zenith Bank who bought into the vision of the conference and
agreed to sponsor it. The Zenith Bank’s commitment is not just for this year’s
alone, but for a long time to come.
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| Angel Alilonu, Pan-Atlantic University Librarian and ceecee Chikwendu walking in on the Day 2 |
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| Segun Afolami and Patricia Edemadide |
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| Chukwudi Chikwendu, Temitope Falade, Internet solution specialist and Seun of SMC studio on the Day 2 |
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| Rita of Smooth FM and Emem Akpabio, a researcher |
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| GOGE Africa crooners flank Angel Alilonu of PAU |
And then Prof Tsaaior listed the women
whose organizational skills took care of the big, small and tiny details of the
conference. They are: Angel Alilonu, Vivian Adeoti, Tope Falade and Patricia
Edemadide.
After the
pleasantries of the opening remarks, when Dr. Remy Oriaku began his keynote
address, what he did not bring in gesticulation and spectacle, he overshadowed
with an amazing folkloric narrative style in his review of autobiographies of
some foremost nationalists – Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello,
Anthony Enahoro and Mbonu Ojike – My Odyssey, Awo, My Life, Fugitive Offender:
the Story of a Political Prisoner, and My Africa respectively.
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| God'spower Utawure of PAU flanked by participants |
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| Prof Tsaaior and Mrs Oridota of PAU |
Dr.
Oriaku’s summation has it that the autobiographies of these foremost
individuals are primarily like any autobiography that is an ego trip and self-glorification
massage effort, designed to place the protagonist on a grand stand over
high-profile contemporaries, not to talk of other mortals. But what was
outstanding about these early nationalists was their mutual suspicion, if not
hatred of each other, and their ethnic jingoism was barely masked by the common
struggle for independence.
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| cc and Onikoyi |
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| Cross section of participants |
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| Cross section of participants |
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| Nneka Moses of Goge Africa giving talks |
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| Dr Silk Ogbu and Dr Isah Momoh on the front row |
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| Cross section of participants |
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| Dr Silk Ogbu |
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| Cross section of participants |
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| Master Oriaku |
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For a 3
day conference, its magnitude was divided into 8 plenary sessions. The
innovative nature meant that not all the plenaries are out-and-out scholarly
sessions for academics and researchers alone. To kick off the first session,
Prof Tsaaior spoke about the journey to nationhood as one watered by “blood,
sweat and semen” of its people.
Example
of “blood” nationalism was that of Zimbabwe, while Nigeria was that of “sweat”,
though it was to later shed blood of millions of her people in an avoidable
civil war. “Semen” nationalism would of course go to all nations who
procreated.
Other who
presented papers included Tunde Onikoyi, Olajide Olagumju, Richard Ikiebe, Dr.
Ngozi Okpara, Emem Akpabio, Dr. Austin Nweze, Dr. Isah Momoh, Nwachukwu
Egbunike, Victor Eze, Dr. Silk Ogbu, and Tony Onwumah of CBAAC.
There
were sessions by professionals in sports, information and communication
technology, politics, fashion, and media. In sports are leading voices such as
Nkechi Obi, Toyin Ibitoye, Dele Odugbemi, and Nnamdi Obanya. In the fashion and
creative art are Olusegun Afolami, Joy Ananaba, Adebimpe Adebambo. There were
also Isaac and Nneka Moses of Goge Africa, Pelu Awofeso of Waka About/Homestead
Production, and Segun Oke of Unity Bank.
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| Dr Ngozi Okpara and Nneka Moses of Goge Africa |
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There was
also a session on new media penetration chaired by Dr. Pius Onabhayedo were
Shina Badaru of Technology Times and Bayero Agabi of AIT Infotech Network
participated. For the media and political governance Derinola Kappo and Ogbuagu
Robert Anikwe join in the discussion.
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| Dr Martha and Nneka |
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| Mary-Jane and Goge Africa |
What is
obvious from the immediate words of the convener was that the conference is not
just a talk-talk show. Prof Tsaaior spoke about the next stage where presented
papers are collated and published.
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| ceecee Chikwendu and Sound Sultan |
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| Cross section of participants |
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| Cross section of participants |
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| Dr Isah Momoh gives lecture |
A major spinoff
of the discussion on sports is even more massive as it set agenda for the next
generation programme. The solemn proclamation of the convener is that the SMC
would start a programme on Sports Communication to equip professionals with the
business, communicative and media skills to take our sports to the level it
would see beyond its nose.
The 3 day
conference provided an opportunity for greenhorns to be christened, and for the
more experienced persons to deepen their research skills, professional
competence and knowledge base. For every good thing like the conference, one
would gladly say: ‘I want some more’.
