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VOL. 2, No. 2 - 2015
l The N3.6 Billion Bonny landmark MOU with NLNG and Shell
l Every displaced person in Nigeria is a concern to me - Isa Inuwa
NLNG:The Magazine is the corporate magazine of Nigeria LNG Limited.
The views and opinions expressed within the magazine however do not necessarily reflect those of Nigeria LNG Limited or its management.
Editor-in-Chief: Kudo Eresia-Eke
Managing Editor: Tony Okonedo
Editor: Emeka Agbayi
Writers: Yemi Adeyemi, Ike Emmanuel, Dan Daniel, Elkanah Chawai, Ophilia Tammy Aduura, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Philip Afolami, Gaibo Awoala, Eva Ben-Wari and Fola Anifowoshe
All correspondence to:Emeka Agbayi, Editor, NLNG: The Magazine, Nigeria LNG Limited, Intels Aba Road Estate, Km 16 Port Harcourt – Aba Expressway, PMB 5660, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Tel: 08035350824 Email: [email protected]
Layout, Design & Printing: Artsaels LimitedTel: 08033101310
Printed in Nigeria.
VOL. 2, No. 2 - 2015
l The N3.6 Billion Bonny landmark MOU with NLNG and Shell
l Every displaced person in Nigeria is a concern to me - Isa Inuwa
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Contents
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From The Editor-in-Chief
NLNG declares support for Rivers government and people
No winner for The Nigeria Prize for Literature
Godwin Igwe is UNIPORT’s NLNG Professorial Chair
Three NLNG staff get recognition
NLNG Learning Centre receives ational ccreditationn a
Batch Five HHI/BVC welding students graduate
Every displaced person in Nigeria is a concern to me - Isa Inuwa
Mixed emotions at IDP camps in Abuja and Benin
Omotowa and Inuwa host NLNG's past MDs and Dds
The Memorandum Of Understanding Between The JIC And Bonny Kingdom: The Story
Bonny Signs MOU with NLNG and Shell, bags N3 Billion
For the records: Speech By Babs Omotowa, Managing Director, Nigeria LNG Limited, at MOU Signing Ceremony on Saturday 3rd October, 2015
15 young Nigerians win NLNG Overseas Post-Graduate Scholarships
BSMEC emerges as lead investor in new Badagry dry dock project
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2015 Edition: Meet the judges
I see a bright tomorrow - Uwem Iwoketok
With The Nigeria Prize for Literature, every genre gets its moment in the sun - Kimberly -- Kimberly Reynolds
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From the Editor-in-Chief
The new Bonny MOU and More!
Here's another bumper edition of your favourite NLNG: The Magazine!
In this edition, we've got our usual news stories. Of particular interest are stories on the ground-breaking ceremony for NLNG's corporate head office building in Port Harcourt, and the historic hosting of NLNG's past managing and deputy managing directors which turned out to be quite an emotional homecoming.
For cover, we present the story of the new Memorandum of Understanding between our host community Bonny Kingdom and the Joint Industry Companies (Shell and NLNG) which was signed in October at the King's Palace in Bonny. This MOU fosters a new era of community-driven sustainable development, and promises to engender innovations in company and host community relations in Nigeria.
We also present two must read interviews; The first centres on the ’Lets Care Initiative’ driven by the Deputy Managing Director, Isa Inuwa. The initiative, launched by NLNG staff members, aims at advocacy and bringing succour to Nigeria’s more than two million internally displaced persons.As part of the cover story, Isa Inuwa makes a passionate case and shares his thoughts on the role of leadership, service and sacrifice in nation building.
The other connected interviews feature two female professors. Uwemedimo Iwoketok, the lead judge for this year’s Nigeria Prize for Literature, speaks about her experience as a writer, teacher and judge, while the international consultant, Kimberly Reynolds, shares interesting insights on how the Internet and new technologies are transforming the global landscape for children’s literature.
Kudo
Kudo Eresia-Eke
General Manager, External Relations
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NLNG declares support for Rivers government and people
By Emeka Agbayi
Babs Omotowa Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG at a recent ground breaking ceremony for the N50bn NLNG Corporate Head Office in Port Harcourt declared his company's continued support for the people and government of Rivers State.
“Today,” he said, “by this ground-breaking to erect our new head office, we make an unequivocal statement, that Nigeria LNG Limited is a partner with the people of Rivers State in the sustainable development of the state and its people.”
“Our resolve in 2010 to relocate NLNG's head office to Port-Harcourt right next to its support base was and still is a business decision. It made good business sense to be in close proximity to our world-class plant located across the river in Bonny. It also made sense to be closer to the people and over hundred and ten (110) pipeline communities whose activities have a direct impact on our company's ability to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) and natural gas liquids (NGLs) to many locations around the world,” he added.
Omotowa gave detailed information on NLNG's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes as a further
demonstration of his company's
support.
According to Omotowa: “We continue to support government in building capacity and empowering its people through various scholarship awards across secondary and tertiary levels of education and, more recently, through our support for the University of Port Harcourt to upgrade its engineering laboratory. The upgrade comes at a cost of $2 million.
“In Bonny where we have our plant, we have signed a tripartite agreement with the
state government and building
contractors to earmark N4.5 billion towards the construction of a model secondary school that will be equipped with modern equipment and apparatus for teaching young minds.
“Nigeria LNG, through the Bonny Vocational Centre (BVC), also continues to train many young Nigerians from the community, River State and the nation as a whole, equipping them with vocational and entrepreneurial skills that prepare them to be self-reliant and contribute positively to the society. Plans are underway to
Nyesom Wike, CON, (in brown short sleeves) arrives for the ground breaking. He is received by Babs Omotowa and Kudo Eresia-Eke (in bow tie)
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expand the centre with a N5 billion investment.”
In an address, the General Manager, External Relations, NLNG, affirmed that the ground breaking ceremony should put an end to any doubt anyone may have about where the home of NLNG is.
In his response, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike CON who laid the foundation stone for the head office complex, commended the management of Nigerian LNG Limited for taking the decision to erect a befitting head office in Port Harcourt. “We regard the head office project ascrucial to us as a state and as a
people,” he said.
Also present at the occasion was the deputy governor of Rivers State, Dr. Mrs Ipalibo Banigo, the Chairman of NLNG Board, Chief (Dr.) O. R. LongJohn, the Secretary to Rivers State Government Barrister Kenneth Kobani, and other community chiefs.
No winner for The Nigeria Prize for Literature By Emeka Agbayi
The 2015 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature was recently brought to a close with a no-winner verdict by the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature led by Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo actively supported by the sponsoring company, Nigeria LNG Limited, at a World Press Conference at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.
This year's edition started earlier in March with call for entries by the Advisory Board which led to the submission of 109 entries from writers of
Unveiling the commemoration plaque: His Excellency Nyesom Wike, Dr. Mrs Ipalibo Banigo and Chief (Dr.) O. R. LongJohn
Babs Omotowa (middle, in suit) in a group photo with some Bonny Chiefs at the occasion
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Chairman of the Advisory Board, Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo, delivering the judges' no-winner verdict
Nigerian extraction across the globe.
The Advisory Board announced that the decision not to award the prize to any of the entries submitted was reached by the panel of judges for the 2015 competition led by Professor Uwemedimo Enobong Iwoketok, a professor of English Language at the university of Jos, because the entries, in their considered opinion, fell short of the stylistic excellence demanded by The Nigeria Prize for Literature “as manifested through an original and authoritative voice, narrative coherence, and technically accurate writing.”
According to Prof. Iwoketok, “…the following criteria were used for assessing the entries: language-diction, relevance,
theme(s)/content, social
style, quality of production and originality.”
Prof. Iwoketok explained that 104 entries did not meet the preliminary criteria for assessment and that this was especially worrisome because of the paucity of literature for children. She urged creative writers to pay particular attention to children's literature because “this is the fundamental stage for child growth and consequently national development.”
Other members of the panel of judges are Professor Charles Bodunde of University of Ilorin and Dr. Razinat Mohammed of University of Maiduguri. Other members of the Advisory Board for the prize include Professor Ben Elugbe and Professor Jerry
Agada.
Supporting the position of the panel of judges, widely acclaimed scholar Kim Reynolds, professor of children's literature at Newcastle University, United Kingdom, and the international consultant for this year's prize added, “The entries deal with some important topical issues, raising challenging questions about the world children growing up in Nigeria today will inherit, and placed a spotlight on family dynamics and constructions of childhood in ways that encourage readers to think about how children feature in Nigerian culture. However, they lack the lyricism, vision, and authority to become classics that will be handed down from generation to generation and that have the potential to reach out across cultures.”
“The entries deal with some important topical issues”—Prof. Kim Reynolds. With her on the high table, from left: Prof. Uwem Iwoketok, Emeritus Prof. Ayo Banjo and Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke
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In his remarks, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, GM External Relations at Nigeria LNG Limited, noted that some may view the no-winner verdict as a challenge, but that it really should be seen as an opportunity, because it presents us a chance to go back to the drawing board to identify possible root causes of the problems and seek for ways to tackle those problems. According to Dr. Eresia-Eke, “In this circumstance, the question that earnestly begs for an urgent answer now is: what next? I speak for NLNG when I say that there will be no wavering and no retreat regarding our commitment to continuous investment in the development of literature and the literary arts in Nigeria. I wish to add that Nigeria LNG stands firmly behind the decision of the judges, the advisory board and the international consultant. This prize which we bequeath to
Nigeria will be awarded for no other reason than excellence.”
Eresia-Eke went ahead to announce that Nigeria LNG, because of the comparatively poor writing and publishing evident in this year's entries, planned to invest in a children's literature capacity building workshop to address this gap. The proceedings from the workshop will be collated and published for reference and guidance.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature has since 2005 rewarded writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2005, poetry) for his book The Dreamer, His Visions; Professor Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2005, poetry) for the volume of poetry Chants of a Minstrel; Ahmed Yerima (2006, drama) for Hard Ground; Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children's literature) for her collection of
short plays Reader's Theatre; Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo (co-winner, 2007, children's literature) for her book, My Cousin Sammy; Kaine Agary (2008, prose) for Yellow Yellow; Esiaba Irobi (2010, drama) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Adeleke Adeyemi (2011, children's literature) with his book The Missing Clock; Chika Unigwe (2012, prose), with her novel On Black Sister's Street; Tade Ipadeola (2013, poetry) with his collection of poems Sahara Testaments and Sam Ukala (2014, drama) with Iredi War.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children's literature. This year's competition brings a cycle to a close. Next year, another cycle begins with prose fiction as the genre in focus.
A. Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke: “The prize shall be awarded for no reason other than excellence.”B. Kola Tuboson making a contribution at the press conferenceC. The judges, Advisory Board members and NLNG official in a group photograph
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Nigeria LNG Limited has expressed its delight on the appointment of Godwin Joseph Igwe as occupant of NLNG Professorial Chair in Gas Processing Engineering.
This was contained in a statement issued by Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, the General Manager, External Affairs at Nigeria LNG Limited, following a recent visit by NLNG management to assess the progress of work at the Gas Engineering department. “We are delighted with the appointment of an NLNG Chair at UNIPORT's Gas Processing Engineering Faculty. It speaks to a single-minded focus on
researching and developing the country's gas potential that one suspects will have a positive impact on the wider oil and gas industry,” said Dr. Eresia-Eke.
University of Port Harcourt is one of six universities in the geo-political zones benefitting from more than N2 billion (two billion naira) which NLNG has set aside for
building or renovating engineering laboratories and equipping same with cutting edge equipment to aid teaching and research.
The other benefitting universities are University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin and the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. As with University of Port Harcourt, work is on-going in those universities. Each university will receive approximately N340million in support from NLNG.
Dr. Eresia-Eke also explained that the endowment of a chair by NLNG was to enhance
research in gas processing, refining and petrochemicals so that oil and gas industry stakeholders might take advantage of the result for a fee thus engendering sustainability, even while enjoying accurate data and information based on well-made research.
Godwin Igwe, the NLNG Professor of Gas Processing Engineering at the Centre for Gas, Refining and Petrochemicals at the Institute of Petroleum Studies, is an inventor and author. He has taught in various Universities, including the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) and Texas A & M University in the United States of America.
Professor Igwe is a World Bank McNamara Outstanding Scholar, registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Texas, and Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Godwin Igwe is UNIPORT’s NLNG Professorial Chair
By Emeka Agbayi
Godwin Igwe
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Three NLNG management staff, Akinkunmi Akinola, Chima Isilebo and Benson Okerum were among winners
in the 2014 Shell Upstream International (UI) Annual Award for their production optimisation work in the area of Integrated Gas.
To win this award, the NLNG team had, in collaboration with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Shell Projects & Technology (P & T), developed a code and industry-accepted permanent repair approach for vandalized pipelines. The award winning approach is considered significant because it complies with HSE standards and
minimises production losses.
The outcome of this initiative enabled SPDC and NLNG to safely reach substantially higher production in the Gas/LNG value chain, and surpass its 2014 business plan targets.
This outstanding achievement aptly reinforces the place of excellence and continuous improvement within NLNG's culture, and provided another opportunity for staff to appreciate the benefits of collaboration and teamwork.
Three NLNG staff get recognition By Ophilia Tammy Aduura
Chima Isilebo General Manager Production
The Nigerian Council for Management Development (NCMD) has confirmed Nigeria LNG's Learning Centre as one of Nigeria's accredited management development institutions. Dr Kabiru Usman, Director General of NCMD, made this announcement at a ceremony to mark the accreditation. As empowered by the NCMD Act, only institutions and individuals accredited by NCMD are qualified to provide training in the public service.
Peter Odjoji, NLNG's General Manager Human Resources, received the accreditation
certificate on behalf of the company at the event which took place at the Centre for Management Development Head Office in Abuja.
Reacting to the development, Mr. Odjoji said, “People continue to be our greatest asset as a company, therefore, it is no surprise that human capacity development and learning is up there with our highest priorities. I am delighted with this important achievement and urge everyone at NLNG to strive for similar goals.”
NLNG began the journey towards this accreditation in 2014. The company had to make some far-reaching changes in line with the directives of the CMD. The Learning Centre trainers had to
By Okechukwu Nwagu, Samuel Madu & Ophilia Tammy Aduura
NLNG Learning Centre receives national accreditation
Peter Ogheneovo OdjojiGeneral Manager, Human Resources
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Batch Five HHI/BVC welding students graduate Batch Five of welding trainees graduated in a brief ceremony that recently held at Bonny Vocational Centre, BVC.
The instructor from Hyundai Heavy Industries, HHI, Mr Usan, pointed out that the skills the trainers have acquired will be of use in the future, since all companies want people with good skills.
The company’s Nigerian Content manager affirmed that the training and subsequent graduation happened because of NLNG's conscious effort to implement Nigerian content in its corporate activities, as part of its corporate culture and in fulfilment of the Nigerian
Content Act.
On behalf of Bonny Vocational Centre, Mrs Clara Odu, Head of Human Resources, enjoined the graduates to make NLNG, BVC and HHI proud.
Mr Best Chuks Ogbodo, the class leader, gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the Batch Five students. He expressed their thanks to NLNG staff and their HHI teachers and the BVC centre.
The graduates received certificates of completion and qualification.
The Batch Five welding programme is part of the
scheme aimed at training 580 Nigerians in various aspects of ship building and construction in fulfilment of Nigerian Content Development for the BGT Plus Project. Last year, BGT, a subsidiary of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) established in 1989, in its expansion or 'Plus Project', ordered six vessels at $1.6billion from Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries to boost its shipping capacity. BGT owns 13 of the 23 vessels in Nigeria LNG's fleet-by far the largest in Nigeria-which deliver liquefied natural gas to customers spread across different regions of the world.
re-evaluate their training modules and re-design some modules where necessary, to meet CMD guidelines and expectations. A dedicated resource room, particularly for those engaged in virtual learning, was also established at the Centre.
NCMD Assessment Team eventually made a facility evaluation visit to the Learning Centre in Bonny in October
2014, leading to the recent granting of a final approval.
Beyond the learning centre's accreditation, twelve staff facilitators were also accredited as trainers and will support company's effort at improving its staff and management through training delivered at its now nationally recognised learning centre.
The accredited NLNG staff are
Chukwuemeka Emomotimi, Danguguwa Bashir, Bakare Olusegun and Sam Madu who were certified as Management Trainers, while nine others: Nwagu Okechukwu, Ajogu Augustine, Alegba Benjamin, Ayemhoba Andrew, Ebinum John, Gogo Kelvin, Hart Edith, Ogueji Ngozi and Shaba Hassan were re-certified by the NCMD as Management Trainers.
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What is the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) project all about?
My answer may be a little surprising to you. The project is about awareness; it is about gratitude and it is about the humanity in all of us. Those are the underpinnings of what this initiative is about. The end result is what you and I see -what readily comes to mind, namely, materials, money, donations, etc. - but I think, as I mentioned, behind this end result is the need for us to create awareness about the plight of others who are so unfortunate for reasons that are totally beyond their control-nobody wants to suffer in life. It is about gratitude to our creator that we are healthy; we are not under fear; we are not in want; and it is about the humanity in all of us, namely, that no matter how wicked you are, no matter how uncaring you are, there
are certain things that move you.
The whole IDP project is therefore about creating awareness, showing gratitude to God and of course bringing out the imagination in us by helping those who have found themselves in a situation that is not of their making. Besides creating awareness, one other thing we can do is share the little or the much that we have with those who virtually have nothing. Essentially, this is what the IDP project is all about. It is about giving, it is about caring; it is about humility, it is about gratitude.
It appears to me that Nigeria lacks a culture of volunteerism, and that makes one wonder-what is the motivation for this project?
I don't agree with you. If it has
reduced, yes. But let me take you back a little bit. In the past in Africa everybody was the next person's keeper. I think there is no better spirit of volunteerism than the sense of community that Africans and indeed Nigerians have. Your neighbour's son is your son. Your nephew's son is your son. Your cousin's son is your son. The concept of nephews, cousins, and so on, is alien to Nigerian culture, to African culture. So volunteerism has always been part of our lives, but the volunteerism you are talking about may be the modern or western civilization's understanding of volunteerism where people have charities and so on. In the west, as you and I know, it is very much valued. Your participation in voluntary activity can mean the difference between your getting a job, a public office, and not.
Isa Mohammed Inuwa conveniently tucks under his belt more than three decades of professional work experience, a significant portion of which was in executive and strategic roles in the banking and oil and gas industries.
He has led a bank's transition to a public limited company and restructured another bank to a leaner, more efficient, profitable government-owned development finance institution. Isa, who joined NLNG last year as Deputy Managing Director, is a numbers cruncher and management strategist.
But his amiability and open disposition belie all those. His, for instance, is the vision behind the staff’s
Let’s Care Initiative on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria, through which the company's staff members provide substantial financial and material help to the IDPs.
In the interview below, he shares with Emeka Agbayi his insights-not on finance and management-but on leadership, sacrifice and service! He also gives a progress report on the IPD project. Enjoy it
Every displaced person in Nigeriais a concern to me - Isa Inuwa
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Except for these recent years that things have changed, our values have always been of sharing, of giving, of being one. The concept of volunteerism is alien to us; it's a western thing because they are very individualistic and therefore anything that is community-based is seen as volunteer action. But I must also point out that volunteerism as we know it today has served the western societies very well and it can serve us, particularly because we seem to be losing our community values. We do not seem to have any sense of extended family now. So, we can certainly do with volunteerism as practiced in the west. It is important there and it is important here, but the point is we have always been volunteers by the way we conduct our lives just that we seem to be losing that value nowadays.
I must confess I did not see the community angle you brought in. For me, that's a new perspective. And you are right there. The IDP project should end in December 2015 companywide and there is supposed to be periodic reporting by those working with you on this. My question is, at the moment, is there any progress you can share with us?
This has been a fantastic experience for me. Believe me it is a unique experience, and I am deeply touched and deeply impressed by the kind of response that this initiative received. Let me give you examples. We have today over 250 volunteers, and this is amazing. These are people
who go from office to office not only creating awareness but collecting, sorting and storing material donations. These are people who go from office to office to collect cash for those who don't have the time to do transfers or go to the bank. These are people who go from office to office distributing posters. It is unbelievable! I can't tell you how grateful I am. Or how impressed I am. We have got tremendous buy-in. We have received unbelievable cooperation and support from across NLNG, from Bonny to Port Harcourt, Abuja to London office - it is just unbelievable.
Secondly, where are we today? I don't want to give you figures as yet, but let me put it this way: in terms of material collections we have rooms full of items from toys to books, clothes, plates, cups, baby clothes, cots. All kinds of materials have been donated. Our warehouse in Bonny is full. We had to move items to my residential house in the RA. We have rooms full of items in Port Harcourt. The same thing in Abuja. In terms of money, we have received substantial amount from staff. Equally, I must say that we also got a grant from NLNG itself which again is substantial. We also have scholarships for
students from the areas most ravaged by the insurgency in the North East. These scholarships are going to run through the secondary school years for a certain number of students.
In terms of distribution, what we have agreed to do is quite simple. We said that for ease of logistics and, most importantly, on the basis of needs analysis that we have done, we chose four camps to give assistance to, namely: Benin, Maiduguri, Yola and then two in the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State. All materials collected in Port Harcourt are going to be taken to the IDP camp in South South, namely in Benin where we have big concentration of displaced persons. All collections from Bonny and Abuja will be delivered to IDP camps in Nasarawa State and in the Federal Capital Territory. For the North East, because of the distance and the difficult logistics of transporting materials what we decided to do is use part of the cash that has been collected to buy materials and deliver to Maiduguri, for example, and also do the same thing for Yola.
We found NGO's that are embedded within the camps. The distribution is going to be done in a very transparent manner in collaboration with Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) which is the owner of those camps and using a third party which is the NGO. Two things are going to happen: the NGOs that are embedded in the camps will ensure that these items get to the intended
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recipients; then we have a control in the form of NEMA organization to make sure that things happen as agreed.
It is surprising that we are said to have more IDPs than Sudan, for instance. What we are doing at the moment, I know it is a staff-only project, but in light of the enormity of the problem might not make a significant dent. Does the enormity of the problem worry you and why?
Look, even if one person is displaced, it is worrisome. Let's face it, over the years because of modernity, because of increased well-being - even if not distributed evenly - we have lost a good part of our humanity. That is the truth. So, when you have a population that is greater than many states in Nigeria moved from locations where their families, their livelihood and their roots are to places they have never been to, living in open air, in wretched places with no proper sanitation, no health support, with little children that have been put out of school - not for three months, not for one year, not even for two years - we cannot help but be worried, even with our degraded level of humanity.
We cannot help but be worried because they are human beings like us. Even if they inflicted this on themselves, we should sympathize with them and show them the right way. But these people didn't inflict this on themselves. Nobody wants violence. Nobody wants to be uprooted. Everybody wants community and family.
Everybody wants to be able to go out and look for livelihood in the morning, to sit with his family and chat and eat and laugh, to attend parties and weddings. Indeed, it is worrisome; it is one of the greatest tragedies around the world and it is equally one of the worst tragedies that one can think of in Nigeria, perhaps next only to the civil war, and all of us should be worried about it.
Unfortunately, we do not seem to have enough coverage of this and even internal knowledge of the phenomenon. Every day on CNN, we hear about IDPs in Syria and elsewhere. And - come to think of it - we hardly know about IDPs in our own country.
You are totally right. Two things explain this. One, like I said earlier, is our degraded sense of humanity. The second is that from the beginning of this crisis - and I say this with all sense of responsibility - it was politicized. And the embers of the politics are still there. That is why, except once in a while when they show wretched children struggling for food, even the media and others in this country do not sufficiently emphasize the kind of suffering
going on or give a sense of the kind of numbers that are involved. We prefer to report who is going to be minister and who is not. We prefer to mention who has done what scandal, rather than report the human suffering that has afflicted us as Nigerians in the last five years or more. It is worrisome and it is sad.
What are your thoughts on how this can be addressed?
First of all, IDP is a symptom of something. I would want us to look at why in the first place this has happened. Why did we allow it to happen? What can we do to ensure that it does not happen again?
It is about education. It is about well-being. It is about prospects in life. It is about jobs. It is about justice. It is about leadership, and it is about prioritization as far as governance is concerned. So, there are many underlying issues that I believe should be looked at, that if we do may help tackle the symptoms.
But having come this far, what do we need to do? I think there are three things that need to be done. One is to stabilise these people, namely, let's provide for them where they are and ensure as much as possible that their lives are not disrupted. Secondly, we give them hope that tomorrow is going to be better. How do we do that? We must be seen to be visibly battling those underlying causes of the dislocation in the first place, and we must provide them with those facilities, those services that will make them have a life as normal as
“Nobody wants violence.
Nobody wants to be uprooted.
Everybody wants community
and family.”
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possible, and this is the hope stage. The last stage is resettlement -getting them back to where they were. Ensure as they go back that they can get on with their lives; they can get on with their occupations, whatever it was they were doing; they have a place to stay; they have hospitals to attend; they have functional schools, and so on. That is the last stage. In other words, normalize their lives. Resettle. Normalise.
What the staff members are doing in NLNG is the third or middle stage, namely, provide hope that even in dislocation you can have or you can live a decent life. In what ways are we doing that? We are creating awareness about their plight; we are providing the little resources that we are able to gather in terms of food and materials that should make the lives of those people, as I keep saying, as normal as possible within the circumstance. That is what we are doing.
Is what we are doing now a one-off thing, or are we going to be there for the long haul?
It obviously cannot be open ended. We can only gather so much resource at any one time. We have therefore set a time frame for this project; it is going
stto end on the 31 of December, 2015. We have divided it into two phases. We are in the first phase now. Once we finish collection and distribution, which should be soon, we close out on this first stage. The second stage builds on and replicates what has happened in the first stage. We hope to close out in December.
Hopefully, there will not be another cause for us to do this again.
Is there any learning you can share from the experience so far?
I would have loved for us to do the distribution and delivery of items then we would have a whole continuum from beginning to end of lessons learnt. But, as I said at the beginning, one of the first things that I have learnt, to be honest, is this overwhelming sense of oneness, of willingness of everybody to chip in something, no matter how little. I am thoroughly impressed. I am humbled. I am deeply grateful. I told the team that I am not going to participate in any distribution because it is not about Isa Inuwa. It is about each and every person in NLNG. For people to be made sensitized about the plight of internally displaced persons is enough fulfilment for me.
You are involved on a personal level with NGOs in Autism and other causes I may not know about. What can we learn from you on this score? And what motivates you to want to share
of your time, your resources, your knowledge, your competences, with the less privileged?
There are many ways to answer your question. I can do it philosophically. I can do it from a spiritual perspective, and if I am a politician I will even give you a political answer. But let's look at it this way. Our lives - your life, my life - is a gift. We are favoured. If the Almighty wanted, he could have made you a mosquito, and me a cockroach, and somebody will spray Mobil insecticide on you and I and we are dead, end of story. God in His infinite mercy made us human beings, but in making us human beings he made us unequal for a reason best known to him. I think that one of the responsibilities of being alive and well and favoured is that you must share and spread that favour that you have been given for reasons which you don't know.
So if there is anything I can say on why I do those things, it is that I am favoured, so let me share my favour with others who do not have what I have. That way, perhaps I will even be more favoured. Perhaps through my favour and what I am able to do, some people will be empowered to also do for others. I am always grateful for who I am and for the favours God has bestowed on me and I see it as my responsibility for me to share, for me to also extend those favours to others so that they can also be empowered. That is what drives me. No more, no less. I am not looking for political office. I am not an Imam. Mine is a simple human
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gesture informed by the acceptance that we are all creations of the Almighty whom he has favoured and who have the responsibility to favour others.
In your experience and considered opinion, how important are such concepts as service, self-sacrifice and 'leading-without-a-title’ - which are term I use to describe what you are doing - to nation building?
Leadership and governance, particularly within the context of nation building, is about providing a service, about serving others, so that everyone will be better off. Sadly for us, we see leadership—particularly in these climes—from perspectives that are totally different from giving, totally different from been subservient to others. We see it as a form of aggrandisement, as a vehicle for settling scores, and as a platform to practice nepotism. I will urge you to look at it this way: no society has progressed without the spirit of service, without the spirit of giving, and without subservience if you want to serve and if you want to favour others. Go back through history. None. That is why a billionaire somewhere will say I want to be a local government chairman and he will go on and become a local government chairman and serve, deploying his wealth, leadership experience and connections to make his community better. There is no society in the world, in human history that has progressed without true leadership. And true leadership is about giving,
serving without expectation of any reward, being transparent by having integrity, and putting the interests of everyone over and above one's interest. That is the foundation and basis of human progress.
So what has your experience been like since you joined the company as deputy managing director and chief executive officer?
My experience? I will write a book!
Really?
Well, not exactly. But truly my experience has been so rich that if I want to write a book I think I can.
NLNG is collection of people. We have certain ethos, values and so on. So you should expect to find all the drama. The big things, the bad things, the little, the large—it's all here. But if you ask me what has been my experience, I will say two, three things. One, it has truly been a very educative experience. I have learnt so many things—not just about people. I have learnt about the job. Two, it has been tedious. Like I always tell my colleagues when we joke and they say “I sent you 'Y Z' and you have not signed it”, the job that I do here, honestly speaking, is a job one should be doing when one is forty, forty-five, not my age, because it is tasking. I have the largest span of control in NLNG. I have more general managers and managers reporting to me than anybody else and
everybody wants my attention. It can be really tiring. That is the second way to explain my experience. Three, it has been thoroughly enjoyable. I am enjoying this work, as difficult as it is. Sometimes it can be frustrating, like any other job—frustrating, but very fulfilling. There have been many memorable moments and very fulfilling experiences. So, in sum, three words: difficult, educative, enjoyable.
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Mixed emotions at IDP camps in Abuja and Benin
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thOn Saturday 10 October, 2015, some members of staff visited the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Benin, to give money and materials donated by staff as part of the ‘Let’s Care Initiative’. Here is a first-hand account of the visit by Fola Olanubi who was there.
We visited the IDP camp in Benin on Saturday. The experience brought both despair and a sense of fulfilment. There is a huge difference between what we hear and see on TV or newspapers and the reality. Our expectation is that this camp would have been well catered for by the authorities. There is opportunity, for example, for medium term infrastructure fixes. The sight of the camp is overwhelming with many children and young adults
eking out a living in what can only be described as a primitive environment. The camp is in the middle of a jungle: the sight is a village life with huts as accommodation and noticeably good quality of air to breathe. After meandering through the thin twisting pathways, at 8.00am, we met the whole camp gathered in the compound awaiting our arrival. They erupted in a chorus of appreciation as they beamed with hope.
The camp director introduced and thanked us for this gesture. A member of our team read out our message and reassured them of our continuing support and of our effort to encourage more people to support. We thereafter presented the items we came with.
Then, we went on a tour of the
camp and were briefed on their many challenges such as small generators that are mainly used to power only the borehole, a small kitchen to cook for the more than 1,500 people in the camp, small store to keep their items, people eat on the floor, few mattresses, inadequate chairs and tables for the 28 classes for children, salaries for teachers employed to educate them, and so on.
In the end, we expressed our gratitude to the camp director for the dedication, selflessness and sacrifice to cater for people. We encouraged them to continue to be steadfast. We promised to be back by January 2016 to address some of their other needs and to help create more awareness amongst other well-meaning Nigerians who may also lend a hand.
IDP camp life, in the first person...
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NLNG Bonny Plant and Residential Area recently played host to some truly August visitors—the company's past managing directors and deputy managing directors and their spouses. It was the first in the history of the company.
In his welcome address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Babs Omotowa, said the essence of the gathering was “to honour the lives and legacies of the brave men and women who played a major role in the creation of this great company—Nigeria LNG Limited.”
He informed the audience that in spite of the challenges, the company has made tremendous progress and that he was especially proud of the pioneering work and solid foundation laid by these past executives which have enabled
NLNG to make significant contributions in Nigeria in education and human capacity development, diversification of the country's revenue base, Nigerian content and
community relations, among others.
In his address, the Deputy Managing Director, Isa Inuwa
said that NLNG would always be grateful for thevision, leadership and commitment demonstrated day after day during the various tenures of the past MDs and
DDs, and that the company's leadership is comforted by the fact that it still has such a formidable team to call on for continued guidance and
By Emeka Agbayi
Omotowa and Inuwa host NLNG's past MDs and DDs
From left: Salam, Manager, Govt Relations; Gana, former MD; Koko, former Deputy MD; Waziri, former Deputy MD; Inuwa, Deputy MD; and Grant (former MD)
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Okesanjo welcomes former MD Jamieson
innovation.
Among past MDs and DDs at the event are Ejike Onyia, Godswill Ihetu, Gilbert , GrantAndrew Jamieson, Chris Haynes, Chima Ibeneche, Abba Gana, Ibrahim Waziri, Samaila Kewa, Faithful Abbiye uku and sBash r Koko.ee
The two-day social retreat featured business meeting, an a award and tours of Bonny night and Finima communities, the NLNG Residential Area and the Liquefaction lant. P
Top:Banigo in a light chat with former DD Kewa
Middle: Folaranmi, Okesanjo and Eresia-Eke welcome former Deputy MD Waziri
Bottom: Babs Omotowa, MD/CEO, NLNG, (middle, in suit, first row) in a group photograph with former MDs and DDs and their spouses
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The Memorandum Of Understanding Between The JIC And Bonny Kingdom: The Story
The First MOU
Seventeen years ago—1998 precisely—Bonny began a conscious and deliberate journey to real development. Led by its young and astute king, the ancient Kingdom did an ultra-modern thing: it signed an MOU with the Joint Industry Companies (JIC) led by Nigeria LNG Limited. At the time, JIC was an umbrella organisation of the oil and gas majors on Bonny Island: The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), ExxonMobil and Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG). These companies have their export and production facilities in Bonny.
That first MOU of 17 years ago led to the establishment of Bonny Utility Company through which the oil and gas majors have been able to provide Bonny with much needed infrastructure.
Through the very act of signing the MOU, Bonny grew to become the exemplar of community relations and development; the Kingdom became able to enjoy potable and constant water supply, stable and steady electricity, and tarred roads—all courtesy of the three companies it played good host to. Bonny Kingdom is the only community in Nigeria with regular, uninterrupted electricity supply
reaching an average of 97% availability for almost two decades!
JIC also established The Ibanise Initiative geared towards monitoring, enlightenment and counselling activities against the spread of HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis diseases in the Kingdom; while the Bonny Vocational Centre (BVC), accredited by both United Kingdom's City and Guilds and Nigeria's National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), was set up for human capital development.
The MOU has been recognised in so many quarters and by the inheritors and initiators alike as
By Emeka Agbayi
The King of Bonny (middle) with dignitaries at the Pan Bonnyh Sustainable Development Conference. Second left is the Ambassador of The Netherlands to Nigeria; second right is MD/CEO, NLNG
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an excellent road map providing very clear directions through a hitherto uncharted territory. But nothing remains the same for long. Life itself is in constant flux, ever seeking development, growth, ever reaching beyond itself.
One major challenge was that the existing MOU was company-driven. As a consequence, something other than the desired culture of interdependence was gradually developing. And as Bonny became more prosperous, population explosion became a real but pending threat to the basic infrastructure provided by the JIC. There had to be a more sustainable option to ensure that the infrastructure not only subsisted into the future but indeed grows concurrently to meet the needs of the growing population.
Therefore, that MOU of almost two decades back needed to be
revisited; the MOU has to reflect the needs of a new Bonny Kingdom, a kingdom that needs to transform itself using the infrastructure it now has and that needs to hold itself to greater accountability.
Pan Bonny Sustainable Development Conference
Consequently, on 25 May, 2013, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, Perekule XI, Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom, in conjunction with Bonny Chiefs' Council, and with the active support of the Joint Industry Companies convened a Pan Bonny Sustainable Development Conference to determine the future of development on the Island.
The theme of the conference was “Expanding Partnerships to Harness Multiple Opportunities for Growing a Local Economy for Bonny Kingdom.”
The conference accordingly resolved as follows:
1. That Bonny will update the
Master Plan supported by partners, in a manner that Bonny people can drive its implementation, starting with the acquisition of baseline information, to evolving a shared strategic development vision and master plan, with which they can define the direction and measurement of progress.
2. That Bonny will create a
partnership platform as a formal way of bringing together old and new development partners, especially those interested in human development and business/commercial partnerships, as well as in creating synergy with government and development agencies for the benefit of the Kingdom and its people. This platform is to be called Bonny Kingdom Partners for Business and Development (BKPBD)
3. In order to be better
prepared and welcoming to potential partners as well as attract and maintain the confidence of investors, developers and development agencies, Bonny people resolve to evolve viable development governance structures, maintain a conducive atmosphere for business to thrive and organise themselves into effective business institutions which meet current best practices.
There are about 300 water fetching kiosks at different locations in Bonny and Finima for public use
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4. That Bonny people will
undertake self-reorientation to guide the entire community towards enhancing business growth and productive attitudes such as self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and partnership building, in order to engender growth and prosperity in the Kingdom.
5. Conference agreed to set
up an economic and social development fund for Bonny, to finance the implementation of the updated Master Plan when in place. It was also agreed that the fund shall be set up and managed in line with global best practices in order to inspire the confidence of donors. Reputable global fund managers shall advise Bonny Kingdom on the setting up and management of the fund. The fund shall serve the purpose of servicing infrastructural, enterprise and social development, with a view to a second economic future and heritage investment to cater for the next generation through investment in equities and bonds.
Bonny Youths National Conference
In 2014, another conference was held - the first ever Bonny Youths National Conference. Its primary objective was to reinforce the commitments made by the entire Kingdom at the Pan Bonny Sustainable Conference, and to ensure that
the youths of Bonn Kingdom are able to drive this vision as leaders of tomorrow.
The New MOU: A Community-Driven Development Model
The Pan Bonny Sustainable Development Conference and Bonny Youths National Conference provided robust opportunities for the community to dialogue with itself. The emergent decision from these conferences was that it was time for a paradigm shift. The community voted overwhelmingly to take its destiny in its own hands.
All these culminated in the signing of a new community-driven MOU between the Ancient and Grand Bonny Kingdom and the Joint Industry Companies (Nigeria LNG Limited and The Shell Petroleum
rdDevelopment Company) on 3 October 2015. Rivers State Government signed as witness to the MOU. Bonny Local Government Council, in addition to signing as witness, is a strategic financial contributor and active partner in implementation of the new MOU.
With the help of Accenture Nigeria - an integral part of the global Accenture consulting company - a sustainability regime and community development schedule was developed and adopted. BonnyMaster Plan was also revised and updated.
The new MOU marks the beginning of a new level of relationship between Bonnyand the oil and gas majors. It
delineates a paradigm shift towards greater independence and sustainable development. It celebrates the beginning of an even greater Bonny Kingdom by accelerating the attainment
Top to bottom: JIC projects - the by-pass road, round-the-clock electricity, human capital development
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of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Going forward, the community will not only decide on its own development needs, but also work out its implementation framework through partnerships, generation of funds and oversight of projects. This model gives ownership and management of existing community development initiatives (presently being done by the JIC) to the community. A new body, the Bonny Kingdom Development Foundation (BKDF), will act as an implementing authority that will guide the community, drive its vision of self-reliance, place it on the path to achieving overall socio-economic development through the efficient management of funds and contributions from not only JIC, but from government, donors and other international development agencies. The
Foundation would be empowered to supervise, coordinate and manage all developmental activities and initiatives.
Nigeria LNG Limited will make an annual contribution in three tranches, through the BKDF towards the realization of this new vision:
1. One Billion Naira (N1bn) towards the operations and maintenance of on-going educational and utility institutions;
2. One Billion Naira (N1bn) towards the developmental initiatives of the Kingdom as reflected in the Updated Master Plan;
3. Another One Billion Naira (N1bn) set aside as bonus to the community, applicable only on the condition of
peace/conducive environment to businesses.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) will contribute N600million yearly to the Foundation.
The governance principle of the Foundation and agreements reached by parties in the MOU require the community to demonstrate accountability, and is the basis for new annual funding contribution by NLNG and its JIC partners. Consequently, the BKDF will be required to publish its annual reports in the media for public awareness and scrutiny.
The MOU indeed provides the framework that will promote the general well-being and the sustainable socio-economic development of Bonny Kingdom using the community-driven development model.
Bonny Kingdom enjoys 99% electricity availability all year round
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Bonny Utility Company (BUC)
Bonny Utility Company manages the provision of utilities—power and water—on Bonny Island. BUC activities are funded by Joint Industry Companies (NLNG, SPDC and ExxonMobil with a financial contribution ratio of 50: 30: 20 respectively).
Below is a summary of the projects that JIC (Shell, ExxonMobil and NLNG) were able to deliver to Bonny people under the old MOU.
The initiative has provided Bonny communities over 98 per cent uninterrupted power supply since its inception. The benefits have been tremendous. There has been high local development impact, with per capita electricity consumption increasing from under 250KWh per year in 2002 to over 960KWh per year in 2014, full time and part time jobs created for the local community, and years of disturbance-free operation for the Island's major industries. Public services perform better, businesses are
flourishing because machinery and computers can be utilised throughout the day and residential users experience higher comfort levels. The scheme has also improved the environment by eliminating noisy polluting generator sets and, thanks to functioning street lighting, made it safer to walk the streets of Bonny Town.
Currently, BUC serves the entire island via its power distribution network.
The scheme offers customers a progressive tariff schedule; there is a free basic allowance followed by increasing energy charges as a function of consumption. As a result, customers—who range from low-income households to larger service sector businesses—receive an indirect subsidy. The utility uses prepayment metering and cash free transactions to collect revenues.
BUC also handles the operation, maintenance and management of water facilities in Bonny Island. The sustainable water development
interventions provided by NLNG and its JIC partners include the multi-billion Naira drinking water infrastructure in the ongoing Bonny water upgrade.
The scope of Bonny water upgrade includes the following:
The scope of Bonny water upgrade includes the following:The scope of Bonny water upgrade includes the following:
l Installation of water distribution network (about 90km) to the entire community with high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes.
l Construction of water fetching kiosks (about 300) at different locations in Bonny and Finima for public use.
l Drilling of bore holes and construction of new water treatment plants and
overhead water tanks at
Ogugumanga, Old Town (By-pass Road area) and Akiama.
Round-the-clock availability of water
An Accenture staff addresses NLNG staff and some Bonny indigenes
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Bonny King with some of his guests. To his right: Babs Omotowa, NLNG MD/CEO, Hon. Benjamin Ibietonye, Bonny LGA Chairman and Se-Alabo A. O. Manilla Pepple, Chairman, Bonny Chiefs' Council. To his left: Amaopusenibo Emmanuel Ibiama, SA to Rivers State government, Dr. Mrs. Alice Ajie, Shell's Manager of Stakeholder Relations, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, GM, External Relations, NLNG
A new MOU now signed, a firm handshake to seal the deal: His Majesty, the Amanyanabo of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom and the MD/CEO of Nigeria LNG Limited
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Bonny Signs MOU with NLNG and Shell, bags N3 Billion
Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) recently pledged to give N3b annually to Bonny Kingdom for development projects. The Managing Director, Babs Omotowa, made this pledge at the MOU signing ceremony between Bonny Kingdom and the international oil and gas companies operating on the Island, Shell and NLNG, who constitute the Joint Industry Companies.
The new MOU replaces an existing one between the Kingdom on the one hand and Shell, NLNG and ExxonMobil on the other. As part of this new MOU, Bonny Master Plan has been updated to reflect the current drive toward sustainability and community ownership of projects.
Omotowa explained that N1bn will go toward the operations and maintenance of ongoing educational and utility
institutions such as Bonny Vocational Centre (BVC) and Bonny Utility Company (BUC). The second N1bn will go toward development initiatives in the updated Master Plan and another N1bn will be released if there were no disruptions to the company's operations in the year.
Omotowa further announced NLNG's commitment to provide 50 percent of the cost of the proposed Bonny-Bodo road linking the island with the mainland.
According to Omotowa, “Bonny has a right to prosperity—but with that also comes real responsibilities—as development and prosperity come at a price and can only be reached through peaceful actions, creativity, selflessness, and hard work.”
In her remarks, the special
guest of honour, Her Excellency, Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo, Deputy Governor of Rivers State, represented by the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Amaopusenibo Emmanuel Ibiama expressed the hope that the special vehicles for delivering the tenets of the MOU will be set up and managed according to international best practices. She reiterated the government's commitment to capacity building and infrastructure development.
Managing Director of The Shell Petroleum Development Company and Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, represented at the event by Dr. Mrs. Alice Ajie expressed the company's gratitude to the Amanyanabo of Grand Bonny Kingdom for taking a personal interest in the implementation of the MOU and the Bonny Kingdom
By Emeka Agbayi
29
Development Committee for supporting it. “We succeeded because everyone gave peace a chance. Without peace and security, we would not have been able to implement the projects and certainly we would not be here today.” He solicited continued support so that resources can be harnessed and deployed for more sustainable development initiatives in Bonny.
Responding to all the remarks by his guests, the host, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, JP, CON, Perekule XI, The Amanyanabo of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom, described the ceremony as a clear expression of the unity and togetherness of the Kingdom and also a testimony
to the cordial relationship between the Kingdom and the corporate citizens operating on the Island.
He added: “I thank the JIC for its cooperation, support and abiding faith in the good of the Kingdom. As you make your contributions to the good of Bonny, we urge you not to relent in assisting us for as long as it is required. Clearly, we shall need you in setting up all the basic structures for running our organs of development, driving them until we the people can fully take over.”
The Amanyanabo further affirmed the Kingdom's readiness to take their destiny in their own hands. “I will monitor the MOU to ensure its
full implementation providing guidance as needed,” he promised.
The first MOU was signed between the JIC and Bonny Kingdom 17 years ago. Among other things, that MOU gave the kingdom the 2.7 kilometre bypass road, the 2.7 kilometre link road along the embankment to Abalamabie, 24 hour electricity and pipe borne water. The new MOU brings a paradigm change by placing ownership and management of the sustainability development initiatives in the community, to be driven by Bonny Kingdom Development Foundation (BKDF), with the technical assistance of Accenture and the backing of NLNG and Shell.
From left: NLNG's Omotowa, Bonny King, Shell's Ajie and NLNG's Eresia-Eke
Signing for his kingdom: King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, JP, CON, Perekule XI, Amanyabo of Ancient Grand Bonny Kingdom
Babs Omotowa, CEO, signs for NLNG, ably supported by his General Manager, External Affairs, Eresia-Eke
Babs Omotowa
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History is being made here again today.
17 years ago, on November 5, 1998, a partnership between Bonny people and the Joint Industry Companies (JIC) comprising Nigeria LNG Limited, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, was forged to enable the Grand Bonny Kingdom become an oasis of modernity in the whole West African region.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) wassigned by the partnership to
provide Bonny with infrastructure and a master plan as enablers for the development of the historic island. The MOU has been successful and has led to the provision of 24-hours power supply, good roads, portable water supply, vocation school, etc.
These infrastructures have set the foundation for the realisation of the vision for the Island to become a modern town.
The examples of the inspirational imagery of this vision are those of Dubai and
Singapore.
Thirty years ago, Dubai was just sands and poverty. But through visionary leadership, dedication and collective hard work, Dubai has today pushed its limits to become a modern city of envy, even by first world standards. Singapore was a port city in 1819 with no natural resources. Its fortune as a trading hub dwindled after its independence in 1965 and it was described by a Dutch economist as “this poor little market in a dark corner of Asia.” Today, through very strong leadership, ambition and business suaveness, Singapore has earned the title of being the second most entrepreneurs-per-capita in the world.
Our drive to build on the foundation of the infrastructures now in place in Bonny propelled us to look at these success stories and led to this change in approach of our partnership from the extant practice of micro-managing community development interventions to empowering the people to take charge of their development. Under this model, ownership and management of the sustainability development initiatives will be with the community.
To encapsulate the vision, an updated Bonny Master Plan has
For the recordsSpeech By Babs Omotowa, Managing Director, Nigeria LNG Limited, at MOU Signing Ceremony on Saturday 3rd October, 2015
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been developed following consultation with various groups across the community and this Master plan will form the cornerstone for the socio-economic development and diversification of the Island going forward.
By the signing of the MOU for which we are here today, we are affirming that we will stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of this great kingdom in the actualisation of this vision. As practical demonstration of this, I am pleased to announce the following three tranches of contributions that NLNG will make annually, through the BKDF towards this vision.
1 N1bn towards the operations and maintenance of ongoing educational and utility institutions such as
Bonny Vocational Centre (BVC) and Bonny Utility Company (BUC).
2 Another N1bn towards the developmental initiatives of the Kingdom as reflected in the Updated Master Plan.
3 Yet another N1bn would be set aside as bonus to the community, which would only be released on the condition that there was a conducive environment to our businesses, and in particular that there are no disruptions to our operations in the course of the previous year.
Together with our partner, SPDC, we will also make available the services of Accenture to help the Kingdom with the transition to the new
order and for the smooth take off, sound business management and proper corporate governance of the Bonny Kingdom Development Foundation (BKDF) which will be the platform for actualising the MOU going forward.
The idea of the Bonny Kingdom Development Foundation is understood to be a platform for multilateral funding way beyond the oil and gas industry, including all other corporate organizations, local and international development and donor agencies, global development bodies, as well as the various tiers of Government- Federal, State and Local Government.
We believe Bonny deserves this broad based support based on its pedigree and contributions
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Bonny Chiefs at the event
to Nigeria and the world in general. I therefore enjoin these organizations to join us in making this bold initiative a success. It is in this regards that I am pleased that we could be joined today by Her Excellency Mrs Ibinabo Banigo, Deputy Governor, Rivers State, as well as Mr. Benjamin Ibietonye, Chairman, Bonny Local Government.
To those who may be worried about this change in paradigm of community development which we initiate in the kingdom today, permit me to say that the change is for the better, for greater community empowerment and ownership of its own development. This trend is supported by best practice testimonies the world over. The penchant in life is to always strive for continuous improvement which this new model should bring for the greater good of the kingdom.
Also, permit me to mention that as part of actualising the vision of the socio-economic development of Bonny we see the construction of Bonny-Bodo road linking the island with the mainland as key to opening the emerging Grand Bonny economy to bigger markets and investors. We are committed to this project and as part of our efforts to make this long outstanding road development a reality, we are in discussions with the Federal Government to advise our readiness to contribute 50% of the cost of the road. Everything going well, as we hope it would, this effort of ours would go down in history as by far one of the largest community-oriented support ever in the country,
demonstrating our unwavering vision of helping to build a better Nigeria, and in particular a peaceful and prosperous Bonny Kingdom. This is part of the big picture.
Bonny has a right to prosperity - but with that also comes real responsibilities - as development and prosperity come at a price and can only be reached through peaceful actions, creativity, selflessness, and hard work. The platform to the erection of that lofty desire and vision is what this MOU provides. All citizens and inhabitants of Bonny Kingdom are hereby called upon to play their part towards the achievement of crystallizing the vision of self-created and perpetuated prosperity in this kingdom.
Let me place on record our appreciation of SPDC for their strong partnership and unflinching support despite all the challenges they face in the
region and with JV funding. Unlike us who are primarily based in Bonny and the GTS communities, SPDC is spread across far more numerous communities; so to have been able to participate in this MOU to the level of their commitment is deserving of the appreciation of all.
In conclusion, we have a dream that one day, within the 25 year timeline of the MOU that we are signing today, Grand Bonny Kingdom will become the oasis of modernity and a reference point of a successful community who took their affairs in their hands and created a glorious and enviable future for themselves.
We envision that Bonny would not only be a model of modernity in the whole West African region, but on the continent as a whole. It is all in our hands.
I believe that this dream can be the reality of Bonny. I believe it is possible. I believe it is achievable.
This is the beautiful dream that I leave here with you today, and one that I will hold on to. I wish you success on this exciting journey, beginning with today's simple but symbolic signing ceremony.
Thank you for listening.
“Bonny has a right to prosperity - but
with that also comes real
responsibilities - as development and prosperity come at a price and can only be reached through peaceful actions,
creativity, selflessness, and
hard work.”
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Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has awarded 15 Nigerians post-graduate scholarships to study at several top universities in the United Kingdom (UK).
An award ceremony witnessed by family members and friends of successful scholars, representatives of Rivers State Ministry of Education, representatives of NLNG and the Media, held on Thursday, 17th September at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt where the scholars officially received their letters of award.
The Post-Graduate Scholarship Scheme was launched in October 2012, to support the growth of a pool of professionals with specialist skills and help build a better Nigeria.
Fully funded by NLNG and managed by the British Council, each awardee will expend an approximate N9 to N13 million, covering tuition, accommodation, travel, up-keep and other related costs, contingent to the field of study and duration.
For the 2015 award, five scholars from NLNG’s host Rivers State and ten others from different parts of the Country came out successful, following a rigorous selection process involving some 1,700 applications.
15 young Nigerians win NLNG Overseas Post-Graduate Scholarships
By Eva Ben-Wari
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Badagry Ship Repair Marine Engineering Consortium (BSMEC) has emerged as the lead investor in a dockyard facility projected to cost about $1.5 billion (N300 billion) to be cited in Badagry. The project is being facilitated by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG).
The consortium comprises 5 Nigerian companies - Sifax Logistics and Marine Services Limited, SIVC Infrastructure, DMCC (Sahara Group Limited), Japaul Oil and Maritime Services Plc, Energy Nature Limited and GMT Energy Services Limited. Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will be investing in the project as well as provide technical assistance. Financial consultancy and support is also expected to be provided by other parties.
This is contained in a recent press statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Manager of Sifax Group, Muyiwa Akande.
In a related development, a delegation from BSMEC recently paid a courtesy call on NLNG management at the company's Abuja office. The delegation, led by BSMEC chairman, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, assured the management of NLNG that they were equally devoted to
the actualisation of the ship dockyard facility in Nigeria to serve as an exemple of what commitment to the ideals of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry can achieve.
In his response to the delegation, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Babs Omotowa, said: “This project holds many benefits, one being that LNG vessels, very large crude oil carriers (VLCC) and other ships will be maintained and repaired in this dockyard, which will result in millions of dollars being generated for the Nigerian economy and the avoidance of such foreign spends in other locations.”
The proposed dry dock is aimed at fulfilling Nigerian Content deliverables for the BGT Plus Project. Last year, BGT, a subsidiary of Nigeria
LNG Limited (NLNG) established in 1989, in its expansion or 'Plus Project', ordered four vessels from Samsung Heavy Industries and two from Hyundai Heavy Industries at $1.6billion, to boost its shipping capacity. BGT owns 13 of the 23 vessels in Nigeria LNG's fleet—by far the largest in Nigeria—which deliver liquefied natural gas to customers spread across different regions of the world. Other components of the Nigeria Content agreement on the BGT Plus Project are training of more than 600 Nigerians in ship maintenance, and the purchase from Nigeria of local Nigerian products for the ship building project in South Korea.
The choice of Badagry as the site for the dockyard emerged from feasibility studies by Royal Haskoning DHV, an independent, international engineering and project management consultancy responsible for several similar large scale maritime projects worldwide. Feasibility studies for siting the dry-dock were carried out at several locations -Lekki FTZ, Ladol Island, Ogogoro Island, Olokola FTZ, Onne, Bonny and Badagry.
BSMEC emerges as lead investor in new Badagry dry dock project
By Emeka Agbayi
Babs Omotowa, NLNG helmsman
35
Uwem IwoketokChairman, Panel of Judges
Uwem Iwoketok is a professor in the Department of English, University of Jos. A native of Akwa Ibom State, her areas of specialization are African Literature, Childlore, Creative Writing and Documentation. Uwem speaks Ibibio, English, Anaang, Yoruba and Igbo.
Uwem Iwoketok has some 25 articles or chapters in reputable academic journals and books to her credit. Also to her credit are two text books: Beyond Entertainment: A Study of Uko Akpan the Ekere of Akwa Ibom State, and Ibibio Proverbs: Translated and Explained.
Her creative works include
Glimpses of the Heart, and Reminiscences: A Collection of Poems. She also three creative works in her native language: Ewod Nsän Ekook Okpo-1, Idip Akpanadiama and Ikpoon Ifonno.
th On 11 December, 2014, she delivered the UNIJOS Inaugural Lecture Series 67 at the University of Jos. Her lecture was entitled: “Childlore: A Bottom-Up Perspective to Literary Studies and Orature”.
Prof. Iwoketok is a member of Ibibio Language Writers Association (ILWA), Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Jos Chapter, Linguistic Association of Nigeria (LAN), International Toys Research Association (ITRA) and Society of Research Administrators, South Carolina, USA.
Charles Bodunde�Member, Panel of Judges
Charles Bodunde is a Professor in the Department of English, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, where he teaches Literature and Creative Writing. He is the author of Oral Traditions and Aesthetic Transfer and editor of African Language Literatures in the Political Context of the 1990s and Texts and Theories in Transition, all published by Bayreuth African Studies, Germany.
His journal articles are found in reputable academic outlets such as Wasafiri (UK), Research in African Literatures (USA), African Literature Today (UK), African Study Monograph (Japan), Matatu (Germany), Okike (Nigeria), Ufahamu (USA), Kola (Canada) and Commonwealth Essays and Studies (France).
Bodunde is the author of Nectar Pots, a collection of poems, published by Heinemann Books, Ibadan. His other poems have featured in the BBC-sponsored poetry anthology, The Fate of Vultures: New Poetry of Africa, The Spoon River Poetry Review (USA) and Kola (Canada).
Bodunde was a prize winner in the 1989 BBC Arts and Africa
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2015 Edition: Meet the judges
By Emeka Agbayi
36
Poetry Competition and co-
winner of the first Ragdale-US-
Africa Creative Writing
Fellowship in 1993. In February
and March 1993, he made a
public presentation of his
poems to an international
audience at the Lake Forest
Library and Poetry Centre of
Chicago in the United States.
He was appointed literary Judge by Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) for 2001, 2004 and 2005 ANA Prizes.
Prof. Charles Bodunde is a fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany.
Razinat Talatu MohammedMember, Panel of Judges
Razinat Talatu Mohammed, PhD, born in Maiduguri, Northern Nigeria teaches African Literature with specialization in Women Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Maiduguri
where she lives.
She is also a creative writer who made her debut in 2005 when her first book, a collection of short stories A love Like a Woman's and other Stories won the maiden Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) / Lantern Book prize.
Her first novel, Habiba, was short listed for the ANA prize for prose in 2014 while her other works have appeared in some national and international anthologies like Camouflage: The Best of Contemporary Writings from Nigeria, The Gong Books, Fireflies: An Anthology of New Nigerian Poetry, Pyramids: An Anthology of Poems from Northern Nigeria, For Women Collective: A Tribute to Nina Simone (USA).
Razinat has to her credit a reference text titled: Feminism and the Works of Nawal El-Saadawi and Buchi Emecheta, published by Lambert Academic Publication, Germany.
From June to July in 2011, she was a resident writer in El-Gouna, Egypt.
Kimberley ReynoldsInternational Consultant
Kimberley Reynolds is the UK's second Professor of Children's Literature and a Senior Honorary Research Fellow of the ARC (Australian Research Council) Centre for the History of Emotions at University of Western Australia.
She has authored/co-edited seven books on children's
literature and has contributed about 25 articles on many aspects of children's literature as book chapters and articles in academic journals, the most recent being the audio book, Children's Literature Between the Covers (2011).
Reynolds, who holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in English Literature from the University of Sussex, is a past president of the International Research Society for Children's Literature and has also served on its board for 10 years. She also served on the Trustee's committee responsible for the Museum of Childhood, again, for 10 years. Between 2004 and 2008, she was on the board of Booktrust, the literacy charity working with children across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Kimberley Reynolds, in 1991, conceived and established the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature at Roehampton University, which was awarded a Queen's Prize for Further and Higher
37
Education 2000-2004, under
her direction. She also
conceived and successfully
sought funding for the Marsh
Award for Children's Literature
in Translation. She is also the
founder of the Children's
Literature Unit at Newcastle
University and has been
involved with Seven Stories,
National Centre for Children's
Book since its inception.
In recognition of her work in
children's literature, Reynolds has received a number of awards. Notable among these are the 2009 Children's Literature Association Book Award for her book, Radical Children's Literature: Social and Aesthetic Transformations and the 2013 International Brothers Grimm Award from the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka, worth one million Yen.
Reynolds is certainly no spring
chicken in the field of children's literature. She developed, with a colleague, the Master of Arts programme in Children's Literature at what is now Roehampton University, has led four national studies of young people's reading habits in the UK, and contributes to broadcasts, programmes, films and other projects on children's literature for the British Library, the British Council, and other organisations.
Chairman of the Advisory Board for Literature, Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo, hands over entries for the 2015 competition to the judges led by their chairman, Professor Uwem Iweketok
Taking questions from the press: (L-R) Iwoketok, Eresia-Eke and BanjoOn behalf of NLNG, the sponsors of the prize, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke hands over the entries received for the 2015 competition to the Advisory Board chairman, Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo
38
I see a bright tomorrow—Uwem Iwoketok
Professor Uwemedimo Iweketok looks nothing like a country lady. In her exquisite saffron blouse and long skirt, she looked the part—erudite professor of English. But she is a country girl—at heart, that is. How else does one explain her interest in the proverbs of her Ibibio people which led to her book on a thousand Ibibio
proverbs? Or her book-length work on Akwa Ibom's ace oral poet? And in stark contrast to her calm, cheerful mien, she just finished announcing, as Chairman of the Panel of Judges, a no-winner verdict for the 2015 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, a result not entirely anticipated by Nigeria's literary community. Emeka Agbayi caught up with
Professor Iweketok for a brief chat on her experience judging the entries and her work in academics.
You are the only African member of International Toy Research Association, ITRA. What is this about and how would it impact writing for children?
39
member in ITRA—International Toy Research Association. It has its headquarters in France and I have been a member since 2001. I have attended several world congresses on the sponsorship of the association and the interest of the association has been to express a deep concern, a deep interest in children's play culture and also preserve that culture. Interest and preservation —preservation in the sense that, with time, adults seem to forget they were once children and so they look down on that culture which actually moulded them.
Yes, there is a synergy between the association and children's literature. As one that comes from a literary background, what I do is to look at toys, look at children's play culture and bring them up within the context of the literary. You will agree with me that talking about toys we are not talking about something that is written; if you will also cast your mind back to your childhood days the
play you engaged in, the stories, the tongue twisters, the riddles you engaged in were not written, but within them are embedded the experiences of the humans within your cultural environment. And the riddles you have in your environment may not necessarily be what we have in my environment because the animals that may
be reflected in the riddles and the flora in your environment may not be what we have in my environment. So is literature. The literature written in Nigeria, by Nigeria, about Nigeria may not be the same. Yes, there may be some universal traits cutting across cultures, but those things that set locales apart are the differences and I can say that one who is creatively given, or inclined, can look at the toys and build a story out of toys or can build a story and embed toys in it and make the work sufficiently good enough for children to read.
Within the context of those toys or playfulness, as they read the story, they learn about issues around them, about language and about the presentation of one's thoughts.
What is your impression of literature in Nigeria generally and children's literature specifically?
Let me start by saying that as a child growing up I loved
reading. I started by reading the column on cartoons in the Daily Times in the 60s. Oh, I kept time with it. Then I graduated from there to fairy tales. I would go to the National Library at Yaba, borrow books on fairy tales, read them, and that was where I had my first encounter with Greek stories. I had my first encounter with Medusa the Gorgon, and so on. This was in primary school. They widened my scope, although they were foreign works that depicted European culture. I did not know I would meet again with them in the university.
When I was asked to be one of the judges for this year's The Nigeria Prize for Literature which focused on children's literature, I felt very happy for the opportunity to, among other things, be able to read stories that reflect my culture. Unfortunately, for most of the entries, the language of communication in particular was inadequate; it was rather disappointing. When I look at the qualifications of the writers and the quality of the writing, my disappointment becomes worsened.
But then one thing about Nigerians is that we like challenges; if you tell a Nigerian he didn't do well here, he picks it up as a challenge and works on it and then comes out with something better. Then there is the challenge of being able to say with boldness that there is no winner and being able to say that we are not talking about 1st, 2nd and 3rd, we are talking about the best, where the best cannot be qualified. It's
40
an absolute. The challenge was there, too, worrying if one will be believed.
My high moment came when I read the external consultant's report and it was an absolute blend without any point of contradiction. It was a very high moment and, as I said much earlier during my remarks at the World Press Conference to announce the result, I could go back and once again emphasize that theory that man everywhere has this natural tendency of thinking alike. Without ever meeting, without ever interacting, we and the external consultant had the same view about the works. Arising from what we have now, very many Nigerians, very many institutions - tertiary, primary and secondary - will have a re-think about literature and about what to do to add value to our nation and to our learning.
A comment on the future of children's literature in Nigeria. Do you think it is bleak or bright?
I see a bright future because the end of failure is actually
success. Failure opens the way to success; it gives an individual an opportunity to try again. We are who we are today, what we have today actually evolved from failures. Many will put in effort, so much effort, and each time they will fail, but as long as they don't give up, success comes at last. So I see a very bright future in the sense that very many of us will now know that it is not just writing to get money but it is writing to develop the Nigeria of tomorrow, develop the literary art of tomorrow, develop our nation, develop our children. I see a bright tomorrow.
Most of your work is in a native Nigerian language. Is this a deliberate effort to evoke the postcolonial question of language in colonised Africa?
There is a saying that if you don't say I am, nobody will say you are and I don't think I would want any of the Nigerian languages to die. I don't want that to happen, much as we have English as our lingua franca. I also want to add that within the National Policy on Education one of the criteria to be used in teaching is mother
tongue, and it is an established knowledge that a child who thinks or speaks his mother tongue is able to think in that language and can do well in the next language. So, why would Nigeria over the years emphasize the fact that the elementary aspect of education should be conveyed in an indigenous Nigerian language? It is because of the value placed on that language and the fact that this language can go a long way in helping a child in acquiring the knowledge he needs. Now if we don't develop that language, what would we use?
I have realized that we have very little literature in my language. Yes, I have a BA in English, an MA in my oral literature and my PHD is also in oral literature - all of them are written in English. But I felt strongly that there was a need to document the language in several ways. You could say it was deliberate, deliberate in the sense that it is not just language that is documented but the culture of the people.
Right now I have a publication on the foremost oral poet from Akwa Ibom state. He's been singing for over 67 years. It is the first major work done on him. I got a university grant to do the work. I have another work which I used in celebrating my full chair - Ibibio Proverbs. It is about 512 pages and has over 1000 Ibibio proverbs, translated and explained. It's a work that took over 15 years to be done and I when I look around I am yet to see any work of that magnitude in my language within my environment. You would also
“My high moment came when I read
the external consultant's report
and it was an absolute blend
without any point of contradiction.”
There is a saying that if you don't
say I am, nobody will say you are and I don't think I would want any of the Nigerian
languages to die.
41
agree with me that fewer older people are using proverbs. What we notice is that many grandfathers, at risk of interacting or losing touch with their grandchildren, resort to English rather than use proverbs - and those are the elements that reflect who we are. If we lose them, how do we get them back; if we don't write them, who will?
Another strong point is that so many people do not know that language is power. Language is a very strong political instrument, a number of us do not know that. Even if you can speak it, do you have it in writing? Because when you have something in writing you
know you have made it permanent. Therefore, I think I will continue to champion it, not just for my language but for any language for that matter. What I try to do, as a lecturer, is to talk to students: 'why don't you go home and see what you have around you. We have so many folktales, you can use English to analyse them and you will see that there's so much you can write about.”
In conclusion, I wouldn't say that all of my work is based on my language or Nigeria's indigenous languages, but I will say that a great portion of it is, and I have no regrets.
What has been your experience as a judge of The Nigeria Prize for Literature and what do you think of this prize?
It's been a wonderful experience. Very wonderful. It's wonderful in the sense that there is a body that is not just interested in giving out money. It is not only a money spinning body but one that is also very critical about quality. Nigerian LNG Limited could have said, “OK, let's grade the performance: first, second and third. If we cannot have a first then we can have a runner up; then we would have all kinds of things - and I say all kinds. But, you see, by insisting on an absolute, it heightens and confirms that fact that it must be excellence or nothing. I, therefore, have very high regard for NLNG and I would say that with this kind of program, there is hope for literature coming out of Nigeria as a whole.
“Another strong point is that so many
people do not know that language is
power. Language is a very strong political instrument, a number
of us do not know that. Even if you can
speak it, do you have it in writing?”
42
Down-to-earth and self-assured, she insists on being called Kim. Professor of children's literature, soft-spoken, petite with a charming intellect, Kim (Kimberly) Reynolds does look quite young for someone who has put in four decades in higher education – teaching, researching and founding national centres for children's literature.
Kim flew from the UK to Lagos to join the Advisory Board, Panel of Judges, NLNG officials and the Nigerian literary community at the World Press Conference announcing the result of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2015 edition. She served as External Consultant to this year's competition.She shared aspects of her work in children's literature and her
thoughts on The Nigeria Prize for Literature with Emeka Agbayi in the engaging interview below.
Before now, I was not aware of the existence of a professorial position in children's literature. Is this a new development?
I am the second Professor of Children's Literature in the UK,
With The Nigeria Prize for Literature, every genre gets its moment in the sun—Kimberly Reynolds
43
but since I was made a professor I think there have been three more, so it's a growing area and that reflects the fact that children's literature has become a very established discipline in the UK, taken very seriously at the academic level, and the students like it. I think that's one of the things that has been underestimated in the past. Students understand that when they are reading the books of childhood as undergraduates they are not reading them as they did when they were children. They are reading them as literature and as part of their culture, and they find it very illuminating.
You are a Senior Research Fellow at ARC (Australian Research Council) Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions. What is this about?
That's an Australian-funded research centre which looks at the history of emotions in the early modern period. Children’s literature begins in the early modern period, we often say, with the writing of the Puritans and their desire to save children's souls. That's my interest there and I did some work for them on emotions surrounding the death of children as it was written about in children's literature and by parents about children. That's how I am attached to that centre.
You founded both the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature at Roehampton University and Children’s Literature Unit at Newcastle University. What is the work of these centres? What
was your experience like? I am looking at areas of interest that we can appropriate for Nigeria.
When I setup the National
Centre for Research in Children's Literature, we had no kind of organised body in the UK that was collecting children's books and material about them, the criticism of them, the original manuscripts and art work, and so on. There were no serious debates. There was no form where journalists could come or other people who had questions about children literature, there was no place where they could go, no obvious point of information. That's what that centre was setup to do as well as to run courses and classes. We run undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs in children's literature.
That worked very well, and it worked so well, in fact, that the Arts Council of England helped grow from that a national museum and archive called Seven Stories, which is now a national depository documenting the creative process of children’s literature and I am a founding trustee of
that body. I am still on its board and it is in Newcastle which is why the University of Newcastle decided that it needed to have a professor of children's literature. Since I have been there, there are now about five of us who work in the area of children's literature and most of the courses involve children's literature in one way or another, so I have had the chance to kind of infiltrate other disciplines and subjects. I would say that my work in Seven Stories is probably a legacy that will last for many generations because that museum is now very strong. It has hundreds of acquisitions and some wonderful primary material.
So Seven Stores is the equivalent—in children's literature—of the Tate Museum?
It is. Absolutely. We work very closely with the British Museum and the Bodleian library which are other places that hold some examples of children's literature but we are collecting everything from the 1930s so it's modern and contemporary children's literature.
Is it worldwide or just British children's literature?
It's just British because there are places in America, for instance, that collect American literature; places in Japan, in Scandinavia, in Germany that do something similar, although Seven Stories is uniquely focussed on documenting the creative process.
One of your books is entitled Radical Children's Literature: Future Visions and Aesthetic
44
Transformations. What are these future visions and aesthetic transformations? Why radical children's literature?
That's such an interesting question because many people think of children’s literature as something you out grow but, to my mind, it's the literature that helps you imagine yourself as an adult in the world. It introduces the world to you and if it's nostalgic or backward looking, you will always be making the same mistakes and not progressing very much. And I think one important thing that children's literature does is help children re-imagine the world and think about how it could be. So, it is speculative; it is nurturing; it gives ideas that children can - kind of - take and run with themselves. So, those future visions are really about future worlds and children looking ahead to their own future as adults and the kind of adults they want to become and the kind of world they want to live in and help create.
Tell us about your concept of authentic transformative energies.
I guess I probably wrote that a few years ago. I think what I probably had in mind and maybe I will express a little differently today is that each generation of readers becomes the writers of the next generation. If you look at what somebody like Virginia Wolf was reading—she's a generation that grew up having Alice in Wonderland and all the kinds of books that came after that—and so they were able to
transform writing itself to play with language in ways that children's and adult books hadn't done before, and I think that's where the energy comes from; it comes with the permission to play and I think children's literature tends to be more experimental and playful than adult literature because people associate play with children.
You also wrote that children's literature is at the vanguard of radical experimentation in art. How is this so?
One of the things people often overlook when they are thinking about children's literature is the extent to which it plays with the book as a medium itself. Every aspect of the book—the front cover, the back cover, the end papers, the paper itself often could be perforated, with holes cut in them, folded, with pop ups, moveable parts—and this all become part of the story telling and that gives you a chance to do more with how you tell the story than you can do with words alone. Mostly, children's books do use a certain degree of illustration and so you've got that kind of way of extending and experimenting the stories, and as we live in an increasingly visual age, writing that doesn't take account of images is beginning to look a little bit old fashioned and unadventurous.
And it's also the fact that children haven't yet learned all the rules. They don't yet know what literature is supposed to be like, so when somebody presents them with something that seems new to adults, they
take that in their stride and say, “oh yes, that's exciting; it isn't wrong; it's different; it's making me think in different ways”. So, often when adults wanting to experiment with something whether it's technical aspect of the medium, or the production, or just letting themselves off the leash - kind off—intellectually and saying “I don't know what's going to happen with this, I will just play around with it”, they may do it for a child audience. When you think you are being read by adults, your senses are on and you think you have to do everything very seriously, but with children sometimes you can just let your imagination fly and that takes you to new places.
What do the Internet and new technologies portend for children's literature? How do they interact with and transform children's literature?
Most children's first experience of text is still in a picture book with their parents, but very quickly - may be not exactly the same time - they are also starting to play with iPads and with digital formats and this is creating all kinds of opportunities for what we think a book is and how a book works. I don't think that the new technologies will ever replace the book because it's a perfect technology in its own way, but you can add to and extend the kind of things that books can do.
Children begin to be a bit impatient sometimes with flat text and that's one thing that does worry me, but if they are also looking for something to
45
click on that will make the noise, they won't animate the books themselves. I think we have to be careful about that balance, that they remember that they are in control of the book—in a way. And if it's a digital medium, often that's programmed to do just a limited numbers of things, but if it's your own brain, it is never, never, in search of ideas.
Thank you so much. What's your impression of literature generally in Nigeria and of children's literature more specifically?
I had steeped myself in Nigerian literature before coming on this trip and I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed it, not just because the stories themselves are compelling and interesting but they are really beautifully crafted, well told. Obviously there are very strong traditions of literary story telling that are coming out of this country and it's interesting to me but not unusual that those are not finding their way into children's literature yet. There's often a stage where people do not think children's literature is as important, or that you can make as good a living out of
writing for children, so you write for adults first. But what you have to hope for is that the kind of energy of the success of Nigeria writers—and they are successful, I mean there are some world class writers who are household names coming out of Nigeria—will begin to create a climate in which people want to write for children as well.
Do you write for children, outside critical books on children's literature?
I am embarrassed to say that I have written a couple of children's books. I am embarrassed because I don't think I am terribly good at it. It is a different skill. But I also do not think that a creative writer could do the kind of work I do without spending years on research. I don't think it is true that everybody has a good book in them. I was a consultant for a project and they required me to write some
stories for that project and I did it. They are very average; not very good, but they are good enough.
There is so much going on on the international front with children's literature. Could you share some of this with us?
Well, it's been very exciting. I have been involved with the international children's book scene for about 20 years now, travelling to lots of different countries and seeing what is happening. What has been really pleasing is how quickly countries where there was hardly any indigenous children's literature are beginning to produce really beautiful fantastically well-conceived and well told stories. It can happen very fast now because the cost of producing books has gone down and the technology for doing it has become so much more flexible.
I would say that countries ranging from Iran to Greece and Bulgaria—these are places that had very weak children's literatures in the past and now are very vibrant are really world leading in some areas of storytelling. And I think that partly does relate to something that you asked me at the beginning about the importance of research centres and so on, as people begin to focus on the writing and to look at it and analyse it and figure out how it works and what it's doing and how it can be done better and why it's important, that inspires people to take the genre seriously. And I think that prizes like The Nigeria Prize for Literature does exactly that. I will say it's much more than
“What has been really pleasing is
how quickly countries where there was hardly any indigenous
children's literature are beginning to produce really
beautiful fantastically well-conceived and
well told stories.”
46
financial incentive to win the prize. It gives you cultural status. It gives you recognition and it makes people think about why children's literature is as important as novels, drama and poetry for adults.
You have answered to some degree my next question and that is: what is your impression of The Nigeria Prize for Literature? Your experience today, what has it been like? Any suggestions for improvements?
When I was first introduced to The Nigeria Prize for Literature which I confess I hadn't heard of till I was approached to be consultant, I did my homework and I looked at what the prize was all about. One of the
things that impressed me most was the way that it rotated among genres. That's very unusual in a prize. It gives every genre a chance to have its moment in the sun and it treats children's literature as the equal of other established aspects of writing in a way that's very unusual. Normally we have to set up special prizes for children's literature. And this is one that is part of a national prize. So, I was impressed by the concept and I have being very impressed by the professional way in which the prize is managed and the quality of the thinking that has gone into the judging, the awareness of the judges of where the strengths and weaknesses in the writing lie, their desire to make this a positive story - the fact that it is not good enough is going to be used as a spur to bring about change. I thought all of that was very good.
I have also enjoyed the two days of conversation we have had with the officials of Nigeria LNG Limited, the Advisory Board members and the judges who are really committed to this prize. It does take a lot of time to read and judge and you are holding peoples' lives and reputations in your hands and nobody does it lightly. And as I said earlier you want to make a good news story with an event like this and people are therefore predisposed to choose a winner and I thought it was very heartening that they were more interested in quality than in making it a good media event.
“One of the thingsthat impressed memost was the way
that it rotated among the genres.That's very unusualin a prize. It gives
every genre a chance to have
its moment in the sun and it treats
children's literatureas the equal of
other established aspects of writing in a way that's very unusual.”
“It does take a lot of time to read and judge and you are holding people's lives
and reputations in your hands
and nobody does it lightly. And as I said earlier you want to make a good news story with an event like this and people are therefore
predisposed to choose a winner and I thought it
was very heartening that they were more
interested in quality than in
making it a good media event.”
47
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n� Sponsorship of the Annual Nigeria Prizes for
Literature and Science, Africa's most prestigious and
well-endowed, enabling scholarship and research in
Science and the Arts, to the tune of $100,000 USD
each.
Thousands of NLNG Scholarships in primary, secondary,
graduate and post graduate studies for talented young
Nigerians