Reuben Abati's article:

You may not have noticed it: Nigeria is suffering from an identity crisis imposed on it in part by an emergent generation of irreverent and creative young Nigerians who are revising old norms and patterns. And for me nothing demonstrates this more frontally than the gradual change of the name of the country. When Flora Shaw, Lord Lugard's consort came up with the name, Nigeria in 1914, she meant to define the new country by the strategic importance of the Niger River. And indeed, River Niger used to be as important to this country as the Nile was/is to Egypt. We grew up as school children imagining stories about how Lugard in one special romantic moment, asked his mistress to have the honour of naming a new country in Africa. Something like: "Hello, sweetheart, what name would you rather give the new country that I am creating?"

"Let me give it a thought? , Awright, how about Ni-ge-ria darling?"

"That would do. That would do. How thoughtful, my fair lady? You are forever so dependable"

And the name stuck and it has become our history and identity. But these days, the name Nigeria is gradually being replaced by so many variants, that I am afraid a new set of Nigerians may in the immediate future not even know the correct spelling of the name of their country. For these Nigerians whose lives revolve mostly around the internet and the blogosphere, the name Nigeria has been thrown out of the window. Our dear country is now "naija" or "nija". What happened to the "-eria" that Ms Shaw must have thoughtfully included? The new referents for Nigeria are now creeping into writings, conversations, and internet discourse. I am beaten flat by the increasing re-writing of the country's name not only as naija or nija, but consider this: "9ja". Or this other name for Nigeria: "gidi". There is even a television programme that is titled "Nigerzie". In addiiton, Etisalat, a telecom company has since adopted a marketing platform that is titled: "0809ja." Such mainstreaming of these new labels is alarming.

This obviously is the age of abbreviations. The emerging young generation lacks the discipline or the patience to write complete sentences or think through a subject to its logical end. It is a generation in a hurry, it feels the constraints of space so much, it has to reduce everything to manageable, cryptic forms. This is what the e-mail and text message culture has done to the popular consciousness. Older generations of Nigerians brought up on a culture of correctness and compeleteness may never get used to the re-writing of Nigeria as "9ja". Language is mutatory, but referring to the motherland or the fatherland in slang terms may point to a certain meaninglessness or alienation. What's in a name? In Africa, names are utilitarian constructs not merely labels. Even among the Ijaw where people bear such unique names as University, Conference, FEDECO, Manager, Heineken, Education, Polo, Boyloaf, Bread, College, Summit, Aeroplane, Bicycle, Internet - there is a much deeper sense to the names. But the name Nigeria means nothing to many young Nigerians. They have no reason to respect the sanctity of the name. They don't know Flora Shaw or Lord Lugard, and even if they do, they are likely to say as Ogaga Ifowodo does in an unforgettable poem: "God Punish you, Lord Lugard." Eedris Abdulakarim summarises the concern of young Nigerians in one of his songs when he declared: "Nigeria jagajaga, everything scata, scata"

The post-modernist, deconstructive temper of emergent youth culture is even more manifest in the cynical stripping to the bones character of today's Nigerian hip-hop. It is marked by a Grunge character that shouts: non-meaning and alienation. On my way to Rutam House the other day, I listened at mid-day to a continuous stream of old musical numbers from 93.7 Radio FM. Soulful, meaningful tunes of Felix Lebarty, Chris Okotie (as he then was), Mandy Ojugbana, Christy Essien-Igbokwe, Onyeka Onwenu, Sony Okosun, Alex O, Ras Kimono, Majek Fashek, Evi Edna-Ogoli, Bongos Ikwue, Veno Marioghae, Uche Ibeto, Dora Ifudu, Mike Okri, Dizzy K. Falola, and Tina Onwudiwe. Onyeka Onwenu sang; "One love, keep us together". Veno Marioghae sang: "Nigeria Go Survive". Even in the romantic offerings like Chris Okotie's "I need someone, give me your love", or Felix Lebarty's "Ifeoma, Ifeoma, I want to marry you, give me your love" and Stella Monye's "Oko mi ye, duro ti mi o", or Tina Onwudiwe's award-winning "Asiko lo laye". there was so much meaning and polish.

This was in the 80s. That generation which sang music under its real names, not abbreviations or slangs, was continuing, after the fashion of T.S. Eliot's description of "Tradition and the Individual Talent", a pattern of meaning that dates back to traditional African musicians and all the musicians that succeeded them: S. B. Bakare, Victor Olaiya, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Dan Maraya of Jos, Osita Osadebey, Ayinla Omowura, Victor Uwaifo, Geraldo Pino, Rex Lawson, I. K. Dairo, Haruna Ishola, Yusuf Olatunji, Inyang Henshaw, Tunji Oyelana, Bobby Benson, Tunde Nightingale, and even the later ones: Shina Peters, Dele Abiodun, Y.K. Ajao, Ayinde Barrister, Kollington Ayinla, Batile Alake, Sir Warrior, Moroccco Nwa Maduko, Orlando Owoh, Salawa Abeni, KWAM I (Arabambi 1 and please include his disciples- Wasiu Alabi Pasuma et al), Oliver de Coque (Importer and Exporter, ), Ayefele, Atorise , But there has been a terrible crisis in the construction of music. The children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of these ancestors have changed the face and identity of Nigerian music. As a rule, gospel musicians, given the nature of their form, sing meaningful lyrics, but the airwaves these days have been taken over by the children of "gidi","naija", "nija", "nigerzie" and "9ja". I listen to them too, but everyday, I struggle to make meaning out of their lyrics.

Music is about sense, sound, shape and skills. But there is an on-going deficit in all other aspects except sound. So much sound is being produced in Nigeria, but there is very little sense, shape and skills. They call it hip-hop. They try to imitate Western hip pop stars. They even dress like them. The boys don't wear trousers on their waists: the new thing is called "sagging", somewhere below the waist it looks as if the trouser is about to fall off. The women are struggling to expose strategic flesh as Janet Jackson once did. The boys and the girls are cloaked in outlandish jewellery and their prime heroes are Ja-Rule, Lil'Wayne, Fat Joe, P. Diddy, 50 Cents, Ronz Brown, Chris Brown, Sean Kingston, Nas, Juelz Santana, Akon, Young Jeezy, Mike Jones, T-Pain, F.L.O-RIDA, Will.I.am, Beyonce, Rihanna, Ciara, Keri Hilson, Jay-Z, Ace hood, Rick Ross, Birdman, Busta Rhymes, Cassidy, Chamillionaire, Soulja Boy, Young Joc, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Kevin Rudolph, T.I.P-king of the South, Ludacris, Plies-The real goon, The Game, Young Rox, Flow killa, Osmosis (2 sick), Flow-ssik, Raprince, Bionic, Fabulous, Jadakiss, Nas, Swiss Beatz, Dj Khaled, Maze, Yung Buck, Maino, MoBB Deep, Lloyd Banks, Olivia, Lady Gaga, Well, God Almighty, we are in your hands.

And so the most impactful musicians in Nigeria today, the ones who rule the party include the following: D'Banj, MI, Mode Nine, Sauce kid, Naeto C, Sasha, Ikechukwu, 9ice, Bouqui, Mo'cheddah, Teeto, P-square, Don-jazzy, Wande Coal, 2-face, Faze, Black Face, Dr. Sid, D'prince, K-Switch, Timaya, Dj-Zeez, Dj Neptune, Banky w., Big bamo, Art quake, Bigiano, Durella, Eldee, Kelly Hansome, Lord of Ajasa, M.P., Terry tha rapman, Weird MC, Y.Q., Da grin, kel, Roof-top Mcs, Pype, Niga Raw, Ghetto p., Kaka, Kaha, Terry G, Ill Bliss, Zulezoo, Pipe, Dj Jimmy jatt, X-project, Konga, Gino, Morachi, Well, the Lord is God. These are Nigerian children who were given proper names by their parents. Ikechukwu bears his real name. But who are these other ones who have since abandoned their proper names? For example, 9ice's real name is Abolore Akande, (what a fine name!), Tu face (Innocent Idibia), Sauce Kid (Babalola Falemi), D'Banj (Dapo Oyebanjo), Banky w. (Bankole Willington), P-Square (Peter and Paul), MI (Jude Abaga), Timaya (Enetimi Alfred Odom), Sasha (Yetunde Alabi), Weird MC (Adesola Idowu). But why such strange names? They don't sing. They rap. Most of them don't play instruments, they use synthetic piano.

At public functions, they mime. They are not artists, they perform. They are not necessarily composers, they dance. The more terrible ones can't even sing a correct musical note. They talk. And they are all businessmen and women. They are more interested in commerce and self-advertisement, name recognition, brand extension and memory recall! They want a name that sells, not some culturally conditioned name that is tied down to culture and geography. But the strange thing is that they are so successful. Nollywood has projected Nigeria, the next big revelations are in hip hop.

Despite the identity crisis and the moral turpitude that we find in Nigeria's contemporary hip-hop, the truth is that it is a brand of music that sells. Nigeria's hip hop is bringing the country so much international recognition. All those strange names are household names across the African continent, so real is this that the phrase "collabo" is now part of the vocabulary of the new art. It speaks to an extension of frontiers. In Nigeria, it is now possible to hold a party without playing a single foreign musical track, the great grand children of Nigerian music are belting out purely danceable sounds which excites the young at heart. But the output belongs majorly to the age of meaningless and prurience. The lyrics says it all.

Rooftop MC sings for example: "Ori mi wu o, e lagi mo". This is a very popular song. But all it says is: "my head is swollen, please hit it with a log of wood." X-Project sings: "Lori le o di gonbe (2x), e so fun sisi ologe ko ya faya gbe, ko ya faya gbe, file, gbabe, se be, bobo o ti e le, wo bo nse fe sa hale hale niwaju omoge, ha, lori le odi gonbe, , sisi ologe ki lo di saya o, so fun mi ki lofe, o wa on fire o, " Now, what does this mean in real terms? But let's go to Naeto C: "kini big deal, kini big deal, sebi sebi we're on fire", or D'Banj: " my sweet potato, I wanna make you wife, I wanna make you my wife o, see I no understand o, cause I dey see well well, but dey say love is blind, see I never thought I will find someone like you that will capture my heart and there will be nothing I can do, ". Yes, we are in the age of sweet potato. And so Art quake sings: "E be like fire dey burn my body, e je ki n fera, oru lo n mu mi. Open your hand like say you wan fly away. Ju pa, ju se, ka jo ma sere, alanta, alanta."

And here is Zulezoo, another popular Nigerian musical team: "Daddy o, daddy, daddy wen you go for journey, somebody enter for mummy's house, person sit down for mummy bed, person push mummy, mummy push person, mummy fall for bed yakata, daddy, o daddy, the man jus dey do kerewa kerewa, kerewa ke" And Dj-Zeez: "ori e o 4 ka sibe, ori e o 4 ka sibe, 4 ka sibe, 4 ka sibe". And MI: "Anoti, anoti, anoti ti, anoti titi." And Konga: "Baby konga so konga, di konga, ileke konga, ju pa pa, ju pa, konga, ju pa pa, ju pa, sibe", And 9ice: "gongo a so, kutupu a wu, eni a de ee, aji se bi oyo laari; oyo o se bi baba enikan, kan, i be double now, aye n lo, a mi to o, gongo a so, oti so o, e wo le e wo enu oko, " Or Tony Tetuila: "U don hit my car, oyinbo repete, u don hit my car o". Or Weird MC: "Sola lo ni jo, lyrics lori gangan, awa lo ni jo". Sheer drivel. So much sound, little sense. Is this the future? Maybe not.

Most of the music being produced now will not be listenable in another five years and this perhaps is the certain fate of commercial art that is driven by branding, show and cash. But we should be grateful all the same for the music, coming out of Nigeria also at this time in the soul, gospel, hip, hop genre: the music that is of Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, Lagbaja, Asa (there is fire on the mountain/and no one seems to be on the run/ there is fire on the mountain now, ", Ara, Sam Okposo, Dare, Sunny Neji, Infinity (now a broken up team), African China, Alariwo of Afrika, We suffer nonetheless in music as in the national nomenclature, an identity crisis. A country's character is indexed into its arts and culture, eternal purveyors of tones and modes. Nigerian youths now sing of broken heads, raw sex, uselessness and raw, aspirational emotionalism. A sign of the times? Yes, I guess.

I find further justification in the national anthem, many versions of which now exist. I grew up in this same country knowing only one way of singing the national anthem: from "Nigeria we hail thee" to "Arise o Compatriots". The singing of the national anthem is supposed to be a solemn moment. Arms clasped by the side, a straight posture, and the mind strictly focussed on the ideals of patriotism and nationalism. Stillness. Nobody moves. And the national song is rendered in an unchanging format. But not so any longer. There are so many versions of the Nigerian national anthem these days. Same lyrics but different musical rhythms. I have heard the national anthem sung in juju, in fuji, in hip hop, in Ishan's igbagbolemini, in acapella mode, even reggae. I attended an ocassion once, the rendition of the national music was so enthralling, people started dancing. Even the photographers and cameramen danced with their cameras. For me that was the ultimate expression of the people's cynicism. The prevalent mood is as expressed by Dj-Zeez: "ori e 4 ka sibe, 4 ka sibe": an epigrammatic, onomatopoeic, market-driven diminution of language as vehicle and sign. What kind of people are we? A dancing nation? Dancing and writing away our frustrations and caring little about sense, in this country that is now known as "naija", "nija", "9ja", "nigerzie," "gidi"?

Banky W's Response:

Dude is very eloquent - surprisingly so. . .


This is my response to the article entitled "A Nation's Identity Crisis" that recently ran in The Guardian Newspapers. It was written by Dr Reuben Abati, a well respected name in Nigerian Journalism. His original article can be found here: Guardian Newspapers
Please try and read the original article before commenting on my response. As Dr Abati has stated his opinion, I felt it neccessary to state mine. If anything I'm sure both pieces are at least food for thought.


Dear Sir,

In the immortal words attributed to P.T. Barnum, "I don't care what the newspapers say about me, at least spell my name right." My name IS Banky W, full name being Olubankole Wellington. Not Willington, as you stated in your article entitled "A Nation's Identity Crisis". I read the piece repeatedly, and found that misspelling my name wasn’t the only error. At it's worst, the article seemed like an attempt to discredit and slander an entire generation of artistes and consumers, and at best it came across as having some valid points but being grossly misinformed, prejudiced, and hypocritical; definitely not what we would expect of a highly regarded publication as The Guardian, or from a person in Mr Abati's position.

In the very least, the article warrants a well-informed response. I have little doubt in my mind that it will generate a slew of responses, positive and negative, and as one of the many subjects that was mentioned in the write-up, I feel compelled to voice my opinion (with all due respect) on some of the issues that were raised in your piece. What I'm going to attempt to do is to directly address issues that stood out and resonated most with me.

The writer asked "What's in a name?" and went on to honor a ", generation which sang music under its real names, not abbreviations or slangs"; this would have been a valid point if he had not himself mentioned Greats like King Sunny Ade (real name: Sunday Adeniyi), I.K. Dairo (Isaiah Kehinde Dairo), and Ebenezer Obey (Real name: Ebenezer Remilekun Aremu Olasupo Fabiyi- Wow!!!). We could also point out other legends like Ras Kimono and Majek Fashek as others who, for creative or other reasons, saw it fit to have stage names that happen to differ from what's on their passports. Shortening of full names and/or the crafting of stage names is not something new from our generation of artistes that "lack the discipline or the patience to write complete sentences" as you said; rather, it's the creative right of an artiste to go by whatever moniker he sees fit. And if we want to talk about the names of today, we can highlight a few: Eldee - actually L.D. which stands for Lanre Dabiri, similar to Isaiah Kehinde Dairo's transition to I.K. Dairo. Naeto C and Banky W are simply short forms of their full names. In my case, my father's nickname among his friends is actually Banky as well.

Furthermore, on the topic of Names and abbreviations let's set a few things straight. Nigerzie is actually spelt Nigezie and is not an abbreviation for Nigeria. It's a TV Show, much like Soundcity or Hip TV, except they choose to incorporate "representing Nigeria" in their name. It's like the "United Colors of Bennetton", or DKNY, both companies that choose to represent their locations or origins in their name. Also, for the record, Gidi doesn't mean Nigeria either. It's a term for Lagos, coined from "Las Gidi". And as far as the popular term "Naija" goes, who remembers Shina Peters singing "♫ Naija lo wa yi o o o, wa jo, afro juju lo gb'ode ♫" I hate to point out that our generation did not come up with that term, the "golden age" that you long for did.

As an editorial head of a National Newspaper, you owe it to your public to at least do proper and accurate research before printing an article. The risk in not doing so, is you might unknowingly mislead your readers, and you might actually come across as being ignorant or out of touch. A quick look at all the reference names of artistes and songs mentioned in the article goes to show that the author was sadly way off base in his accusations and examples. For instance, to make a point on how today’s Nigerian artistes lyrics are meaningless and prurient, he referenced the Rooftop MC's song "La Gi Mo". What he failed to realize or crosscheck, is that the said song is probably one of the most meaningful and important songs that have been released in the last few years on the Nigerian Music Scene. The Rooftop MC's are actually a Rap Group that leans to the Gospel or at least Socially Conscious side of music, and their songs always have a positive message. That song itself talks about the errors we make by trying to take God's glory for our success, getting caught up in the limelight and asking God to bring you back to reality to know that HE deserves the praise for where you are.

The author mentioned other songs like D'banj's "Fall in Love", and doesn't realize how hypocritical he sounds by attempting to ridicule some of our most popular love songs. Felix Liberty sang "Ifeoma, ifeoma, I want to marry you", D'banj sang "Omo U don make me fall in love" and Banky W sang "Till my dying day, I'll love you". Barring a difference in musical styling, are these songs not cut from the same cloth? Why can't someone in Mr Abati's position be proud of the fact that at Nigerian and African Weddings nowadays, couples are choosing these songs to mark their first dances instead of previous choices like “Endless Love”? Why can't we appreciate that the days of going to Nigerian Parties and clubs and celebrating to foreign music “all night long” are long gone? Despite these facts, you still see International festivals and concerts being held in Nigeria where the foreign acts are paid 30 to 40 times what some of our biggest stars are allowed to charge.

I have to disagree with the author's views. We are not all one and the same, but we ARE artistes. We may sing, rap, dance, mime, perform, play instruments or whatever else; but we are artistes. And Composers. And musicians. We may not all play the piano or the guitar, but neither does Michael Jackson, arguably the world's greatest artiste/entertainer. That's why he teamed up with producer Quincy Jones to create some of the best music anyone had ever heard. We have our own producers that have shaped Nigerian sound, people like Cobhams Asuquo, Don Jazzy, I.D. Cabasa, Dr Frabz, Tee-Y mix, Eldee, Terry G etc. That list goes on. These music minds are no less credible than those of Mr Abati's time, like the great Laolu Akins.


Far be it from us to claim that we are perfect and flawless in our art, we know that we are still growing and have lots of areas to improve, but the truth of the matter is we have worked very hard to create the industry we have now, and some people choose to criticize and lambaste most of us, instead of helping and teaching us. That is unfair. Yes, some artistes sag their jeans, however, a glance at the pages of THISDAY style or the recently concluded awards shows will show you very clearly that others wear three-piece suits and traditional attires just as proudly, myself included. This music industry that you have very clearly +disapproved of has partnered with and given rise to the fashion industry in Nigeria as well. Just ask Designers like Mai, Babs Familusi (Exclamations Couture), the Okunorens, Muyiwa Osindero and countless others. Everything from the t-shirts and jeans rappers wear, to the shoes and suits are made by young Nigerians, where in previous years people preferred to shop in London. The youth-driven industries in Entertainment and Fashion have teamed up to thrust Nigeria into the world's positive spotlight, when for many years our dear country was mostly known for corruption, lack of infrastructure, and security issues.

Our country has not yet given us steady electricity, adequate education, safety from armed robbers or standard healthcare, yet artistes have risen like the Roses that grow from Concrete, and these very artistes love and represent their country proudly on a global stage. This music industry has given hope, jobs and income to countless youth of today. We are Rappers, Singers, Producers, Sound Engineers, Managers, Promoters, Marketing Consultants, Record Label Owners and we will not apologize for making the best of our circumstances; and all this in spite of the fact that we have Marketers that exploit but refuse to pay for our Musical pieces, Royalties and Publishing income that hitherto has been non-existent, a Government that is just now very slowly starting to enforce anti-piracy laws, and Event Organizers that would rather pay 50 Cent One Million US Dollars than give D'banj or P-Square 5 Million Naira.

You were right on some counts. We ARE businessmen and women, and we ARE interested in extending name recognition and brand extension. You were also right in that we look up to people like Jay-Z, who took their music and created multimillion-dollar empires. Since when did ambition and desire to succeed against all odds count against a person’s moral character? Shouldn’t we be encouraged to pay more attention to the business side of “Show Business”? Shouldn’t we want this music industry to provide for our future and the futures of our children?

We know we have a moral responsibility when it comes to our Creative works. Some of us pay more attention to it than others, and there is lots of ground to cover up. But how about a little appreciation and help, instead of trying to tear us down and discredit us? Time will tell whose music will last and become evergreen, but it is not in anyone's place to judge; and for the record, can we just accept that fact that hip hop music is an artform that is probably here to stay, I mean for goodness sake the Grammy's has!! Instead of fighting the change, we should learn to embrace it. I thank God for people like the great Adewale Ayuba that have reached across to our generation to collaborate with, bridge the gap, and help us improve.

We want to learn but your generation has to teach. We want to read but the Government must provide libraries. We want to go to school but the lecturers keep going on strike. We want to travel but previous generations messed up so they won’t give out visas. Most of prefer having our own live bands but the income needed to support that is not forthcoming.

You speak of meaninglessness and prurience, identity crisis and moral turpitude. You praise Legends like Fela Anikulakpo-Kuti and you ridicule us. 9ice does not drink or smoke. eLDee is married to one wife. Olu Maintain does not drink. Naeto C is currently obtaining his Masters’ degree in England. The ironic thing is, we look up to and praise your generation too. You seem to forget that Baba Fela had 27 wives, smoked marijuana in public, was himself half naked at shows (as well as the women around him) and allegedly died of HIV. However we look past what some may consider shortcomings and respect and emulate the immense contributions he made to our history. We are in awe of him despite personal choices that some may or may not agree with. All we are asking for is to be appreciated and afforded similar tolerances.

You danced to Shina Peters. Let us dance to our music. And for the record: for every "Anoti" by MI, he has a "Crowd Mentality" or a "Talk about it". For a Naeto C's "Ki Ni Big Deal", he has a "The Devil is a Liar". Just because an artiste uses a particular song to promote his album for commercial reasons, doesn't mean they should be judged on that alone. Anyone that is familiar with the cost of promoting an album (videos, press, etc) would know that you end up making hard decisions in terms of what you have to push and promote, for your best chance at success. I suggest that you buy whole albums and look at the body of work. Listen to the entire CD’s. I think you'll find that more often than not, Nigerian artistes are doing a pretty good job of representing this great Country of Nigeria. Naija Till We Die. Yes Boss.

Sincerely,
~ Banky W.

Now guys, dont you think Dr Abati just bit more than he could chew. . .?

ABASI NBO.wo is ABATI?

What generation are you from? In simple English, Guardian Kan, Abati kan (One Guardian, One Abati!).

I am trying to read btw the lines oh.
Is banky another politician? else, why not move this too long of a preaching to the entertainment section.

MY GOD. Banky W's article is FLAWLESS. The guy can spit grammar. I am an avid reader of Dr Abati's articles, but this guy has just thrown the gauntlet down. If Dr Abati does not reply, wahala dey o!

freezy:

What generation are you from? In simple English, Guardian Kan, Abati kan (One Guardian, One Abati!).

I'm 4rm dis generation but dont know wo he is.but y should he attack Banky like dat?abi recession don catch am?

I wonder why Mr. Abati thought it was necessary to drop so many different names? I personally think he was asking for responnses like Banky's,

freezy:

Now guys, dont you think Dr Abati just bit more than he could chew. . .?

No he didn't. . . this is what civilised societies are about-intellectual exchange of view points NOT political gangsterism or illiterate govt contractors.

Nigeria's entertainers have trully come of age & I appreciate the way they defend their own.

Abati has a point & so does Banky . . . .

Abati has a point

ABATI abi what ever u call him,4rm all I've read HAS NO POINT.Banky got him right on spot. .I guess he has accomplished his mission,ATTENTION as I never knew him b4.

JosBoy4Lif:

I wonder why Mr. Abati thought it was necessary to drop so many different names? I personally think he was asking for responnses like Banky's,

Personally, I think he was kinda preaching all the peeps to be wary of. I've been reading Dr Abati's articles for over fifteen years, but frankly, I think he's a lil' outta line on this one. He's getting outta touch with time. He refusing to accept changes that are bound to happen. How could he cheapen "Lagimo" that bad? I'm sure he never bothered to listen to the verses. I think he has a mind set bout our artistes and this generation. . .

freezy:

Personally, I think he was kinda preaching all the peeps to be wary of. I've been reading Dr Abati's articles for over fifteen years, but frankly, I think he's a lil' outta line on this one. He's getting outta touch with time. He refusing to accept changes that are bound to happen. How could he cheapen "Lagimo" that bad? I'm sure he never bothered to listen to the verses. I think he has a mind set bout our artistes and this generation. . .

In other words, Abati is getting old and should stick to his older generation music.

Dr Abati is one Nigerian that has enjoyed a lot of readership from Nigerians to the extent that his blunders are overlooked based on the assumptions that he may actually know what he is talking about.

I have come across articles he wrote where he delved into issues he never had a sound knowledge about or made public opinions and conclusions based on limited knowledge and wrong premises.

I have also realized that he hardly ever responds to rejoinders especially where he must have made mistakes in his original articles -  something that is common with the regular print media where some people at the editorial table decide what gets printed or not.

Thank God for the internet, opinions can be freely challenged, conclusions can be torn to shreds and the era of one way communication channel (from newspaper to readers) is giving way to 2 way communication or even all way communication.

However, Dr Abati is a fine writer but it would do him a whole lot of good if he takes time to research or confirm information before making any categorical statements on anything lest he gets the type of well thought out and flawless response from Banky W.

As a matter of fact Dr Abati's generation has contributed a great deal to the sorry state of this country when compared to the strides the younger generation is making today and this should be easy to come to terms with.

BANKY-W was just spot on on his reply.

This is a true representation of the frustration encountered by the youth of this generation. The Generation before us were the ones that had FREE Education, Job immediately after school, getting a car was  a matter of choice, ASUU strike was never heard of, etc.

This present generation ( which will liberate this country) with all the attendant problems in this country, is trying very hard to make things.

I hope someone can just bring constructive criticism to the table rather that castigating the struggling youths

Epiphany:

In other words, Abati is getting old and should stick to his older generation music.

Spot on! Flesh and blood could not have revealed that to you! Sumn divine did!

i trip for you Banky, you're too much man!!!! you deserve a standing ovation!!

freezy:

Personally, I think he was kinda preaching all the peeps to be wary of. I've been reading Dr Abati's articles for over fifteen years, but frankly, I think he's a lil' outta line on this one. He's getting outta touch with time. He refusing to accept changes that are bound to happen. How could he cheapen "Lagimo" that bad? I'm sure he never bothered to listen to the verses. I think he has a mind set bout our artistes and this generation. . .

Am pretty sure when Abati was in his adolescent days the older generation ,at the time, also believed that the youngsters were rebels without a cause

Gbosa, well done Banky W.

Han han

Im even more surprised that people can read all this thesis,
from twitter to blogs to facebook to NVs to NL now

nawa o

A Nation’s Identity Crisis – A Rejoinder 

Written by Dr. Olusola Osineye

This piece is in response to the one written by Reuben Abati (RA) titled: A Nation’s Identity Crisis. I am making this rejoinder because he was, more or less, referring to my generation in that article.

After I managed to obtain a credit pass in English language in the West African School Certificate examination, I knew it was largely due to some divine intervention. This is because I went to one of the so-called “Jakande” schools for my primary education where I could hardly string together one correct sentence in English as at the time I left  primary six (the last year of primary school).

Providence however smiled on me again when the same Jakande government of Unity Party of Nigeria (under the leadership of Awolowo) took the decision to take over missionary schools and some private secondary schools and converted them to public schools. With that single policy, I got the opportunity of a life time to be a student of Baptist Academy Secondary School in Lagos; this also enabled me to mix with children from privileged homes who had attended private nursery and primary schools and spoke the queen’s language as if they were born with it.

Disaster struck in 1983 when civil rule in Nigeria was terminated once again by the military. From Muhammadu Buhari to Ibrahim Babangida, it was a succession of military adventurers until 1999. During this period, the military government and their civilian collaborators looted the country’s treasury and destroyed the country’s value system. A four-year course in the University was prolonged by two more years due to continued closure of institutions of higher learning; the lecturers were on strike for half the year, cultism was encouraged in the university by the military government while the female students turned to prostitution for survival. The foundation for the gradual disintegration of the Nigerian educational system was laid during this period.

I and a host of others in my generation had both our secondary and university education during this perilous time. My generation bore the brunt of this period of misrule. Creativity and innovation was alien to my generation; it was a period of mere survival.  Meanwhile children from more privileged backgrounds simply abandoned ship and ‘checked out’ of the country like Andrew. An example is the current speaker of the house of representative, Dimeji Bankole. Yes, he ‘ran’ to continue his secondary education and later University in the United Kingdom. He is unfortunately a member of this mal-aligned generation.

Fast forward by about three decades and surprisingly many of us still survived. Anyway, I did! I managed to become a dentist after donkey years in Idi-Araba but, like so many of my mates had to finally ‘abandon ship’ too when it became obvious that Nigeria has no serious plans for my generation.

I am not only a dentist but also have an MBA from a top school in United Kingdom, a country where I am not only resident but have two kids who possess the much sought-after ‘red’ passports.

The Abati article was well-researched and almost flawless, but I didn’t expect anything less from Uncle Reuben. According to the article, there is an identity dilemma in Nigeria and this is apparent in the gradual transformation of the country’s name and music. The younger generation, lacking in rectitude and patently indiscipline was to a large extent found culpable.

This rejoinder is probably unnecessary since RA was very careful to not place the whole blame on the younger generation. He was however unable to hide his disappointment at the turn of events in the country, yet he craftily agreed that this identity crisis is probably a sign of the times. His feeling of nostalgia for the music of the good-old-days was also very palpable.

Nonetheless, since I found the article very meaningful and educative, I have therefore decided to take some steps, which I am convinced, if followed by other Nigerians of my generation, both at home and in Diaspora, would lead to a better Nigeria. I would also recommend that the speaker of the house of representative, Dimeji Bankole, should also follow these steps too.

Firstly, I would start writing the name of Naija in full because I was not aware that the name was given to the country by the mistress of Lord Lugard, Ms Flora Shaw in 1914. My social studies teacher never taught us; she was a very lazy woman and was always on strike anyway. I have also decided to take it further by visiting the River Niger, which gave meaning to Nigeria. My only hope is that I will not end up inside the river because I heard the River Niger Bridge is now a death trap. Please let me use this opportunity to apologise on behalf of my generation for not repairing the bridge and looting the money meant for the repair.

Secondly, I am in full agreement with Uncle Reuben that my generation is always impatient and not disciplined enough to follow up any task to a logical end. We are too unfortunate to be living in the internet age. He rightly blames the effect of e-mails and text messages on the popular consciousness. In view of these, I am determined to resort to writing letters and abandon the computer and the internet altogether because it is an evil that is destroying the creativity of my generation. Imagine the rise of ‘yahoo yahoo’ boys in Nigeria; the porn culture is also on the rise. All these vices are due to the internet culture.

I have since dumped my blackberry in the bin after reading RA’s article. Besides, I heard on good authority that the Nigerian postal service is now more efficient than royal mail in UK. My mate who wrote a letter to Nigeria couples of days ago told me that the letter got delivered on time, although it was already ripped open, probably in UK before it got to Nigeria. I initially planned on buying the new IPhone to be released on June 29, 2009 (am sure Uncle Abati has heard of it) but that is no more possible because I love Naija so much and all these gadgets are hindering my sense of patriotism. I can now understand why President Barrack Obama has identity crisis - he is not sure whether he is Kenyan or an American. It is because he uses his blackberry to text USA instead of writing it in full.

Thirdly and the scourge of my generation are these new talentless hip hop guys. I, like Uncle Abati can’t bear the profanity that they spew from their mouth in the name of music anymore. Although I enjoy Tuface, D’banj, P-Square and the rest and I have danced ‘yahooze’ at so many owambe parties in UK, but since I am now aware that their kind of music is noise and has created an identity crisis in Nigeria, I have decided to send all my pirated CDs to boot sales. I hope every right-thinking Nigeria of my generation would do the same. There are millions of job openings in our banks and oil companies that they can easily take up. The older generation have actually done so well for the country that we have nothing to complain about. Besides, if they are unable to get a job of their choice there is job-seekers allowance for them to leave on pending the time they are able to find something to do.

I would also like to advise the government of Nigerian that is filled with knowledgeable and creative geriatrics to send a strongly-worded letter to UNICEF for making Tuface and D’banj an ambassador. How can they be role-model for our children when we have the likes of Etteh (former speaker of house of representative), David Mark (who once said that telephone is not for the poor) and ex-president Obasanjo, who has been quite busy ‘shagging’ his son’s wife

Although it is true that the Nigerian music industry and Nollywood have succeeded in creating thousands of job, but this is small to the millions of job that the geriatric government of the older generation have created in the last two decades. 

Finally, I have made a decision to not only learn our national anthem all over again but to also teach my two children how to sing the anthem and recite the Nigerian pledge. Why shouldn’t I do that? My children and I owe Nigeria so much. The child benefits that my children are paid every month are remitted into my account from the Federal Inland Revenue in Nigeria. The free healthcare under the NHS that I and my children currently enjoy is paid for by the oil revenue derived from the Niger Delta in Nigeria.

My generation is a huge disappointment to Nigeria; we have to retrace our steps and start identifying more with Nigeria by writing Naija properly, start dancing Ayinla Omowura at Owambes, and stand at attention when reciting the national anthem because our fathers have done so much for our generation that even the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln are turning in their graves and wished they could have bequeathed a more worthy nation like Nigeria to their descendants in America who write USA in full.

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/guest-articles/a-nations-identity-crisis-a-rejo.html

Firstly, I would start writing the name of Naija in full because I was not aware that the name was given to the country by the mistress of Lord Lugard, Ms Flora Shaw in 1914. My social studies teacher never taught us; she was a very lazy woman and was always on strike anyway. I have also decided to take it further by visiting the River Niger, which gave meaning to Nigeria[b]. My only hope is that I will not end up inside the river because I heard the River Niger Bridge is now a death trap. Please let me use this opportunity to apologise on behalf of my generation for not repairing the bridge and looting the money meant for the repair[/b].

LMAO

I have since dumped my blackberry in the bin after reading RA’s article. Besides, I heard on good authority that the Nigerian postal service is now more efficient than royal mail in UK. My mate who wrote a letter to Nigeria couples of days ago told me that the letter got delivered on time, although it was already ripped open, probably in UK before it got to Nigeria. I initially planned on buying the new IPhone to be released on June 29, 2009 (am sure Uncle Abati has heard of it) but that is no more possible because I love Naija so much and all these gadgets are hindering my sense of patriotism. I can now understand why President Barrack Obama has identity crisis - he is not sure whether he is Kenyan or an American. It is because he uses his blackberry to text USA instead of writing it in full.

Thirdly and the scourge of my generation are these new talentless hip hop guys. I, like Uncle Abati can’t bear the profanity that they spew from their mouth in the name of music anymore. Although I enjoy Tuface, D’banj, P-Square and the rest and I have danced ‘yahooze’ at so many owambe parties in UK, but since I am now aware that their kind of music is noise and has created an identity crisis in Nigeria, I have decided to send all my pirated CDs to boot sales. I hope every right-thinking Nigeria of my generation would do the same. There are millions of job openings in our banks and oil companies that they can easily take up. The older generation have actually done so well for the country that we have nothing to complain about. Besides, if they are unable to get a job of their choice there is job-seekers allowance for them to leave on pending the time they are able to find something to do

Finally, I have made a decision to not only learn our national anthem all over again but to also teach my two children how to sing the anthem and recite the Nigerian pledge. Why shouldn’t I do that? My children and I owe Nigeria so much. The child benefits that my children are paid every month are remitted into my account from the Federal Inland Revenue in Nigeria. The free healthcare under the NHS that I and my children currently enjoy is paid for by the oil revenue derived from the Niger Delta in Nigeria.

My generation is a huge disappointment to Nigeria; we have to retrace our steps and start identifying more with Nigeria by writing Naija properly, start dancing Ayinla Omowura at Owambes, and stand at attention when reciting the national anthem because our fathers have done so much for our generation that even the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln are turning in their graves and wished they could have bequeathed a more worthy nation like Nigeria to their descendants in America who write USA in full

"ABATI WHERE ART THOU?"

congoshine:

No he didn't. . . this is what civilised societies are about-intellectual exchange of view points NOT political gangsterism or illiterate govt contractors.

Nigeria's entertainers have trully come of age & I appreciate the way they defend their own.

Abati has a point & so does Banky . . . .

I concurr. Stone sharpeneth stone,
That's the very essence of true civilisation pronto!

Who doesnt know that Abati is living on past glory?
The man has simply ran out of useful and constructive ideas since he was allocated a plot of land in Abuja.
However, I must admit that our music industry is in dire need of quality lyrics from the artistes. That does not mean that it's worst than what we had in the old generation.

freezy:


We want to learn but your generation has to teach. We want to read but the Government must provide libraries. We want to go to school but the lecturers keep going on strike. We want to travel but previous generations messed up so they won’t give out visas. Most of prefer having our own live bands but the income needed to support that is not forthcoming.

I'm loving this,

And here's Eldee's response. . .

Not as brilliantly packaged as Banky W's (Wow! Still havent gotten over his piece. . . Such dexterity!) but hey! Whaddya expect? Y'all protect your territory, aint it?

Here’s Eldee’s response

First off, the only reason I have chosen to address this is because it would be wrong to sit and watch a journalist of supposed repute and the power to maneuver public opinion, openly kick against change and development.

At first when I read the article, I tried to humor myself that perhaps he had one or two salient points but upon further analysis, I discovered that the article is just a shameless rant from a man who obviously has no understanding of modernism and how to deal with it.

I see the article as a threat to the much needed change and development that Nigeria needs, and we must kick against this mindset. This is the general mentality of the generation that mismanaged this country due to selfishness, greed, incompetence, lack of exposure and an overall lack of integrity. The generation that kicks against innovation and development as long as it does not agree with their selfish plots. The generation that has little or no vision for “Nigeria.”

He titles his article “A nation’s identity crisis” and starts off by glorifying the use of a name that was given to us by “Mistress” to Lugard Flora Shaw! in 1914. Why should we attempt to change such a beautiful name? He even says…”Our dear country is now “naija” or “nija”. What happened to the “-eria” that Ms Shaw must have thoughtfully included? ……” The “oyinbo knows best” colonial mentality, as though Mistress Shaw is superior to all of us.

What does it matter if Nigeria is called “Naija”. It has been called Naija since the 70’s. Why pin it on this generation?….oh,, I know why, it’s because this is the generation that finally gave Nigeria a worthy reason of mention on the international scene. The generation that is fighting the ugly image of corruption and underdevelopment (which they created) with exportable entertainment. The generation that has created millions of jobs with an industry that was left to rot in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The generation Mr Abati himself acknowledges are very successful at what they do. Now that we are worthy of mention, we shouldn’t misinform the rest of the world about the spelling of Nigeria…like anyone will one day decide Nigeria is spelt N-A-I-J-A. By the way, “Gidi” is not Nigeria but Lagos. It’s short for “Las gidi”, yet another term which was created in the 80’s. You could have asked the young guy sitting in your office for clarification on that one…Sir.

Then he goes on to speak on original names and the use of abbreviations, blah blah. Mr “misinformed journalist” Abati, just so you know, King Sunny Ade is not his real name, neither is Dizzy K Falola, Majek Fashek, Kollington Ayinla, Ebenezer Obey, Dan Maraya of Jos, Ayinde Barrister, Ras Kimono, Alex O nor the very obvious KWAM 1, so was there really a need to criticize the stage names of the our generation’s artists? besides what is anyones business what a man or woman decides to call him or herself?

Then he proceeds to talk about music making sense and all that random blab and has the nerve to quote “Ifeoma, Ifeoma, i want to marry you” as a more sensible song than “Fall in love”??!! This man obviously knows nothing about music. “Fall in love” is not only a great song but as Nigerian…oops I mean as “Naija” as it gets. Every generation has its not-so-great artists who make limelight. Don’t make me mention names.

He talks about the new generation imitating western hip hop stars. How about the imitation of Jamaica that befell Nigeria in the early 80’s, producing much of the boring local reggae music that we had to endure for almost 2 decades?? One would almost think the Nigerian flag was red, yellow and green in the 80’s/early 90’s. Do you see any of us wearing red, blue and white outfits in this generation or using the american flag in our videos?? Yes, the pants sag, yes the girls show more skin. It’s the same as the pants and mini skirts you all wore in the 70’s, yes, the bell bottoms and open-chested shirts. The jewelry is the same as you wore then as well, only now we can afford real jewelry. Stop and think for a second, really?!!!?.

“…most of them don’t play instruments, they use a synthetic piano”…Yeah, same way most of them don’t use typewriters, they use computers. Oh wait,…I didn’t realize the piano is no longer an instrument.

“…They are more interested in commerce and self-advertisement, name recognition, brand extension and memory recall!”…Yes, exactly what the older generation didn’t do well. The reason why the new generation are more successful. It’s a new day Mr Abati, if we don’t learn from their mistakes, what’s the point?

You talk about identity crisis and you discredit songs like “ori mi wu o…”, “u don hit my car”, etc. What identity is it that you’re speaking of? oh,, the one Mistress Shaw and Lord Lugard left us with abi? I keep hearing people talk about how Nigerian artists imitate foreign musicians, yet the one’s that have the most “Nigerian” content in their music are your targets. What a shame!

There may be a few Nigerians who share Mr Abati’s sentiments and I will blame that on a lack of exposure, lack of wisdom or the need for enlightenment. This cannot be tolerated especially when it is being voiced by a journalist who holds such a crucial position in our media.

There has never been a time in Nigeria’s history when Nigerians have been more patriotic. A time when it has become cool to be Naija! A time when we wear ankara with pride, listen religiously to Nigerian music, watch Nigerian movies and look forward to a more progressive Nigeria. Mr Abati, your generation failed us and we have learned from you guys how not to fail the next generation. Thank God the whole of Nigeria is not as backward thinking as you have displayed……Sir.

Chimo! Someone wake Reuben up! I don't think he's seen this!

Yes - shame on the generation that failed us. Shame on the generation that continues to fails us. Wake up those in any generation who think there's no way we can get beyond this quagmire. The entertainment industry has shown us that WE CAN! Perfection however is not attained in a day. Work still dey.

The [s]serpent[s] servant leader can pump money into that industry to help with the rebranding, rather than pouring it into hiring bloggers to counter Saharareporters and co - putting lipstick on the lion who they've turned into a pig. tchewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Both writers have their point.

Unfortunately the ABATI's generation who are still ruling this country brought all the shame to us.

They themselves are so corrupt and have no LEADERSHIP materials that they lack the moral authority to tell the youth anything what they can , should do or not do.

I wish our 'leaders' past and present should apologise for failing Nigerians, seek forgiveness and restart decently rather than ask us to rebrand and repackage when they continue to steal nations resources like there is no tommorrow.

If you ask me bluntly , may God punish them from generations to generations those executhieves.

Damn! Old age really fuk.s with your brain. Poor abati, when will you learn CHANGE IS INEVITIBLE.
Why is the old fart not wearing animal skin instead of suits since he wants to protect ''identity'' so badly.

Guys Abati was born in 1966 and got his Ph.D at 24 or 25 so at the age of 43 i am not so sure his generation failed Nigeria. We may not agree with his views but i believe he has set the ball rolling for a very rigorous intellectual discourse on modern day music in Nigeria and attacking him personally will be a shame and the purpose of the article will be completely lost in such drivel. Once again Abati is not of the older generation for records purposes.

isuomo:

Guys Abati was born in 1966 and got his Ph.D at 24 or 25 so at the age of 43 i am not so sure his generation  failed Nigeria. We may not agree with his views but i believe he has set the ball rolling for a very rigorous intellectual discourse on modern day music in Nigeria and attacking him personally will be a shame and the purpose of the article will be completely lost in such drivel. Once again Abati is not of the older generation for records purposes.

Are you exonerating Abati who started the personal attacks first?

Sighs. . .

Abati's piece was biased as he probabaly assumed that all songs were like O4ka sibe and konga(which are truly useless songs),He should have been the first to know that there is always a paradigm shift in everyfacet of human life,even Nigerian music.But the fact of the matter is that there were certain truths in his piece, i dont think he called for a total overhaul of the music scene but a reorientation of the industry, probabaly he felt (like i do) that our musicians should give us the total package of good lyrics, tune and beats in every genre of music : reggae,soul,fuji,afro hip hop etc.
Eldee's response is quite crude as Reuben's article did not delve into insults: all he needed to do was to construct a logical piece like his colleague Banky W and we'd understand the point he's driving.
Bottomline: Both have salient points,but our generation is the ultimate winner as we can learn our mistakes and avoid future ones,