Opinion

How FirstBank Employees are Making a Difference in their Immediate Environments Through the SPARK Initiative

Published

2 years ago

October 20, 2021

D'SHOW

Every other day, social media brings us a picture or video of a dilapidated school somewhere in Nigeria or shares images of a distraught widow, a struggling roadside trader or street hawker, or some other hapless victims of the extremely harsh realities of living in Nigeria. Immediately, as if on cue or automated, viewers launch into stinging attacks of government, public officials, the privileged class and even Nigeria itself. The attacking mob wastes no time in calling for the government’s head or the heads of public officials with responsibilities in the jurisdiction or sector where the unfortunate sights surfaced from.

The online mob seems unconcerned that while its eyes and ears, aided and locked in by the binoculars and headsets of social media, are completely focused on distressing situations it may not be able to help other than rant about, countless situations that it can help are calling for attention in its immediate neighbourhood every single day. Focusing on things so far away while ignoring or pretending not to see the things in one’s immediate vicinity is a human tendency which is well recognised. Journalists even have a term for a similar or related behaviour among their own. “Afghanistanism” is the tendency of the media to focus on news and happenings in remote places and other parts of the world to the exclusion or neglect of covering happenings and problems in the local environment of the media. It is like the psychological or emotional equivalent of the eye defect medical practitioners refer to as hyperopia or farsightedness. Sufferers can see objects that are far away but have difficulty focusing on objects that are up close.

By focusing on faraway objects people do not have to offer to give a helping hand but can offer their finger to point at others and their tongue to criticise and pontificate. Everyone can criticise and pontificate online or become an “e-warrior”, like Nigerians like to call it, fighting government and whoever and whatever in society they are unhappy with from the comfort and safety of their bedroom and behind their keyboard. It is the easiest of things to do but not the noblest or kindest. It is the well-trodden path but should never be confused with taking the high road in reaching out with compassion to people around whose lives and circumstances could do with some kindness.

Taking the high road rather than practising Afghanistanism or psychological hyperopia is the approach adopted by First Bank of Nigeria Limited, the premier bank in West Africa with its impact woven into the fabric of society. This approach has played an important role in sustaining FirstBank’s development-oriented services for over 127 years as the region’s foremost financial inclusion services provider. It has been a driving motivation for how the bank operates. FirstBank always considers the impact of all its operations and actions on customers and other stakeholders, including the environment, to ensure it is making a net positive difference in the end. And this orientation has attracted to the bank people who share a similar outlook – whether as employees, partners or other stakeholders. They look forward every year to an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the bank and make a net positive difference in their own immediate environments. These men and women do not pretend that they can solve or intervene in all the challenging situations confronting people in their immediate environments but they do not refrain whenever they can lend a helping hand and make a difference.

Through an Employee Giving and Volunteering programme employees of FirstBank find a ready platform to fully identify with the compassionate disposition of the bank, which further has a number of initiatives that enable employees to give expression to this identification. The Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) Initiative is but one such initiative. Aimed at expanding and deepening FirstBank’s involvement within the communities of its various stakeholders, SPARK seeks to do so by integrating and institutionalising random acts of kindness in society. Among employees SPARK has inspired and encouraged kindness and empathy as well as consideration for others. It has also contributed to employee bonding and teamwork, which have been critical to enhancing work performance.

This year’s implementation of the SPARK Initiative has seen employees under the banner of their various departments make choices regarding the specific nature of intervention they would want to undertake and the specific group of people or institutions within their immediate communities that they would want to extend the milk of human kindness to. Employees and their departments could choose any one of the four areas that constitute FirstBank’s corporate responsibility and sustainability (CR&S) pillars: Education, entrepreneurship, health and welfare, and environment. Under education, they have had a choice to make between support for infrastructural facilities in schools, such as renovation of dilapidated buildings, painting of school buildings, and provision of laptops and desktops; or donation of items such as classroom chairs and tables, books and stationaries; or provision of scholarships for best students, feeding of school students per day or week, funding of a school initiative such as JETS club, bootcamp, space club, etc. If employees and their departments were interested in supporting entrepreneurship, then they had the chance to empower through entrepreneurship programmes of their choosing such as sponsoring youth and women to acquire skills like fashion designing, baking, hairstyling, make-up artistry, electrical repairs, event decoration and planning, catering, etc., or enabling entrepreneurs with tools and equipment to work or supporting SMEs and start-ups.

Where the health and welfare area was their preferred area of intervention, employees and their departments could choose from: donations to orphanages (selected from an approved list of orphanages); support to a good cause, for example lending a helping hand to the Down Syndrome Foundation; support to widows; support to people with health-related issues; and off-setting medical bills. And if employees and their departments were to decide to go for the environment, then they could choose from: support to environmental issues, such as support to Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) initiatives; donation of garbage cans to a community; partnership with a recycling firm to recycle waste; support to LAWMA such as donating cleaning tools (brooms, dustbin parkers), etc.

While several departments in FirstBank did things worth showcasing so the good citizens of Nigeria (individual and corporate) can emulate, this piece has just enough space to accommodate the activities of only three departments: Human Capital Management and Development (HCMD), Compliance, and Marketing and Corporate Communications (M&CC) departments. The employees in these departments seemed involved in efforts to outdo each other in acts of kindness, which made more sense and would leave a real difference on the ground as against criticising and pontificating online on faraway issues.

The Human Capital Management and Development department decided that reaching out to one of the most vulnerable groups in Nigeria – underprivileged widows and their underfed children – was the best way they could stay true to the “Human” in their name. And employees in the department moved beyond their Marina location to the nearest environment where some of the most vulnerable widows are to be found to go show kindness. The Makoko community situated in Lagos Mainland and which CNN once described in a report as “Nigeria’s floating slum” was overwhelmed to receive the august visitors from HCMD bearing so much food stuff to benefit their widows and children. What they did not realise was the overwhelming sense of gratitude felt by their benefactors for the opportunity to be able to give back.

Tagged “Feed a Widow Initiative”, the undertaking was HCMD employees’ way of putting a smile back on the faces of widows in impoverished communities and they got more than they could ever have imagined. Their hosts received them with the broadest of smiles and said goodbye to them with the grandest of gratitude; and they left with very broad smiles on their own faces. The jury is still out on who between the hosts and their guests ended up with the broadest of smiles on the day. And given the “fierce contest” to outdo the other in smiling, one is again forced to wonder why people labelled e-warriors would choose to forfeit this kind of real joy for the joyless world they have locked themselves in by clinging on to Afghanistanism and psychological hyperopia.

Not so for employees in the Compliance department. Not to be outdone and, in fact, as though going up the hierarchy of human needs, Compliance employees decided that they would focus on the education need of their beneficiary community. HCMD had done an excellent job of providing the basic “stomach infrastructure” without which it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get any of the beneficiaries interested in any talk about more sublime matters like education and mental development. So, employees of Compliance department, in order to encourage pupils to continue their pursuit of education, procured Mathematics and English Language textbooks for 617 pupils who would be in senior secondary (SS) 1 and 2 classes of Gbara Community Secondary School in Jakande, Ajah in the next academic session. The visit to the school and book donation were undertaken when the pupils were in the third term preceding the new academic session.

The gesture was Compliance employees’ own way of giving back in such a manner as to relieve the pupils of this public school, particularly those from indigent homes, and their parents or guardians of the financial burden involved in providing textbooks for the two core subjects. It was also, in an uncanny way, an attempt by the employees to ensure the pupils were in full compliance with the requirements for taking on the two most important subjects in the secondary school curriculum, putting the pupils at a vantage position to excel in these two essential subjects. There were other benefits of the engagement that the employees noted. They observed that their presence in the school inspired the children, giving them “hope that a better life was within reach and could be achieved.” The employees thus expressed optimism that the engagement boosted the children’s interest in succeeding in life through the pursuit of education.

For employees of the Marketing and Corporate Communications department (M&CC), entrepreneurship was the area they decided to focus on, to make a difference in their own immediate environment. Every day they came to their office on Broad Street or the bank’s head office in Marina, they passed by a number of roadside traders around the various office buildings in the locations. They observed that some of these traders were exposed to the elements or having difficulties in their business and struggling to make ends meet, and decided that they would do something about it. And true to their word, they did something about it that made so much difference in the businesses and circumstances of the traders. They provided the traders the following: branded umbrella to offer shade from both sun and rain, improving the conditions under which they operated and their quality of life; branded chairs and tables to accommodate more customers in their corner as well as grants to boost their business capital.

Anyone who has met with employees in the corporate communications department of any major bank in Nigeria would readily admit that these professionals have among them some of the most skilful digital marketers around. So, it is not for lack of skills to be e-warriors that M&CC employees chose to extend the milk of human kindness flowing in them to roadside traders around their office rather than practise Afghanistanism. They could have chosen to concentrate all their time and resources on attacking the government online and blaming public officials for all the challenges in the economy and the spate of insecurity all over the nation and whatever else would make M&CC employees true champions of Afghanistanism and psychological hyperopia. But would that make any difference to the lot of the roadside traders around them and lessen their burden? So, M&CC employees chose the road less travelled but one that could deliver the desired impact, and it did.

There are so many lessons to draw and feelings to take away from the examples demonstrated by employees of these three departments in Nigeria’s foremost lender. Besides committing their time and resources to their chosen humanitarian initiatives using the platform of the SPARK Initiative that places FirstBank at the forefront of the social impact space through employee advocacy, the employees have shown that they have the milk of human kindness flowing through their veins. They have demonstrated that they would rather consider how they could extend kindness to people around them and make a difference than pretend not to see the situations affecting those around them while playing Afghanistanism and psychological hyperopia online.

For the rest of us who are not FirstBank employees, the message could not be clearer: The next time we feel like we must share on social media distressing images to provoke government-bashing or we feel constrained to make stinging comments on such images that are shared to criticise Nigeria, we should first pause and look around us. We should look to see if we can identify situations where we, not government or Nigeria, can make a difference. Then we should take our fingers off the keyboard and go out there or make that call that will make a difference in some other person’s life and circumstances. We should be like FirstBank and its employees. We should follow their example of trying to outdo themselves in showing kindness to others. We should start where we are with what we have, to make a difference right now – yes, this very minute and not some future time.

Related Topics:FirstBAnk Spark Initiative

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Opinion

Our Courts are too Exposed and Insecure

Published

3 weeks ago

March 26, 2024

D'SHOW

By: Dr kayode OLAGUNJU, mni

I am not a regular visitor to the court. No, understandably, as I am not a lawyer and I have no criminal records and have no personal issues necessitating my being at the court, either as a plaintiff or witness. My memories of courts dated to the late ninety eighties as one of the pioneers of the Federal Road Safety Corps. We were made to prosecute some “stubborn” traffic offenders that drove dangerously or attacked our men. Then, we had very few lawyers in the system. Not a single one available in our command then. My first appearance as a witness was disappointing. I had appeared believing we had no issue with what we considered a straight case. We had arrested a lawyer on the Benin-Asaba road, for dangerous overtaking of another vehicle, approaching a hill top, also on a bend. I remember it was at Okhuae hill. The road was not dualized then. As a single carriageway and very narrow, dangerous overtaking could attract fatal consequences. In fact, in one particular case, at Issele-Uku, on the same road around the period, the families had to bring caskets to pack the mingled bodies of casualties when the two vehicles involved were completely wrecked and bodies mixed with metal scraps. They came with a priest to pray for the souls of the departed and decided immediate burials. We recorded the scenes and the video formed parts of our public enlightenment materials to shock road users and deter them from engaging in traffic infractions. That memory lingers.

The booked lawyer had no driver licence and vehicle papers, hence we had to impound his vehicle. He refused to pay his fines. He did not waive his right to court trial by conveniently paying his fines if he believed he was guilty. So we had to prosecute him. In fact, it was our very first case in Benin Zone then comprising of the then Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states), Ondo (now Ondo and Ekiti states) and Enugu State (now Enugu and Anambra states). I was like the face of the Corps in the Zone as the Head of Public Enlightenment Office and Spokesman. I had a weekly program on the state television where I educated the publics on road safety. I was a young officer, bubbling with confidence. However, that confidence departed me that my first day in the court.

We had series of rehearsals with our then head of operations Oga Fawole as the prosecutor under the guidance of our cerebral Zonal Commander, Engr. Adegboyega Coker. Then came the day. I was put in the witness box, lacking confidence but determined to say only the truth and nothing but the truth in line with the oath I had just taken. We did not even put the non possession of driver licence and vehicle documents on the charge sheet. Honestly, I can’t remember what led to the omission. We had only one count of dangerous overtaking attracting two hundred naira fines or maximum six months imprisonment or both as may be determined by the Magistrate, as prescribed by the Federal Road Safety Commission Establishment Decree 45 of 1988.

The lawyer surprisingly did not argue on the overtaking but that he was arrested not on a federal highway as restricted by our decree. I had gained a bit of confidence and shouted that but everybody knew that Benin -Asaba was a federal highway. I was cautioned by the Magistrate. The man claimed he was arrested on a side road and that even there was nothing to prove that the Benin -Asaba road was a federal road. I became annoyed and really angered. I shouted again, “which side road” to which the Magistrate gave me a last warning. Then the Magistrate ruled that we could not establish that the offender was arrested on a federal highway and directed unconditional release of the vehicle. That was a technical knock out. Haaaaa, haba ! I was so disappointed as I felt the Magistrate must have known the lawyer or he just decided the case like that because they were both in legal profession. My hate for the courts was cultivated immediately. I did not want to know whether we handled the case professionally or not or if lawyers serving as prosecutors would have known and act better. I just felt the Magistrate just told the whole world he saw red cloth when it was obvious we waived white, which was quite obvious and easy to be seen by all. I now understand why people spend years to become lawyers. I really hated the Courts. That case was part of the reasons, apart from high incidences of crashes on the state roads, messing up our efforts on Federal roads, that the FRSC sought for the amendment of decree 45 to expressly permit the Corps to cover all public roads then. That was granted in Decree 35 of 1992. When the FRSC and the states designed the mobile court system where in many cases, the magistrates practically witnessed the infraction, I became more comfortable. However, since that day in the late eighties, until about three months ago, I did not enter any court room again. I only watched them doing their things on television.

In the last 3 months I had been at the FCT High Courts about four times to witness the court processes involving a mentor. I never felt comfortable each time I came to the court. It is always a case of free entry and departure and that you could bring in anything, especially concealed in bags. Unlike, in cases of some high profile individuals, as witnessed on television, where roads are cordoned off, with high presence of security operatives, fully armed and in fearful security gears, quizzing and searching everyone and everywhere, if you like add everything, it is a porous and insecure situation on regular days.

The only policeman in the court is the Judge orderly with just one pistol. He serves more as a file carrier than providing security. Sometimes, you see two or three officers of the Correctional services lightly armed escorting some accused from prisons. They have their eyes only on their principals. You sit down with someone you don’t know with a bag under your seat that you are not sure of the content. What if he has explosives in the bag that he put under you? You don’t know his mission. You don’t know what he is thinking. In front of you are scores of lawyers including some senior advocates with their wigs backing people they don’t know and not aware of the risks they bear.

The Judge is there sitting on a raised platform taking notes in long hand asking the witnesses to repeat the last statement or spell a name or word. He keeps repeating, slow down I am writing. I am not a computer. Yes, why not do it with computers or speech recorder which can immediately transcribe the speeches. Yes, tonation or dialects could affect transcribing, but editing could help sort out the problem later. You can imagine the time that goes into the judge putting down statements with lawyers spending hours to put their facts or whatever across. No wonder cases sometimes take years to determine. I thought we had gone beyond this. In the midst of this, people walk in and out of the courts bringing all sort of things without any screening.

I kept asking, what if someone who had served his term or an accomplice decide to take a revenge on the Judge and come to the court to strike? How will the nation react to the kidnap of a sitting Judge? Is it the orderly who is more interested in funny narrations of the events leading to a plaintiff or witness coming to court that will resist such a spontaneous or sporadic account? What will he be able to do with that his single pistol that may not be in a ready position? The arm may not even be on his body as complacency could have set in, as he had never had such an experience, so he has a positive perception of safety. Does he have adequate ammunition? Even if he does, what are the chances of a person with hand gun confronting assault rifle bearing assailants? What if the attackers decide to wipe out all of us in the court? Nigerians will say “God forbids”. You see, why I don’t ever get comfortable being in such an unsecured environment

I am sure if such unfortunate incident happens, the nation will mourn. There will be a statement from the Villa, condemning the action and directing security agencies to immediately fish out the killers. Government will set up different committees to unravel the causes and offer recommendations to prevent such in the future. Condemnation will be loud from the National Judicial Council, Body of Benchers, Nigeria Bar Association. The National Assembly will hold special sessions while those in charge of security will run helter skelter. There will be shedding of crocodile tears as the families and the nation mourn. After some time, we forget and move on, as a nation. Must we wait until that imagined but possible disasters happen? No.

Is it that there is nothing that can be done to protect our courts? So much can be done, starting with the deployment of technology. Learnt that most of our correctional centers do not have Close-circuit television camera, thus making jail break easy! So how can the CCTV be considered necessary in the courts or of any priority ? No scanners anywhere at the court. Even your vehicles parked in the court premises are at the owners risk. Some of the cars could be ladened with explosives. The “uniformed security men” in the court premises are only there to open gates and ensure you park well the vehicle. Nothing on security screening. No profiling! How can that be? We should be more serious as a nation. Scanners even if it is just hand held, should be at the gate. Simple mirror screening of the vehicles will definitely be of help. The security men should be trained and equipped enough to detect and wade off crimes at that level since we don’t have enough policemen to adequately protect all our courts. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps comes into mind here.

Devices should also be deployed to record and transcribe court proceedings . That will reduce time spent on taking notes in long hands as well as reduce the time spent in courts. It will enhance justice delivery without delays. There are so many gadgets and devices that could aid security in our courts. The security experts should come up with the road map and implementable agenda on securing our courts. The governments at Federal and State levels should approach the Assemblies to make adequate and proper budget provisions for securing our courts.

I will conclude this piece with a story of one of our oga, now late Dahiru Kano, then a Deputy Corps Marshal told me several years ago. He did not tell me the source and since I have not been able to link the story to any other source, I am ascribing it to this our highly intelligent, funny and charismatic senior officer. Dairu Kano revealed there was a Prime Minister who was visiting Ministries and Departments in his government. He got to the Ministry of Education and they came with all sort of requests. He told his Personal Assistant, to note the requests. He went to the Ministry of Agriculture, some requests again, the Honorable Prime Minister called for noting. He went to about ten other Ministries and he kept telling the PA and officials to note. When he got to the Prison service, they came with long lists of requests and the PM immediately approved all the requests and directed immediate release of funds. The PA and other officials were surprised . When they got back to the office, the PA approached the PM and asked him, “Your Excellency, you asked us to note all the requests from all the Ministries and Departments but getting to Prisons, you promptly approved all the requests. Why this sir?” The PM replied “I already have the formal education I required, I am too old to farm and don’t intend to do any new business and several other engagements, but you see that prison, we can go back there tomorrow morning”. Do I need to add any other thing here apart from calling on those who can make our courts and prisons safer and more comfortable to act now. Nobody knows who could be involved tomorrow. Remember every living person is a potential person living with disability, that is if we are lucky to be alive. We should not wait for any disaster to happen before we respond, then we will be reacting. Dangers may be looming. A stitch in time saves nine. I rest my case.

Dr Kayode OLAGUNJU, mni is a retired Deputy Corps Marshal

DCM Kayode OLAGUNJU, rtd, PhD, FCILT, FCAI, FISPON, mni

Deputy Corps Marshal, rtd

Mobile:08033069090, ‪08156009090‬

email:olufigaro2002@yahoo.com

Safer Roads Fuller Lives

Opinion

HOMECOMING WITH DECEMBERISSAVYBE 2023: FIRSTBANK REINFORCES SUPPORT FOR FAMILY, ENTERTAINMENT AND NATION BUILDING

Published

4 months ago

December 11, 2023

D'SHOW

By Bolaji Israel

December is a month filled with joy, celebration, and reunions. It is a time when families come together, friends reconnect, and the spirit of giving and love is in the air.
In Nigeria, December holds a special place in the hearts of its people, and FirstBank, the country’s
premier and leading financial institution, understands the significance of this festive season. With its annual campaign, December Issa Vybe," FirstBank aims to reinforce its relentless support for family fun time, creative industry, entertainment, and nation-building.

The annual; December Issa Vybe" program remains a remarkable and enduring testament to FirstBank, commitment to promoting family bonding, creative arts, entertainment, and the overall development of
Nigeria. It seeks to create an enthralling and memorable experience for customers in the Yuletide
season as they bond with family and friends, whilst connecting with their favourite superstars.
This campaign, which runs for about two to three months towards the end of the year, features the
bank's sponsorship of premium entertainment events such as shows, plays, operas, musicals, concerts, and dramas – all centred around the Yuletide season.
Through the annual FirstBankIssaVybe campaign, FirstBank sponsors an array of the hottest and coolest
entertainment platforms across music, fashion, and arts during December, with massive
ticket giveaways to premium events.
The campaign which started in 2018 is already generating ripples across the cities with Nigerians across
ages anticipating the new trick FirstBank will pull out from the hat this year.
One of the highlights of the annual campaign is the provision of free tickets to Nigerians, allowing them
to enjoy these high-profile events without any financial burden.
Nigerians who are affected by the dire impact of the harsh economic situation of the country can also
breathe a sigh of relief and blow some steam in December courtesy of FirstBank.
Over the years, FirstBank has consistently supported and sponsored annual festive period concerts
featuring Africa's biggest music super stars. Artists like Kizz Daniel, Davido, Burna Boy, Asake and
numerous others have graced these events, creating unforgettable experiences for music enthusiasts.

As part of its commitment to customer satisfaction, FirstBank rewards its loyal customers by offering
them free premium tickets to these A-list entertainers' events. This gesture not only showcases the
bank's appreciation for its customers but also allows them to enjoy world-class entertainment alongside
their favourite artists.

The ‘December Issa Vybe’; campaign also embraces the theme of homecoming. Nigerians living in the
diaspora who take joy in visiting their home country during the festive season and spending quality time
with their families and friends are an integral part of this initiative.

Through the move, FirstBank approaching its 130th year aims to create opportunities for family reunions
and bonding, particularly for those returning from the diaspora. The bank recognizes the importance of
fostering strong family ties and believes that great entertainment plays a vital role in bringing families
together.
The financial giant recognises the emotional significance of homecoming and seeks to make it an
unforgettable experience for these individuals. Through various activities, events, and promotions, the
bank ensures that Nigerians in the diaspora feel connected to their roots and can create lasting
memories during their time in the country.

Looking ahead to the 2023 edition of ; December Issa Vybe," FirstBank promises an even more awesome
experience for everyone involved. The bank is committed to continually improving and exceeding
expectations, ensuring that Nigerians have something truly spectacular to look forward to.
From the foregoing, FirstBank’s December Issa Vybe" campaign remains a resounding testament to the
bank's unwavering support for family, entertainment, and nation-building. By sponsoring premium
entertainment events, providing free tickets, and embracing the homecoming theme, FirstBank aims
to create memorable experiences for Nigerians during the Yuletide season.
As Nigerians eagerly anticipate the 2023 edition, FirstBank commitment to delivering an extraordinary
experience signals a clear indication of dedication to enhancing the well-being and happiness of
customers. So, Nigerians should get ready for an unforgettable December filled with joy, entertainment,
and the spirit of togetherness powered by FirstBank.
In conclusion, more details about the upcoming campaign will soon emerge on social media, keeping the
public informed and engaged.

The FirstBank #DecemberIssaVybe and #FirstBankIssaVybe giveaway fest is again ready to reward old,
new and potential customers with tickets to premium events around Lagos.

And yes, to attend these events, just follow FirstBank on any of its social media pages – Facebook: First
Bank of Nigeria Limited, Instagram: @firstbanknigeria, and Twitter: @firstbankngr – lookout for the
posts announcing the giveaway and follow instructions to experience maximum party #vybes this
season.

Entertainment

Does Nigerian music need saving? A case for Total Music’s revivalism

Published

5 months ago

December 1, 2023

D'SHOW

By Chinedu Chidi

When famed German composer and pianist, Beethoven described music as a “higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy” and as “the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents”, he may well have laid out a profound exposition of the depth and reaches of the art, one that is unrestricted by time or distance, by creed or colour, by status or zone. He envisioned a limitless art form. Today, we speak not only of its internal freedoms, but of its transcendent liberating force coursing through entertainment, education, politics, the economy, technology, and social change. Music has become a life form meandering like the bellows of an accordion into the many circles that define life as we know it.

In Nigeria, the music industry has grown in leaps and bounds. With over $2 billion in revenue annually, over 30 million monthly listeners worldwide, over 500 music producers, over 1000 record labels, over 50 radio stations amplifying its rhythms and sounds, and multiple digital music distribution platforms, Nigerian music has become the stuff of dreams, if only commercially.

Sadly, the fine art of the classical, orchestral and live performance genre, with its accompanying socially valuable messaging, is dying. The rapid rise of studio-recorded music, with its massive commercial success, has sadly provided an alternative to total music, one that substantively accommodates a wide array of ‘real’ instruments, trained voice, and electrifying theatre. It is perhaps the appeal of total music that inspired Victor Hugo to bellow, “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”.

This challenge is one that is not only unique to Nigeria or Africa, but a universal one. In Sasha Frere-Jones’ piece, “Do Recordings Kill Music?”, she cited a profound quote from Richard Kostelanetz’s interview with John Cage, thus: “I’ve always said that a record is not faithful to the nature of music.” David Grubbs, a professor at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, she reports, “takes up a specific belief of Cage’s: that recordings can injure the ability of an audience member to experience a performance in real time. In theoretical terms, the recording reifies a specific moment, potentially interfering with a composition’s ability to live and change and breathe by fixing a single iteration as the ‘authoritative’ version”. Perhaps, nothing captures the triumphantly seductive and absorbing force of the authentic live performance than Robert Ashley’s description of Alvin Lucier’s 1969 piece, “Vespers” as referenced by Grubbs. Ashley wrote of “Vespers”: “No number of microphones and loudspeakers can reproduce the relationship between the sounds and the space in which the sounds create the musical experience.” This reminds one of Mozart’s delicate refrain that “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.”

This dying art form was once the force that rocked the bowels of mother Africa, from the Sahara to the Mediterranean. From Fela and Makeba to N’Dour, Salif Keita, Amr Diab, Sangare, Mapfumo, Kidjo, Mtukudzi and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the glory days of message-laden total music may, but for the flickers embodied by the likes of the eternal Kidjo and the heirs to the Fela dynasty, be well and truly over.

But there appears to be a rebirth glistening in the hallways of MUSON Diploma School, a core component of the MUSON School of Music. The MTN MUSON Music Scholars Program, conceived in 2006, a partnership between MTN Foundation and the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) School of Music, powers the diploma school. The partnership involves a 2-year Diploma in Music at the MUSON Diploma School. All the students admitted to the Diploma course receive MTNF Scholarships comprising annual scholarships worth N250,000 to cover tuition, books and transportation over a 2-year period. The graduating students are awarded an internationally recognized Diploma in Music. The scholarship is an open opportunity one. It allows applications from all musically talented youth through an open and fair process.

The school is home to the award-winning MUSON Diploma Choir directed by Sir Emeka Nwokedi, and the MUSON School Orchestra & Concert Bands. It has been able to produce outstanding Jazz ensembles such as the all-female GIRLZ RULE Band, the 5YZ MEN and The Theosolites.

At MUSON, MTN Scholars take advanced training in music with majors in voice or any of the instrument forms of: Piano, Organ, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Percussion, and Classical Guitar. “Students are also required to take 2 terms of an instrument minor other than their major instrumental family. All voice students must pass grade 2 piano, instrumentalists must pass vocal techniques and all students must belong to the choir. Orchestra is required for all string majors. All wind and percussion majors must belong to band. Others who may not be majors are welcome to audition for the orchestra band”, the school says. They also take part in high-level musical productions which provide the perfect opportunity to exhibit their talents and skills. At the end of their programme, the music scholars have the opportunity to showcase the result of their advanced training through performances at the annual Donors Appreciation Concert. This speaks to the neat integration of sound and rhythm, of theatre and messaging; the total music.

MUSON has been at the heart of developing and preserving the purest form of music in Nigeria, and helping to export same to the rest of Africa and the world. Created in 1989 by a group of friends, namely Mr. Louis Mbanefo (SAN), Mr. Akintola Williams (late), Chief Ayo Rosiji (late), Mrs. Francesca Emanuel (late) and Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi (late), the school was designed to promote, as Mr. Mbanefo, who is Chairman of the school, aptly captures, “the performance, understanding and enjoyment of serious music”. The dream, he notes, has continued to be realized, producing internationally reputed graduates and changing the dynamics of music in Nigeria and Africa. “The school has produced over 400 Diploma graduates, many of whom have continued their musical education in Europe, South Africa and America and attained international recognition. Most of our alumni have made and are making very impressive contributions to the musical life in Nigeria and indeed, the world. They have raised considerably the standard of singing and musical performance in churches, in schools and at social events. Indeed, many churches and musical societies throughout Nigeria are borrowing from the templates established by MUSON”, he proudly reveals.

As the proud owner of Nigeria’s “only professional Symphony Orchestra” and a choir of international renown, the school boasts a rich platform for empowering young Nigerian artistes and instrumentalists, especially in the dying art of classical and orchestral music performance.

Accredited by the Federal Government to award Diplomas in Music since 2002, the MUSON Diploma School grants all MTNF MUSON graduates diplomas which are equal to those awarded by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in the United Kingdom.

If the MUSON Diploma School is to continue to plot the course for Nigeria’s music salvation and become the sure hope of total music’s triumph for all of Africa, then it must display resilience, which its parent body— The Musical Society of Nigeria— chose as its Festival of Arts theme during the celebration of its 40th anniversary earlier this year. It must be resilient in the face of the onslaught of crass commercialism. It must be defiantly resilient if it must realize its goal of producing “well-rounded, thoroughly educated musicians…comparable to those found in a Conservatoire”.

And in its resilience, it must remember that lodged in the soul of this art, in its purest form, are the currents of humanity.