8
TUESDAY, january 10, 2017 • T H I S D AY
STARTERS
Nigerian Creatives Disrupt Art Industry Maya Horgan Young Nigerian creatives are carving out an entirely new space in the art world. Lagos has experienced an artistic explosion over the last 5 years, with a new school of thought and expression overtaking the city. Those behind it emerge from the same soil that birthed Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and inspired the voice of Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka. As this artistic revolution gains traction, entrepreneurs have begun to capitalize on opportunities to showcase the creative talents. The response has been massive, with ventures such as the Arthouse Foundation, Nigeria’s premier auction house and artists' residency, seeing annual sales of up to $1.4 Million USD. Nigerian-made art has a rich history dating back to 1000 BC. It was motivated by religious devotion, and driven by the skill of various artisans who produced sculptures and wooden carvings. One of most prominent of these ancient eras is Nok art, famous terracotta sculptures most often depicting men in a warrior or kneeling stance. Art of these times was either functional or religious. In the late colonial era, a crop of Nigerian artists known as the “Zaria Rebels” gave definition to the practice of meshing ancient indigenous art such as Nok with contemporary religious design and western technique. This became known as “natural synthesis.” The group consisted of Nigeria’s most influential 20th century artists including Uche Okeke, Yusuf Grillo and Bruce Onobrakpeya. The Zaria Rebels chose a deliberately subversive collective identity to challenge their westernized education in fine arts. Bruce Onobrakpeya later explained: “We thought that the idea of just using the western art technique without relating it to our culture wasn’t right.” Today, a new crop of young Nigerian artists band together, similar to the Zaria Art Rebels, but with a new objective: to challenge the status quo of the rapidly expanding Nigerian art establishment. They call themselves the “F—- Art Collective” and they seek to disrupt what they perceive as the restrictive dialogue of Lagos’s galleries and auction houses.
NEWS Oil Marketers Raise the Alarm
over $1bn Banks’ Debt Major and independent marketers of petroleum products have raised alarm over outstanding subsidy claims incurred during the subsidy regime, saying their indebtedness to banks is now a whopping $1billion. Page 9
EDITORIAL Death By electrocution
While it is gratifying that the electrical fault that led to the death of no fewer than 14 persons at a particular section non Ikorodu Road in Lagos has reportedly been fixed… Page 15
POLITICS Fayose’s Endless Travails
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, appears to be permanently in crisis mode as yet another is knocking right at his door, writesVictor Ogunje Page 16
FEATURES Kano's Model Policeman An artpiece by Olatunde Alara What is striking about this new kind of Nigerian artist is a clear break in the way they conceptualize their works. In order to bridge the gap between indigenous and modern art, the Zaria Rebels sought to synthesize African forms with western techniques. However, for the F. A. Collective, Africanism is not on the agenda. What this group is interested in is free and authentic self-expression. Though their choice of name may seem like a contradiction, the artists in this collective refuse to shy away from it. They insist that their objective is not to dismiss the pursuit of art but rather to express their feeling of disassociation from the more formal artistic community in Nigeria. This passionate group of three:
Ifedoyin Shotunde, Olatunde Alara and Dricky Stickman, are presenting their first group exhibition at the boutique residence and creative collaboration space, 16/16. 16/16 owner and artistic director, Tushar Hathiramani, sees the venue as a melting pot for a new crop of creatives and thinkers in Nigeria. Likening the artistic explosion taking place in the city to the Harlem Renaissance and the Detroit techno movement, he believes that the slowdown in the Nigerian economy will create an availability of free and affordable spaces for creative expression to thrive. The exhibition began on the 30th of December 2016 and would last for two-weeks. • Culled from Huffington Post
SENATE PASSES 2017-2019 MTEF ON THURSDAY Whereas it retained the 2.2 million barrels per day oil production volume and $42.50 per barrel oil benchmark, the executive arm increased domestic borrowing projection from N1.072 trillion to N1.253 trillion. It, however, reduced foreign borrowing under the revised MTEF from N1.336 trillion to N1.067 trillion. It also increased aggregate capital expenditure from N1.939 trillion to N2.243 trillion and raised recurrent non-debt from N2.5 trillion to N2.629 trillion, but put its revenue target at N10 trillion. Recurrent expenditure was revised to N1.66 trillion. The executive arm is also projecting a budget deficit of N2.3 trillion in 2017 as against N2.4 trillion in the 2016 budget. While defending the revised document before the Joint Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriation, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, said the government had opted to increase the budget projections from N6.9 trillion to N7.3 trillion because Nigeria could only end the recession if more money was pumped into the economy. He also said the 2017 budget would be financed through an early licensing round, royalties, promissory notes, and
Two-Minute Briefing
loot recoveries. Udoma said the federal government would award new oil licences, review the current joint venture arrangements with oil companies, marginal oil fields and mount pressure on revenue generating agencies to exceed expected targets. According to him, of the N10 trillion revenue target, N5 trillion would be generated from the sale of crude oil, while the balance of N5.06 trillion would be generated from non-oil receipts. He said non-oil revenue would come from corporate and company taxes, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company, stamp duties, capital gains tax, value added tax (VAT), customs, excise, fees, surcharges on luxury items, special levies and federal government independent revenue. Udoma added: “I know N7 trillion seems larger than N6 trillion. But in actual dollar terms, the 2017 budget is smaller. We have had challenges in revenue generation in funding the 2016 budget, so we are trying to get to the bottom of revenue generating agencies in order to raise more money. “On independent revenue expected from revenue generating agencies, we need to
work with the National Assembly. The issue of 80 per cent of operating surplus is a problem that must be paid to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. We need to work with the National Assembly to review certain clauses of the law. We need to be more imaginative and creative in order to get out of the problem that we have with revenue generating agencies. “We want to issue a presidential order to ensure that revenue generating agencies are unable to spend money, except the payment of salaries until their budgets are passed. “We want to be more engaging in the Niger Delta to ensure that there is peace in order for us to produce more crude oil. We will be increasing the amount for the Amnesty Programme to the old figure. It is important to engage the people in the Niger Delta region.” The Senate will also consider the mindless killing of innocent Nigerians in Southern Kaduna while it also plans to address the poor state of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport including the preponderance of obsolete equipment and flagrant cancellation or delay of flight schedule.
Ibrahim Shuaibu writes on the recent two-day official visit of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to Kano and how he lauded the 35-year-old Divisional Police Officer, Daniel I. Amah for being a model policeman Page 18
BUSINESS How International Pricing
of Cooking Gas Escalated Domestic Price The practice whereby LPG better known as cooking gas, is supplied to the Nigerian market at international price, has been blamed for the current escalating cost of the product at the domestic market. Page 21
PROPERTY ‘Compel Engineers to
Practice in Areas of Core Competence’ To put behind the nation last year’s gory tales of structural defects and building collapse, the FG has been advised to compel engineers in the country to practise only in their areas… Page 28
INTERNATIONAL Bashar al-Assad: Everything on Table in Astana Talks Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has declared that his government is ready to negotiate “on everything” during upcoming talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, brokered by Russia andTurkey. Page 32
SPORTS Uzama: Infantino Commiserates
with NFF FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has written to NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, to commiserate with Nigeria over the killing of former youth international, Douglas Uzama. Page 46