In Nigeria, the study of History isn’t dead; but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is alive. Perhaps it is in that twilight zone where life and death commingle.
It was fitting that a concerned senior citizen seized the opportunity of a celebration of history to prompt cerebration on history. In his speech during the celebration of the 50thanniversary of the Federal Government College (FGC), Warri, Delta State, J.O.S. Ayomike said: ”I wish to use this occasion to make a call close to my heart. It has bothered many Nigerians that ‘history’ as a formal discipline is no longer taught in our schools up to the tertiary establishment. I call on the education planners in the country to rethink and go back to teaching history.”
Ayomike was honoured with ‘an award for an exceptional life-time achievement’. It is impressive that the author of historical books and Chairman of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought did not only demonstrate history consciousness; he also made a historic donation to promote history consciousness.
Ayomike said: “On my part, as a first step, I make a donation to your library of historical tools that are significant to our development. (Obtained from UK museums): “Two large framed photographs of: (a) Nanna’s palatial residence, out –houses and stores in Ebrohimi before the war of 1894; (b) four British warships booming cannon fire on Ebrohimi (air filled with smoke) about a week before the fall of the town; (c) a dozen copies of the Biography of Prince Ogbe Yonwuren (A potentate, whose community where he lived over 100 years ago abuts your school premises); a dozen copies of other valuable books…”
It is relevant to highlight the story of these newsmaking pictures. A June 16, 2015, report said: “The Johnson Ayomike family of Warri, Delta State, has acquired from a museum in the United Kingdom (UK) some historic photographs taken away by colonialists from the Nanna Living Museum, Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of the state.” The report quoted the Chairman of Warri Study Group, Edward Ekpoko, as saying that the photos were those of the Nanna palatial residence, adjoining warehouses, stores and town, as well as four British warships, Phoebe, Widgeon, Alecto and Philomel, depicting scenes in Ebrohimi before and during the British/Nanna war of 1894. According to the report, Ekpoko said that the family would hand over the photos to the Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments for the Nanna Living History Museum.
Against this background, it is interesting that a Benin bronze sculpture known as Okukorrecently hit the headlines following its official removal from the dining hall at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, UK. The bronze cockerel was among the hundreds of treasures looted by British troops involved in a “punitive expedition” that resulted in the 1897 conquest of the old Benin Kingdom, which is now part of Nigeria. What happened in those days shouldn’t have happened. This 19th century demonstration of the beastly aspects of humanity remains a haunting reminder of colonialism and its unflattering sins.
It is noteworthy that the decision by the university’s authorities to take down the sculpture followed a campaign by the college’s student union in the context of increasing activism against symbols of Britain’s colonial past. The Jesus College student union had passed a motion saying that the sculpture should be formally handed over to Nigeria. The students said: ”The contemporary political culture surrounding colonialism and social justice, combined with the university’s global agenda, offers a perfect opportunity for the college to benefit from this gesture.”
Considering that the sculpture was a donation from the estate of a former British officer, George Neville, who died in 1929, the students argued that its continued display was a minus because it was plundered. The cockerel sculpture has been at the college since 1930 and symbolically reflects the surname of its founder, John Alcock. The college’s crest displays three cockerels’ heads.
It is striking that the institution’s authorities reviewed the position of the sculpture after over 80 years. A university spokesperson was quoted as saying: ”Jesus College acknowledges the contribution made by students in raising the important but complex question of the rightful location of its Benin Bronze, in response to which it has permanently removed the Okukor from its Hall.” The spokesperson added: “The College commits to work actively with the wider University and to commit resources to new initiatives with Nigerian heritage and museum authorities to discuss and determine the best future for the Okukor, including the question of repatriation.”
Worth mentioning is the report that the students’ “Benin Bronze Appreciation Committee” said it was in contact with a Nigerian government official who wanted the sculpture returned to Nigeria. Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the country has pursued the return of hundreds of Benin bronzes looted by British expansionists as well as other artistic gems transported immorally and illegally to Western countries, especially during the colonial era.
The drama of Okukor’s removal brings to mind the findings of art historian Philip J. C. Dark. In his work titled “Benin Bronze Heads: Styles and Chronology,” Dark said that about 6, 500 Benin artefacts could be found in an estimated 77 places across the world. Of this number, the British Museum is believed to be in possession of 700 while the Ethnology Museum in Berlin holds over 500.
At the heart of the looting of African artefacts by Western invaders is the question of morality. It is the same question that drove the campaign for the removal of Okukor from its pedestal in a foreign land. Hopefully, Okukor would be returned to where it belongs. Also, it is hoped that there would be an intensification of the campaign for the return of looted artefacts.
The beauty of Ayomike’s example is that it is a lesson in history. It would appear that his concern about the teaching of history is well-founded. Listen to what columnist Kofoworola Bello-Osagie said in a December 2015 article titled “The History Curriculum question”: “I am tired of reading about the exclusion of History from the Nigerian national curriculum. The subject is there. It was never removed…However, while people should be glad to heave a sigh of relief that it has not been expunged from the curriculum, there are serious challenges facing the teaching of the subject in Nigerian schools. So, the concern about the fate of the subject is in order.” She continued: “History is one the 12 subjects categorised under the Humanities department that secondary school pupils study from SS1-SS3. But one of the concerns of critics, which is worthy of attention, is that History is not taught right from primary school; and, even when it is taught at senior secondary level, it is an elective subject.”
Johnson Oritsegbubemi Sunday Ayomike, who will be 89 on April 7, deserves to be celebrated for his services to History. The country needs more popularisers of History like him.
NATION
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