Nigerian Newspapers
Ushafa, where it’s taboo for men to make pots
Pottery is an old art in the evolution of human society and technology. But in Ushafa, that is exclusively for the women. It is forbidden for men to even think of making pots not minding that pottery is like the trademark of Ushafa, the Bwari Council town of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Under the shade of the trees that dot the space inside the Ushafa Pottery Centre, a woman in her late thirties, Mama Abraham, was busy at her traditional pottery works. Her children were nowhere in sight and she told Abuja Metro that she had been in the business for as long as she could remember because she learnt the art from her mother.
Ask the dark-skinned woman if she has passed it on to her own children, as that is the only means of continuity of the technology for which Ushafa is known, she said a blunt ‘no’. Why won’t you let your children know the same thing you make a living from? Or don’t you think it is good enough for them? Abuja Metro inquired.
The woman straightened up, left her unfinished pot that had passed through the initial firing, looked the reporter in the face and said: “I have only boys. All my children are boys and so, I have nobody to pass the art on to.” Do you mean boys can’t make pots? And she answered again; “it is only women that make pots.
I have never heard, in fact, it is forbidden that men should make pots. Do you see any man here? You can’t see any because in Ushafa, men don’t make pots. It’s only women that do.” That was the final word.
Another inquiry confirmed the information. But none could explain why it is forbidden of men to make pots in Ushafa no matter the importance of the trade to the economy and identity of the people.
Like a way of confirming the stand of the culture of Ushafa that only women must make pottery, Abuja Metro spotted little pretty Sarah, about two years old, pestering her mother, the usual little child’s way. She hugs her mother seeking attention and does her best to distract her from the pot in her hands.
At another second she jumps off and runs around the space. It seems Sarah was already preparing herself to follow in the Ushafa pottery tradition of taking over from where her mum would leave off. Sarah is already in line of succession in the pottery technology of Ushafa as a woman. Her smiles seemed to confirm that she is like a sure bet to succeed the mother at the pottery centre as she bade Abuja Metro bye after a short exchange.
Big business
Ushafa pottery is booming business and the centre built for it shows that much. To demonstrate that the people hold the trade with regard, the centre is well furnished for the business. It is a well-built plaza with a modern block that houses the gallery, pottery studio and modern pottery equipment. It is walled round with the interior clean.
There are two bold signs at the entrance announcing that is the Ushafa Pottery Centre. In the modern building, the operators are not natives; therefore, they are mainly men. Outside the plaza or what you could call the Ushafa modern pottery department, some number of round thatched huts dots the centre. Here is the side for the native potters who are only women. The huts might be useful pottery workhouses when it rains, but on the day of visit, the weather was sunny, and the women were under the trees handling their art.
Potters’ house
Everyday, the potter women resume at the centre to engage in the trade of doing so much magic with simple, humble and formless pieces of clay. That is what a student of creative arts of the University of Benin who was there for his six months industrial training called the secondary clay.
In our presence, one of the Ushafa women packed some quantity of clay, rolled her left hand into fist and dug it into the clay to create a grove at the middle. Gently, she started working the clay gradually turning it. It was just a matter of minutes before the clay started changing to a shape that represented the pot she intended to mould.
By the side of the array of finished pottery was a harvest of clay, the principal raw material waiting for the artful hands to turn it into pieces of valuables.
Pottery art
Pottery simply means pot-making or the art of creating clay soil into precious wares for all manner of uses depending on what it turns out depending also on the intention of the potter. The potter procures a piece or lump of clay, forms it into shape, inputs some artistic designs on them and sends them to the kiln to fire. At Ushafa as in other traditional pottery works, the moulded fragile pots are exposed to dry a little before they are stacked in a heap and covered with tinder to commence firing.
The initial firing in the open kiln involves covering the pots with dry items, the tinder, to facilitate burning. After the firing had lasted some hours and the temperature raised to the level the potter intends, it is removed and allowed to cool. The initial firing is to remove the water of plasticity that makes the soft and plastic clay ware take shape.
After the firing, the pots get decorated with colour motifs depending on the desire of the potter. But before this fire treatment, the fresh pots are embossed and engraved with designs. At Ushafa the women were busy doing that on one pot after the other. At last the wares come out the way the maker desires.
When the pots return to the kiln for the second firing, the temperature is usually raised to as high as between 1000 and 1200 degrees Celsius depending on what the potter wants to turn out. It is at this point that the real pot is made with the water of chemical combination totally eliminated from the ware.
The pot turns stiff and can only break but never decomposes or gets reconstituted to the earth even if buried for eternity. That is why potsherds remain valuable historic record trackers in archaeology with dating techniques that determine their ages.
Primary pottery
While the secondary clay is turned simply into raw materials after some rudimentary treatment, it is a longer process with the primary clay. The secondary or traditional clay undergoes simple cleansing to remove all foreign bodies that could cause gaps and facilitate cracking during firing. In situations where the clay is so plastic, some sand is added as temper to reduce plasticity.
With the primary clay as raw material, the Uniben IT candidate explained to Abuja Metro that the process differs. If they use the brown clay got from Ushafa, they soak it in a drum of water for about three days during which it sediments and the outcome is a 100 percent fine clay that is removed to dry for some days before use.
Abubakar Auwal, the pottery undergraduate said the primary clay, a white or cream coloured earth is imported. The supply at the pottery centre is packed in bags. He could not explain where it is imported from but says the use is more advanced and less cumbersome. It is purer and does not need cleaning. The clay is mixed and sent straight to the throwing wheels. But when they have need for the local clay, they take the trouble of cleaning by sedimentation.
Advanced techniques
They make use of the throwing wheels and other mechanized equipment here at the main block. Auwal’s colleague from a university in the north also there for industrial training, Yakubu Yahaya, picked a piece of clay and rolled it into various shapes on the wheels. As he kicked the wheel to keep turning, the little clay gripped in his hands kept shaping and reshaping as he wished.
This section has the manual and electric kiln for firing just as it also has manual and electric wheels powered by electricity for the shaping of the pot.
The centre makes glazed pottery that looks so refined and shiny you find it hard to admit the centre produced it.
Auwal explained the difference in the pot making processes. For the normal pots, the firing is just in two stages in enclosed chambers powered by charcoal and kept burning by a wheel like the blacksmith’s firing process or in the mechanized kiln.
He explained that after this stage of firing, if the potter intends to come out with glazed pieces, the products are removed, sprayed or smeared with the glazing substance that comes in powdery and jelly or pasty forms.
After the glaze coating, the ware is sent back into another kiln where the firing temperature is raised to between 1200 and 1500 degrees Celsius. When the ware leaves this kiln, it is ready with mirror smooth and shiny surface, smooth as marble or tiles. Of course that is the same process through which tiles are produced.
Large chest
Auwal and Yahaya and their co-potters have a large assortment of pottery for various uses – flower vases, ornamentals, service dishes, plates, storage pots, cooking pots, religious objects and many more. To appreciate what work that goes on at the Ushafa Pottery Centre, the best option is a visit to this humble but wonderful spot where the skills of people turn clays to magical objects.
In fact, President Bill Clinton of USA in his days in office visited the centre. On the visitors’ register, Clinton’s name is number one written in red ink in July 2000. He described the products as wonderful works. Hundreds of Nigerians and foreigners have visited the centre in the past 14 years it came into existence to give effect to the old art of the Ushafa women. You should be the next visitor and you would love it.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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