...meet Uncle Sam

By Onyeka Ezike 

Ecobank Plc, led by the Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Austen Osokpor, Kayvee Microfinance Bank, led by Mr. Alabi Ailoni, Head of Sales & Business Development, and the Group Advert Manager of Sun Newspaper, Evelyn Onyeibe, Thursday, visited the ongoing Uncle Sam Art Exhibition holding at Alexis Galleries, 282 Akin Olugbade Street, off Idowu Martins, Victoria Island, Lagos. The parties were received by Uncle Sam Amuka, publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, and Curator of the USA Exhibition, Dr. Osa Mbonu-Amadi. 

Speaking to journalists at the exhibition, Austen Osokpor described Uncle Sam Amuka as a fantastic man, who has contributed immensely to the growth of the media in terms of consistency. 

He said, “When I asked him what his vision was for us as Nigeria and for the media, he said, ‘the mission we have as collective is what we become and what we are tomorrow and even the future’. He has passed the baton to us, and it’s a marathon and we will take this vision and run with it,” Austen said.

He said, “Uncle Sam is a man that is soft inside. Despite his busy schedules, he still finds time for entertainment and those things that entertain him are the soft things around us. Some of the artworks are about women, and everyday things around us.”

Speaking about Ecobank, Austen Osokpor said Ecobank supports not just the art industry, but also the creative industry in general. “It’s high time we spoke about the Nigerianisation of all the things that we do, including arts because Nigerian arts tell the Nigeria story in a unique way. With arts, we can rewrite the negativity about Nigeria.”

He called for more partnership and support for the creative industry, describing Nigeria as all we have as a nation.  

He reflected on some of the artworks, particularly a painting on Africa woman, describing the artwork as one that tells the story of the beauty of African women. 

According to Austen, one of the artworks which resonates with him was the artwork that speaks to the insecurity in the country.

The Curator of the exhibition, Dr. Osa Mbonu-Amadi, who is also the Arts Editor of Vanguard Newspaper, said the theme of the exhibition, “The Beginning”, was inspired by the first edition of  Vanguard Newspaper published June 3, 1984, exactly 41 years ago. The edition, now called Vanguard Red Book, was on display at the exhibition. 

“What we did was to get the first publication from Vanguard archive and  compare it with the copy of today’s Vanguard. At a glance, you can see a 41-year old story and the outstanding improvement.  Mr. Alabi Ailoni, the Head of Sales & Business Development for Kayvee, Microfinance Bank, said his company is passionate about the art industry: “I love what I see here, and I am happy to be part of it. Our company is passionate about growing businesses, as we help businesses grow faster. We also support the art industry,” he said.