By Chris Onuoha & Damilola Ademakinwa

Honour they say should be given to whom it is due and it was in line with that adage that some academics and artist’s community converged in Lagos recently to celebrate one of their own, Prof Dele Jegede, art historian, administrator, painter and cartoonist who gracefully turned 70.

As someone who has contributed immensely to the development of art in various capacities as a studio artist and teacher, the 70th birthday anniversary which was marked in Lagos was beehive of activities as the organisers lined up events to reflect his position in both.

The three days event, organised by the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) which was held in two venues, University of Lagos and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), was marked with series of lectures that hinged on the dynamism of visual art practice in Nigeria titled: “Introspection: Dele Jegede @70”.

The papers were, the Keynote speech titled “The creative versatility of a complete art professional” by Prof. Ola Oloidi with two other lead papers “Dele Jegede in the context of Zaria and Development of Artistic Creativity in the Contemporary Nigerian Art,” by Prof. Jacob Jari of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and “Historicizing Contemporary Nigerian Art: Four Decades of Critical and Professional Practice” by Prof. Frank Ugiomoh of the University of Port Harcourt, while other papers by Dr. Khadija Iyabo Tijani of ABU, Zaria and Oladesu Johnson of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, were held at YABATECH subsequently.

In his opening remarks at the Theatre Hall, Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, Prof. Duro Oni, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos summed up in few minutes, what Jegede represents in the academic community, especially University of Lagos. He mentioned his contributions and achievements, and his impact towards the realization of School of Arts in Unilag that came to be Creative Art Department.

The art Historian at University of Nigeria Nsukka, Prof. Ola Oloidi, in his keynote speech, described Jegede as an epitome of complete art professional. To expound his assertion, he first bemoaned unseemly assumption of group of artists who prides themselves in that status without any inclination of what true professionalism is all about

According to Oloidi, “Modern Nigerian artists, art administrators, art historians and art educationists abound in their “thousands”, and many of them are professionally capable, financially secure, nationally and internationally known and academically as well as intellectually sound.

However, unfortunately, in spite of the professional triumphs of these professionals, and despite their high profile image, a significant large number is professionally disabled and, therefore, unqualified to be addressed as complete art professionals. This is because, these art professionals remain distant from being ordained as “complete”; for, they have not been able to organically or sincerely project the needed hybrid of professionalism and morality, the sociological ingredients for being complete professionals”

He, however, described true professional as one who, by virtue of his high-class or even low-class professionalism, more than ever before, becomes a crusader for art functionalism or unpretentious art humanism, full of environmental sensitivity, and has a fanatical desire to make others develop.

He called Jegede one whose intellectual, academic, creative and propagandist vibrations feature prominently to enrich the biography of his art activisms. He talked about the impact he made with his cartoons describing his works as elegantly miniaturized with highly simplified and readable images that are expressive with dramatic characterization. These cartoons are also plain with aesthetically mannered draughtsmanship meant to challenge the wickedness and inadequacies of the oppressors.

While he extols the feats of Dele Jegede, Prof Oloidi could not but mention his remarkable impact on SNA’s revitalization and subsequent adjustments made to uplift the image and status of the association.

He, however criticized the idea of the mandatory Ph.D. degrees for promotion, stressing that “in few years’ time, the Nigerian tertiary institutions will see the