Monday, September 8, 2025

The Lack of Visionary Leadership in Africa and the Solution


The Lack of Visionary Leadership in Africa and the Solution

I have heard, listened and watched outstanding motivational speakers in Africa blaming European colonial Government in Africa for the political failures of majority of African leaders. In most cases, I don't agree with them, because I always say that the suit does not make the man, but the man makes the suit.
What makes a monk holy is his character and not the hood and cassock of his monastery.

Africa would have been worse today without Western education and there would not have been Western education without colonialism and there would not have been colonialism without Christianity. 
The White man gave us the Holy Bible first before his colonial rule.
Colonialism and neocolonialism are not the cause of the bad political leadership in Africa.
The carrot and stick or the divide and rule political tactics of the colonial rulers ended with the political Independence of African countries.

We don't lack leaders in Africa.
There is only lack of visionary leadership for democracy and good governance.
Majority of those who became the founding fathers of Independence and the end of colonial rule in Africa were political title chasers without the principles of transformational visionary leadership.
They didn't prepare their people for the nation building of their respective countries.
They just wanted to step into the big shoes of their colonial masters who were rulers and not leaders.
The colonial masters didn't come to lead Africans for an African Renaissance to compete with their Western Civilization. They came to rule and exploit Africa to expand their Western Civilization by imperialism.
They came for the human and mineral resources in Africa.

There are four pillars of the credibility of a great human personality for visionary leadership; they are Dignity, Humility, Integrity and Nobility.
Without which you cannot be a good leader before you can even talk of becoming a great visionary leader.

Majority of Africans are selfish by nature and that is why they have corrupt leaders with greed for power and wealth without conscience and without shame.

As I always say that Nigeria is what Nigerians are from the street to the Office of the President.
We reap the harvest of the seeds we have sown.
You cannot sow weed and reap the harvest of wheat.
We reap what we sow.

Selfish interests from ethnic differences of tribalism overtook national interests after the exit of the colonial rulers.
Regionalism and religional sectarianism of Christianity and Islam became the order of the day and the sociopolitical consequences have done collateral damage to political leadership in Africa.
Africa is what Africans are.
From tribalism to neopatrimonialism.


Africa has been blessed with great visionary leaders from the late Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah
of Ghana, Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal, António Agostinho Neto of Angola,Samora Moisés Machel of Mozambique, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Patrice Émery Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of the  Congo,
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe,
Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria to Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and the great Madiba Nelson Mandela of South Africa who were nation builders. But they passed on to eternal glory without credible successors.
Were they political mentors without credible successors?
Yes.

We cannot have great leadership without any successorship plan.

You must have the foresight and insight into the future for visionary leadership.
Study the life and legacy of the great Lee Kuan Yew, the Father of Modern Singapore. And I recommend him as a role model for visionary leadership in Africa. 

The world is still waiting for the rise of the roaring African lions to rise up like the Asian Tigers.

The Big Picture of the Future of Africa will be defined by a new generation of visionaries in every sphere of human development and they must be ready to be nation builders and not title chasers.


- - By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The Author of "The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream", "The Prophet Lied", "In the House of Dogs" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.
https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima


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#visionary

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

WeREAD: Kaine Agary's Yellow-Yellow' Highly Recommended for Film Adaptation

Holding the novel "Yellow-Yellow" by Kaine Agary on Monday, September 1, 2025 while visiting my younger sister in her residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

WeREAD:  Kaine Agary's Yellow-Yellow' Highly Recommended for Film Adaptation 

https://amzn.to/4nvC5H5

Our book club, WeREAD prefers  reading more books by Nigerian authors than foreign authors. 

My younger sister, Mrs. Stella Unah is the Numero Uno of reading with over 100 books read so far. She reads novels like she is watching movies, relating with the characters in the stories. She is the Chief Librarian of WeREAD Book Club.

Unlike many of the women in Nigeria, she prefers reading to gossiping.
She can read four books within 30 days.

If everyone in Nigeria can read like her, majority of Nigerian authors will be giving thanks to Almighty God for our books will be selling like books in America, Britain, Japan and other countries with highly literate people who love 💕 to read.

I started WeREAD in 2022 as an affiliate of Bookshop.org to support local bookstores in America and I am happy to say that over US$40 million have been raised so far.

Forwarded message ----------

From: "Bookshop.org" <newsletters@bookshop.org>

To: "WeREAD" <ekenyerengozimichaelchima@gmail.com>

$40,751,866.50

Raised For Local Bookstores

Last month of August, the novels we chose to read included "Influence of A King" by Titi Horsfall; multiple award winning novel, "Purple Hibiscus" by the famous Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie and "Yellow-Yellow" by Kaine Agary that won the Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2008. The first debut novel to do so in the history of the biggest prize for literature in Africa.

https://www.thenigeriaprizes.org/profile/kaine-agary

The exciting romantic novel about the impressionable and vulnerable biracial teenage girl,  Zilayefa, aka "Yellow-Yellow", daughter of a young Ijaw woman Ina Binaebi and a Greek sailor, Plato Papadopoulos in the Niger Delta of Nigeria during the dictatorship of a sadistic military Head of State is highly entertaining. It is one the best coming-of-age novels I have read so far. 

It is a romantic drama in prose waiting for a good film adaptation that will be a box office success and it is the kind of movie Netflix should commission.


Wale Ojo

I see the accomplished multiple award winning actor Wale Ojo playing the romantic role of the retired Naval Admiral Kenneth Alaowei Amalayefa, the sugar daddy of Zilayefa; excellent beautiful Nollywood diva, Iretiola Doyle as Sisi and the fast rising young pretty Uche Montana as Lolo.

Iretiola Doyle

Uche Montana

I don't know any biracial Nigerian actress under 20 that can play the leading role of Yellow-Yellow. We have to do international casting call for her. 

WeREAD powered by Bookshop, https://bookshop.org/shop/Weread

WeREAD is for the revival of the reading culture in Nigeria and the rest of Africa for the appreciation of literature with special focus on books by African authors.

The next level is to produce the WeREAD app for all users of GSM phones to access the platform. The app will include an interactive social networking feature for users to talk about books, booklists, book awards, rate books and trade books in book auctions where collector's editions of rare books can be sold to the highest bidders. We will also produce various branded products for WeREAD, such as WeREAD school, shopping and travel bags; facecaps; T-shirts and WeREAD Cafés strategically located on campuses of selected tertiary institutions and shopping malls. 

Yellow-Yellow, Kaine Agary, novel, books,Nigerian writers,Nigeria Prize for Literature,Niger Delta, romance, love, sex, politics, adventure, relationship, career, education




Thursday, August 28, 2025

Not Every Indian Film is Bollywood and Not Every Nigerian Movie is Nollywood

  



Not Every Indian Film is Bollywood and Not Every Nigerian Movie is Nollywood

Bollywood and Nollywood have been called the first and second largest film industries in the world for the production of the largest quantities of movies.

Bollywood is generally labelled as the Indian film industry. But it is not the overall representative of the film industry of India, because there is Tollywood, the popular Telugu film industry of Telugu language based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in southeast India. Bollywood, the Hindi language Cinema is based in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay).
Tollywood was first coined before Bollywood and has a filmmaking history of over 100 years since 1909 when the Father of Telugu Cinema, Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu produced short films and showed them in different regions of South Asia and he built the first Indian-owned cinema halls in South India in 1921.

Tollywood is the second largest film industry in India by box-office revenue after Bollywood. And Tollywood films sold 233 million tickets in 2022, the highest among all Indian film industries. As of 2023, Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of movie screens in India.
The boisterous Telugu film industry has several Guinness World Records such as the Ramoji Film City, which holds the Guinness World Record as the largest film studio complex in the world.
The second highest grossing Indian film so far, is "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion", a 2017 Tollywood epic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli following the current highest grossing Indian film "Dangal"  a 2016 Bollywood biographical sports drama film directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao.

I have written on the significance of the difference between Bollywood and Tollywood before on my Nigerians Report Online on Blogger.

Like Bollywood, Nollywood has been termed as the sobriquet of the Nigerian film industry since the name was coined by The New York Times in 2002. But the name Kannywood for the Hausa language film industry based in Kano was coined in 1999 before the The New York Times discovered Nollywood and said "it is like Hollywood" with starry-eyed guerilla filmmakers making dozens of movies daily from bootstraps budgets. All the movies were shot straight to video from handheld VHS cameras and sold in VHS tapes on the streets and stalls of Lagos and Onitsha before distribution to other countries across the borders to start the first indie film industry in Africa. 



While Nollywood is largely based in the predominantly Christian
southern region of Nigeria, Kannywood is based in the predominantly Islamic northern region of Nigeria.
Adamu Halilu, the Father of Hausa language Cinema was the first Nigerian indigenous filmmaker with the documentaries, "It Pays to Care" (1955) and "Hausa Village" (1958) and later made the classic film, Shaihu Umar (1976), a story of African slavery based on the novel of the same name by Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, first Prime Minister of Nigeria.




The first Hausa language home video, "Tirmin Danya " was produced in 1990 in Kano.
 The National Film and Video Censorship Board, (NFVCB) Abuja, started recording and censoring video films in Nigeria from 1995, and a total of 1600 Hausa video films were officially documented between 1995 and 2005.

Majority of the foreign film critics, journalists and scholars who claimed to be experts ignored Kannywood in their reports, features and books on the Nigerian film industry.  Both Nigerian and foreign scholars have done comprehensive researches and published books on Kannywood. The most popular are Dr. Idi Adam; Dr. Abdulkareem Abdulrahman; Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim;
Dr. Carmen McCain; Prof. Brian Larkin and Dr. Mahmoud Nourah Bamalli.



Queen of Nollywood, Genevieve Nnaji.
Joint Queen of Nollywood, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde 
Queen of Kannywood, Rahama Sadau.
Alpha Male Nollywood actor, Enyinna Nwigwe.



My NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series is the first publication that has celebrated the beautiful queens of Kannywood on the same pedestal as the beautiful queens of Nollywood in the second edition published in 2014 and distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers in hardcover version, paperback version and Amazon Kindle version.
Ike Ude's photo book, "Nollywood: Radical Beauty" ignored the stars of Kannywood. 

The big problem of Kannywood is being under the dictatorship of the Islamic religion with majority of the actors, actresses and filmmakers being Muslims.
They are monitored by the Islamic police of Kano State and the other Sharia states in northern Nigeria with several cases of the violations of their fundamental human rights even in their private lives. 
Nollywood Alpha Male actor Enyinna Nwigwe can hug and kiss the Queens of Nollywood, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde in a romantic movie, but he cannot even dare to hug and kiss Rahama Sadau, the Queen of Kannywood on screen without incurring the wrath of the Islamic watchdogs of Kannywood.


-By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
International Digital Post Network Limited,
King of Kings Books International,
Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema (SOOAC)
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
The first book series on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry


COMING SOON
The First Annual Bollywood To Nollywood Filmmaking Workshops



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Thursday, August 21, 2025

And Ifeanyichukwu Takes Chidubem Home!


And Ifeanyichukwu Takes Chidubem   Home!

By Ingram Osigwe.

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

David Viscott.


Viscott's timeless quote above captures the ambience of Our Saviour's Church, Tafawa Belewa Road and Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, both in Lagos on Saturday, the 9th of August, 2025 when the proverbial two love birds of the love song, Ifeanyichukwu Okwesilieze Anazodo and his delectable bride, Chidubem  Pamela Igbonuzue were joined in a holy matrimony as man and wife.













































The groom is from the famous Anazodo family from Nnewi, the biggest player in marbles, tiles and granite industry in Nigeria. He is the son of late Mr Emmanuel Anazodo and Mrs Chinyere Anazodo of Mbanagu, Otolo, Nnewi North local government area of Anambra state.The bride on the other hand is the daughter of Sir Sunny Igboanuzue( Ezechodolu Oraifite) and Lady Okeoma Igboanuzue of Umuafa Ezumeri Oraifite, Ekwusigo local government area of Anambra state.Sir Igboanuzue, the bride's father, is the former President  of ASPAMDA  and a major play in automative batteries and parts in Nigeria 

The wedding which attracted an array dignitaries, including VIPs- captains of industry, government officials, political leaders among others- witnessed endless effusive praise, words encouragement, love and advice to the new couple as they commenced their marital journey. From Our Saviour's church where priests joined Ifeanyichukwu and Chidinma to Oriental Hotel where the classy wedding reception took place, it was glamour, panache and colour as love and joy radiated to no end.

When the new couple took to the dancing floor, holding every one spellbound with exhilarating steps, amidst sumptuous meals and choice drinks, the guests sang and danced with them, further electrifying the hall with smiles and applause.

The colourful wedding reception was chaired by Chief Tony Okonkwo( Okpata - Ozuora), a business mogul and chairman, Top wine group.

Other notable guests include Chairman, Chrome group, Sir (Dr) Emeka Offor and his beautiful wife, Dr(Mrs) Adaora Offor, Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Senator Osita Izunnaso, Chairman Ekulo group, Sir Emma Bishop Okonkwo, former Minister for Aviation and former FRSC Corp Marshal, Osita Chidoka, Oke iyi Amichi, Sir (Dr) Chidi Anyaegbu( Chairman, Chisco group), former chairman of Balogun Business Association,  BBA, Chief Oke Ezeibe, Ochendo Aguluizugbo, Chief Ernest Anyaeche, Former President of Alaba Amalgamated traders Association, Evang Paulinus Ugochukwu, Current President, Chief Camillus Amajuoyi,  uncles to the groom; Chief Dave Anazodo,Chairman Zanetti  Marble and Granite Ltd, Chief Uche Anazodo, CEO Voll  lounge, Lekki, Current Chairman  of BBA, Hon. Oscar Ik Odogwu, High Chief Dolue Igboanuzue 

Others are President of FHA Lawn Tennis Club, Hon (Chief) Architect Ernest Ewuzie and his Deputy, Hon. Sunnex Ohanazoeze, Chief Model Ezeamama , Sir Kingsley & Ebere Anaruagu, Hon(Chief) Uchenna Ezechinyere among others.

Members of 400 Road Estate Residents Association also came out in their numbers to indetify with one of their own.

The Chairman,  Arch Paul Okwaraoha came with his wife, Vice chairman, Lady Victoria Uneanya was present, notable members that came include, Chief & Mrs Fabian Okoye, Chief & Mrs Austin Okafor, Chief & Mrs JC Jones Mbadugha, Chief & Linus Ayabe, Chief & Mrs Emma Ejike, Pharm Uche Nwanna, Mr & Mrs Tochukwu Ubajiaka  Chief & Mrs Vincent Okonkwo & others 

The Top notch wedding  was compered by one of Nigeria’s  best, MC Orange.

****
Chief Ingram Osigwe is a Public Communication & 
Engagement Strategist manages Full -Page Communication Ltd