By Josfyn Uba
Aside from her musical career and entertainment, Nigerian talking drummer, Aralola Olamuyiwa, better known as Ara, is involved in a people-oriented project where she takes young youths off the streets of Lagos, mentors and rehabilitates them towards living a purposeful life. She spoke to Daily Sun recently about her Eko Inspire Me By Ara project in Lagos.
How did you conceptualize Eko Inspire Me project?
About 11 years ago, I ran into young boys in Oshodi, close to NAFDAC office. If you can remember what Oshodi was like back then, you would understand what I am talking about. My younger brother’s car I drove in broke down and I knew I was not in a good territory. So, I quickly played their game when I saw the boys coming out. I told them to help me watch the car so I could get something around. I went away and called for backup.
While the car was being fixed, I started interacting with them. I asked them why they chose a life on the streets.
They said that their major problem was the police. They said that the police would always harass and arrest them. I further asked what they would like to make out of their lives, if they got help. They said many things but one stood out. I was really surprised that one of them said he wanted to be like Wole Soyinka. He said he liked the way Wole Soyinka speaks English. I told them that I may not know how to go about it but I would help them become what they wanted to be.
So, what was on your on your mind?
I started working on this project. It was not like any other project. I didn’t even know how to go about it. All I knew was that I wanted to help rescue some people. I thought of involving the government. I met MC Oluomo about six years ago concerning the project and intimated him with the idea of taking some of the boys out of the streets but I needed his permission to do what I wanted. He was so happy with what we wanted to do. We started with a documentary where he gave us some people who went round with us to identify the beneficiaries of the project.
Funding is usually a major challenge with such projects. How were you going to do that?
I wrote to the past government of Lagos State, but there was no response. Then I wrote to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. I recall when the American boxer, Evander Holyfield, visited Nigeria some years ago. I attended. And there was a tall black man who wore a pair of jeans, blazers and face cap that recognized me from the entrance, tagged me and ushered me to my seat. Incidentally, that was Governor Sanwo-Olu but he hadn’t become a governor back then. So, when I sought Governor Sanwo-Olu’s number from my friend, he reminded me of the Evander Holyfield event and said that the governor already knows me.
I started sending messages to him. One day he called me, asking me to tell him about the project. That was the happiest day of my life. Four months down the line, I got the endorsement letter from Lagos State. I swore that I would make him proud with the project.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was another person who welcomed the project with open arms.
Did you also visit President Obasanjo with the prospect of starting the project?
Yes. He hosted my team and I in Abeokuta, Ogun State. We had about 25 of the young people we took along. The visit was impactful. He encouraged us. Governor Sanwo-Olu was part of the mentoring session tagged ‘Inspire Me Street Kings and Queens.’
The governor mentored over 50 young people for three hours. It was amazing. It was inspiring. He gave me a go-ahead to mentor 100 people and he has been supportive, as well as other people.
There were some young people at the talent hunt and empowering programme in Oshodi recently. Were they part of the Inspire Me project?
Those ones we hosted that day were not mentored by us. We reached out to Mushin, Oshodi, Lagos Island and Ojuelegba axis to other NGO’s who are doing similar projects of mentoring young people on the streets, who are looking for how to take them to the next level and collaborated with them. We are going to have a reality television show very soon. We need to go round those major flashpoints in Lagos and pick the top five best talents with a grand finale, either by the end of February or first week in March.
What is your experience with this project, seeing that taking people off the street is not an easy task?
What we are doing is not easy and is a bit risky. There are areas we go to and we have to pray for God’s guidance and wisdom to navigate through because it’s a tough terrain. We have had some of the boys whom we first interviewed in our documentary now being remanded in prison. They fought and were caught and taken to Ilaro Prison. I begged for them to be released to me but the vigilance group refused. I did everything for them to release those boys to me with a promise that, if they default again, they could take them, but they still refused. I have gone to meet the PRO of prisons on their case too but it is not working. The prisons even want us to come and mentor about 300 of their girls in the prison. But my hands are full for now. I am also working on my new singles and videos.
Can you give us a sense of your success story with this project?
We have empowered over 70 persons. About 20 of them are trainees in bakery. They are training in various skills. Some in hairstyling, fashion design and make-up. We gave out 10 items for those trained in barbing, vulcanizing, fashion designing and make-up.
We also have some teenage mothers with babies and we pay for the babies’ daycare while the mothers are in training. We feed them daily and take care of their transport.
How do you ensure that they actually go for these trainings?
The owners of the businesses where they are engaged for the training report to us on that. Like President Olusegun Obasanjo said, “You can empower 20 and only five will make something out of their lives.” I believe him. We can only do our best here. We are all stakeholders and these people see themselves as victims. If we do not take care of them, you never can tell who will be their victim. We pray that the hunter does not become the hunted.
What inspires you?
A bank manager I met in the course of this project told me that he was a bus conductor. Someone rescued and trained him up to the university. Now, he is a masters’ degree holder heading a branch of a bank. These are some of the inspiring stories that encourage us to do what we are doing.
Most of the bad vices in our society are perpetrated by people in the slums and the streets because they see themselves as victims. And victims will always fight back and destroy, but if you see yourself as a stakeholder, you should contribute your little quota to make society work. Some of them do not like the situation they are in.
If truly we desire change in Nigeria, we need to stop approaching issues as victims but as stakeholders. Stakeholders proffer solutions, while victims fight and destroy. I implore Nigerians to show love. The world needs love. Christianity preaches love. Islam preaches love and peace but we, as a people, do we practice what we preach? Certainly, we do not. We are too aggressive. We preach religion but do not practice it.