How 3,000 Nigerian S*x Workers In Italy Became Artists – Nike Art Gallery

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2023

The Founder, Nike Art Gallery, Mrs Nike Okundaye, popularly known as “Mama Nike”, said she changed the narratives of 5,000 Nigerian professional s*x workers through artwork training in Italy.

Okundaye disclosed this on Thursday at the “Destination Marketing Strategy in Cultural Tourism“ organised by the National Council for Arts and Culture in Abuja.

She said that she had a passion for training the trainers’ programme because she aimed at using artwork to reduce poverty, unemployment and crimes in society.

“My love is to train and people I trained should train other people. I was in Italy training Nigerian prostitutes, 5, 000 of them. We used artwork to change 3,000 to become artists.

“These paintings you are seeing here are the ones that started in 1995.

“A lot of those prostitutes are now engaged and they are no more prostitutes.

“I was born into art, I am a fifth generation artists from my family and the way they passed education to the kids in those days, you teach your child what you do.

“When I completed Primary Six and I did not have money to attend secondary school, the weaving of “adire“ and the painting that I learnt from my father and mother are what I am doing today.

“I started this because of poverty but from poverty, I was able to become an icon in the society,” she said.

Okundaye urged the youth to practise what they learnt from their parents and upgrade it in a creative manner.

“The message I have for the youth is that if your parents used akara money to train you, you have to upgrade that akara to burger.

“Upgrade and follow your heart and do things you have learnt from your parents. Do them and create them in a good way and always think positive,” she said.

Okundaye said since she opened the Nike Art Gallery in Abuja, youths have been coming over for training.

“I have had a training centre here since 1996. I have over 2,000 artworks in this edifice.

“I have a lot of artists that I trained. When I trained them, they trained others and they bring their works and if we sell them, they give us 10 per cent of the total cost,” she said.

In his remarks, the Director-General of NCAC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said he supported Nike Art Gallery to make it a destination market for Nigeria.

Runsewe described the arts and culture sector as public-private driven.

He said if Nike Art Gallery was given necessary support it would go a long way in reducing unemployment and crimes in the country.

“In most cases, we make mistakes in Africa for not recognising our own, not believing in our own and not developing our own.

“If the private sector or an individual can put up this type of gallery, what we need as the government is to support.

“This can generate a lot of resources for the country. If you travel to other parts of the world, they have galleries like this that you will pay to visit.

“One of the fundamental aspects of tourism is experience. Some people have never seen this number of paintings and fabric designs,” he said.

He recalled that three weeks ago when an ambassador saw Fela’s painting, he felt like removing his dress.

“This is because he is one of the big fans of Fela. He continued taking pictures with Fela’s artwork.

“These paintings you see are therapy on their own. Some people when they are sick or down, this is what they use to come up with.

“We need to use what we have now to develop and promote our country. There are so many artworks here that can speak for Nigeria.

“For me, we will support Nike Arts Gallery and make it a destination in order to market the country,” he said.

(NAN)

Lagos Suspends BRT Lane Enforcement On Eko Bridge, Odo Iya-Alaro

Published

6 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has temporarily suspended enforcement of the Bus Rapid Transit lane along the Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro corridor to ease growing traffic congestion.

This gridlock is a result of the ongoing structural rehabilitation on the Ogudu-Ifako Bridge expansion joint.

Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa announced the suspension on Wednesday, describing it as a strategic move to tackle gridlock in affected parts of the city.

“This remedial measure, conceived as a palliative response to mitigate commuter hardship, aligns with the Lagos State Government’s forward-thinking and adaptive transportation strategy under the THEMES Plus Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, particularly within the framework of sustainable traffic management and infrastructure modernisation,” Giwa said.

He explained that the temporary suspension is a transitional and conditional measure aimed at absorbing the anticipated vehicular overflow caused by the partial closure of the Ifako-bound carriageway of the Third Mainland corridor.

“We are fully cognizant of the immense strain currently imposed on key ingress routes into the Lagos Mainland. Consequently, this tactical suspension of BRT lane enforcement is a calculated response designed to deliver immediate relief, reduce commuting time, and preserve the fluidity of vehicular movement throughout the duration of the bridge repairs,” he added.

According to him, the directive takes immediate effect and allows general vehicular access to previously restricted BRT corridors on Eko Bridge and Odo Iya-Alaro, particularly during peak travel periods.

He said this move is expected to expand available road capacity and ease traffic along critical routes.

Giwa, however, stressed that commercial buses and articulated vehicles must remain in compliance with existing safety rules and loading guidelines to avoid worsening traffic conditions or compromising public safety.

He also disclosed that the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has been mobilised to strengthen its presence along the affected corridors.

“Enhanced personnel deployment and traffic equipment are now in place to ensure orderly conduct, prevent exploitation of the temporary suspension, and respond promptly to any emergent traffic disturbances,” Giwa stated.

News

Lagos Opens Teacher Recruitment Portal For Two Weeks

Published

6 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The Lagos State Government has announced the reactivation of its teaching job recruitment portal to allow qualified individuals to apply for entry-level teaching positions.

In a notice issued by the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission on Tuesday, the portal will be open for applications from Tuesday, July 1 to Monday, July 14, 2025.

“The Lagos State Teaching Service Commission is set to reactivate its Recruitment Portal as a bold step towards improving access to employment opportunities, equity, and fairness.

“The job portal, which will be accessible for two weeks (Tuesday, July 1st 2025, to Monday, July 14th, 2025), is intended to provide a centralised platform where individuals can apply for State Teaching jobs at the entry level (GL 08) in their relevant fields,” the notice read.

The move, according to the Commission, is aimed at improving access to employment opportunities in the education sector while ensuring equity and fairness.

TESCOM urged interested applicants with a degree in Education or other relevant qualifications to visit the official portal https://tescomjobs.lagosstate.gov.ng and apply for teaching roles at Grade Level 08.

The notice was signed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission.

News

FG Unveils N50m Grant To Boost Student Innovation, Entrepreneurship

Published

7 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced a N50m Student Grant Venture Capital Initiative to support scaling student-led enterprises in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

Alausa said the initiative aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by turning homegrown research into commercially viable products and services.

The minister made the announcement on Wednesday in Abuja when he inaugurated the Research and Innovation Commercialisation Committee.

He said the scheme, which will be anchored by TETFund in partnership with the Bank of India, targets undergraduate students in 300-level and above with viable business models and innovations ready for market expansion.

According to the minister, the development is aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda of transitioning Nigeria from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-driven one.

“We have hundreds of thousands of young geniuses across our institutions. This fund is designed to unlock their potential and help them build globally competitive enterprises,” the minister said.

On her part, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, described the inauguration as a landmark moment in Nigeria’s education and innovation history.

“For too long, research in our tertiary institutions has been reduced to tools for promotion rather than solutions for development. This must change,” she said.

In his response, the Committee Chairman, Dr. Tayo Aduloju, described the RICC as “a matter of national urgency”, noting that Nigeria’s research investment as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest when compared to peer nations.