Above was the title of my end-of-year summary of the social scene in Nigeria and the world in 1974, as it was published in my column in the 29th December 1974 issue of the Sunday Sketch, 47 years ago tomorrow. I was then the social page editor of Nigeria’s second best-selling Sunday weekly,after the almighty, mass-selling Sunday Times.
Nigeria, like other civilised countries of the world, was then run on the basis of equity, productivity, merit, law and order, public safety and freedom that guaranteed freedom of movement for all, particularly fun-seekers at night(notices such as “from 10.00pm till dawn” were emblazoned on invitation cards and posters)
But, all that has become history. O mase o! Life has become unsafe and cheap today.
In the above-mentioned 1974 summary, readers interviewed by me freely expressed their opinions on the reigning artists of the era,as can be read on the page.
Below is the result:
1.The best musician of the year(1974) – Fela Ransome-Kuti
2.The best band – Ebenezer Obey’s Inter-Reformers
3.The most hardworking artiste – Victor Uwaifo
4.The largest crowd puller – Sunny Ade(long before he won the King of Juju music poll conducted by The Entertainer magazine,a later publication of the Sketch Publishing Company Limited,Ibadan.)
5.The most steady singer – Tunde Nightingale
6.The best dressed musician – Sunny Ade
7.The best dressed band – Fela’s Africa 70
8.The most dynamic performer- Joni Haastrup
9.The artiste with the highest no of LPs – Yusufu Olatunji(Baba l’Egba)
10.The best composer- Ebenezer Obey
The weekly column,”IT’S WHAT’S HAPPENING”in the Sunday Sketch was my second column,after “MO RI FIIRI”in Gboungboun newspaper,the Yoruba weekly in the Sketch Group.
In rounding off my 29th December,1974 article,I wrote”And so,ladies and gentlemen,I hope that all our artistes will, in the New Year, put all they have got into show business and make the year another one of resounding success. I MUST NOT FAIL TO WARN THOSE PERFORMERS WHO TAKE DELIGHT IN ABUSIVE,AS WELL AS INSULTING COMPOSITIONS TO DESIST,AS IT NEITHER PORTRAY THE ARTISTE AND HIS MUSIC AS MATURE.TO ALL THE HARDWORKING ARTISTES WHO HAVE ALWAYS ENDEAVOURED TO RAISE THE STANDARD OF MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT GENERALLY,I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR”.
It’s sad to note that today,47 years after my humble admonition above,some so-called musicians/artistes still choose to roll in the mud, like pigs viz their live shows and promo videos.
PHOTOGRAPH CAPTION
A copy of my page in the 29th December, 1974 issue of the Sunday Sketch.
