How I created Abibatu Mogaji statue

Idowu Sonaya is an artist, a sculptor who has done a couple of landmark installations in Lagos State. One of his fundamental outdoor works is the statue of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji at the Oyingbo market, Lagos. A graduate of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Sonaya is also the chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) Lagos State Chapter. In this encounter with Edozie Udeze he discusses his works at different locations in the state

Idowu Sonaya is no doubt one of the best artists of his time. Apart from his role as the chairman of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) Lagos State Chapter, he has garnered for himself some of the best outdoor art installations in Lagos State. Some of these works include the Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji statue at the Oyingbo market and the emblem on the gate of the National Library, Yaba, where the symbolism of the book readers boldly embossed there shows an artist in tune with his profession. But in all this, Sonoya is humble. “I am only doing the best I can as an artist”, he said in an interview.

I did Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji statue at Oyingbo. That is a bronze work, that is the mother of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu. It is four feet in height, it was successfully carved and located at Oyingbo U-turn. That work actually was the second work I did for Lagos State government. The other one was at the gate of the National Library, Yaba, Lagos. I have my name on it.

“The reason the Mogaji statue was done at Oyingbo is because of the name. The name is synonymous with big market and Alhaja Mogaji was the national leader of market women in Nigeria. She was the Iyaloja at the time when that work was done. So, it was to symbolize her big role as a market woman and leader and to also situate the role and importance of Oyingbo market in the State.

“For the market to retain its relevance and prominence in the state that statue promptly became necessary. When former governor Fashola rebuilt the Oyingbo market during his tenure, it made the statue more convenient to be located there”, he said.

But how did he get the contract, far and above other artists in the state? “Well, I wrote a proposal”, he said tilting his head to one side with amiable smile. “The proposal was for PWD that was then constructing the road. This was in 2009 and then the work was redirected through the Ministry of the Environment. But before then I actually proposed to have the late General Murtala Mohammed replicated there. However, I was told the family would not like it based on religious conviction. Then, our focus was narrowed on Alhaja Abibatu. You know that road is named after Mohammed as the former head of state”, he noted.

This work took him twelve weeks to complete. But above all, he was mindful of the quality of materials he used so as to avoid the vagaries of weather not to distort the art piece soon enough. “Well the work has been installed since 2010 and it is still intact. That shows you it is strong and well done. It is a bronze work and all we need do is to retouch it once in a while. As long as that is done constantly, I can assure you that nothing will happen to it”.

But does he have a contract to also maintain the work in order to prolong its life span? “Yeah, I think I have maintained it a couple of times. It is not a permanent arrangement though”, he explained with a smile. Sonaya usually has this smile on his face the moment outdoor works are mentioned. He seems to rummage in the euphoria, for he is known for his thorough professional touch when it comes to that. But he is also more at home when you bring up the politics of SNA. “Yes the Society of Nigerian Artists, Lagos State Chapter is kicking. We have a lot of programmes lined up for the year. Apart from the usual October Rain Exhibition, we have other very important programmes as from August. We have done October Rain show for more than twenty years”.

October Rain show is where members of SNA are allowed to participate in a group exhibition. The committee usually selects a theme, then ensures that stringent conditions are applied to select those qualified to take part in it. Usually this is when both the associate and full members of SNA are free to join in the show. This usually makes the exhibition richer, vibrant, classical and with varieties of works to showcase. Sonaya explained that this show will be exceptionally outstanding.

“For now, the responses for entry have been great. Artists are eager and enthusiastic to participate, to bring forth their best works for the usual assessment. We will in addition have an auction this year. The venue will be somewhere on the Island, Lagos. The auction will help us to raise money for the SNA secretariat in Lagos. You see, we need a befitting secretariat”, he said with a broad grin.

The chairman disclosed that the project will cost the association over N200million. “Oh, yeah, we deserve a world class headquarters”, he declared pointedly. “SNA is big enough to have that and we will ensure it is going to be the best of its kind around here. If you have to have a befitting structure these days, you have to have a bigger budget. Not only that things are expensive, you have to build a structure that will last”.

Also as part of the SNA week, Sonaya will be traveling to London this year to further push for the prospects of the art movement. “It is part of the awareness drive”, he said in a more sober reflective mood. “Ours is a movement and we need to extend our roles in that regard. On the 17th of August, we will also have a show at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. It will be held under the bridge there and it will be open to the public. There will be another one at the Freedom Park, Lagos on the 15th of August. Artists will gather at Yaba as part of the fraternity to cement for more brotherhood among all of us. We feel artists should have time enough to relax, mix and generally rub minds”.

In furtherance of this, we will continue to ensure that members get better attention they need as professionals. The December auction sales, one of the high points of the visual art profession is one of those elitist programmes to hype the tempo of the profession. “This programme doesn’t come easy. Those whose works will qualify for the auction sales will definitely come out smiling. It shows that they have come a long way and that their works passed through the eagle eye of the committee that sat over the works submitted for the bid. Sonaya is also excited about this. “Yes, it is part of the growth of the association, part of the movement for which SNA is known”, he said. “We need to leave long lasting legacies for the association. This is why our conditions for membership are not stringent. Ours is an association, open to all artists, those with NCE, OND, HND, BA and so on. Each category of members depends entirely on your level of qualification, so long as you are an artist, visual artist, I mean. We even have room for honorary fellows, who have been following our movement in terms of criticisms, writings and reviews. That is where you yourself can fit in if you so wish. In all, you have to be an artist, whether self trained or formally trained, you can be a member”.

But how do they assess the standard of works that are mounted in public places? “Yes, SNA has issues; fundamental issues. But we hope to resolve them as soon as possible. We have lack of awareness of what art really is. Secondly, artists have standards also, templates for the works they have to put out. As for regulation, we are still hoping that the necessary government agencies will soon come in to look into that aspect”.

Trained at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Sonaya is thorough bred, using most of his time to dwell on fundamental artistic works of repute. His art works always show marks of distinction, exceptionally done to be miles away from others. This is why he has high hopes for SNA to get it to that enviable height.