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Lagos, 1971 "Two pretty girls stand out in the crowd..." Source: TRUST

Taiwo Ajai didn't plan to become an actress. In the 1960s, she went with friends to watch a play rehearsal in London, and was mistaken to be a cast member. The producer, impressed by her face and strong personality, offered her a role on the spot. She initially protested because she was only there as a bystander, but the producer insisted he had found a treasure. That unexpected moment pushed her into acting, and she never looked back. Her career soon took her across Europe, where she performed widely in theatre and television. One of her major roles was in Murderous Angels, a play about Patrice Lumumba, where she played his wife, Pauline. She even added a funeral dance scene herself to give the story more emotional depth, showing her creative range. After spending about eleven years abroad, she returned to Nigeria in 1972. She believed Nigeria needed more business-minded thinking in the arts and said Nigerians had to learn to properly value and pay for creative work. She also hoped to see theatres in every state where Nigerian plays would be written and performed for Nigerian audiences. “There is no shortage in the country of talent. I would like to see us make full use of our rich traditions and resources.” Source: Spear, 1974

Fresh out of prison and brimming with ideas, Orlando Owoh declared in 1988 that his music was entering a bold new phase, one he believed would dominate the Nigerian soundscape. In an interview with The Republic, the Maiyegun of Ilara-Mokin described his jail time, following drug charges he was later cleared of, as “educative.” He had used the period to sharpen his guitar skills and compose enough material to fill albums for the next five years. Confident and unapologetic, Owoh placed himself firmly among Nigeria’s elite, saying he belonged in the class of Rex Lawson, and adding that he had no musical master except Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The trio had earlier shared international recognition, with Owoh and Fela representing West Africa at a 1972 show in London. Known for his versatility, Owoh blended Yoruba, Owo, Hausa, Igbo and English in his music, insisting his talent was a divine gift. With his album Experience, he pushed boundaries further, infusing Afro-jazz, reggae and Afrobeat elements, making his sound difficult to categorise.

“I look at things happening in Nigeria and wonder if it’s worth calling myself a Nigerian.” — Prime People, 1988 That was Nathaniel Ode’s perspective after nearly three decades in Britain. He arrived London at age 10. Over the next 28 years, he built what many would call a successful life: a solid reputation, multiple business interests, from importing and retail to wine merchandising, and a fast-rising restaurant venture, Taste of Africa, serving Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Caribbean food. Ode had spent most of his life helping fellow Africans, sometimes in the smallest ways, sometimes in serious situations like bail. Opening his restaurant, he said, was just another extension of that instinct. In London, that sense of community felt natural, even rewarding. Nigeria felt different. He had only visited about four times in 28 years, but one trip stood out, 1983, when he seriously considered returning home. He tried to “have a go at the system,” maybe settle down for good. It didn’t last. According to him, things didn’t run on merit. The system felt unreliable. The experience left him disillusioned enough to send his Italian wife back to England, before eventually returning himself. By 1988, his verdict was blunt: Nigeria wasn’t a place where effort guaranteed results. And that frustration went beyond personal disappointment. Ode described a country weighed down by its own contradictions, talent everywhere, but systems that didn’t reward it. He pointed to Nigerians in detention without proper accountability, and a wider environment that, in his view, discouraged rather than supported people trying to build something. “All my life in England, I've been catered for by the system and got on very well, but in Nigeria, they trample you down instead of encouraging you. How can I exist in a country like that?”

Taiwo Ajai didn't plan to become an actress. In the 1960s, she went with friends to watch a play rehearsal in London, and was mistaken to be a cast member. The producer, impressed by her face and strong personality, offered her a role on the spot. She initially protested because she was only there as a bystander, but the producer insisted he had found a treasure. That unexpected moment pushed her into acting, and she never looked back. Her career soon took her across Europe, where she performed widely in theatre and television. One of her major roles was in Murderous Angels, a play about Patrice Lumumba, where she played his wife, Pauline. She even added a funeral dance scene herself to give the story more emotional depth, showing her creative range. After spending about eleven years abroad, she returned to Nigeria in 1972. She believed Nigeria needed more business-minded thinking in the arts and said Nigerians had to learn to properly value and pay for creative work. She also hoped to see theatres in every state where Nigerian plays would be written and performed for Nigerian audiences. “There is no shortage in the country of talent. I would like to see us make full use of our rich traditions and resources.” Source: Spear, 1974

Taiwo Ajai didn't plan to become an actress. In the 1960s, she went with friends to watch a play rehearsal in London, and was mistaken to be a cast member. The producer, impressed by her face and strong personality, offered her a role on the spot. She initially protested because she was only there as a bystander, but the producer insisted he had found a treasure. That unexpected moment pushed her into acting, and she never looked back. Her career soon took her across Europe, where she performed widely in theatre and television. One of her major roles was in Murderous Angels, a play about Patrice Lumumba, where she played his wife, Pauline. She even added a funeral dance scene herself to give the story more emotional depth, showing her creative range. After spending about eleven years abroad, she returned to Nigeria in 1972. She believed Nigeria needed more business-minded thinking in the arts and said Nigerians had to learn to properly value and pay for creative work. She also hoped to see theatres in every state where Nigerian plays would be written and performed for Nigerian audiences. “There is no shortage in the country of talent. I would like to see us make full use of our rich traditions and resources.” Source: Spear, 1974