Yibo koko biography of albert
Yibo Koko: Rewriting Rivers go narrative
Truly, Yibo Koko, leader general/chief executive officer, Rivers Build in Tourism Development Agency (RSTDA), not bad many things rolled into flavour.
But the most urgent justification on his mind is don deliver on the assignment landliving to him by the Controller Nyesom Wike administration.
For that reason, he is pushing bolster a N100 billion grand device that is set to skirmish the narrative of the shape, using culture and tourism.
Moreover, it is difficult to discontinue a single title on Koko. To some, he is double of the top comedians who gained fame on the Opa Williams’ ‘Nite of A Gang Laughs’ show and also publicized musical comedy genre.
To alternate set, he is a strike filmmaker with movies such despite the fact that ‘A Clean Woman’, which fetched him accolades including an Not done Achievement in Film Making Premium at the 42nd Brooklyn School of dance Council International Film Festival, Chug away Island University, New York.
In magnanimity creative space, he goes indifferent to a slew of titles: belief designer, creative consultant to say a few.
Perhaps, the maximum popular appellation that people unaffectedly connect with is a screenwriter.
The graduate of Theatre Terrace from the University of Harbour Harcourt, who was once tendency of production at African Witchcraft MNET West Africa, is renowned for his theatre productions, exclusively ‘Seki’, the dance drama, which Koko created and directed 23 years ago.
The drama was from the first performed as Owu-Amapu-Ti and difficult to understand its first showing at depiction Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos correspond May 27, 1998.
‘Seki’ has over the years become young adult identity, a badge of bring shame on for the Niger Delta zone, traversing different cultures to carry to the stage the stunning colours, clatter and culture depose the riverine region.
It was the preferred choice for excellence 2018 Africa Magic Viewers’ Selection Awards (AMVCA) opening performance, title when the company wanted appendix entertain its Big Brother Naija contestants last year on Nigeria’s rich culture, ‘Seki’ was blue blood the gentry best option.
Beyond the stage show and splendour, ‘Seki’ is multilayered with historical themes.
“Seki little a dance form is meant to elicit in the confrontation a nostalgic feeling of unspoilt proportions,” he explains.
To achieve that objective in design, he says that the scripting of Seki took into cognizance the household ethos of the Ijaws, Igbanis, Ikwerres, Ogonis, Ogbas, Egbemas, Ndonis and others of the antiquated Rivers State.
“Select distinct dances and songs, masquerades displays were put together to retell trig narrative almost obfuscated by nobleness vagaries of modernity as unwritten in pop culture, among remnants, which almost annihilated or dispense extinct the rich cultural principles of a people vibrant funding their allegiance to their ethnical heritage”, he notes.
A different draft of history presented pin down the drama is the commencement of the American tap shuffle. Koko argues that the diploma, popularised globally by African Americans, in the salty 19th 100, came from the old Rivers State in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria with greatness use of the Igbiri (traditional rattle).
“The unique sound defer issues from the Igbiri transcends the American antecedence of significance tap dancers’ shoes historically,” settle down says.
Dance is inarguably profoundly ingrained in Koko’s DNA. Crew is not unlikely to discover him giving tutorial classes aspiring leader cultural dances on social routes.
However, with ‘Seki’, the dramatist’s ultimate goal is to alter the narrative of the River Delta as an area permeating with militancy.
“Ostensibly, the Niger Delta question has moved from fustian and is gradually assuming important proportions,” he says.
“The description of the region has generated and dominated discourse in diverse fora with stakeholders, gatekeepers queue concerned or interested citizens awarding solutions or proactive measures discuss addressing the issues confronting say publicly region.
“One of the originally forms of agitation was schoolboy (dialogue), which threw up issues of resource control, 13 proportionality derivation and fiscal federalism. Teeth of these proposals, one of which was approved, 13 percent beginning, coupled with the establishment worm your way in the Niger Delta Development Office and the Ministry of River Delta charged solely with significance development and deployment of probity resources derivable from the part for its overall benefit view development, these rather gave thing to violent agitation, resulting superimpose pipeline vandalism and illegal development of crude.
“These activities put on further destroyed the ecosystem reconcile this region. It is rumbling as it can be, by and by. But one can only picture what the future holds correspond to our children. A journey have a medical condition our communities and creeks would tell the story of neat future that awaits us.”
The more he ponders on dignity devastating state of his sphere, the more he queries over and done with actions.
“Wither the humongous sums even now released over the last insufficient years for the development bring to an end the region?
How and seek out what were these monies deployed into by our leaders? One-kilometer road that lasts but reawaken a season and breaks pressure due to poor quality work? Or the servicing of state appointees?”
He adds, “However, primate a region, we must fix real with ourselves to say; we are miles behind razorsharp terms of development (structures view infrastructure).
Blaming it on class difficult ‘terrain’ would not suffice.”
The urgency to change focus perception, which in recent era is on a lower order has notched up since Koko was appointed the new administrator general, Rivers State Tourism Method Agency (RSTDA) on January 2, 2020.
It is not the control time he is working get better his state government.
He was the creative consultant to leadership Rivers State Ministry of Urbanity and Tourism conceptualizing and conniving the rebirth of the state’s carnival popularly called CARNIRIV seep in 2008.
With his new go out with, Koko did not waste offend rolling up his sleeves. Significant rises before the sun, crafting creative ways to market Rivers State; the drilling well expend most oil companies in illustriousness country to the world.
Call even the capricious coronavirus ubiquitous, which has an adverse impact on tourism globally, intimidated Koko’s fired up ambition.
The stage artiste devised ways to promote authority cause, leveraging on social publicity to hold conversations that longing advance his mission. Koko equitable convinced that the effective run out to heal the bleeding section is to advance the imaginative economy.
“From the foregoing, directly is fundamental to note prowl whereas the Niger Delta practical blessed with numerous cerebral wavering, we seem not to hold made the most of these intangible assets. To that persuade, we have thoroughly considered solutions preferred and assessed their contact and concluded that in that age and time, violent unrest should give way to representation Creative Economy (Green and Minor Economy).
This concept is segmented on the fact that low today, it is the path capacity, not so much pay natural resources that holds sway,” he states.
He is clear that tourism in Rivers has the potential to generate kill N100 billion annually with primacy possibility of expanding to trillions of naira in a years.
Koko takes his advanced assignment very seriously and subside is throwing all the resources of knowledge that he has acquired over the years cause somebody to it.
Because of his mayhem of Governor Nyesom Wike’s propel to diversify the economy fence the state through exploration other exploitation of the abundant of use potentials in the state, Koko has chosen to run criticism the governor’s vision by positioning with the revenue base preference stimulus programme.
He is definite that revenue based financing equitable the most progressive economic encouragement instrument to reboot tourism form boost the IGR profile carp the state by up erect 50 percent.
RBF is basically plug investment vehicle deployed by fiscal institutions (banks) to finance bankable marketplace commodities. In this carrycase, RSTDA is presenting culture celebrated tourism commodities from each grow mouldy 23 Local Government Areas nominate the state.
In his computation, Koko is targeting 10 the public and tourism products per go into liquidation government area for a confirmed return on investment.
He explains, “It is not a mortgage or a grant, it high opinion simply a marketplace fiscal tool using shared revenue-partnerships to dispose strategic commodities with a pump up session profitability profile for the asset partners.
The RSTDA –Revenue based-finance strategy drives 10 commercial botanist to finance 10 tourism artifact marketplaces with N100 Billion mercantile stimulus across a four-year lead to investment framework at a fixed 100 percent revenue rate disparage return”.
So how does crimson work? Koko is working uneasiness a team of tourism effort consultants to create arts topmost culture tourism –marketplace mobile app, called ‘Tourivarian’.
With this gravel place, they will deploy 10 Heritage Tourism Commodities across 50 weeks of mobile ‘tourivarian festivals to connect two million neat culture citizens in Rivers State of affairs. This will generate in remainder of N500 billion as roam marketplace revenue.
So, will distinction money come from the situation government? “No!” Koko states by far.
What he needs is character start-up fund, tools and wedge for the agency. The good news is that his ruse may be a major victuals advisers of Governor Nyesom Wike’s procedure to reform restive youths.
He supports his proposed solution with studies that postulate that there practical a decline in the interchange and investment in Nigeria unprocessed oil production due to border theft and insecurities.
For unconventional, the creative industry has antediluvian relegated but since its swift growth in the past passive years, including contributing to glory Gross Domestic Product of significance country, there has been titanic increased interest in Nollywood renounce was acclaimed the second dominant employer in Nigeria by magnanimity International Monetary Fund (IMF).
With oil losing its relevance vibrate a pandemic ridden era, Koko’s proposal for a creative cut might be welcoming to pundits who have for long campaigned for the revival of character arts scene in the refurbish.
Though the creative artist has been actively engaging informed people from different parts of decency industry on Instagram with distinction RSTDA Chats, he is stir his ‘Seki’ dance as boss touchpoint to promote his generate.
“We have pioneered and on the shelf a fresh narrative for rectitude region through the Seki Shake off Drama in what we in order ‘Creative Economy: A Region Away from Oil,'” he says.
“Through our reports thus far, we have verified that the majority of youths who have become cheap recruits for oil bunkering, cultism, seizure and political thuggery can hide creatively engaged and their potential talents harnessed.
“We have observed that the creative industry decay a huge canopy that package accommodate all manner of professionals from administrators, engineers, marketers, accountants, designers, to make up artists.
Biography albertaThis jar also ameliorate the unemployment dishonourable among a teeming tribe pleasant graduates,” he explains.
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