All is set for the stage production of ‘Ejo’ngboro’, a play written and directed by Muyiwa Oshinaike, as part of activities marking the 80th memorial anniversary of foremost Nigerian nationalist, politician, surveyor, engineer, architect, journalist, and musician, Herbert Macaulay.
Widely regarded as the founder and the father of Nigerian nationalism for creating the country’s first political party, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), Herbert Macaulay stands as a towering figure in the annals of Nigeria’s political history. His evolution from a civil engineer in the British colonial administration to a formidable nationalist leader underscores a life dedicated to the relentless pursuit of justice, self-governance, and the empowerment of his fellow Nigerians.
Through his founding of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) in 1923, Nigeria’s first organised political party, Macaulay laid the groundwork for Nigeria’s eventual independence and left an indelible mark on the nation’s political landscape.
‘Ejo’ngboro’, which will premiere on stage at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, tomorrow, Thursday, with a command performance on Friday, September 18, is a stage drama on the life and times of the late nationalist, Herbert Macaulay. The play’s title ‘Ejo’ngboro’ (which, according to the playwright, means “snake in the public”) – was the name Lagosians gave him. “Not because he was loud, but because he would not be ignored.”
Featuring a stellar cast that includes veteran actors such as Pa Amos Olutokun, Oluwasesan Adio popularly known as Pa Ojoge, Friday Francis, Yusuff Usman, Chinedu Micah Eziuku, as well as versatile artiste – singer and dancer, Ruth Taiye Ogbodu, Iyiola Olatunji, Godwin Gilead, among others, this play traces Herbert Macaulay’s journey from birth to Plymouth notebook, to Independence table.
“It is structured around the lesson he taught us: First you build bridges to power. Then you build tables for your people. Finally, you build a home where both can rest,” notes Femi Oladeinde in the Foreword, adding that “we are still crossing his bridges. We are still arguing at his table. We are still trying to find our way home.”
Herbert Macaulay was born in 1864, two years before the first railway line reached Lagos. He died in 1946, two years before the railway would carry him home from Kano one last time.
“In between, he lived three lives: 1. The Surveyor Trained in England, he mapped Lagos. He believed if you could draw the land, you could claim it. 2. The Agitator – Founder of NCNC, publisher of Lagos Daily News, News, he mapped a new politics. He believed if you could write the truth, you could free a people. 3. The Host
“At Kirsten Hall, he mapped a new culture. He believed if you could set the table, you could unite a nation.
“May this story remind us that nation-building is not a speech. It is a lifetime of showing up, pen in hand, kola in bowl, refusing to leave the table empty.”
Speaking on the idea behind the play, and it is so important to tell the story now, Oshinaike said: Now, because it’s politics time. “I wanted people to remember that the game of politics starts with the person that started it in Nigeria.
“That’s Herbert Macaulay himself. He started the first political party in Nigeria in the 1923. Also, to let people know the history, the man that started it all, how it all began, his struggles, his thinking, and his vision for Nigeria.
“Most importantly, it’s 80 years that he passed on. So, celebrating his 80th memorial anniversary, we are trying to immortalise him, not just celebrating him. He is somebody that has not been really talked about in Nigeria.
“We have been talking about people that just did one little thing. I think Herbert Macaulay should be remembered. Yes, they did something very magnanimous for him then, by put his face on our one naira. But nobody’s even seeing the one naira anymore.
“The children of today don’t know who Herbert Macaulay is. So, we’re trying to let them see, know the history, and know how he worked fervently for Lagos freedom, especially during the reign of Oba Esugbayi.
“We need to start telling our story ourselves, the way we think we can, before somebody else will tell it anyhow.
“You go on the internet, see so many things about Herbert Macaulay that are really not Herbert Macaulay’s. So, I decided to put this together to make people know when he was born, to when he died, how he died.
“His struggle also, his route towards nationalism, trying to make Nigeria one. He died on active service, when he went to Kano to campaign, to join politics, bring political groups together. He has pulled the South together, he then went to Kano to continue the journey, when he fell ill. And during that time, he died.
“So, we need to let people know, see the story about Herbert Macaulay. We need to honour his legacy. immortalized him, erect monuments in his honour. It’s not just a celebration, it should be happening every year.”
According to Oshinaike, the one hour 15 minutes play is being produced in collaboration with Herbert Macaulay Foundation and the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture.
