Effects of the Virus

Ben Enwonwu, Nigerian Sculptor

From the 1940s and into the 1960s the name of Nigerian artist and sculptor Ben Enwonwu was internationally known. We learned about him during our Peace Corps training in 1962. I was intrigued to read about his legacy in the article in Quartz.

I remember clearly his powerful bronze statue of Sango, the Yoruba god of thunder and lightning. The statue is still standing in front of what was the headquarters of the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, ECN. Today the organization inside the building is the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

Clem, my husband, was ECN’s Chief Engineer when we met in 1963. My very first conversation with him was in that building on the Marina in Lagos.

Enwonwu’s son talks about his father’s work and legacy in this video.

Well-Known American Sculptor

Kevin Box is a current American artist. His “Rock Paper Scissors” sculpture is coming to Westport. Dan Woog reported on the gift in his blog 06880 a few days ago.

Ann Sheffer and her husband Bill Scheffler. longtime major donors in Westport, are making the gift to the town. “Rock Paper Scissors” stands nine feet tall and will be on Jesup Green in front of the library.

On my next-to-last day in Lagos I had engaged in a Rock Paper Scissors competition with my grandson. Bruche had to explain the hand signals to me! I can’t remember who won, but I think I did! What were we competing for? No idea!

Do you use this method to decide who is a winner?

Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange Problems

With the drastic fall of the price of oil, Nigeria is facing a major shortage of foreign exchange. Ambassador Campbell explains the situation in his blog post.

The Central Bank has devalued the Naira, from 306 to a dollar to 360. But even that doesn’t reflect the real value. On the street it takes nearly 450 Naira to buy a dollar! And the expected future price is even higher.

This shortage means that manufacturers who count on foreign raw materials cannot bring in supplies.  Already hurt by the virus lockdown, they are facing more shutdowns.

I wonder what will happen to the foreign foods in the supermarkets where I shopped a few times. But as Campbell says, most of the country doesn’t shop in those stores or engage in manufacturing!

“[I]t is estimated that 65 percent of Nigerian GDP is produced by the informal sector. Further, another rough estimate is that half of the population continues to be rural. Hence, together with the fact that government has little or no role in the lives of most Nigerians, it is likely that most Nigerians are not significantly directly impacted by oil prices, government revenue, stock indices, and foreign exchange shortages; the ongoing breakdown in security in many parts of the country is likely to be of greater concern,” Ambassador Campbell says.

Yet the effects of the virus may be felt even there. If the virus spreads and government is unable to bring in supplies to help with health care, people will notice. And already it’s difficult for the government to provide economic support for those out of work because of the shutdowns.

The pandemic itself was of course unexpected.

Now that it’s here, what unusual effects have you seen? Anything positive? Only negative? How has it affected your life?