ACETNews
The past came alive on stage at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, as Ejo N’Gboro, a theatrical portrayal of the life and times of nationalist, engineer, surveyor and political activist, Herbert Samuel Heelas Macaulay, took audiences back to an important chapter in the history of Lagos.
The stage drama, written and directed by Muyiwa Osinake, presented Macaulay not merely as a historical figure but as one of the personalities whose ideas, struggles and commitment to his people helped shape the Lagos that exists today.
Presented by the Macaulay Heritage Foundation in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the production was part of the “Herbert Macaulay, 80 Years After: Monumenting the Spirit of Lagos” initiative, which seeks to preserve the memory and contributions of the nationalist eight decades after his death.
Through theatre, history was transformed from a distant account into a living experience, with the production taking audiences into the world of colonial Lagos and the circumstances that shaped Macaulay’s activism and his relationship with the people.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Bopo Oyekan-Ismaila, underscored the importance of remembering the city’s historical figures.
Speaking at the event, Oyekan-Ismaila said the production was an attempt to revive the stories, lifestyle, ambience and environment of the Lagos of previous generations.
She described Macaulay as an icon and urged Nigerians not to forget their heroes. “We must never forget our heroes. We celebrate them always,” she said.
Oyekan-Ismaila also linked the production to Lagos’ wider cultural and tourism ambitions, calling for Nigerian creative works to gain greater international visibility.
She said Lagos and Nigeria should produce films, plays and other creative works capable of promoting the country’s culture globally.
“We want Nigerian movies, especially in Lagos State, to be the ones that will fly and promote the state and Nigeria worldwide,” she said.
For the Director-General Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA), Ola Awakan, the significance of the production extended beyond the theatre.
Awakan described Nigeria as “a land of stories” and said the stories of people who contributed to building the country must continue to be told accurately.
“I believe that storytelling is the way to go. I just want us to always connect to the stories of people who have built this nation,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s history should not be reduced to negative narratives, stressing that the country has a rich culture, arts, traditions and personalities that deserve to be projected to the world.
“Nigeria is a beautiful country of great culture, of great arts, of great personality, of great tradition. And that is the story that we tell to the world,” he said.
He called for the stories of historical figures such as Macaulay to be preserved for younger generations, especially Generation Z and Generation Alpha, saying this would help sustain Nigeria’s identity and culture.
Reacting to the production, Awakan described Ejo N’Gboro as an interesting and captivating play that successfully brought Macaulay’s contribution to the history of Lagos to the fore.
He said the production demonstrated the importance of knowing the stories of those who shaped society, adding that a people without knowledge of their history risk losing an important part of their identity.
“Without the knowledge of the story, it’s a society that is not in existence. And for a society to be in existence, we should continue to tell our original stories,” he said.
Awakan said Macaulay’s belief in his people and his use of his pen and knowledge to advocate for them made his story particularly relevant to contemporary Nigerians.
He therefore urged the producers to take the story beyond Lagos and Nigeria, saying it deserved to reach audiences across the country and beyond the shores of Nigeria.
He also congratulated Osinake, the actors, cast and crew for their efforts in bringing the historical narrative to the stage.
Awakan’s call for the story to reach younger Nigerians captured the essence of the production: that history must continually be retold if it is to remain meaningful.
Great-grandson of Herbert Macaulay Frank Adekunle Macaulay, said the evening provided an opportunity to remind audiences of the man behind the historical name.
Frank recalled his great-grandfather’s opposition to colonial rule and his commitment to the Nigerian people, highlighting his diverse accomplishments and political activism.
He described Macaulay as a man who challenged colonial authority with knowledge and the use of language, while devoting himself to the struggle for Nigerians across different parts of the country.
He also recalled Macaulay’s accomplishments as an engineer, surveyor and violinist, stressing that despite his privileged education and exposure, he dedicated his life to public service and the struggle for self-determination.
The family history, he noted, was also intertwined with Nigeria’s early educational development, adding another dimension to the legacy being commemorated through the stage production.
The performance thus became a convergence of theatre, history and cultural memory, allowing audiences to engage with Macaulay’s story beyond the pages of history books.
For the organisers and speakers, the larger challenge is how to ensure that such stories survive beyond those who witnessed them or grew up hearing them.
Ejo N’Gboro, therefore, was not only a tribute to Herbert Macaulay. It was also a reminder of the power of theatre to preserve memory, reclaim historical narratives and reconnect contemporary Lagos with the people and struggles that helped shape its identity.
