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| CRIMMD Library |
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| Currency |
BY ADA DIKE
“Awesome!”
is the word that would come out of anyone’s mouth visiting the Center for
Research, Information Management and Media Development (CRIMMD), for the first
time. This is due to the array of items that can interest anyone that wants to
know more about the history of Nigeria.
The centre
has a “Photo Museum of Nigeria History” and also specialized in managing
information; media and political research; biographical and autobiographical
writings; documentations, exhibitions and script editing.
Founded by Dr. Raphael James, CRIMMD, which is
a non-political, non-governmental and non-profit making but standard research
developmental institution, is situated at 138 Idimu-Ejigbo Road, Idimu Lagos.
To a young
Nigerian, shells are found by the shore of beaches, so one wonders why James
kept the in the museum. Asked what the shells represent, he said: “This section
of the museum contains Nigerian currencies. In the past, many West African
countries used shells as a means of exchange, representing money. We have
different sizes of shells depicting different amount of money.
Where do
people get cowries from? He was asked: “They come from the sea. I was at the
Badagry Beach, Lagos some weeks ago and some young men were swimming. One of
them brought out something from the sea and called it ‘Sea tongue’. He said he
was going to sell it for N3, 000.00. Though I didn’t know what it was, I
jokingly told him to sell it to me at N1, 500.00 but he refused. I laughed.
Interestingly, the moment he moved, I turned and saw exactly the same thing so
I picked it and asked him to buy it. He said he would pay N500. I have kept it
and I am also trying to find out what it is meant for,” he said.
“We have old currency and coins – dating to
the period, prior to the establishment of the West African Currency Board:
samples of used various forms of money including cowries and manilas and other
strange commodities that were also used as a form of exchange known as barter. I
discovered that there were five sizes of the manila currency, originally. We
have been able to get four and we are searching desperately to get the last
size.
“We have
samples of the West African coins of 1930’s; the July 1, 1959, Central Bank of
Nigeria currency notes and coins; the 1965 denominations; 1968, Nigeria civil
war currency denominations; 1973, decimal currency; February 11, 1977 currency
denominations; the July 2, 1979, currency notes of three denominations and the
February 2007 redesigned currency notes. I am a researcher so I go out of my
way to search for these items. Once I have an idea about something, I go the
extra mile to get it and keep it in the museum.”
Where do
people get cowries from? He was asked: “They come from the sea. I was at the
Badagry Beach, Lagos some weeks ago and some young men were swimming. One of
them brought out something from the sea and called it ‘Sea tongue’. He said he
was going to sell it for N3, 000.00. Though I didn’t know what it was, I
jokingly told him to sell it to me at N1, 500.00 but he refused. I laughed.
Interestingly, the moment he moved, I turned and saw exactly the same thing so
I picked it and asked him to buy it. He said he would pay N500. I have kept it
and I am also trying to find out what it is meant for,” he said.
The founder of
CRIMMD has served as Administrative Officer, Ondo State University Ado-Ekiti
(NYSC) from 1992 to1993. He was part of what was called “Newswatch Dream Team”
after he joined Newswatch magazine in 1994 and they were specifically working
on “Who Is Who In Nigeria” then and provided research materials for the
editorial team.
He worked as
a Media Assistant to Abia State Governor, Government House Abia, 1999-2000. James
has received many awards from different quarters in recognition of his works. The
museum is powered by CRIMMD which established a free public library that was
commissioned to the public on December 16, 2004, by the former Federal Minister
of Information, Chief Sir, Alex Akinyele JP.
On December
28, 2008, CRIMMD commenced, visited and donated books worth one million Naira
to 33 media organizations in Nigeria, as its contribution to boost the reading
culture in Nigeria.
Shedding
light on the importance of the photographs in his museum, he said that
everything they have in the museum tells a story about Nigeria to the younger
ones that are coming up. “For example, there is a photograph of a Mercedes Benz
with soldiers standing behind it that is hung on the wall. I want to assume
that that car belonged to General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd). That was the day of
the handing over note of Biafra back to Nigeria was signed at the booth of the
car. We also have the original copy of the handing over note of Biafra to
Nigeria. The pictures we have here
remind us where we are coming from and enable us to prepare ourselves where we
are going to,” he explained.
It has taken
him about five years to put the photographs together and his sources are wide
because he doesn’t restrict himself. “As you observed, I have a collection of
biographies which are up to 156 and most of these biographies have different
pictures. So I lift some of the photographs from those books. I got some of
them from magazines, old newspapers and so on. I go to the National Libraries
and take shots of old newspapers and also buy a couple of the photographs from
people. For example, there is a photograph of a champagne wine here for Sir
Adisa Akinloye. I remember buying it for N5,000.00 because I needed it
desperately. Prof. Wole challenged me to see if I could get that photograph so
I got it to prove to him that it is possible.
“It is very difficult to cover in writing the
treasure on display in ‘the Nigeria at 100’ Archi-Seum; historically, it is the
making of Nigeria in full measure. The collection is awesome; it is a timeless
treasure of Nigeria on the move to the next level. You have to visit us to
appreciate us.
“We have about 10,000 photographs of
everything that has to do with Nigerian history in our internal hard drive.”
James revealed while giving the estimate of the numbers of photographs he has
in his museum of his good works to preserve Nigerian history.
“Our museum
of photo history is rich with photographs and portraits of the slave trades and
its relics, through to the famous Berlin Conference of 1884/85; the era of
Explorers (Expedition) of Dr. Mungo Park, Richard Landers and others. The onset
of the merchants of the Royal Niger Company of Sir George Goldie through to
Lord Fredrick Lugard who amalgamated Nigeria in 1914 and his wife, a former
colonial secretary of great Britain, Flora Shaw, who historically invented a
name for us-from ‘Niger-Area’ to Nigeria.
“We have outstanding
landmark personalities: the likes of King Onyeama, King Jaja of Opobo, Queen
Amina of Zaria and Bishop Ajayi Crowther, among others. Protectorates governors
and all former Governor Generals; fire brand die-hard Nationalist from Sir
Herbert Macaulay through to Mazi Mbaonu Ojike; indigenous Governor General;
Regional premiers and Regional Governors; Military Head of States and their
deputies; Military governors and the Military Administrators that ever ruled in
the making and shaping of Nigeria. Civilian elected presidents and vice
presidents; and all the first ladies from Mrs. Flora Ogbeyalu Azikiwe to Dame
Patience Jonathan; elected civilians governors up to the present time,
including Senate presidents and the Speakers of House of Representatives from
the pre-independence era to the present time.
“A pictorial
roll call of Chief Justices of Nigeria; Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Administrators/Ministers; Inspector General of Police (past and present);
Secretaries to the Federal Government; Chiefs of Army Staff, Naval Staff; Air
Staff, Chiefs of Defense and the Ministers of Defense; Comptroller General of
Customs Service; Chairmen of Electoral Commissions; Central Bank of Nigeria
Governors; notable people in the News; Nigeria women of substance and
achievers; Events of the century; the Nigerian Civil War and personalities.
“There is a
section on “The 12 hour revolution of Isaac Boro”; “The June 12 Saga” The
Second World War; The Nigerian Civil War; Biafran Republic, including emblems
like stamps, currency, coat of arm and many others – relics of historical
significance.
“There are
in addition, some historical relics like stamps - as well as the history of
stamps dating back to the era of the first post office in Nigeria, a branch of
the British General Post Office in 1851, to the era when the Royal Niger
Company operated a parallel post office and postal administration in the Oil
Rivers Protectorate of the Niger Coast territories in 1887, to the period when Thomas
De La Rue Coy Ltd of London was awarded the first contract for printing the
definitive Postage Stamps for the colony of Lagos in 1868 by the Crown Agents. Our
museum has on display hundreds of stamps printed in the last 100 years.
“We also
have National symbols past and present and a lot more, including different maps
of Nigeria displaying state creations from the protectorate era to the present
36 states, old and new national anthem and the composers, amalgamations
speeches and all coup speeches, symbols of coat of arms, flags and the
personalities behind them. All photographs we have in our museum have profiles.
There is also the book section, hosting great biographies of Nigerians, Nigeria
history books, Military books, Civil war books and Who’s who in Nigeria books.”
He gave an
estimate of the number of books you has in his library by saying that they have
over one million and twenty four (1,000, 024) books and over a hundred (100)
bundles of magazines.
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| CRIMMD photo museum |
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| Dr. Raphael James |
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| Stamp |
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