4th November, 2011
 Former child-singer, Tosin Jegede, now in her late twenties spoke with P.M.NEWS ENTERTAINMENT on her plans for marriage, her music, pet project, Tosin Jegede Foundation among others
As a former kid singer, did your albums bring you fame and fortune?
Well, while performing as a kid, I was having the opportunity of moving round the country and attended different events. But really why I was all over the country, I was trying to get something to offer to motherless babies’ homes. The first thing was to be involved in some other things like the ‘Better Life for Rural Women’, a pet project of the former first lady, the late Mrs. Maryam Babangida. That gave me the exposure of moving around different communities.
Therefore, with that, I had my records being played on all radio stations and TV stations and it made me even more popular.
After that time, you went into oblivion. Why did you quit music?
No! I have not quit music. Like I said earlier, music has always been in me, but I think I just shifted my passion, I mean I refocused my passion and basically it was the reason why I went back to singing which was to do something positive.
Music is a natural thing if you look at it. In music I would attribute it not really to the song but to the work I do because I would never see myself as a full time musician.
When do you hope to produce a new album?
Another album, I think I am trying to adjust to the music scene in Nigeria right now. Between now and next year by the special grace of God, I hope to release an album.
Your songs were focused on children, then you were a kid and now you are an adult. In your next album, will you focus on children as usual?
Well, when I was a kid, I was thinking and singing like a kid. Now I am an adult, I can see through the eyes of a child and also see through the eyes of an adult too. So it wouldn’t be a song for children. I would rather be positive because I am an adult. I mean positive song really.
You studied outside the country. Can you compare the education overseas and that of Nigeria, specifically regarding the mass failure of Nigerian students in exams like NECO, WAEC, GCE, JAMB etc. these days?
Education is really a problem in Nigeria. Yes, there are a few things that are wrong with our education system. Why our children fail their NECO, WAEC and JAMB is because there is no proper training, corruption, attitude of our teachers and government.
In our universities, the students also face this problem of not being properly trained. But the good thing is that, we are beginning to realise and acknowledge the mistakes and we are trying to fix them.
What do you think can be done to eradicate the problems we have with education?
Well, in my view, first and foremost, let’s start from primary schools, before a child enters secondary school to university level, the child needs to be mentored on courses to be chosen. The child needs a good direction, based on the course the child is good at, so that he or she will not make a wrong choice.
Also, children need career counselling. Like in England, the moment a child is out of primary school, he or she will have career counsellor who will lead him or her to the main courses that will lead him or her through secondary to university to become a professional or perfect in his or her area of specialisation.
Therefore, such approach should take place in Nigeria. The primary school is where my organisation is working on.
What is the ‘one child one book’ project all about?
The real motive behind it has to do with the future. We look at 2035. Imagine in the next four or five years what the child could do with a story book when they form reading culture that early in life. We believe that by 2035, today’s children would become the president, doctors, governors, entrepreneurs, etc. That’s the reason we felt it was very important to create the reading culture right from primary school level because in the secondary school, they write essay, in the university they write thesis.
We like to improve the level of literacy in our society. In 2009, Nigeria ranked 139 out of 179 countries in literacy according to UNESCO. We are basically interested in how to improve on this record.
Against this backdrop of high level of illiteracy, how do we address the issue of children hawking on the streets to support their families?
First and foremost, children hawking on the streets instead of facing their education is because of poverty. They do it to support their family’s income. The Lagos State government has enacted a law against child labour. They have placed a law on any child found on the streets hawking when the child is supposed to be in school.
The Federal Government should provide necessary amenities, address the minimum wage issue, improve the quality of life as well as improve family income.
All these cannot happen in one year, but it could be legislated and enforced that any parent who engages his children for labour or abusing them should be punished. Also, when we have regular electricity supply, potable water, decent accommodation, food for all, good roads, adequate health facilities, then we can say there is better life in general.
So many things are happening, like labour crisis, strike here and there. What should be done to bring about cordial relationship between government and the people?
The government should meet with employers of labour to discuss the budget; the minimum wage should be implemented by government so that people shouldn’t be working with anger. The government should make policies that will empower people to create their own company and employ people. This will reduce unemployment in our country.
The government should as well form an organisation and empower people to manage it with close supervision and if the person is not doing well with it, he or she will definitely quit the project or contract for more serious people to take over.
Now, let’s discuss Tosin Jegede Foundation
Tosin Jegede Foundation is an organisation started in 2001. We had our first project in November, 2005, an art exhibition basically to educate the Nigerian people including royal fathers. Then we came back again in 2010 and organised children’s programme in Amuwo Odofin local council. Basically, we are trying to empower the less privileged Nigerians. But when we look back again, the passion is always being with children. So we worked with children first and we are now building a foundation that focuses on education.
Now we are a registered organisation. We sponsored ‘one child one book’ in a primary school. This year, we organised a holiday workshop for children in primary schools with the theme: ‘what would you like to be in future?’. The ‘one child one book’ project is meant to improve the reading culture among children in primary schools.
How do you get assistance for your projects?
Because we got registered recently, what we have done so far is a programme within our families friends and some well wishers to really expose our project. Going forward we will be giving everybody the opportunity to make the difference with the children we meet. Together, we are going to touch their lives. We solicited for funds from individuals and engaged in various creative ways and intend to do things differently and be able to meet our objectives.
As a Nigerian or Yoruba lady to be precise, it is believed that kitchen is the first office of a lady and you are in your late twenties, when do you intend to settle down in marriage?
Soon! If the kitchen is the first office, I don’t know what you have to say about the president of Liberia, Ellen-Sirleaf Johnson. I think the thing for me is about really driving what am doing and putting all my energy into it. The aspect of settling down is something I would look forward to do.
Do you have a man in your life right now that you intend to settle down with?
Yes.
How soon?
Very, very soon, by the special grace of God. For now, I don’t want to focus on any relationship because my life is too complicated. I have so many opportunities in front of me. I would rather focus on my work than who would be the potential man I will marry. So, I want the focus to really be on my work.
Since you did not actually mix with the local people as an Ekiti lady, do you still hold on your culture like pounding yam?
I love pounded yam. I can pound, using the traditional mortar with pestle. As tradition permits, I can do it the local way.