Wild Meets Urban: Fresh call for safer biodiversity
The interconnectivity between man, his environment and wild life is one of the messages expressed in rare images in a photo exhibition tagged Wild meets urban, by Dr. Aako Ugbabe,
The interconnectivity between man, his environment and wild life is one of the messages expressed in rare images in a photo exhibition tagged Wild meets urban, by Dr. Aako Ugbabe, an engineer and physicist with a strong passion for nature walks, bird watching and photography. Central subjects of Ugbabe’s photographs are birds in their natural habitat, insects, butterflies and wildflowers as well as people who engage in their day-to-day activities.
Wild meets urban, which opened last Saturday at Didi Museum, Victoria Island, Lagos, is featuring no fewer than 65 photographs that reaffirm the enduring power of photographic image, which preserves memory, provokes thought, and deepens collective understanding of the space humans inhabit and the lives that unfold within them.
Bulk of the collection captures the city of Jos environment, his home town Oturkpo, in Benue State and their surroundings. Literally, the exhibition did not only transport Ugbabe’s living archive and memories to the white walls of Didi Museum for the enjoyment of the Lagos artist community, but also reawakens the consciousness that our diversity is our strength, and our shared environment is our common home.
Ugbabe’s desire to host an exhibition was not deliberate. At first, the idea of documenting images such as birds, nature, landscape and people came about during COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was forced to remain in-door. In order to kill boredom, he decided to step outside and observe nature and the birds, some of which even came to his house. Armed with his camera, he started to take photograph of the restless birds and environment which formed a huge collection.
“Yeah, like some of the birds came right into my home. And one of them is a very rare bird. Also, I love to take pictures of people, just that people don’t want you to take their photographs,” he noted.
The engineer who has lived in Jos for over 50 years, recalled that ‘Nigeria has happened’ to Jos following the endless insecurity on the Plateau, a cosmopolitan city that used to be home to all.
I’ve lived in Jos long enough. For 50 years plus.
Now tell me, is Jos, still the Jos of the old? Of course, not. Is Nigeria the same as Nigeria of old? So Jos can’t be different. Jos has suffered what Nigerians have suffered. Nigeria has happened to Jos.
However, when I see children on the road coming out of school, I can see the joy, the laughter when they are playing. And I can see hope in their eyes. But I say, in Nigeria, hope has a question mark. The children don’t know it yet, because they are ignorant of the environment.
To him, the exhibition is meant to draw attention to the fact that without environment man cannot survive. It is also to draw attention to the beauty of our country. He said many Nigerians are unaware of their environment, which speaks to the fact that we don’t know ourselves.
“We need to pay attention to the environment, pay attention to who we are. It’s a beautiful country. We have lots to give to the world and they are thinking about us. It’s interesting. And just the atmosphere alone is wonderful,” he added.
Beyond these, the exhibition also interrogates the ethnic profiling associated with insecurity in the country, particularly the Fulani herdsmen. “I wanted to bring to focus images of Fulani people often perceived as kidnappers. We forget that these herdsmen have wives and children. I took the photograph of one of the women by the river side washing her clothes. That girl or woman has a husband and a brother. That is a human interest story often lost to banditry or kidnapping. I used to live near a RUGA in the village where cattle and sheep are raised. But they are also into crop farm.
Every day a woman from that RUGA will come to my house give my mother Nunu. Every day she will bring Nunu till my mother died five years ago. But, the sad part of it is because when this crisis escalated people said we have to drive all of them away because you can’t trust them. For me, it was painful. That’s actually the dilemma of ethnic profiling,” he said with heavy heart.
As lover of nature and bird watcher, Ugbabe sees birds as part of the ecosystem, which must be preserved and protected, because according to him, it’s a real struggle being a bird.
“First of all, I see them as part of nature, trying to survive like us. It’s a real struggle being a bird. It’s not an easy life. No, it’s not. They have so many challenges. First, the predators then other birds and human beings hunt them. Some animals will go to their nest and eat their eggs.
Then the storm comes and the whole of their nest and their young ones are flushed out. But, they have to continue.
“As an engineer and physicist, I see bird’s flight as extremely astonishing. It’s astonishing what birds can do with their flight. No aircraft can do it. But, I see how wonderful it is. And they do it effortlessly. It’s therapeutic in the sense that bird watching expands your vision. It expands your life. It brings a whole new dimension to your life,” Ugbabe noted.
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Curator of the exhibition, Mr. Moses Ohiomokhare said Ugbabe’s photographs move beyond surface description to explore the textures of life—moments of quiet resilience, cultural continuity, and the subtle rhythms that define everyday existence.
“He engages with nature, the birds, the animals and the environment. The works presented here operate within the rich tradition of documentary photography while retaining a strong aesthetic sensibility. Light, composition, and perspective are carefully orchestrated to create images that are both intimate and expansive. The result is a visual essay that encourages viewers to reconsider the familiar and to reflect on how images shape our understanding of community, history, and identity.
“This exhibition also contributes to the evolving discourse of contemporary photography in Nigeria. By situating personal observation within broader cultural narratives, Aako’s work opens a space for dialogue between art scholarship, and social reflection. The photographs function not merely as records but as invitations to look closely, to question, and to engage with the stories embedded within the visual field,” he stated.
Wild meets urban, which will run till May 16 is dedicated to the late Mr Joseph E. Akenova, a close friend of Mr. Ugbabe.
