Lasisi unveils YouTube platform on use of English

Publisher of phenomenal.com.ng, Akeem Lasisi, has unfolded plans to regularly dish out English language lessons on YouTube. Through the project tagged Phenomenal English, he will be releasing the videos on Phenomenal Hub on YouTube.

For the multi-talented Lasisi, this seems to be another form of what he has been doing in the past three years, teaching English language in a weekly column – Punch English – in The Punch newspaper.

Every week, he breaks down naughty issues in the language, especially those where many people have problems.

He said that the project had been on since about six months ago, but had now hit the climax, meaning that the videos were ready.

Lasisi is a thoroughbred journalist but he has also been a teacher of English and literature. He is a leading performance poet who seeks to revolutionise the art by staging it, waxing poetry into albums and, perhaps more importantly, producing poetry videos that have been widely accepted. Phenomenal English, he however said, was an attempt at contributing to the revival of English in Nigeria and beyond.

A native of Ibadan, Oyo State, Lasisi studied Education/English at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife – after earning the National Certificate in Education (English/Yoruba) from the Oyo (now Osun) State College of Education, Ila-Orangun.

After teaching English language and literature for several years, he went into journalism, working with several media houses variously as a proofreader, reporter, staff writer and an assistant editor. Prizes he has won include the Association of Nigerian Authors/Cadbury Poetry Prize (twice) and the National Media Merit Awards.

“I have been in constant engagement with English for decades,” he said in a statement. “As a result, I know where the naughty issues are. I know where and why many pupils or students have problems. I am conversant with the technicalities that give even adults headache. And I am sure I am adequately equipped to help in resolving some of the problems. This is what I intend to do digitally with Phenomenal English on Phenomenal Hub/YouTube.”