Literature

I went down fighting - Agada

The Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, held its 30th Annual International Convention in Abuja from Wednesday 30th November to Sunday 4th December, 2011. And one of the main activities at the conference was the election of new executive council members for the association. In the keenly contested election, the incumbent president, DR. JERRY AGADA, lost to Professor REMI RAJI by only three votes. In this interview with SUMAILA UMAISHA, conducted shortly after the election, he spoke his mind about the exercise.

Question: How would you describe the election?

Dr. Jerry Agada: Well, the election was very good, very interesting. It has been keenly fought and won. And I?m happy that I went down fighting to the best of my ability.

Professor Remi Raji defeated you by only three votes; you could have knocked off this insignificant margin. What went wrong?

I saw my agent there; he was complaining. He said during the counting he saw that Professor Olu Obafemi, one of the electoral officials, picked two or three ballot papers at a time. So he was protesting that they should recount, but they refused. He protested to everybody, he sent text to Odia Ofeimun and to me. He met Professor Sam Okala, chairman of the electoral committee, but he said no, he is not re-counting. So if they had recounted? But no problem, I?m not complaining.

In that case, you wouldn?t say this election was free and fair?

Well, that is what my agent said; because he insisted on recounting if there was no foul play.

Now that it has turned out this way, what is your wish for ANA?

My wish for ANA is progress. You know, like I said in my speech at the AGM, ANA is something that I have passion for, ANA is in my blood. It is even now that I will work harder for ANA, if they come to me for anything, like I have been doing. When Dr. Wale Okediran was the president was I not the one at background providing support? The new EXCO can come to me for any assistance; I?m not that kind of person, I will do my best. I?m a different person with a different orientation; I will continue to be doing my best for ANA. Like I have repeatedly explained, there is no president of ANA that has shown commitment to ANA than I have done. Have you ever seen in the history of an ANA convention where the president bankrolled the whole thing? The Local Organising Committee did not come with one naira. The national EXCO didn?t have anything. And I wanted the convention to hold, because by my own conscience, I felt that if the election was not held somebody somewhere would say, ?you cancelled the conference so that election will not take place?. That was why I went out of my way to show that commitment so that it will hold.

Finally, what?s your message to ANA members, particularly the newly elected EXCO?

My message to ANA members is to please cooperate with the new EXCO. ANA is something that can be managed with cooperation. If there is no cooperation things will not work properly. So my advice to ANA members is that they should please give them support. And for the new EXCO? you know, they came in with acrimony, insulting people up and down; for the past five months they have been sending text messages everyday insulting personalities like me, they should behave responsibly. Did you see one day that I replied them? I never, because I knew for sure that they didn?t know what they were doing. Now that they have come, the taste of the pudding is in the eating. So I think the way they have come in they should now demonstrate their commitment by carrying ANA to greater height. I will support them as a person. And I want other members to support them too. And they themselves should not claim to have monopoly of ideas; let them be receptive to ideas from other members so that together ANA would be moved greater height.

(c) published in the New Nigerian edition of 11/12/11.

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