Literature
- Niger State: The Making Of A Literary Capital
Once upon a time the area known today as Niger State was famous mainly for its strategic position as a major railway station that drew together people from diverse ethnic groups. But the literary revolution, which began with Abubakar Imam?s legendary...
- 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...
- 2011 Ana Convention: A Monumental Failure!
A cross-section of delegates at the convention The haunting memories...
- Funfair, As Writers Converge On The Sunshine State
It was funfair, fantasy and myth galore as Association of Nigerian Authors held its 29th International Convention in Akure, Ondo State, last week... SUMAILA UMAISHA reports: HELD under the theme, ?Myth, Fantasy and Indigenous Theatre? the three-day convention...
- Northern Nigeria Writers' Summit Makes First Outing (report)
The Northern Nigeria Writers? Summit instituted by the Northern chapters of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, has made its first outing. And what a grand outing it was! Not only was it well attended, the activities marking the event were so well...
Literature
ANA convention: The fun and the excitement!
A blow by blow account of the Annual International Conference of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, held in Minna, Niger State, from 29th to 31st October, 2009.
It was fun and excitement galore as the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, held its 28th Annual International Convention in Minna, Niger State, last weekend.
The three-day event, which began with a cocktail on Thursday 29th October and ended with an award dinner on Saturday 31st, featured a number of exciting activities. They included a grand opening ceremony, drama presentation, Annual General Meeting and election of the association.
The turn-out at the event was equally impressive. Delegates from all the state chapters across the country were in attendance. Top government officials were not left out. The Niger State governor, Dr. Mu?azu Babangida Aliyu, popularly known as Chief Servant, was among those who graced the occasion.
The excitement actually began from the early hours of Thursday with the arrival and registration of participants at Shiroro Hotel, the main venue of the conference. The atmosphere at the hotel was literally filled with joy and laughter as fellow writers welcomed each other with vigorous handshakes and loud pats on the back.
Participants poured in non-stop and by 8 pm the hotel rooms had all been occupied. Those who came later had to be lodged in some hotels in town.
The day was rounded off with a befitting welcome cocktail at Murtala Muhammed Park, where poems were recited amid eating and drinking.
Activities scheduled for the following day, Friday, included a courtesy visit on the Niger State governor. But this could not take place because the governor was in Ghana attending the 6th International Conference on Safety and Security in Africa. Even the opening ceremony originally planned for 10 am had to be postponed to 3 pm pending the expected arrival of the governor later in the day.
Meanwhile, the technical session on the sub-themes of the convention scheduled for 2.30 pm was shifted back to fill the period of waiting. The session was held from 10 am at the UK Bello Arts Theatre, which was also the venue of the opening ceremony.
The theme of the conference was ?Literature, Leadership, Development and Good Governance?. Sub-themes included ?Nurturing Future Leadership: Recent Experiments in Children?s Literature? by Olabisi Atinmo, former Humanities Editor, Longman Nigeria Plc, and ?Don?t Hide it from the Kids: The Role of Witness Literature in Modelling Future Leadership? by Sunday Okoh, writer and publisher. All the four papers presented at the session emphasised the role of literature in the enhancement of good governance.
The governor arrived at the venue at about 3 pm and the opening ceremony commenced right away.
A welcome address by the Chairman of the Niger State chapter of ANA, Alhaji Baba Akote, set the tone for the ceremony. He recalled with nostalgia the last time the association?s annual convention was hosted by the chapter in 1991 and assured that the 2009 edition would turn out even more memorable. He said the financial support by the state government to the tune of 10.9 million Naira towards organising the event would go a long way in ensuring the success of the convention.
The chairman also recounted some of the assistance rendered to the chapter by the state government since the Chief Servant assumed office as the governor in 2007. Among the long list were donations of 23 hectares of land for the building of a writers? village in Minna, 3 million naira for a reading campaign, 5 million Naira for the organisation of the 1st Northern Writers? Summit by the state chapter, and publication of seven children?s books and four anthologies for the convention.
He expressed gratitude to the governor and called on other governors, organisations and individuals to emulate the Chief Servant so that the prevailing poor reading culture could be addressed. "This will help in curbing most of the social vices our society is witnessing today," he added.
In his address, the president of ANA (now former president) Dr. Wale Okediran, commented on, among other things, the recent controversial Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, Literature Award. It would be recalled that though nine Nigerian poets were longlisted for the prize this year, the judges announced at the award dinner that none of them was qualified even for a honourable mention. Okediran observed that it was unfortunate and painful that after all the publicity and euphoria over the longlist, no writer was judged to be worthy of the prize.
He expressed the hope that "the NLNG which we consider as our partner in progress will take adequate steps to avoid these kind of unnecessary distractions in the future by consulting far and wide with stakeholders in the book business on how to avoid these pitfalls".
He, however, reminded writers that the principal objective of writing was to be read and responded to and not to necessarily win prizes. He said due to the high rate of subjectivity in literary competitions any writer who placed his measurement of writing on the ability to win prizes could be frustrated.
The keynote address by Professor Pat Utomi of the Business Schoool, Lagos, was presented by Professor Ekanem on his behalf. ?Literature, Leadership, Development and Good Governance?, the 6-page paper focused on two key areas ? the concept of leadership and development in relation to governance. He defined the symbiotic relationship between leadership style and development and affirmed that the core growth drivers were basically policy choices, institutions, human capital, culture and leadership. If these were on the upswing, he said, development would be inevitable. He then concluded: "My hope and prayer is that whether art imitates life or shapes it that your work inspires renewal in this land. We need it. And if it happens, I assure you that material for great fiction will not evaporate."
In his own speech, Governor Aliyu, who was the Chief Host and Special Guest of Honour, identified effective leadership and good governance as some of the critical challenges facing developing democracies, especially in Africa. He also stressed the need for writers to rise to the occasion, saying writing was a viable panacea for undevelopment as it raises the questions on issues that people may pretend about or wish to hide, thereby serving as the conscience of the society. In his words: "Literature is about self-assessment of the society, it tests itself against the strength and weaknesses of the society and makes serious-minded individuals to reflect on their past, to be conscious of their present and to project into the future with a view to improving the status quo."
He expressed the wish that the discussions at the convention would "guide us towards attitudinal change which is sine qua non for effective servant leadership at this critical period of our socio-political development as a nation". On this note, he declared the convention open.
Other highlights of the ceremony were the presentation of ANA special anthologies, goodwill messages by guests and drama performances. A vote of thanks by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the convention, Hon. Usman Idris Gwarjiko, marked the end of the occasion.
Activities of the day were wrapped up with the convention play at the same venue from 8 pm. The play, which was presented by the ABU Drama Group, was a stage adaptation of Abubakar Gimba?s short story, ?A Toast in the Cemetery?. The play harped on the disturbing scourge of kidnapping, ritual murder and other forms of vices prevalent in most parts of the country, and subtly suggested the necessary actions to address the situation.
The last day of the convention, Saturday 31st, was arguably the most important day, as it witnessed the association?s AGM and the historic election which ushered in the new executive council that replaced the the Okediran-lead team that had spent four years; two terms of two years each.
The AGM commenced promptly at 9 am in the auditorium of Shiroro Hotel. Among the main items of the meeting were reports by the National General Secretary and the chairmen of the state chapters. The General Secretary (now former General Secretary), Malam Denja Abdullahi, highlighted issues ranging from the assdociation?s efforts to have a befitting secretariat in Abuja, the numerous workshops held by the association for the past four years, to the association?s land in Abuja which had long been a court case.
In spite of the enormous challenges that the new executive council would face addressing the aforementioned issues, Denja was optimistic about the association?s future: "We leave behind an association of immense goodwill and respect in the society and we hope our successors will mine and build on this to take the association to heights we are yet to even imagine."
It was unanimously agreed by the members that all the issues raised at the AGM should be tackled by the incoming executive council as a matter of urgency.
The election began at 3 pm after the electoral committee was contituted and the outgoing executive council dissolved. The three-man committee comprises Professor Sam Ukala of Delta State University, who served as the chairman, Professor Ibrahim Malumfashi of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, and Dr. May Ifeoma Nwoye of the University of Benin.
For the contestants, it had been a long journey in terms of campaigns. Aspirants for the post of President were particularly ?loud? in their publicity drive.
Dr. Jerrey Agada, who was the incumbent Vice President of the association, former Minister of State for Education and currently the Chairman of National Commission for Colleges of Education, explored the mass media and GSM for his campaign. In fact, a few minutes to the election a text message was sent to almost every ANA member, soliciting for votes. This is in addition to campaigns through fliers and supporters visiting delegates in their hotel rooms to canvass for votes.
His opponent, Alhaji Yahaya Dangana, adopted similar campaign strategy. The former National Publicity Secretary of ANA, Artistic Consultant for the ceremonies of the 2003 All Africa Games in Abuja, the 2009 National Sports festival in Kaduna, the ongoing Under-17 World cup, and the Senior Special Adviser to the Niger State governor, had a home advantage as a Minna-based writer. And he was expertly utilising it. But at the end of the day, Agada emerged the winner.
Dr. Sunday Ododo of the University of Maiduguri, who is the Chairman of the panel of judges for ANA annual literary awards, emerged Vice President, while Mr. Hyacinth Obunseh, former Assistant General Secretary, won the post of General Secretary.
Malam Alkasim Abdulkadir moved from the post of National Publicity Secretary (North) to Assistant General Secretary, while Omale Allen Abduljabar became the National Publicity Secretary (North). Ebika Anthony was elected National Publicity Secretary, South.
The posts of Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Auditor and Legal Adviser went to Maryam Ali Ali, Ofonime Inyang, Greg Mbajiorgu and Tade Ipadeola, respectively.
In an interview with this reporter shortly after the election, the new president pledged to concentrate on what he called a four-point focus that would take the association to the Promised Land.
The Dinner/award night came up around 8.30 pm at 123 Quarters Gymnasium. Highlight of the occasion, chaired by Abubakar Gimba, was the award of ANA special honours and literary prizes. After speeches by dignitaries, including the Secretary to the Niger State Government, Dr. Muhammed Kuta Yahaya, who represented the governor, the roll call of awardees and prize winners began, even as food and drinks were being served.
The ANA special awards were given to individuals and organisations in recognition of the assistance they rendered to the association. Kraft Books Publishing Company and the Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Professor Ezeldin M. Abdurrahaman, were among the recipients of the special award.
The literary prizes were won as follow: ANA/ATIKU ABUBAKAR PRIZE FOR CHILDREN?S LITERATURE - One Little Mosquito by Ndidi Enenmor; ANA/FUNTIME PRIZE FOR CHILDREN?S LITERATURE - Cry No More (unpublished) by Roy Nkwocha; ANA/NDDC FLORA NWAPA PRIZE FOR WOMEN WRITING - Beyond Imagination by Goldlyn Ugonna; ANA/JACARANDA PRIZE FOR PROSE - Storm in the Will by Inyang E. Ekwo; ANA/LANTERN PRIZE FOR CHILDREN FICTION - The Little Wizard of Okokomaiko (unpublished) by Henry Akubuiro; ANA/CHEVRON PROSE PRIZE ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ? The Web by P.N. Ihebom; ANA/NDDC KEN SARO-WIWA PRIZE FOR PROSE - Dreams Deferred by Ozioma Izuora and Nights of the Creaking Bed by Toni Kan; ANA/NDDC GABRIEL OKARA PRIZE FOR POETRY - What the Sea Told Me by E.E. Sule; ANA/JAMES ENE HENSHAW PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING - Dance of the Sacred Feet (unpublished) by Ade Adeniji; ANA/NDDC J.P. CLARK PRIZE FOR DRAMA - Hope Harvesters by Victor Dugga, and ANA/CADBURY PRIZE FOR POETRY - Heart Songs by Akachi Adimora?Ezeigbo.
The Literary Journalist of the Year Award was won by Benjamin Ubiri, literary editor of the Abuja-based Newspapge newspaper.
The occasion reluctantly came to an end around 11 pm, thus ending the three days of fun and excitement.
As participants departed Minna on Sunday, November 1st, their mutual wish was obvious ? to meet again in Akure, Ondo State, for the 2010 edition of the conference.
(c) Reported by Sumaila Umaisha and published in the 7/11/09 edition of New Nigerian.
The election was beautiful - Agada
The new President of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Dr. Jerry Agada, spoke to SUMAILA UMAISHA moments after he was declared rin the election held at the association?s international conference in Minna, Niger State, last weekend. Excerpts:
It was fun and excitement galore as the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, held its 28th Annual International Convention in Minna, Niger State, last weekend.The three-day event, which began with a cocktail on Thursday 29th October and ended with an award dinner on Saturday 31st, featured a number of exciting activities. They included a grand opening ceremony, drama presentation, Annual General Meeting and election of the association.
The turn-out at the event was equally impressive. Delegates from all the state chapters across the country were in attendance. Top government officials were not left out. The Niger State governor, Dr. Mu?azu Babangida Aliyu, popularly known as Chief Servant, was among those who graced the occasion.
The excitement actually began from the early hours of Thursday with the arrival and registration of participants at Shiroro Hotel, the main venue of the conference. The atmosphere at the hotel was literally filled with joy and laughter as fellow writers welcomed each other with vigorous handshakes and loud pats on the back.
Participants poured in non-stop and by 8 pm the hotel rooms had all been occupied. Those who came later had to be lodged in some hotels in town.
The day was rounded off with a befitting welcome cocktail at Murtala Muhammed Park, where poems were recited amid eating and drinking.
Activities scheduled for the following day, Friday, included a courtesy visit on the Niger State governor. But this could not take place because the governor was in Ghana attending the 6th International Conference on Safety and Security in Africa. Even the opening ceremony originally planned for 10 am had to be postponed to 3 pm pending the expected arrival of the governor later in the day.
Meanwhile, the technical session on the sub-themes of the convention scheduled for 2.30 pm was shifted back to fill the period of waiting. The session was held from 10 am at the UK Bello Arts Theatre, which was also the venue of the opening ceremony.
The theme of the conference was ?Literature, Leadership, Development and Good Governance?. Sub-themes included ?Nurturing Future Leadership: Recent Experiments in Children?s Literature? by Olabisi Atinmo, former Humanities Editor, Longman Nigeria Plc, and ?Don?t Hide it from the Kids: The Role of Witness Literature in Modelling Future Leadership? by Sunday Okoh, writer and publisher. All the four papers presented at the session emphasised the role of literature in the enhancement of good governance.
The governor arrived at the venue at about 3 pm and the opening ceremony commenced right away.
A welcome address by the Chairman of the Niger State chapter of ANA, Alhaji Baba Akote, set the tone for the ceremony. He recalled with nostalgia the last time the association?s annual convention was hosted by the chapter in 1991 and assured that the 2009 edition would turn out even more memorable. He said the financial support by the state government to the tune of 10.9 million Naira towards organising the event would go a long way in ensuring the success of the convention.The chairman also recounted some of the assistance rendered to the chapter by the state government since the Chief Servant assumed office as the governor in 2007. Among the long list were donations of 23 hectares of land for the building of a writers? village in Minna, 3 million naira for a reading campaign, 5 million Naira for the organisation of the 1st Northern Writers? Summit by the state chapter, and publication of seven children?s books and four anthologies for the convention.
He expressed gratitude to the governor and called on other governors, organisations and individuals to emulate the Chief Servant so that the prevailing poor reading culture could be addressed. "This will help in curbing most of the social vices our society is witnessing today," he added.
In his address, the president of ANA (now former president) Dr. Wale Okediran, commented on, among other things, the recent controversial Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, Literature Award. It would be recalled that though nine Nigerian poets were longlisted for the prize this year, the judges announced at the award dinner that none of them was qualified even for a honourable mention. Okediran observed that it was unfortunate and painful that after all the publicity and euphoria over the longlist, no writer was judged to be worthy of the prize.
He expressed the hope that "the NLNG which we consider as our partner in progress will take adequate steps to avoid these kind of unnecessary distractions in the future by consulting far and wide with stakeholders in the book business on how to avoid these pitfalls".
He, however, reminded writers that the principal objective of writing was to be read and responded to and not to necessarily win prizes. He said due to the high rate of subjectivity in literary competitions any writer who placed his measurement of writing on the ability to win prizes could be frustrated.
The keynote address by Professor Pat Utomi of the Business Schoool, Lagos, was presented by Professor Ekanem on his behalf. ?Literature, Leadership, Development and Good Governance?, the 6-page paper focused on two key areas ? the concept of leadership and development in relation to governance. He defined the symbiotic relationship between leadership style and development and affirmed that the core growth drivers were basically policy choices, institutions, human capital, culture and leadership. If these were on the upswing, he said, development would be inevitable. He then concluded: "My hope and prayer is that whether art imitates life or shapes it that your work inspires renewal in this land. We need it. And if it happens, I assure you that material for great fiction will not evaporate."
In his own speech, Governor Aliyu, who was the Chief Host and Special Guest of Honour, identified effective leadership and good governance as some of the critical challenges facing developing democracies, especially in Africa. He also stressed the need for writers to rise to the occasion, saying writing was a viable panacea for undevelopment as it raises the questions on issues that people may pretend about or wish to hide, thereby serving as the conscience of the society. In his words: "Literature is about self-assessment of the society, it tests itself against the strength and weaknesses of the society and makes serious-minded individuals to reflect on their past, to be conscious of their present and to project into the future with a view to improving the status quo."
He expressed the wish that the discussions at the convention would "guide us towards attitudinal change which is sine qua non for effective servant leadership at this critical period of our socio-political development as a nation". On this note, he declared the convention open.
Other highlights of the ceremony were the presentation of ANA special anthologies, goodwill messages by guests and drama performances. A vote of thanks by the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the convention, Hon. Usman Idris Gwarjiko, marked the end of the occasion.
Activities of the day were wrapped up with the convention play at the same venue from 8 pm. The play, which was presented by the ABU Drama Group, was a stage adaptation of Abubakar Gimba?s short story, ?A Toast in the Cemetery?. The play harped on the disturbing scourge of kidnapping, ritual murder and other forms of vices prevalent in most parts of the country, and subtly suggested the necessary actions to address the situation.
The last day of the convention, Saturday 31st, was arguably the most important day, as it witnessed the association?s AGM and the historic election which ushered in the new executive council that replaced the the Okediran-lead team that had spent four years; two terms of two years each.
The AGM commenced promptly at 9 am in the auditorium of Shiroro Hotel. Among the main items of the meeting were reports by the National General Secretary and the chairmen of the state chapters. The General Secretary (now former General Secretary), Malam Denja Abdullahi, highlighted issues ranging from the assdociation?s efforts to have a befitting secretariat in Abuja, the numerous workshops held by the association for the past four years, to the association?s land in Abuja which had long been a court case.
In spite of the enormous challenges that the new executive council would face addressing the aforementioned issues, Denja was optimistic about the association?s future: "We leave behind an association of immense goodwill and respect in the society and we hope our successors will mine and build on this to take the association to heights we are yet to even imagine."
It was unanimously agreed by the members that all the issues raised at the AGM should be tackled by the incoming executive council as a matter of urgency.
The election began at 3 pm after the electoral committee was contituted and the outgoing executive council dissolved. The three-man committee comprises Professor Sam Ukala of Delta State University, who served as the chairman, Professor Ibrahim Malumfashi of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, and Dr. May Ifeoma Nwoye of the University of Benin.
For the contestants, it had been a long journey in terms of campaigns. Aspirants for the post of President were particularly ?loud? in their publicity drive.
Dr. Jerrey Agada, who was the incumbent Vice President of the association, former Minister of State for Education and currently the Chairman of National Commission for Colleges of Education, explored the mass media and GSM for his campaign. In fact, a few minutes to the election a text message was sent to almost every ANA member, soliciting for votes. This is in addition to campaigns through fliers and supporters visiting delegates in their hotel rooms to canvass for votes.
His opponent, Alhaji Yahaya Dangana, adopted similar campaign strategy. The former National Publicity Secretary of ANA, Artistic Consultant for the ceremonies of the 2003 All Africa Games in Abuja, the 2009 National Sports festival in Kaduna, the ongoing Under-17 World cup, and the Senior Special Adviser to the Niger State governor, had a home advantage as a Minna-based writer. And he was expertly utilising it. But at the end of the day, Agada emerged the winner.
Dr. Sunday Ododo of the University of Maiduguri, who is the Chairman of the panel of judges for ANA annual literary awards, emerged Vice President, while Mr. Hyacinth Obunseh, former Assistant General Secretary, won the post of General Secretary.
Malam Alkasim Abdulkadir moved from the post of National Publicity Secretary (North) to Assistant General Secretary, while Omale Allen Abduljabar became the National Publicity Secretary (North). Ebika Anthony was elected National Publicity Secretary, South.
The posts of Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Auditor and Legal Adviser went to Maryam Ali Ali, Ofonime Inyang, Greg Mbajiorgu and Tade Ipadeola, respectively.
In an interview with this reporter shortly after the election, the new president pledged to concentrate on what he called a four-point focus that would take the association to the Promised Land.
The Dinner/award night came up around 8.30 pm at 123 Quarters Gymnasium. Highlight of the occasion, chaired by Abubakar Gimba, was the award of ANA special honours and literary prizes. After speeches by dignitaries, including the Secretary to the Niger State Government, Dr. Muhammed Kuta Yahaya, who represented the governor, the roll call of awardees and prize winners began, even as food and drinks were being served.
The ANA special awards were given to individuals and organisations in recognition of the assistance they rendered to the association. Kraft Books Publishing Company and the Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University, Professor Ezeldin M. Abdurrahaman, were among the recipients of the special award.
The literary prizes were won as follow: ANA/ATIKU ABUBAKAR PRIZE FOR CHILDREN?S LITERATURE - One Little Mosquito by Ndidi Enenmor; ANA/FUNTIME PRIZE FOR CHILDREN?S LITERATURE - Cry No More (unpublished) by Roy Nkwocha; ANA/NDDC FLORA NWAPA PRIZE FOR WOMEN WRITING - Beyond Imagination by Goldlyn Ugonna; ANA/JACARANDA PRIZE FOR PROSE - Storm in the Will by Inyang E. Ekwo; ANA/LANTERN PRIZE FOR CHILDREN FICTION - The Little Wizard of Okokomaiko (unpublished) by Henry Akubuiro; ANA/CHEVRON PROSE PRIZE ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ? The Web by P.N. Ihebom; ANA/NDDC KEN SARO-WIWA PRIZE FOR PROSE - Dreams Deferred by Ozioma Izuora and Nights of the Creaking Bed by Toni Kan; ANA/NDDC GABRIEL OKARA PRIZE FOR POETRY - What the Sea Told Me by E.E. Sule; ANA/JAMES ENE HENSHAW PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING - Dance of the Sacred Feet (unpublished) by Ade Adeniji; ANA/NDDC J.P. CLARK PRIZE FOR DRAMA - Hope Harvesters by Victor Dugga, and ANA/CADBURY PRIZE FOR POETRY - Heart Songs by Akachi Adimora?Ezeigbo.
The Literary Journalist of the Year Award was won by Benjamin Ubiri, literary editor of the Abuja-based Newspapge newspaper.
The occasion reluctantly came to an end around 11 pm, thus ending the three days of fun and excitement.
As participants departed Minna on Sunday, November 1st, their mutual wish was obvious ? to meet again in Akure, Ondo State, for the 2010 edition of the conference.
(c) Reported by Sumaila Umaisha and published in the 7/11/09 edition of New Nigerian.The election was beautiful - Agada
The new President of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Dr. Jerry Agada, spoke to SUMAILA UMAISHA moments after he was declared rin the election held at the association?s international conference in Minna, Niger State, last weekend. Excerpts:How would you describe the election?
Dr. Jerry Agada: The election was quite beautiful. I feel very happy and thankful to every member that has made it possible for me to be elected as the National President of ANA.
What is your agenda for the development of the association now that you have won the election?
Broadly speaking, I have a four-point focus for ANA. The focuses are; one, I will streamline the issues of our membership so that members can better be identified in some ways more that the present arrangement that we have. Two; I want to bring the issue of ANA land and secretariat and everything surrounding these to conclusion. Three; I want to bring ANA to national focus, national life. Our participation in national issues should be much more effective than what we have at the moment. If you saw what I pasted on the net; I cited the issue of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. I was saying if writers, especially journalists, were writing about it, there would have been a more forceful voice to make appeal both to government and ASUU. I also stated in that four-point focus that more efforts will be made to have more people published so that at the end many writers, specially the young ones, will feel happy that certain things are happening. Then lastly, which is the fourth main point, is that we will take the issue of finance and administration very seriously so that at the end we will have some transparent transactions as far as finances are concerned. We will also generate ideas for the purpose of sourcing money for the association?s activities instead of going cap in hand any time we have convention and other things. I think as intellectuals, if we sit together to brainstorm, we can also think of ways of generating our own revenue in our own way. These are the main areas that I want to focus on. And, mind you, I?m not alone in the council, I have other members. They too have their own programmes before they contested. When we sit we will put the whole thing together and see how we can marry them for the purpose of advancing the cause of the association.
You would recall that the Kano election in 2005 where you were elected Vice President, I asked you if you would eventually become the president and you gave some theory about the possibility of becoming ANA president once one had attained positions like the General Secretary or Vice President of the association. Would you say the outcome of this election is an indication of the authenticity of that theory?
Of course, yes. And I?m happy that I made that statement at that time. I told you that in ANA there is this gradual growth. In other words, it is not the type of organisation you just drop from the sky and think you can lead. Look at the history of past ANA presidents. They were either General Secretaries, Vice Presidents, and so on. In fact, you graduate from the state level to the national level. You have to learn the terrain first. I think what I told you has come true, therefore, I can be called a prophet in my own way.
Dr. Jerry Agada: The election was quite beautiful. I feel very happy and thankful to every member that has made it possible for me to be elected as the National President of ANA.
What is your agenda for the development of the association now that you have won the election?
Broadly speaking, I have a four-point focus for ANA. The focuses are; one, I will streamline the issues of our membership so that members can better be identified in some ways more that the present arrangement that we have. Two; I want to bring the issue of ANA land and secretariat and everything surrounding these to conclusion. Three; I want to bring ANA to national focus, national life. Our participation in national issues should be much more effective than what we have at the moment. If you saw what I pasted on the net; I cited the issue of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. I was saying if writers, especially journalists, were writing about it, there would have been a more forceful voice to make appeal both to government and ASUU. I also stated in that four-point focus that more efforts will be made to have more people published so that at the end many writers, specially the young ones, will feel happy that certain things are happening. Then lastly, which is the fourth main point, is that we will take the issue of finance and administration very seriously so that at the end we will have some transparent transactions as far as finances are concerned. We will also generate ideas for the purpose of sourcing money for the association?s activities instead of going cap in hand any time we have convention and other things. I think as intellectuals, if we sit together to brainstorm, we can also think of ways of generating our own revenue in our own way. These are the main areas that I want to focus on. And, mind you, I?m not alone in the council, I have other members. They too have their own programmes before they contested. When we sit we will put the whole thing together and see how we can marry them for the purpose of advancing the cause of the association.
You would recall that the Kano election in 2005 where you were elected Vice President, I asked you if you would eventually become the president and you gave some theory about the possibility of becoming ANA president once one had attained positions like the General Secretary or Vice President of the association. Would you say the outcome of this election is an indication of the authenticity of that theory?
Of course, yes. And I?m happy that I made that statement at that time. I told you that in ANA there is this gradual growth. In other words, it is not the type of organisation you just drop from the sky and think you can lead. Look at the history of past ANA presidents. They were either General Secretaries, Vice Presidents, and so on. In fact, you graduate from the state level to the national level. You have to learn the terrain first. I think what I told you has come true, therefore, I can be called a prophet in my own way.
(c) Published in the New Nigerian of 7/11/09.
- Niger State: The Making Of A Literary Capital
Once upon a time the area known today as Niger State was famous mainly for its strategic position as a major railway station that drew together people from diverse ethnic groups. But the literary revolution, which began with Abubakar Imam?s legendary...
- 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...
- 2011 Ana Convention: A Monumental Failure!
A cross-section of delegates at the convention The haunting memories...
- Funfair, As Writers Converge On The Sunshine State
It was funfair, fantasy and myth galore as Association of Nigerian Authors held its 29th International Convention in Akure, Ondo State, last week... SUMAILA UMAISHA reports: HELD under the theme, ?Myth, Fantasy and Indigenous Theatre? the three-day convention...
- Northern Nigeria Writers' Summit Makes First Outing (report)
The Northern Nigeria Writers? Summit instituted by the Northern chapters of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, has made its first outing. And what a grand outing it was! Not only was it well attended, the activities marking the event were so well...