Literature

Robust culture of writing will boost education ? Ohitoto

Mohammad Ohitoto, former Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Nasarawa State, and currently Director of Research and Publications, Naarawa State Ministry of Information and Orientation, is a writer and journalist based in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital. In this interview with SUMAILA UMAISHA, he speaks about his writing career, his efforts at promoting literature in the state and other related issues.

Tell us briefly about yourself.

I was born into the royal family of Ohinoyi Omenyi Sidi. I attended the Central Primary School, Toto, Nasarawa State, between 1971 and 1977. I was also privileged to attend the prestigious Government College, Keffi, between 1978 and 1983. I proceeded to Bayero University, Kano where I read for a BA English and History (combined Hons ) graduating in 1988. I also did a Masters in International Relations and Strategic Studies at the Benue State University, Makurdi, between year 2000 and 2002.

I taught English and Communication Skills at the Staff Development Centre unit of the Plateau State Polytechnic. I also taught at the National Open University, Lafia Campus. I worked as a Reporter at the Plateau Radio Television Corporation (PRTV), Jos. I was also a pioneer staff of the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) where I rose to be News Editor before leaving to join the mainstream administrative cadre in 2002. In 2007 I was appointed Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Nasarawa State. I served in that office for one and a half years before I was deployed to the Ministry of Information and Orientation as the Director of Research and Publications. I currently double as Editor of Nasarawa Today magazine and Weekly News Bulletin; both, publications of the state Ministry of Information.

What inspired you into writing?

I began to be interested in writing as soon as I knew how to read. I started reading when I was in Primary One in 1971. At that time I was considered to be somewhat of a miracle child. I got invited by the senior classes and presented with their books to read. Soon, words went round that one little boy in Class One could read any material given to him. It was not any miracle but it was a feat in those days to find a child my age and at my level that could read and read so well.

When I was in my second year I joined the Press Club and contributed articles to the school magazine called The Tower. The commendations I received from my teachers over those articles encouraged me. I used to go to the school library often to read story books and I was inspired at the amazing impact of the stories and their didacticism for moulding the morals and the world view of growing children. Later in our years in secondary school we were introduced to great writers such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe. I joined the Drama Club and acted several challenging roles. I was in the Debating Society and I represented my school in competitions and we won. I remember with nostalgia when Bashir Hanga and I represented Government College, Keffi, and won first place in the entire zone which comprized the entire area now called Nasarawa state. My participation in the different clubs and societies in my early school days sharpened my reading and writing skills. I was later to become the school?s Press Prefect and Editor of The Tower, the only school magazine then in Keffi.

I joined Bayero University?s Literary Society where I became active in contributing poems, short stories that were discussed by the society made up largely of lecturers and students alike. Soon, I began to send my short stories and poems to newspaper organizations for publication. In my final year in school I entered a creative writing competition in the Guardian newspapers. My entry titled A Desparado at Nana Hall won a cash prize and was published. These early exploits gave me encouragement to venture forth.

Since your days in Government House as Chief Press Secretary, you have been making efforts to ensure Nasarawa State branch of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, becomes a reality. Why the zeal to achieve this?

I believe that if our society has a robust culture of writing and reading the problem of low quality of education would begin to give way gradually until we overcome the monster. It takes effort to achieve that and leaving all of that to government alone would not help matters. I felt as a writer and member of the ANA in the then Plateau state I needed to contribute my own quota to help the youth of my state come out of the doldrums of low reading culture.

I spoke to my friends, Ibrahim Suleiman Habu and Alfred Akwe to engineer the project because obviously I was too busy then to be as active as I would want to. Thank God, the ANA branch took off in Lafia with writers converging every week to do readings and analysis of their society. Interestingly, the Nasarawa state University, Keffi, lecturers have fused with the Lafia-based writers to produce a stronger state branch. A society without writers is virtually a dead society. Writers are the conscience of their society. The formation of ANA in Nasarawa state is to serve this purpose.

Has your efforts paid off in this regard?

There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. We are not relenting. We are working to achieve the ultimate goal.

Your days in active journalism, especially at the Plateau Radio Television Corporation marked an era of press activism in terms of highlighting critical issues concerning the welfare of the masses. Was it the writer in you that made you so fearless in your reportage?

Perhaps so, but don?t forget the socio-cultural milieu from whence we come also. At home our upbringing was strict. We were trained to speak the truth because truth elevates society. So speaking the truth and damning the consequences was and is still our way of life. Speaking the truth and standing up for justice must be a moral duty we all owe our society.

I remember an incident when I was a reporter with the TV arm of the Plateau Radio Television Corporation in the ?90s. There had been a kerosene drought for many weeks and citizens turned to every available trees they could lay their hands on, cutting them down indiscriminately for cooking. Everyone was desperate. Then kerosene arrived a few filling stations and citizens filed out and queued a whole day, and some, for much longer, to get the product. It was such a bad time that citizens left their other vocations to face the issue of kerosene search. The newsroom decided that a crack reporter be sent to do a special report on the issue at hand. The Assignment Editor, Simon Wash, who also doubled as the Duty Editor of the day, assigned me to do the report. On the field I discovered that uniformed men formed a parallel queue which was shorter and moved quicker while civilians languished at the filling stations for days.

When I submitted my script it was instantly adjudged the headline story. No sooner were we on air than military authorities called the then Military Administrator of Plateau State, Colonel Muhammadu Mana?s attention to the report which was viewed in bad light by authorities of 3 Armoured Division, Rukuba, Jos. Quickly, PRTV General Manager, Mr James Dimka, was summoned to Government House to explain. Mr Dimka who had not been privileged to watch the news that evening requested to be allowed time to go and preview the report but the authorities insisted to do the review with him at the Government House. The GM after the review told everyone that the report was flawless and balanced. My Editor, my superior officers and professional colleagues all celebrated the report. The following day the army announced the pulling out of the army personnel from the filling stations following the expo.

It is like you still maintain your activist posture; in one of your recent write-ups in the newspapers you questioned the federal government?s failure to consider Nasarawa state for a special allocation to alleviate the stress of the FCT population on its facilities?

It is a fact that Nasarawa state is making a sacrifice just like the Niger Delta states for the sustenance of the nation. There is no reason that the Federal Government should not give the state the needed support via a special monthly allocation. Thank God there is beginning to be some ray of hope in this respect.

You write more of essays these days than literary work. Why?

I still do literary writing but I publish more of the essays these days.

Should we expect any literary work from you soon?

Yes, soon.

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