Association of Nigerian authors South-South Zone holds delegates conference.

* Appoints Ekele as South-South Zonal Chairman

By Kelvin Ohoror

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) South-South Zone recently held a delegates conference at Lococoon Hotel Kwale, Delta State, with a theme, reshaping south-south Economy through creative writing.

The protem chairman ANA South-South zone Mr. Alaska Ekele in his welcome address asserted that, “I decided to call this conference to enable us reason together. There is also a similar meeting in the South-West, North and East. Therefore, having a bloc from the South-South is not  out of place.

The protem chairman also noted that, he noticed that membership of ANA from the south-south geo-political zone is dwindling for reason we may need to investigate. If we don’t have serious or committed members from the south-south we may not be able to make in-roads into the National Exco of ANA. Politics is a game of number. We can therefore use this medium to sensitize educate and mobilize membership.

Members of  Association. of Nigeria Authors South-South zone in a group photograph @ Lococoon Hotel Kwale, Delta

He further stated that, as members of one literary family, we can help reduce the rot in the educational sector. Noting that, the reading culture is gradually dying out like candle flame. A student can conveniently mentioned all the big clubs and footballers in the world off hand yet he/she cannot mention names of recommended books or authors.

Mr. Ekele also said that, “we can attempt to address the decay in our educational sector by organizing healthy competitions among the students. Off course we cannot achieve this without partnering with corporate organizations, moneybags, politicians and the government. If they can partner with movie/film makers there is nothing stopping us from partnering with them”.

He also reiterate that “Apart from asking our money bags, politicians or the government to sponsor competitions, they can sponsor the publication of our individual books and anthologies on mutually agreeable terms. By so doing, the books can reach many hands at highly reduced prices. Once this is achieved youth restiveness, militancy, kidnapping and social vices would be reduced to the barest minimum”.

Meanwhile Prof. Sam Ukala who delivered a keynote addressed at the delegate conference asserted that, in late November 2016, Alaska Ekele added me to the ANA South-South whatsapp group, I initially thought it was nothing but a political party not register by INEC. I wondered why it should exist. Must we add politics to everything? Why don’t they go and write more and publish more? What would they be discussing other then how to wrestle power from other sections of this country that have dominated ANA National politics since it inceptions in 1981? On second thought I asked, what makes the zones holding ANA National power more qualified to hold it than the south-south zone? After all Chinua Achebe from the South East zone was the founder and his zone didn’t and couldn’t monopolize power.

Prof. Sam Ukala also noted that, in the 36 years of existence of ANA’s only four of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones have produced its president: South East – 1, South West – 5, North Central – 3, South – 2. The Association has had the following general secretaries: Kole Omotosho, 1981-1984; Odia Ofeimun, 1984-1988, Ada Ugah, 1988-1990, Bode Sowande, 1990-1993, Nnimmo Bassey, 1993-1997, Wale Okediran 1997-2001; Nduka Otiono 2001-2005, Danja Abdullahi, 2005-2009, Hyacinth Obunseh 2009-2011; Tanko Okoduwa 2011-2015; Ofonime Inyang, 2015 till date. But I joined ANA in 1985 while Achebe was still president and have found no indication that Presidents or General secretaries have emerged by any other means than playing ANA politics.

Prof Ukala further asserted that, he recalls the title of Chinua Achebe’s address to the first meeting of ANA, which he convened. The address, entitled, “why an Association” was delivered Jun 27, 1981. In it, Achebe gave two reasons why he felt an association was necessary. The first was to create a platform for writers to begin to concern themselves with the business aspects of writing – publishing, contracts, copyright, translations, royalty, negotiations, as well as to provide assistance to new writers and writers in distress.

According to him, the second reason was to sensitize writers, who are usually conformists and anti-establishment of the dangers they face in the Nigerian society, which was fraught with fanaticism in religion, ethnicity and politics and to get them prepared for their possible loss of freedom or even life, which other writers have suffered in other countries with similar religious ethnic and political intolerance. All of us recall how non-conformism and anti-establishment landed Wole Soyinka in Jail and Ken-Saro-Wiwa in the gallows.

He also said that, for one to qualify to hold political power in ANA National, you must be an author of a published creative work, who has attended at least two annual conventions before an election year, in order to vote and be voted for.

He also reiterate that, how many of you would have had at least a published creative work by 2019? How many of you would have attended two national annual convention? How many of you would have become eminent published writers?. Therefore you have till 2019 to assess your arsenal and reposition yourself. So, if ANA south south honestly assesses itself and works to eradicate its shortfalls, it would definitely stand a good chance in 2019 and beyond to produce the president who holds the executive power.

 

Mr.Ekele Being introduce as the potent of South-South zone

Prof. Ukala however charged the ANA south-south delegates that, the real assignments belong to the branches within the south-south: writing, publishing, mentoring aspiring new writers through editing their work and helping them find publishers, membership drive, outreach programmes, attendance of meetings, award prizes. At the zonal level, focus should be more on coordination, formulating broad policies, award of higher prizes, presenting consensus candidates at the national conventions and reaching out to other zones.

The highlight of the delegates conference was the appointment of Protem officers to run the affairs of the ANA south-south zone. Mr. Alaska Ekele as chairman (Delta), Joy Esuku, Vice chairman (Rivers), Dr. Ofonime Inyang, Secretary (Akwa-Ibom), Mr. Preye Julius, P.R.O (Bayelsa), Goodluck Osama Ogbeide, (Edo State).