By Uduma Kalu

…as writers, 90 yr-old Okara bundled out of hotels

This is not the best of times between President Goodluck Jonathan and writers under the aegis of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). The writers are pointedly accusing him of deliberately scuttling their recently held 30th annual convention in Abuja.

They say his refusal to assist them led to the cancellation of programmes, disgracing of their members including the 90 year old poet Gabriel Okara, some monarchs who came as visitors including the King of Tombia in Bayelsa, special guests like Prof. Tanure Ojaide among others. Programmes such as Festival of Life were for once not held on the opening day.

Outings were restricted only to the Abuja Gardens where writers gathered like sheep round a tree. Programmes began late, transportation was not there. Writers were not fed. The award dinner, for the first time, held without awards to writers.

In fact, it was a sham of a convention and the writers blame the presidency who led them on to believe it would help them but left them in the middle of the road, making it difficult for them to begin to look for alternative funding. They had to postpone their convention, a very rare thing. So, the writers, are not happy.

President Jonathan

But the Presidency said it would respond to the weighty allegations. An was sms sent to the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Research & Documentation Oronto Douglas who is said to be at the centre of the crisis and he called to say that his response would not be over the phone. But he acknowledged that there was interaction between them.

However, former president of the writers Odia Ofeimun, exonerated the presidency from any blame. Though Ofeimun was said to be part of the Bring the Book Project with Reuben Abati now Jonathan’s spokesman, Ofeimun said ANA wrote a proposal to Jonathan since May, in response to Jonathan’s own request to the writers on what he would do for them.

Ofeimun said the ANA request of about N250m was to enable it to build its Writers village in Abuja and it was still expecting response from Jonathan. He said ANA Abuja’s request was like sabotaging the national body’s request, saying there was no synergy between the local and national executives or Abuja would not have gone to the presidency in the first place. He was also not happy with the national executives and asked for a regime change.

Indeed, Abuja and writers have never had very good relationships. Right from the days of military president Gen. Ibrahim Babangida when the trio of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and John Pepper Clark went to appeal to Babangida to spare the life of the poet Gen Mamman Vasta only to learn that the man was executing the poet while discussing with the men of letters, there has been no love lost between Abuja and ANA.

When Gen. Sani Abacha came on board and killed Ken Saro-Wiwa, writer and environmentalist, the tension between tensed the more that writers were as enemies of the state. ANA was infiltrated by the state operatives. Achebe, Soyinka etc were marked men and they were in exile as were many others. In 1997, at ANA national convention, SS operatives were everywhere so much that Ofemiun, the writers’ president then, had to escape through a back route.

When democracy was restored, writers with Abubakar and later Prof Olu Obafemi , their new president, went to see the President Obasanjo but he ignored then,. He only asked his senior adviser to welcome them. The adviser had lambasted the writers for being critical of Obasanjo’s policies. The meeting was hostile to writers.

In fact, from that meeting with Gimba, the ANA land, as writers asked Obasanjo to help them develop it, was cut for the Yar’Adua Foundation. Obasanjo was said to have asked why such large expanse of land would be given to writers. It was no wonder that Achebe would dump Obasanjo’s CFR award.

Then came Jonathan with his Bring Back the Book campaign. Already, there is an acrimony between the presidency and writers once again. It began like a small fry but it has now become a national and international issue which will only put the Jonathan presidency in the bad book of the literary world.

But going through the story behind the perceived reason why the presidency boycotted and ignored appeals from the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), what is discernible is that the parties involved are just protecting their territories. But the two parties, ANA and the presidency are cast in the mud. In the end, when both know they are not doing anyone any good, they will reconcile and team up for the advancement of the book.

This is not the first time ANA is travelling this rough road though It once slugged it out with the NLNG over the handling of its prizes and book reading project. NLNG, with its financial power, pushed out troublesome ANA members but who incidentally helped to midwife the NLNG prize from its list. ANA members resolved to ignore the prize.

The last time Vanguard Saturday spoke with Mr. Ifeanyi Mbanefo, Communication manager of the NLNG, he said the prize had been handed over to the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) and ANA to run, meaning that the two bodies have reconciled. In fact, NLNG sponsored the last ANA award nite at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja.

However, this time, the fight ANA is wedging is bigger, and it is against the federal government under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan. The allegation against the president is that he masterminded the poor showing that characterized the 2011 ANA convention held at the Raw Materials and Research Centre, Abuja by out rightly ignoring ANA invitations to the event and refusing to help in its convention. The presidency was also asked for funding.

In fact, the presidency, through Douglas, was said to have asked the chairman of the ANA Abuja chapter Dr. Adigun Seyi, to come and discuss the upcoming ANA convention with him.

Douglas, Seyi said, said the presidency would like to be part of the convention as part of Jonathan’s Bring Back the book project. He asked Seyi to bring a proposal on areas the two would collaborate for the annual convention. That was before May 17, 2011.

That means the short lived romance was during President Jonathan’s campaigns for presidency. The relationship turned sour after May 17. This was the day the FCT Abuja hosted the Bring Back the Book project which the writers, through the Abuja chapter felt rather than improve the lot of writers and the lot, ridiculed them and cast the book to the dustbin.

The next day, May 18, 2011, Mr Izuchukwu Okeke, journalist, ANA member and PRO of the Abuja Chapter wrote a story on ANA Abuja facebook page, titled Thank You Lola Shoneyin for Shaming Us. The article expressed disappointment about the conduct of the launch of President Jonathan’s Bring Back The Book Initiative in the FCT said to have gulped over N17m.

Izuchukwu had ridiculed the event, wondering why Lola Shoneyin, one of those behind the project, would ignore writers and the book.

In fact, Seyi, in support of the story, said, “Many writers were disappointed at the way the BBTB Initiative is being pursued and ANA Abuja is particularly shocked at the Abuja launch event.”

Trouble with Bring Back the Book

He alleged that Nollywood actors and actresses took over the stage whereas no writer mounted podium. They were rather consigned to sit with the students with their then President Jerry Agada who was not even recognised there The book was forgotten as only musicians and the movie people were recognised. Even the three readers were not from Abuja.

“The critical challenge posed by Izuchukwu’s article is about the method and depth of pursuit of the BBTB Initiative compared with its objectives and philosophies. The launch points to a superficial, flash-in-the-pan pursuit by the organisers who obviously are not conversant with the core objectives of the BBTB.

The key objectives of the Initiative are to improve the reading culture in Nigeria, with knowledge serving as a tool for development and project the nation’s culture, for survival, sustenance and the activities mapped out to achieve these include the following:

Organizing book readings in educational institutions at all levels across the country, Establishment of Bring Back the Book Clubs, Support for literary programmes, platforms for national discussion on ways to advance the educational system, supporting organizations carrying out related activities, Support local book production by publishers, library support, encouraging and supporting literary prizes and competitions and others.

“The BBTB is expected to be pursued as a thorough, well planned and all-embracing Initiative that will involve critical and relevant stakeholders. Presently, it is being pursued without reference to the objectives set for it.  The Abuja event was especially unfortunate,” Seyi said.

Seyi then went for the kill when he said, “Beyond the lack of understanding of the objectives of the BBTB by the organisers and the consultant(s), it may also be a reflection of lack of genuine interest by these people in actualising President Jonathan’s agenda for establishing the Project.”

Scuttling of the funding

Perhaps, this angered the presidency the more. Earlier Shoneyin had published a story, Who will save this ANA?. In her piece, she said, “truth that has to be dealt with is this: one way or another, ANA has become irrelevant…

“ n fact, ANA members who think that literary, reading or writing events cannot succeed without input from ANA are deluded. ”

Shonyein had then warned sponsors to be wary of ANA by saying, “A few months ago, a member of the ANA, Abuja chapter told me that the last ANA convention was marred by fiscal impropriety and shoddiness. It turned out to be a sham because certain important members of the executive went AWOL, with some of the association’s funds in tow.

I think it is important to warn the federal government that any funds awarded in support of ANA, Abuja are funds awarded at their own risk. The FCT should keep a close eye on this year’s convention if indeed they intend to support it.” This was in media and many people read it, including the presidency.

Seyi, since August, when he tried to re-establish contact with Douglas following the dissolution of the ANA Abuja chapter Local organising Committee, met a brick wall. He told Saturday Vanguard that he was told that Shoneyin’s article caused the problem.

The chapter had tried to reach out to President Jonathan with the proposal through Douglas but it failed. No acknowledgement of the proposals or invitations came to the writers. Douglas began to ignore the chairman’s calls but would answer others put to him from members of the group without knowing they were ANA members, Seyi alleged.

Once Douglas knew they were ANA members, he would switch off. Adigun said he was informed that a friend of Shoneyin welds influence in Douglas’ office and could scuttle any move by ANA to get Jonathan assistance, and that was what played out at the last ANA convention.

Thursday was the opening ceremony with Agada, explaining his tenure. He also said that the case of ANA’s land currently in a legal brawl would be solved on December 8, 2011.  A renowned poet, Prof. Tanure Ojaide, the keynote speaker asked writers to increase the vibrancy of their literary perception.

The opening ceremony which was held at the Reiz International Hotel, Central Area, Abuja, was ended by a short drama entitled One is Vortex, which was performed by the students of Television College, Jos.

ANA new officials

He went on to say that the miracle that made the convention hold, out of a planned N41m convention was from assistance from Wale Okediran, Federal ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs Esther Bali, Dr. Jerry Agada.

Perhaps, not happy with the ways of ANA had been piloted recently, the members voted out the Agada led executives, replacing it with Prof. Remi Raji as President, Denja Abdullahi Vice President, B.M. Dzukogi General Secretary, Tanko Okoduwa, Joy Esuku Treasurer Chinyere Obi-obasi Fin. Secretary, Hyeladzira Balami Auditor.

Others are; Ahmed Maiwada Legal Adviser, Greg Mbajiorgu PRO (South)Richard Ali PRO (North), Binta Spikin Ex-officio, Ngozi Chuma Udeh, Sunday Afolayan and Hyacinth Obunseh. The election had led to a confrontation between those who favoured the elders as against those who wanted new blood in the association. Raji won by barely four votes.

Raji, in his first media statement to Saturday Vanguard which first declared his ambition to challenge Agada last year, said the sham that was the last ANA convention would be the last of of such. The era of unaccountability is gone.

He called on corporate organisations to to return to ANA, saying a new executive was in place and would make sure that every penny is well spent. He has plans to make ANA self sufficient. Already, he is looking at international corporations between Croatia and South Africa and again, the presidency. And some state governments such as Akwa Ibom which won the hosting next year and Niger State.