Young Nigerian author, Vincent Okwudili Ibeh, was celebrated on Africa Youth Day in Abuja, November 1 2009, where he presented his award-winning book, What Our Youths Were Not Taught…. In this interview, he spoke to Maxim Uzoatu all about the life changing book.

What inspired you to write the book?

What does one do at this time many of our young school leavers misspend their youth in ignorance of where to turn and what to do to get started in life? This is indeed time one need not to search long before noticing that so many of our youths are in undue hurry in wrong direction leading them to unemployment, poverty, crime and hunger. What is the use of their running if they are not on the right road? How can one stand back and watch thousands of these unguided youths every year proceed in self-ignorance to join in the train of the weak and purposeless men and women who cannot make use of their potentials in this era of high rate of unemployment.

There has been an ever-increasing call for people capable of motivating our youths to discover their potentials by providing the extra and different education so that our nation can attain its articulated ideals. Looking ahead, there is an undeniable need to inspire our youths to understand themselves. In actuality, one cannot avoid being impressed with the significant impact of an objective orientation when he takes a look at global history which is not lacking in convincing evidence that the great decisions which served as the foundation for the civilizations of the leading nations in the world were initiated by the youth inspired by the writings and speeches of great men and women.

The need therefore exists for me to write the book embedded with the writings and speeches of great men and women for the purpose of getting our youths correctly guided, properly counseled and fully equipped for the challenges ahead  This is the inspiration that gave birth to the book: “What Our Youths Were Not Taught”.

What are those things that our youths were not taught?

I am also a graduate-youth who was not taught how to discover myself but I later knew that after all manner of professors have done their best for us, we should read books to get inspired and understand ourselves. I was almost a victim of what we were not taught in school. In all sincerity, many of the best years of my life was devoted to the learning of what will never be of any real use to human being, I don’t think that complex knowledge I laboured for many years would be of any real use to any man. I agree with Goethe who said that they teach in academics too many things and far too much that is useless.

I thought that I had been educated after working very hard to learn how to solve all manner of calculus, algebra and chemical equations. Little did I know that our great school did not teach me how to comprehend my destiny and how to discover myself. Our discussions after our graduation often slid into thoughts that prompted us to question the usefulness of all manner of abstract facts we learnt in school for the sake of passing exams. Come to think of this, for instance, we were taught that one could produce water by combining hydrogen and oxygen in the right proportions by our professor.

It was great for us to know that one could produce water using the chemical reaction of the two elements but all hope for celebration of our knowledge was dashed when there was acute scarcity of water on campus yet we could not use the available chemicals in our laboratory to produce water that could fill the need of the society. The most annoying thing is that we could not produce water despite the fact that we had been taught everything about water the structure, formula and the shape. We were so learned that we could draw its complex chemical structure. The professor who taught us was even more “learned”.

“He was so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages, so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on”. My professor was so learned with a million facts in his head, he often bragged to us that “knowledge is power”. As his “hard working” students, it didn’t take us so long to brag to people that “knowledge is power” we were very proud of the scientific facts in our heads but I was personally humbled by our inability to use the facts to produce water which was necessary for the community. This experience will go a long way in illustrating the sharp disconnection between what an average graduate was taught in school and what he is expected to do as a graduate in this society.

Is the society interested in the book you have written as a Nigerian author?

The book “What Our Youth Were Not Taught” is a product of a four-year research, dedicated to NYSC in appreciation of the prestigious commendation award given to me when I used part of the book as one of my community development projects in my host community, Zamfara State, where I was fortunate to get both the necessary exposure and experience to start writing this book. Without this, I wonder how I could have had the isolation, concentration and inspiration to begin.

As a young author then who was inspired by the commendation award given to me by NYSC to make my mark as an author, I was advised by many book sellers to change my native surname to English in disguise since our people were not so much interested in patronizing books written by Nigerians. I am happy that I didn’t heed the advice of changing my Nigerian name in disguise yet quite a good number of Nigerians have however shown tremendous interests in the book which is being seen as the first real solution to the problems of the African youth.

The erstwhile Permanent Secretary, Dr. M.A.N. Ejiofor endorsed the book as the missing link for society regeneration. The Speaker, Hon. Luke Onofiok (Nigerian Youth Parliament) commended the book as an intellectual masterpiece. The Chief Press Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development (Goddy O. Enwerem) endorsed the book as an evergreen book, a precious gift to the youth of our world. In 2009 (Year of its publication), the book was graciously recommended by the National Youth Council of Nigeria and was presented at United Nations International Youth Day (August 2009).

If I had changed my native name, tell me how the book would have been recognized as the brain-child of a distinguished Nigerian youth during the 2009 African Youth Day. If I had changed my name on the basis that Nigerians don’t patronize Nigerian authors, tell me how I could have won the admiration of Nigerian Stakeholders in Youth Development when they paved the way for me to present the book to the President of the World Youth Organization.

I am a Nigerian author writing for the Nigerian youth and my book “What Our Youths Were Not Taught” was pronounced the first prize winner of Governor’s Literary Award given to Anambra State Youth Achievers, the book was selected as the best motivational book from hundreds of entries by respected scholars whose services were hired by the Anambra State Government.

With this, I believe that Nigerian society is so much interested in good books written by Nigerian authors. People who say that Nigerian are not interested in reading has not written good books that can show Nige
rians sufficient that will cause disappearance of darkness of ignorance, poverty, unemployment and disease of souls. Nigerians are indeed interested in the book for its value re-orientation, wealth creation and society regeneration potentials. Let us partner and bring about literary revolution in Nigeria as we have had in the Music and Movie Industries.