ANA salutes the pioneer of Hausa literature

The 9th of July, 2009, could be described as ‘The Abubakar Imam Day’. For it was the day in which the fond memories of the pioneer of Hausa Literature were ignited by the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, with an international colloquium in his honour. Precisely, the event took place on Thursday at the Kaduna State University under the theme, Promoting Writing in the Indigenous Language.
The event was heralded by a welcome cocktail on Wednesday evening at the senate council chamber of the university. The occasion was attended by the President of ANA, Dr. Wale Okediran, the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ezeldin M. Abdurrahaman, the Katsina-based writer and patron of ANA, Labo Yari, Secretary-General of ANA, Denja Abdullahi, and participants from the various state chapters of the association.
In his speech at the occasion, the president expressed gratitude to the VC for hosting the event. He then went down memory lane, recounting the two previous international colloquiums organised by the association in honour of Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, respectively. According to him, "the Abubakar Imam International Colloquium, the last leg of this tripartite celebration of our literary icons in the life of this present ANA national executive, is meant to celebrate and immortalise the prodigious contributions of Abubakar Imam to literary developments in Nigeria through the indigenous Hausa language"
In his own remarks, the VC observed that Imam was instrumental to the development of indigenous literature particularly in Northern Nigeria. "He, therefore, deserves all the honour accorded him," he said, adding that by organising the colloquium, ANA has demonstrated its ability to advance the interest of indigenous literature in the North in particular and the country at large. He pledged the university’s support for ANA especially in the area of publishing the works of its members.
Labo Yari’s speech centred mainly on the need to revive the good old reading culture that "molded Imam into the successful writer he became".
It wasn’t just a night of speeches and humorous remarks, there were poetry recitation by ANA members, capped with generous refreshments.
Thursday, the main day of the event, witnessed a number of activities such as the opening ceremony, plenary sessions, excursion and gala night.
The opening ceremony, which took place at the Faculty of Science Theatre, was chaired by the Wazirin Katsina, Alhaji Sani Lugga. It had in attendance personalities like the Emir of Kagara, Alhaji Salihu Tanko, representatives of the governors of Niger and Kaduna states and the Editor of New Nigerian Newspapers, Malam Tukur Abdulrahman, representing the Managing Director, Mr. Ndanusa Alao.
In the various speeches presented by dignitaries, the creative prowess and the significance of Imam in the development of indigenous literature was highlighted. The need to organize more events like the colloquium was equally stressed. In this regard, Alhaji Yusuf Jibo, Zonal Director, NTA 2 Lagos Network Centre and Chairman, Board of the Kaduna State Media Corporation, disclosed that the NTA would in collaboration with ANA organize an event that would focus more on Imam’s works. He also pledged to air the colloquium on NTA network free of charge and to revive the TV series based on Imam’s stories.
The Niger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, who could be described as the most writer-friendly governor, stressed the need for continued celebration of the country’s past heroes that have left behind enduring legacies so that the younger generations could appreciate the virtue of commitment and dedication. He expressed delight that ANA has organized the colloquium to celebrate a life devoted to service, high moral and ethical standards epitomised by Imam.
Represented by the state commissioner of Education, Dr. Peter Sarki, the Chief Servant pledged that the Niger State government would continue to collaborate with the association in promoting literary excellence.
The governor observed that if literary writers were grounded in indigenous language, Nigerians would become better users of the second or third language in their professional careers and as intellectuals. "This was the feat that Abubakar Imam attained during his life time which he devoted extensively to promoting indigenous language skills in Hausa and literary works in Arabic and English," he added.
The National President of ANA, Dr Wale Okediran, explained that the decision to honour Abubakar Imam was taken a few years ago, because not many people particularly in the southern part of the country knew much about the highly esteemed author. He stressed that though some people had come across Imam’s most popular literary text, Magana Jari Ce, the full import of the relevance of the author was not very known.
He added that apart from being one of the pioneers of Hausa literature, Imam was the first editor of Gaskiya Ta Fi Kwabo, the first weekly newspaper published in Hausa.
Dr. Okediran said the purpose of the colloquium was to pay tribute to a formidable writer who as a trail blazer had set a very high standard in Hausa literature and brought to public domain the importance of literature in the indigenous languages, an exercise that is in line with one of the objectives of the ANA.
Highlight of the opening ceremony was the keynote address by Professor Ibrahim Malumfashi of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto. The paper, titled Ibrahim Imam’s Contributions to Literary Development in Northern Nigeria, and presented by Dr. Salihu Bappa of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, centred on the life and works of Imam and his place in the development of the indigenous Hausa literature. The rich paper, made richer by the lively manner in which it was presented, addressed salient issues like Imam’s literary style, thematic pre-occupation and their impact on the present generation of writers.
The ceremony came to a close around 12 noon. After a short break, participants reconvened for the plenary sessions while a few others went on excursion to Imam’s ancestral home in Zaria.
Led by Okediran and ANA Financial Secretary, Hajiya Maryam Ali Ali, the team was received by Imam’s eldest son, Alhaji Mustapha Imam, other family members and family friends at the historic residence at Imam Road, No 19/20, Tudun Wada, Zaria. The imposing old-styled mud house was indeed a sight to behold; it stands out among the neighouring houses just as the personality of Imam himself towers above his contemporaries. The 41 years old building stretches over several square metres with numerous rooms, which now serve as a kind of museum, archives and library, where his works, pictures and other antiquities are preserved. After going round the awe-inspiring sights in the two-storey building, the team had mouth-watering meal courtesy of the Imam family.
In Kaduna, the plenary session went on smoothly. Topics of the papers presented in the first session included ‘Abubakar Imam’s Literary Legacies and the Aftermath’ by Professor Sani Abba Aliyu of ABU, Zaria, and ‘Ethnic Minorities Languages and Literary Writings’ by Moses Tsenongu, Benue State University, Makurdi. The second session featured, among others, ‘Soyayya Novellas in the 21st Century: The Need for a Redirection’ by Dr. Bala Muhammad, Director-General Adaidaita Sahu (Kano State Orientation Agency). The papers generated heated debates on morality in relation to creative writing, with particular reference to the Kano State government’s recent moves to censor writers.
The event was rounded off with a gala night at Gamji Gate where participants were treated to the cultural activities marking the Kaduna State Festival of Arts and Culture.

Picture:

Dr. Sani Lugga, Wazirin Katsina, and ANA President, Dr. Wale Okediran, at the occasion

(c) Reported by Sumaila Umaisha and published in 11th July, 2009 edition of New Nigerian.

Literature is more than just entertainment

SAKA ALIYU, an Assistant Lecturer with Bayero University Kano, BUK, holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto, (1998) and a Master of Arts in History from the University of Ilorin (2006). After working variously as a lesson teacher and a research and communications consultant, the former Secretary of the Kaduna State chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors, worked with the National Business and Technical Examinations Board as Administrative Officer in 2005, before switching over to lecturing at BUK in January 2008. In this interview with SUMAILA UMAISHA, he speaks about his writings and the Nigerian literary climate.

NNW: Tell us about yourself.
Saka Aliyu: I grew in Ilorin and Sokoto. A historian by training and I am trying to be a writer. I sometimes write with the pen name Sakky jojo, a name I started using from my campus journalism days.
When and how did you start writing?
My first memorable composition is a song I wrote for a sister of a friend in primary school. After that it was in junior secondary school when I decided to write my autobiography, I soon abandoned it thinking I am too inexperienced to start writing about my life. Then when I lost my elder brother in 1990, I decided to honour him by writing a book and that was how my first novel, Thorny Rose, was written. That was in 1993, it is still unpublished. What prepared me for writing was that I grew up a lonely teenager and books became my best companion. Reading became a passion. I read so many books that I began to feel I could write too. I read too much and it spilled into writing.
What inspired you into writing?
My inspiration is that writing is soul uplifting and a good write-up, even if it is a fiction, can change one’s life. The belief that I can write and touch the life of others. Altruism is a factor.
What literary works have you produced so far and what are the main themes?
So far I have published a novel and the first one I mentioned that is still in manuscript. I also have written two plays and I have over a hundred poems written in the last fifteen years. The themes of my novels are always about societal problems and are didactic. Altine is about the problems of almajiris, while Thorny Rose is about youth sexuality and teenage pregnancy. My plays have corruption as their themes, which is also societal. The themes of the poems, however, are varied. I also have a number of unfinished works in prose and drama with different themes. I also have some short stories and even folk tales for kids.
Why the choice of such themes?
The themes for the prose derive largely from the belief that literature is more than just entertainment and that it should be a mirror of the society. Since literature is often foregrounded in denunciation of society, it is part of the larger project of furthering society’s progress through this medium. I feel writing about the problems of the society is part of the solution. I agreed with Aminata Sow Fall on this.
What were your experiences in writing and publishing the books?
Writing has been fun and serious. Writing is getting more difficult now because of the pressure of work and time. Prose is the area I love the most, but since I published Altine, I have not been able to finish any other one. I wrote more when I was in secondary school. While in the university I wrote mainly poems and my personal dairy- I have about five volumes of that to date. After graduation, unemployment reared its ugly head and I promised myself that I would have something to show for the unemployed years and that was how Altine was finished and I was most lucky to get a grant, not only to publish but to do something about what I had written. That is why Altine would remain indelible in my life as a writer. The grant provided for my feeding, clothing, toiletries, study materials, apprenticeship for five almajirai and other things like a workshop and jingles for a year. And for all my effort, I got the novel published. You can see what I mean by a work of art not just being entertainment but also being part of the solution. Publishing almost does not exist in Nigeria again. You pay for printing and it is called publishing. I was not happy about the quality of the publishing of Altine but I have learnt my lesson. Moreover, self-publishing is now easier with computer technology.
You write all the genres of literature; drama, poetry and prose. Which is your favourite among them and why?
Prose definitely is my favourite followed by drama, which is the last discovered talent. I think poetry is easier especially the free verse, no sacrilege or is it muselege meant. Prose is something else, it is something almost every one enjoys, unlike poetry that can bore some people, and some people don’t fancy drama except on stage. Prose is like story telling which is an intrinsic African instinct and culture and almost everyone loves story. There is room for maneuvers that the other genres do not give room for, they are very technical. You just have to have a flair for them. Their audience is not as much as that of prose. Lately I have worked more on drama. Now I have this feeling that I have written all that there is to write in poetry! Love, life death, the good, the bad and the ugly and what not, and I do joke that I have come to the end of poetry!
Which of the genres is more effective in terms of communication and literary aesthetics?
Like I said, it is prose, followed by drama. Poetry is too up in the cloud for most people to comprehend, but prose and drama, you can bring them down to familiar terra firma much more than poetry.
Who are your favourite writers and why?
Let me think. In Nigeria, I think Cyprian Ekwensi is my number one and you know my pen name came from one of his novels, Jagua Nana’s Daughter. There is a character there Saka Jojo and my friends changed the Saka to Sakky. Like he is called, the chronicler of Nigerian city life, he mirrors society in his work very well. Then there is Achebe whose simplicity I like and he too tells the story of the people. Dan Fulani for his spy novels, Kola Onadipe too. In drama, Soyinka and Ola Rotimi are my inspirations, though I have not read most of their works. Of the dramatists whose plays I have seen on stage, Dr Sunday Ododo have impressed me and Dr Ahmed Yerima. Outside Nigeria, Ngugi Ferdinand Oyono, Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison and Charles Dickens - though it’s been long since I read them.
What would you say are the challenges of Nigerian writers and what is the way out?
The greatest challenge is publishing and readership. I think both are integral. The two are the essence of fulfillment for a writer. Publishing, because after endless hours of writing, rewriting and editing, your best reward is getting it published. But after publication you need readers and that is where readership is a great problem. Reading culture is poor in Nigeria. That is very much linked with the problem of our educational system and economic situation. People do read in Nigeria; but what? How to become a millionaire over night. The problem of publishing is also linked with the economy. Publishers don’t promote again, you pay them and they print for you. That is why everyone is doing self publishing. Economically it is not profitable to publish unless you can guarantee readership through the work being used in schools. Winning awards, especially foreign awards, boosts sales but how many writers will ever get awards. I gave over one thousand copies of my book free. I was able to do that because I didn’t use my money to publish it. Until last year when it was used in a school and sold over three hundred copies, the best sales before then in over five years was not up to thirty copies. It is hardly encouraging, it stunts literary growth.
The way out is linked with other developments in the society. Writers cannot develop in isolation. Improve the education and the economy and it will tell on literature. Artistes must love what they are doing and keep doing it against all odds.
Most Nigerian writings are on corruption and other societal ills. Some are saying the theme is overflogged. What’s your view?
My take on it is that it is not overflogged, if writing is about mirroring the society. What will a mirror of our society show? Corruption and the other ills you talked about. Yes it is exasperating, but as long as the problem is still around, it is not over flogged, for talking about it is part of the solution, in the hope that some day some people will really get tired and begin to do something about it. You know fiction are not lies but coloured truth. The colours are the turf of the writers.
How was your experience as the secretary of ANA in Kaduna?
It was challenging and rewarding. I contested because I felt I could contribute something to the writers’ guild. My greatest regret was not being able to contribute much financial assistance to the house. For that I made up with dedication. I am happy that I was able to get some books at the Owerri convention in conjunction with Mathew Taiwo for the chapter to have its own library for I believe Nigerian writers are not very immune from the poor reading culture. I also tried to keep records of all our activities, we don’t have record keeping culture in this country. The house reading is very helpful to honing one’s craft. The Talkshop is also very enriching. The experience was most rewarding.

(c) interviewed by Sumaila Umaisha and published in the 6/6/09 of New Nigerian.

Literary feather for the soldier poet (interview)

Col. JIP Ubah (rtd), former Military Administrator of Kebbi State, is the author of four poetry works - Songs of Lokoja, Where the Eagle Perches, Birds of Kebbi Land and Daybreak. The soldier poet, who hails from Okpobla, Agila, Benue State, has also contributed to several poetry anthologies. In recognition of his literary achievements, he has been conferred with a number of awards. The recent ones are the Maiden Meritorious Award by the Niger State chapter of Women Writers Association of Nigeria, WRITA, and Roll of Merit by the Kaduna State chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA. He speaks about the awards and other related matters with SUMAILA UMAISHA.

NNW: How do you feel about the Maiden Meritorious Award conferred on you recently by the Niger State chapter of Women Writers Association of Nigeria, WRITA, in Minna?
Col. John I. Ubah: I’m really overwhelmed because with only four poetry books and a few contributions to anthologies I don’t think I’ve reached that stage to be considered for such an award. So I really appreciate it so much.
Those selected for the award included personalities like the Senate President, Sen. David Mark and the awardees are few. That means whoever is among the august list must have merited it. Could you tell us a bit about your literary history which culminated into this prestigious award?
In the literary sphere, I think all that has carried me along is sheer enthusiasm, not achievements. I was introduced to literature at Teachers’ Training College and did very well in the subject in my Grade II, way back in 1967. And having left teaching suddenly to join the army, I didn’t pursue literary production vigorously. But I carried the interest on and I was able to produce four poetry books of which Songs of Lokoja is the most popular. It was publicly presented in Hassan Usman Katsina House in Kaduna in March 1997. And the others followed. I’ve always made literary contributions while I was in the Staff College Course 8 from which I graduated on 4th July 1986. I was declared the Best Author in Army Faculty. Thereafter, while training with the United States Marines my colleagues were very fascinated by the poems I produced every Friday for the school notice board. I still have the interest and hope that as time goes on I will be able to produce more works.
The Kaduna State chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, of which you are a patron, also honoured you recently with an award, Roll of Merit.
Yes. I’m always very happy to be associated with ANA and the Kaduna Writers’ League. The two hold weekly reading sessions at Arewa House. Their effort is commendable and they need to be encouraged.
At what point in your life would you say you were more literary productive?
I tend to be more incisive and more creative when I’m in a classroom situation. And throughout my military career, each time I went on course, I was always writing and filing poems. That is why when I was appointed Military Administrator of Kebbi State, I gathered my files and from 1996 to 1998, I was able to produce the four poetry works. And I’m still building up myself. I don’t think I’ve reached the peak yet.
In retirement, some people find more time for literary creativity. In your own case has life in retirement afforded you the opportunity to be more prolific?
I don’t think it has. Because of my position as former Military Administrator, some people still see me as a governor. So they tend to put so much pressure on me that I hardly find time to sit down and think of what to write. For instance, the Kaduna Catholic Archbishop has included me in the Project Committee for building the jubilee secretariat. In the Arewa Consultative Forum, there is hardly any meeting they hold without inviting me. And we keep going about talking to the governors and others that matter in the North. For instance, we are likely to visit the FCT Minister soon. Another area that keeps me so busy is my membership of the Retired Army, Navy and Air force Officers’ Club of Nigeria. For four years after my retirement I was Zonal Coordinator for National Vice President, covering seven states. And that takes a lot of my time. In fact, we’ve just come back from this year’s Annual General Meeting of the club in Lagos. So I’m always very busy that I don’t pay much attention to creativity.
How would you describe the Nigerian literary scene?
It is very interesting. Literary spirit is very dynamic and it refuses to be pushed aside. Reading culture is at a very low ebb; Nigerians are not interested in literary works. Even students only read works that are related to their curriculum. Yet, we have writers coming up more and more. Young writers like Chimamanda Adichie are writing and winning international prizes. I’m very much impressed. Literature is important because it is the one that makes us remember people like Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw and so on. I remember, while watching ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ on TV recently, the inability of one of the contestants to say the first name of Chaucer prevented him from winning two million naira. I was laughing because I found it funny that he didn’t know or could not remember that his first name is Geoffrey. To have literary questions on such a popular programme is an indication that the literary spirit is very much alive in Nigeria. And I’m happy about it.
Finally, what’s your advice to young writers?
They should not be discouraged whether people are interested in their works or not. If they are not interested, time will come when they will be interested. The world goes in such a way that at a stage it will push itself into a situation where it has to start from where we started. It is always rotating and revolving. Literature and literary artists are the makers and builders of the society. They are the conscience of the society and storehouse of societal memory. So, young writers should not be discouraged. They should exercise their talents to the fullest.

Interviewed by Sumaila Umaisha and published in the New Nigerian.

Yari interacts with KASU students

Monday, 15th June, 2009, was a memorable day for the students of the Department of English and Drama, Faculty of Arts, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, as they interacted with Labo Yari, the first Northern Nigerian novelist in English language .
The interactive session, which took place in the Faculty of Arts Lecture Room 1, was specially organized by the university for the students, particularly those undergoing Literature 316 Course, tagged ‘Special Author for Special Topic’.
Under this programme, the institution had earlier hosted writers like Zaynab Alkali, first Northern female writer in English and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Mu’azu Maiwada, author of State of the Anus and lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Abubakar Gimba, author of several literary works and former President of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA.
The theme of this edition of the interactive session is ‘Northern Nigerian Writing’. Hence, discussions were focused on the art of creative writing, with particular reference to the Northern Nigerian experience.
The interaction was in two parts. The first part was a general session involving all the students of English, from 100 level to 400 level. The second part was exclusively for 300 level students and the discussion was more intensive, focusing on every aspect of Yari’s books.
The first part began at about 11 am with a welcome address by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. A. K. Babajo, in which he explained the main objective of the occasion. According to him, the exercise was in fulfillment of the requirement of the Literature 316 Course, which is aimed at inculcating in the students the values of creativity through interaction with writers across the globe.
In compliance with the mission and vision of establishing the university, he said, the programme is, for now, focusing on Nigerian writers, with emphasis on Northern writers.
He further explained that the theme, ‘Literature in Northern Nigeria’, was chosen in order to discuss the burning question of the dearth of writers in the North.
In his words: "As a university in the North we have given ourselves the task of asking the question, why don’t we have the Soyinkas and Achebes in the North even though history has recorded that there were several literary expressions in Northern Nigeria before the coming of the British colonialists and the English language. And we hope that this interactive session will find the answer."
After a short remark by the chairman of the occasion, Audee T. Giwa, an author and lecturer at the English Department, a brief biography of Labo Yari was read by Ebere Igwe a student of English. Then Yari went down memory lane recounting his writing experiences, how and when he started writing, his major inspirations and the pains and gains of being a writer.
Many famous writers began as journalists. Such was the case with the Katsina born author and member of ANA Board of Trustees. He started as a reporter in the Katsina Native Authority Information Service in 1962. And by 1966 he had obtained his Diploma in Journalism. Thereafter, he studied Norwegian Literature, Political Science and History at the University of Oslo, Norway. He then became a Press Attaché to the Nigerian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.
On returning to Nigeria, he joined the services of Fourth Dimension, publishers of most of his works, as Marketing Manager. He later switched over to the Northern Nigerian Publishing Company, where he served as the publishing executive from 1982 to 1988. He became the chairman of the company briefly before he went over to Gaskiya Corporation, a publishing company in Zaria, and later to the Katsina State government, serving as Government Printer.
During his active service in these various jobs in journalism and publishing, and even after retirement, he was busy writing and publishing his literary works. The works are Climate of Corruption (novel, 1978), A House in the Dark (short stories, 1985), A Man of the Moment (novel, 1992), A Day without a Cockcrow (short stories, 1999) and Muhamman Dikko: Emir of Katsina and His Times (biography, 2007).
Though the works are hardly read in institutions of learning, they are quite popular with the reading public. And for his monumental contribution to the Nigerian literature he has won awards, including a Merit Award by ANA.
After Labo Yari’s interesting account of his life and works came the question and answer session. Several questions were asked by the eager students. And his answers were simple and direct. On what makes a good writer, he said, "To be a good writer you have to be a good reader." What would you like to be remembered for? "What people think I am," he replied.
Even to the burning question of the dearth of writers in the North, his answer was unpretentious, though disappointing to those who thought he had the answer. "I don’t know," he said. "Educational imbalance between the North and the South is no longer a factor. So, I don’t really know why. Maybe you students could brainstorm and find the answer. But honestly, I don’t know."
And on that note, the first part of the session came to an end. The second part began after a short break and lasted for some hours.
As the students finally dispersed at the end of the second session, the question remained: Why are writers so few in the North compared to the South?
Is it the publishing climate? Is it lack of determination on the part of the writers? If so, then perhaps, interactive sessions like this would save the situation by sensitising aspiring writers on the enormous task before them and the right steps to take. In this regard, Kaduna State University could, by this regular interactive session, be said to be pioneering a noble cause that would eventually address the question.

HOW I BECAME A WRITER - Yari

It all started from my interest in reading. I was reading quite a lot right from my early age. So by the time I became a student in the University of Oslo, Norway, in 1966 I had developed interest not just in African literature but in the literatures of other European countries. Specifically, I studied Norwegian Literature.
It is from one of my lecturers then that I learnt that if you want to be a writer you don’t have to have a degree in Literature, all you need to do is read a lot; read literary materials that have to do with the area you want to specialize in. For instance, if you want to write thriller, read a lot of thriller novels. I took the lecturer’s advice and read a lot of serious works of literature.
When I came back to Nigeria after my course, I joined the Federal Ministry of Information where part of my responsibility included taking foreign journalists to the war front. After the civil war, I was sent to Stockholm as a press attache in the Nigerian embassy.
All this while I was reading seriously. And soon I began to write short stories. And after I have written about eleven stories, a Jamaica journalist and friend whom I met during the civil war advised me to publish a novel before short stories.
Apart from this Jamaica friend, late Aminu Abdullahi, the then Editor of New Nigerian, was also a source of encouragement. Whenever I submitted my work to him he would criticize it strongly, saying; "This is rubbish go and rewrite it."
Meanwhile, as I wrote the novel, Climate of Corruption, beginning from 1975, my short stories were being published by Spear magazine. When I completed writing the novel in 1976 I took it to Fourth Dimension for publication. And it became the first in the list of the books they published in Nigeria. The collection of short stories, A House in the Dark, wasn’t published till 1985.
In 1979 Fourth Dimension asked me to leave the civil service and joined them. I joined them at their Kaduna office were I tried to get Northern writers published. But they were not forthcoming; I couldn’t get any manuscripts. So when I was approached by the Northern Nigerian Publishing Company (NNPC) to join them as a publishing executive, I went over. It was there I wrote my second novel, A Man of the Moment, which was later published in 1990 by Fourth Dimension.
From NNPC I moved to Gaskiya Corporation, another publishing outfit based in Zaria. It wasn’t easy to write there, because the company was down and I really had to work hard to revive it. Though government had 60 per cent share, it was purely a commercial company and we had to pay our salaries from within. So, while I was there, all I did was to publish other people’s works.
However, I was able to write once again in 1990 when I left Gaskiya Corporation to Katsina where I was appointed government printer. There I wrote the short stories which were published in 1999 by Ibrahim Sheme’s publishing outfit, Informat. The collection is titled A Day Without a Cockcrow. First, I sent it to Fourth Dimension, but when Sheme, who was then the Arts Editor of New Nigerian, expressed desire to publish it, I withdrew it and sent it to him.
Then I wrote and published in 2007 a biography on the late Emir of Katsina, Muhamman Dikko, titled Muhamman Dikko: Emir of Katsina and His Times. So far, I have written five books.

PICTURES:

1. Labo Yari, Dr. A.K. Babajo with the students

2. Labo yari

(c) Reported by Sumaila Umaisha and published in the 20/6/09 edition of New Nigerian.

Ikhide: Write, write, write until it hurts!

Ikhide Roland Ikheloa is the Chief of Staff to the Board of Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland, (MCPS) USA, where he has been working since 1987, beginning as Business Manager at Gaithersburg High School and as a Budget and Management Specialist for MCPS. He is a bachelor’s degree holder in Biochemistry from the University of Benin and MBA degree from the University of Mississippi in Oxford Mississippi. A writer and theatre specialist, Ikheloa speaks to SUMALA UMAISHA about literature in relation to education.

NNW: Let’s begin with your brief biography.

Ikhide Roland: I was born in Lagos many, many years ago, just ahead of our country, Nigeria’s independence. I attended schools in Nigeria, starting at a primary school in and ending with a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Benin, Benin City, in 1979. In 1982, I left Nigeria for the United States of America and obtained a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Mississippi, in Oxford Mississippi. I have lived continuously in various parts of the United States since 1982. I have had a lifelong involvement with the arts; I am afraid that this engagement may have adversely affected my focus on my professional and certainly my personal life. Almost from my childhood, I have been involved in the theatre arts and participated in considerable training in that field at Edo College in Benin City under the tutelage of the dramatist Segun Bankole. I also was part of a professional theatre group run by Sam Loco-Efe that toured the then Bendel State with the play The Gods Are Not to Blame By Ola Rotimi.
When and how did you start writing, and what were your major inspirations?
As I said, I have been writing for as long as I remember. I think that the need to write is akin to a disability; it comes and you have to deal with it. I believe some people are born to write, they just don’t have the choice, they are drawn by a mysterious hand to put their thoughts down. So I write all the time, everywhere and on anything that will take words. I have been writing for pleasure and therapeutic release for as long as I can remember. My essays probably began to see the light of day when in early 1994 I joined the now defunct Naijanet, that Internet watering hole of Nigerian intellectuals and professionals. Most of my works are however to be found on the Internet - in online journals, newsmagazines and newspapers, on list-serves and recently on blogs. My father is my major inspiration. He does not know this but he taught me how to write his stories (and take credit for it). He also taught me how to love life despite its harshness and his stories comfort me everyday here in the US as I cope with the pain of this dislocation called exile. I come from a land of gentle poets who tell their stories in song and in dance and if you are a sensitive soul, you are always inspired by the haunting memories of the bravery of these folks who stay up all day and all night singing and dancing away sorrows and tragedies that would crush mere mortals. Besides the oral traditions of my people, the single most important literary influence in my life is Professor Chinua Achebe. There is not a year that passes that I don’t go back to read Things Fall Apart. That book is easily my most favorite book of all times. Finally, I am inspired and awed by the works of all the writers of Achebe’s generation who toiled long and hard without the aid of computers and the Internet to produce awesome works. The list is too long: Wole Soyinka, Buchi Emecheta, Flora Nwapa, Cyprian Ekwensi, T.M. Aluko, Chukwuemeka Ike, Elechi Amadi. James Ngugi (Ngugi Wa Thiong’O) Peter Abrahams, Kofi Awoonor, Peter Enahoro, Ogali A. Ogali and the men and women of Onitsha Market Literature, etc, etc.
A few years ago, you were promoted to the post of Chief of Staff of the Board of Montgomery County Public Schools in Rockville, Maryland.

How would you describe the journey that brought you to this enviable position? What are the major factors responsible for the success?
It is not a big deal, really. America has changed immensely over the years and the work place is beginning to really reflect the changing demographics of America. If anyone had told me that Barack Obama would be president of the United States in my lifetime, I would have demanded a sobriety test on the person. There are so many immigrants of colour in responsible positions, it is no longer news really. We should credit the resilience of the new immigrants and the willingness of America to deal with constant change. It is a good thing.
You are a Nigerian yet you are able to occupy such a high position in the US. What does this say about the attitude of foreigners to Nigeria vis-à-vis Nigeria’s image abroad?
Nigeria’s image abroad needs a major reset, an extreme make-over if you would permit me to use that hackneyed term. The vast majority of Nigerians abroad are law-abiding, honest, and industrious. Unfortunately, we tend to be largely defined by the acts of a minuscule percentage of individuals loitering around the seamy side of the law. Some of it can be attributed to racism. It does not help that the antics of our country’s misbehaving leaders are played out minute-by-minute thanks to the new globalization. Structural improvements on our governance, along with the necessary transparency would help our image abroad. We don’t need mere cosmetic propaganda.
You are a biochemist by training. How come you are more famous as an educationist?
I grew up in a time and an era in Nigeria when your parents pretty much determined what you were going to study. My father badly wanted me to be a medical doctor. I was allergic to the sight of blood - a little problem that doesn’t go well with being a doctor. I pined for the arts, theatre arts especially. I studied biochemistry but I was miserable in class and I believe I made everyone else miserable, including my lecturers and my friends. I acted out in class and I gained a deserved reputation as the class clown. I have been in education since graduation in 1979 and working with students is probably the closest to being in the arts.
Why does the educational system in the US work better than that of Nigeria?
It is a good question. It was not always like this. There was a time when our university graduates of any discipline could compete favourably with their peers everywhere else. Here in the US, there is a heavy financial investment in public education and there is enough advocacy and accountability by the public that ensures only a minimum of waste and fraud. The citizens are generally very knowledgeable and assertive and are able to advocate for their children. In other words, there seems to be a closer alignment between the needs of the citizenry and the agenda of the governors. The competition from the private sector helps also.
African literature can only thrive well when the educational system is working well. What advice would you give Nigerian government in relation to this fact?
I almost feel like saying that we should give up on the Nigerian government. I just don’t like giving the Nigerian government advice. She is stone deaf. But all is not lost. Just like the cell phone technology delivered our people from the tyranny of NITEL’s incompetence, I sincerely pray and hope that advances in new technologies like the Internet will free our people from the thuggery of our leaders. Nigerian literature is enjoying a riotous resurgence on the Internet and elsewhere. These are great times to be alive if you love Nigerian literature.
What is your advice for young Nigerian writers?
Read, read, read other writers. Write, write, write until it hurts!
Any plans to come to back to Nigeria soon?
I should be visiting this year. I hear you are very rich. Send me a ticket. I fly first class. [Laughs].

(c) Interviewed by Sumaila Umaisha, published in the 13/6/09 edition of New Nigerian newspaper.