Poetry: Sentinel Nigeria spreads the Gospel

The 3rd of July, 2010 was a special day for the members of the Kaduna State chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors and writers resident in Kaduna, as Unoma Azuah, Professor of Creative Writing at Lane College, USA, lectured them on some vital techniques of poetry writing.
The event, which was the last of the series of free poetry workshops organised across the country by the Sentinel Literary Movement of Nigeria, took place at Arewa House from 3 pm to 6 pm. Similar workshop was previously held in Asaba, Lagos and Abuja.
The main focus of the workshop is on “Technique and Critical Appraisal of Poetry.” And the sub-themes included Elements of Poetry, Practising Poetry, Pattern by Eye: Objects, Layering Patterns and Problems of Poetry.
It was an interactive session in which the about 20 participants were fully involved the process of poetry writing under the guidance of Unoma, who is also the poetry editor of www.sentinelnigeria.org, official website of the sponsoring organisation.
The facilitator began by introducing the basic elements of poetry such as figures of speech, imagery, form and content. She observed that these elements are the attributes that set poetry apart from other genres of writing, stressing that any poet that intends to mark impact must employ them effectively.
She also stressed the need for the poet to abstain from abstract description that does not appeal to the senses. In her words, “poetry comes alive when you use concrete images rather than abstract concept or description that leaves the reader groping for the substance or meaning of the poem in vain”. According to her, simple language coupled with the right images works well for poetry.
Her vivid explanations were accompanied with readings from samples of masterpieces by famous poets. Participants were also engaged in on-the-spot writing of poems in line with the tips provided.
Time was quite limited for all that Professor Unoma had to teach. However, participants did gain so much that if they put in practice what they had learnt it would go a long way in improving there poetry writing. The Vice Chairman of Kaduna ANA, Mr. Steve Adenoyi, confirmed this fact in his votes of thanks, saying “We have really learnt a lot; we are grateful to Sentinel Nigeria and the able facilitator for this golden opportunity”.
At the end of the workshop, Professor Unoma accepted to edit submitted poetry manuscripts for a one-off assessment fee of N2,000 for each poetry collection. A selection from the submitted poems, she said, would be made for the maiden “Sentinel Nigeria Poetry Digest” to be published in August 2010.
Sentinel Literary Movement of Nigeria is the Nigerian chapter of the Sentinel Poetry International. It is aimed at promoting literary excellence among writers. It publishes a quarterly literary magazine, with Richard Ugbede Ali as its Editor-in-Chief and administrator of the online version, www.sentinelnigeria.org.

Praxis brings IBB, OBJ, Buhari together

Public presentation of the book Praxis of Political Concepts and Clichés in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic (Essays in Honour of Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, last Thursday in Abuja turned out to be a unifying platform for three former heads of state hitherto thought to be at loggerheads – General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, General Olusegun Obasanjo and General Muhammadu Buhari.
Few minutes after the guests had settled down in Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel and Towers, waiting for the commencement of the occasion, Buhari and Babangida walked in together. The surprised audience spontaneously rose in a loud ovation. Before the standing ovation subsided, Obasanjo walked in and in his characteristic manner turned the high table into a drama stage, as he squeezed himself between the two and posed for the press cameras. The cheering rose to a deafening crescendo!
It was indeed a gathering of who is who in Nigeria. Governors, Ministers, Senators, House of Representatives members, Royal Fathers and other important dignitaries from the public and private sectors, including the Managing Director of New Nigerian Newspapers, Malam Abdulrahman Tukur, were present.
The event, which was organised by the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, in collaboration with the Niger State Government, was chaired by the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris. Obasanjo was the book presenter while the book reviewer was Dr. Reuben Abati, Chairman, Editorial Board of the Guardian Newspapers.
In his opening remarks, the chairman of the occasion expressed gratitude to the guests, observing that the large turn-out testified to the importance of the book being presented and the vision and foresight of the Chief Servant of Niger State, who is behind the laudable project.
Speaking in the same vein, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro, stressed that the Chief Servant’s ideals, which gave birth to the compilation of the critical essays on the Nigerian political situation, is in harmony with the ideals of Nigerian universities, particularly the University of Ibadan. The Vice Chancellor traced the problems bedevilling Nigerian universities to lack of adequate funding and advocated public-private partnership in the management of educational institutions. He disclosed that the Chief Servant had graciously decided that all donations realised at the public presentation would be given to the University of Ibadan as an endowment fund for Peace and Leadership Studies.
In his speech, the editor of the book, Professor Isaac Clawale Albert, introduced its contents, concept and aims to the guests. According to him, all the terms examined in the book emanated from the changing democratic and authoritarian political space in which both the Nigerian politician and people find themselves. “What the authors of the chapters in this book have simply done is to file behind the Chief Servant to express themselves about the present democratic systems in Nigeria”, he said, adding that, “it is a well-researched, largely political publication with contributions from acknowledged scholars, teachers and researchers, as well as practising lawyers”.
Dr. Reuben Abati, re-echoed these facts in his review of the book. He described the book as critical and analytical in its assessment of the Nigerian situation – a practical guide to a wide range of issues arising from and affecting the polity. He said unlike other politicians who would have used the publication as an opportunity to massage their ego, the Chief Servant was rarely mentioned in the book, though it was written in his honour.
Highlight of the occasion was the formal presentation of the book by Obasanjo. It attracted another round of applause as he called on the two former heads of state to join him in unveiling the book. In his presentation speech, Obasanjo described the Chief Servant as a man who always tries to find practical solutions to practical problems. He said unlike many other critics and intellectuals who embark on theoretical solutions that are hardly practicable, the Chief Servant has proved, especially by this project, that only practical approach to governance could achieve the desired result. He then congratulated the Chief Servant and all those who worked together to make the publication a reality.
In their goodwill messages, Buhari and Babangida also congratulated the Chief Servant.
Governor Mohammed Danjuma Goje of Gombe State was impressed by not only the effort of the organisers in embarking on such a worthy publication but their ability to bring together three former heads of state. He said it was a demonstration of the fact that the political ideals preached in the book has starting working. He called on other politicians, especially past heads of state to emulate the spirit of camaraderie exhibited by the trio.
The donation segment of the programme was opened with the contribution of a whopping sum of N72 million naira from the 36 states of the federation. Thereafter, donations in cash, cheques and pledges poured in. And at the end of the event millions of naira was realised.

(c) Reported by SUMAILA UMAISHA and published in the 7/7/10 edition of New nigerian newspaper.