ANA releases one month scorecard

The current National Executive Council (NEC) of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has released the scoredcard of its first month in office.

A memo by ANA General Secretary, Akogun Tai Oguntayo every of its activities has been tailored towards repositioning the association.

The memo reads: According to the  General Secretary of the association, Akogun Tai Oguntayo, at the NEC’s inaugural meeting, it was discovered that there was no take-off funds, and funds were need to pilot its affairs. The officials, from their own pockets, raised some money foe opening a bank account for the association and for taking care of some of its  immediate administrative needs.

 “We have also attended to other necessary secretarial needs for effective communication, particularly with the state chapters which, under our administrations, will be enhanced towards a more synergetic relationship between the Chapters and the National body

“Days after their inauguration, the officials paid an unscheduled visit to ANA’s interim National Secretariat, which is situated at Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village in Mpape, Abuja. The visit was used to assess the state of things at the secretariat. The official were not happy with the situation, and we discovered the office in a state unbefitting our image as Africa’s largest body of writers called ANA. We have itemised the necessary office equipment needed for immediate supply there. Accordingly, we have reached out to a partner willing to assist with providing the furniture and systems for our use at the National Secretariat. We also have immediate plans to contract for signboards to be affixed at strategic places around our National Secretariat for more visibility for the said Secretariat among the general Abuja community. We shall update you on developments concerning this.

“Among our first activities has been the effort at the Corporate Affairs Commission aimed at finding out the level of updated information regarding our association. We have some serious work at hand right now, as we are faced with updating our annual returns at the CAC for the past 10 years. In so doing, we shall update the status of our trustees in compliance with the constitutional provisions, as late Professor Chinua Achebe and M. T. Aluko are still showing as our trustees in the files at the CAC. These updates, among others, shall take priority and be funded by our internally generated funds, with immediate effect upon resumption of regular activities, post Coronavirus.

“It is our immediate plan to acquire an official vehicle for the National Secretariat, towards boosting our presence and image within Abuja, particularly  during courtesy visits to identified Government and individual  partners for ANA. When this is done, it would be the first time ever in the history of ANA that its National Secretariat would be equipped with a vehicle. We have already submitted a written request on this, which is receiving attention by one of our new partners. We shall update you on this unravelling development.

“In response to our various contacts with government agencies, foreign missions and organisations, individual and corporate sponsors of arts and art-related activities in Nigeria, we had already started receiving appointments for courtesy visits which, unfortunately, had to be suspended due to the ongoing lockdowns in the country. It’s our hope that any moment after the lockdown, we shall proceed on this path with zeal and gusto towards restoring ANA’s battered image, announcing our existence and presence and raising necessary funds and support towards the execution of our Constitutional activities as a duly registered association of respectable authors.”

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