The Northern Nigeria Writers’ Summit (NNWS) has elected its maiden members of executive council. A statement by Odoh Diego Okeyondo, who chaired the committee that conducted the elections, said the official are to lead the association for the period of two years. Those elected include, chairman, Dr. Bashir Abusabe, chairman; vice-chairman, Omale Allen Abdujabbar, and Safiya Ismail Yero emerged as Read More
The writer added he would like to give his fellow nominees “a hug” and that the “greatest gift” was being able to “touch readers’ lives”. The novel follows the life of Agnes Bain, who is descending into despair and struggling with alcohol after the breakdown of her marriage. All but one of her children have been driven away by her Read More
With two African writers on the shortlist of this year’s Booker prize, commentators on the continent anticipated the prize to swing to one of them, but it has been awarded to a Scot, Douglas Stuart, for his debut novel, Shuggie Bain. The two African writers on the shortlist were Tsitsi Dangarembga and Maaza Mengiste. While Dangarembga, a Zimbabwean, was nominated Read More
The the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare and Ministers of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba; Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo have endorsed the ‘Sage of Growth’, a book written by a trained banker, Taiwo Francis Akerele. The ministers made the endorsement during a national book tour embarked recently by the author to create a positive Read More
The second edition of Niger State Photography Contest has begun in Minna, the state capital. Organised by Hilltop Arts Centre, it is opened for senior secondary school students in the state. The contest is being sponsored by the state’s director general for Information Communication Technology, Abdulberqy Ebbo. While the winner is expected to go home with a camera and N50 Read More
The Only One Fatima Usman You are the only one For whom I can lose sleep The only one For whom I can talk without a pause The only one Who crosses my mind constantly The only one Who often authors my smile Brings down my mood I can’t explain with only words How much to me is your worth Read More
Like most movements (Including life itself) It started innocently enough With a call, or more But which – because of the message – Rapidly spread and became a cascade A docile, long-suffering populace Dared to challenge the State For being at the receiving end Of the worst excesses Of those sworn to protect them And kitted at their expense Our Read More
Book: Tears of Desert War Publisher: Kraftgriots Books Limited Author: Idris Amali Year: 2020 Pages: 109 Reviewer: Umar Yogiza Jr. The anthology of memories and grief that make up Idris Amali’s “Tears of Desert Wa”r, presents one with puzzles that re-establish poetry as the main tool, capable of furnishing a man with deep know-how to confront erupting history, loss, fear Read More
An awareness campaign production of the Federal Ministry of Health supported by African Development Bank (AfDB) is set to hit the airwaves in two locations across the country. Produced by Vein Entertainment, the 30 minutes radio and television programme tagged ‘Prevention is better than cure’, is a demonstration of the power of theatre as a tool for advocacy, and attitudinal Read More
Five Nigerian writers have been longlisted for 2020 edition of Short Story Day Africa prize. The writers are MacSmart Ojiludu, Kanyinsola Olorunnisola, Innocent Ilo, Edwin Okolo and Alithnayn Abdulkareem. For the very first time, it contains two previous winners of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa Region (2019 winner Mbozi Haimbe and 2020 winner Innocent Ilo) and former Brittle Read More
The remains of the renowned Nigerian poet and playwright, John Pepper Clark, popularly known as J.P. Clark have been laid to rest in his country home in Kiagbodo town, Delta state, Nigeria. The Emeritus Professor of Literature was buried on Thursday night after a brief lying in state for few family members. The poet was buried within three days of Read More
“The quality, quantity and diversity of books produced by a society are important indicators of that society’s level of development . . . . “ Valdehusa (1985). The Book Publishing industry has a tremendous impact on the society. According to Lai Oso (2000): “Book Publishing is a serious business, a benchmark of a nation’s education, one of the basement blocks Read More
AWAAL GATA asks Salihu Mahe, a poet and writer, eight questions How did your passion for writing start ? I started writing from an early stage but I didn’t get much encouragement back then. Later on in life, my passion for writing, poetry especially, was born out of boredom. It was during my NYSC — I was lecturing at a Read More
Although he is not a usual feature in recent years, Alkasim Abdulkadir was one of the rising stars in the Nigerian literati in the 1990s and early 2000s. AWAAL GATA caught up with the Communications Specialist recently, and he told him what he has been up to and what should be done to make writing a bustling art in Nigeria. Why Read More
The Anambra state correspondent of Blueprint newspapers, Comrade Okechukwu Onuegbu, has unveiled his first novel, The Adventures of a Determined Child, a two hundred pages works of fiction. Onuegbu, whose other published works include two collection of poems, the Songs from a Solemn Mind and the Mirror of the Minds, a short story (The Mysterious Housekeeper) and a health book, Read More
As Nigeria clocks 60 years of Independence arising from Sovereignty granted it by the British Colonialists on Saturday, October 1st, 1960 in few days’ time, her journey of Independent Nationhood from that time till now, can be viewed or examined from different perspectives. However from whatever perspectives the Nationhood journey of the entity called Nigeria brought into being by Fredrick Lord Lugard through the Amalgamation Read More
Mr. Franklin Ekeocha is the author of War Without Bloodshed, Father Church: A Living Sacrifice, among other books, who resigned from different jobs to take up writing as a profession. In this interview with PAUL OKAH, he speaks on declining reading culture in Nigeria, societal ills, attitude of publishers to authors, even as he hopes for a better Nigeria. What Read More
The Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) is set to empower two female writers from 54 African countries. In a statement, PAWA’s Secretary General, Wale Okediran, PAWA would collaborate with Women’s Organisation of Resources, Knowledge and Skills (WORKS) and LONGRICH to undertake the pilot scheme of the project in all its 54 member countries in Africa. The aim of the project, Read More
An award-winning journalist, novelist and short-story writer, Olukorede Yishau, is releasing his collection of short stories, “Vaults of Secrets”, on Thursday, October 1, 2020. Given the attention the critical acclaim garnered by his first book, “The Name of Our Father”, critics are of the view that the view that the collection will receive a lot of rave reveiew. Speaking about Read More
The Fugar Progressive Union (FPU), a socio-cultural group in Edo state, has called on the UNESCO to include in its nominations some of its tourist sites for consideration among the list of World Heritage Sites. The FPU national president, Barrister Richard Anetekhai, said the caves represented a masterpiece of natural creative genius. “The tourist sites are strategically located in a Read More
Ghana President, Nana Akufo-Addo, has congratulated Nigerian writer, Wale Okediran, on his appointment as the Secretary-General of the Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA). Akufo-Addo congratulated Okediran in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Nana Bediatuo, and made available to newsmen. Akufo-Addo charged Okediran to use his new position to further the cause of the association. “The President of the Republic welcomes Read More
Barely two weeks after bagging an Eisner Award, Nigeria’s Nnedi Okorafor has won the coveted Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story or Comic for her graphic novel, “LaGuardia”. She won the award with illustrators Tana Ford and James Devlin. This is a second Hugo win for Okorafor who became the first Nigerian to win the award in 2016 for her Read More
Title: Ambition Is In The Making Author: Muhammad Bashir Bala Publisher: Muhammad Bashir Bala Year of Publication: 2020 Number of Pages: 221Reviewer: Nasir S. Gwangwazo Description: ‘Ambition Is In The Making’ this book addresses various issues that have arisen in the practice of democracy in Nigeria since 1960, focusing on the Ahmad Rufa’i Sani’s years (1999-2019) and his future politics. It Read More
Title: LINGUISTIC CRITICISM OF THE AFRICAN NOVEL Author: Kayode Omole Publisher: Bloom Media Network Ltd, Abuja, Nigeria Year of Publication: 2019 Number of Pages: 161 Reviewer: Prof Gbenga Ibileye Disintering the stylistician’s persona from his stylistics: An excursion into the mind and activism of Professor Kayode Omole at 70 The French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon (1707-1788) was perhaps the Read More
AWAAL GATA poses nine questions to Jamila Saleh, a budding poet from Gombe, whose poems are dearly followed on social media Who is Jamila Saleh? I was born and brought up in Gombe. I attended Jekadafari primary school, Gombe and later GDSS Nassarawo where I had my secondary school education. I have an NCE in Home Economics from Federal College Read More
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