Abdullahi
Denja Abdullahi who is the current Association of Nigerian Authors, is a poet, playwright, literary essayist and culture technocrat. Born at Idah, he hails from Agbaja in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State. In this interview with IBRAHIM RAMALAN, Denja, who is currently aspiring for the Presidency of the authors’ apex association, spoke on his competencies and other sundry issues regarding the associatio
Sir, considering that you are one of the candidates enmeshed in the vortex of gladiatorial contests for the soul of ANA, what do you think would stand you in good stead as the aspiring ANA President
I have experience on my side having served for an unbroken period of 14 years in various positions in the National Executive Council of the Association from 2001 till date. This record has remained unequalled in the 34 years history of the Association. I have served all these years creditably well in the positions I have held which accounted for my being elected and reelected, sometimes, unopposed each time I presented myself.
I have also played active role in the golden moments of the Association all these years and have often been in the frontline of organizing land marking events for the association.
I have also been at the forefront of protecting the association’s corporate interests such as when I was the sole and principal witness at the case between it and Home Securities Limited between 2008 – 2012 over the association’s landed property in Mpape Abuja. We won that case and retrieved our land earmarked for the building of a writers’ resort to be named after Mamman Jiya Vatsa.
I have been involved in mentoring young writers, ANA chapters and advocating for the interests of Nigerian writers at home and abroad. I have a formidable institutional memory of the workings of the associations, its contacts, reaches, bank of supporters, friends, etc which no one can discountenance.
Beyond all these, I am widely known in the Association as a thinker and a doer who does not relent until successes have been achieved. I am also known as a team player who does not work with people with prejudices or biases.
So tell me if this my working profile will not stand me in good stead in my quest for the Presidency after having been a Vice Presidency for four years?
You have worked in various capacities of ANA. If elected President how could you revive the falling and failing literary structures of ANA?
Be rest assured that I will as ANA President maintain the body’s age long role as the conscience of the nation, ever protective of our quest for an egalitarian society where every citizen is a stakeholder in the progress and advancement of the nation.
Writers, to me and to many who belong to my Association, do not have any other role. We will not be laid back, we will stake our claim to participation in governance at all levels within the areas of our core competence .We have a lot to offer in contributing to the development of this country from the educational and cultural perspectives and much more.
We will partner with government without sacrificing our independent spirit as writers and creative people. This your assertion are no longer true if you go by the over 30 years history of the Association with our plethora of schools-based literary programmes that we have permeated the Nigerian society with. Remember the Association exists strongly in nearly all the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.
In all the places you find the Association, you have programmes and projects centered on the book,reading and writing designed for students and pupils in competitive atmospheres. Our Association has been in the vanguard of many schools’ libraries equipping projects; workshops for budding writers in schools and even publishing young people in book forms and some of them have gone on to become accomplished writers themselves.
For the last four years, we have been engaged nationwide in the ANA/Yusuf Ali literary awareness campaign involving over 20 public and private secondary Schools in each State of the Federation and the FCT.
The venture, sponsored since the start in 2011 by the renowned Nigerian lawyer, Yusuf Ali(SAN) is entering another phase this year with a national creative writing workshop we are planning for students of our tertiary educational institutions.
In ANA’s history, we do not lack programmes for schools nor the competence to carry them out. What we need now is more support to bring forth innovative programmes that will further the objectives of creativity and linguistic and literary competence in our students.
It’s like the battle line drawn between you and BM Zhkoghi is getting slimmer and slimmer, is there any vestige of truce in sight?
Yes there is the likelihood of truce and we have just had a meeting some few days ago brokered by a former president of the Association, Dr wale Okediran, who I served under as General Secretary between 2005-2009.
At the meeting as mediators were Prof Zaynab Alkali, who was poised to contest with the Late Alh Abubakar Gimba in the 1997 ANA election but stepped down for him and Prof May Nwoye, who was a former Vice President between 2001-2005 under the Olu Obafemi Presidency when I equally served first as an Ex-officio member and later as Assistant General Secretary.
At the said meeting we both staked our claim to the contest, our grievances and the house resolved that we could go ahead with the quest but in a friendly and competitive way devoid of calumny and casting of personal attacks. So a window has been opened for further talks that could lead to the eventual truce you have in mind.
Even if that truce is not achieved, we will run an elevated contest that will give our congress the delight in choosing between two brilliant and zealous candidates.
Many see you and BM as allies, does that mean all of you are putting personal interest on the presidency?
We are allies no doubt and we will continue to be so regardless of the outcome of the election. Of course people have said both of us are good but a choice have to be made eventually and will be based on variables which me and him may not be able to tell now as we speak.
Seeing the BM’s choice of running mate, gender sensitive, what plans do you have for women writers? Considering that large majority of literary enthusiast and writers are women?
Gender sensitivity is not the issue here. In ANA no one runs on the ticket of another, everyone runs purely on their merits. You have to have worked for the position you are putting yourself up for. The female running mate being talked about did not come into the Association without my notice, admittance and support over the years.
You can do more exploration on this. Gender, ethnicity, home support and such other primordial stakes have never been known to work in ANA during elections. What works is demonstrated competence and capability to hold an office being sought for in the best interest of the association. The programmes I have for ANA as President are for both gender to share in equally and work towards their realization.
It is common knowledge that present day Nigerian students do not have the spark for literature as much as they do for science subjects, except to use it as make up for their subjects required for other courses of their choice, how do you intend to change this situation?
I disagree with you that students of today do not like literature. They really do, going by the response we get from them whenever we go for school outreach programmes under the aegis of my Association (ANA) and under other literary platforms. What I suspect is lacking is the way students are taught the subject in our schools today.
During those days we went to school, the literature teachers were very passionate people who enlivened the subject as they taught it. Some of us fell in love with the subject and even decided to follow its trail to higher education because of those teachers’ passion. I can still remember lines and dramatic situations in those students’ days of mine, of course powered by iconic and very dramatic teachers.
We also have to look at the kinds of books in the literature curricula of our schools of today. We as authors can come in to help change the situation by playing a role in contributing to enhancing teachers’ education in matters of teaching literature and participating in curriculum review and development.
The government educational agencies charged with overseeing this will not be getting it right if they do not involve writers’ bodies and authors’ groups.
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