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Wole Balogun, Ado-Ekiti
National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA), Mr. Denja Abdullahi, has urged writers in the country to propagate patriotic values while documenting the crisis of the herdsmen challenges currently rocking the nation.
Abdullahi who spoke through renowned medical doctor and writer, Wale Okediran, while speaking during the first anniversary of ANA, Ekiti chapter in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital. He said it has become imperative for writers to project values that bind the various ethnic nationalities together and uphold love and unity in place of disunity and violence.
Gracing the occasion were Alara of Aramoko Ekiti, Oba Olu Adeyemi, Owa of Ajero-Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Adewole, renowned dramatist and culture promoter, Oba ASA, Chief Jimoh Aliu
Abdullahi said: “Literature should secure truth, a bulwark against , writers should preserve memories, preserve records , writers are leaving up to this assignment.
War offers greatest opportunity of displaying heroism, examples are works such as Harvest of tragedy of Chinwe, Sunset at Dawn,
“literature has always reflects life. writer should response to the challenge of the current Fulani herds men as was done earlier by older writers, such as ‘Burning Grass’ by Cyprian Ekwenzi shows the travails of Fulani herdsmen, Wale Okediran’s Tenants of the House, now shot into a film, Busari Dantata’s Hope on the Horizon, approaching menace of herdsmen from ecological perspective.
Leaders should learn from what writers are doing to effect positive change in the society. Readers or consumers of the works should work on what they have learnt to change the society while writer s should use their works to give direction to leaders on the way forward. They should seize opportunity ordered by crisis to put in records these events instead of complaining as the citizenry do. Writing must change the society, it is not for window dressing, as has been rightly said. Nigerian house is falling and writers must rise to the occasion and change the society.”
Prof. Oshiotse Andrew Okwilagwe, of the Department of Library, Achival and Information Studies, University of Ibadan, in his paper: ‘The Association of Nigerian Author: A Bibliotherapeutic Mission to Rescue a Falling House’ said, “Nigeria represents a falling house in the face of challenges of misrule leading to various socio political problems which Fulani herdsmen is one. He urged writers to rise to the occasion and rescue the house with their writing.
“We are supporting writing and publishing donating books which is a set of encyclopedia, a set made up or four volumes. Most influential beings on earth are writers as they , advise writers to plan properly on their writing to have an impact.
“Writers are therapists, they touch the value system of all on earth. Nigeria has no book policy causing writers to suffer, urges govt to set up a national book policy.
“In rescuing Nigeria, writer must work on our value system, Nigeria is one if the countries with least publishing nations.”
