Title: My Literary Works: Reviews and Reports
Author: Bukar Usman
Publisher: Klamidas Communications Ltd, Abuja
Year: 2022
Pagination: 1127
REVIEWER: Henry Akubuiro
Bukar Usman is like a reaper in a farm, harvesting crops for the wellbeing of others. For him, knowledge retrieval and impartation are a continuous process. As a writer, he places great emphasis on documentation. Perhaps his civil service background has made him the master of the art.
One major advantage of collecting reviews and vital reports done on an author, as Dr. Usman has done in My Literary Works: Reviews and Reports is the ease of accessibility for readers and researchers. It’s possible for a review done ten years ago to be forgotten by the reader, but a published collection like this makes it easier for anyone to track the reception of that particular book and also serves the purpose of refreshing the memory.
In the first part of the first section of the seven-section book, Usman’s My Literary Journey, a book chronicling his venture into the world of creative writing after his retirement as a permanent secretary in Nigeria’s presidency, are reviews by a handful of intellectuals and journalists.
In one of the reviews, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim of Daily Trust describes it as “a treasure trove, not only for young people uncertain about pursuing a literary career, but also to experienced people in various fields with so much to share with the world, as well as for established writers who would like to understand why this writer waited all these years before unleashing his potential” (p. 97).
For Ben Tomoloju, Usman’s literary voyage has more to offer in terms of authorial rigour and vigour in the creative process. He adds: “Bukar Usman has provided in this book a rich store of knowledge about culture, creativity and society, especially the Nigerian society past, present and with some concern for the future. The reach of the book is long and scope wide, which makes it as stimulating as it is intellectually stimulating” (p. 103).
Writing on “Bukar Usman’s My Literary Journey: Book that Foretold Nigeria’s Security Crisis”, which was first published in The Sun, July 11, 2020, Busuyi Onabolu says the 2013 book had made a case for the establishment of state police in chapter 5, which had gained currency in public discourse years after he first mooted the idea.
My Public Service Journey: Issues in Public Administration in Nigeria is also among the books reviewed in the first section. It is regarded as the public-service equivalent of the author’s My Literary Journey, which is largely the judgment of an insider peeping into the chambers of the public service from the outside.
Khalid Imam, in his review of the book, admits that reading it makes one fully appreciate the importance of the public service, especially its constitutional roles in overall management of the polity, ensuring sustainable development, maintenance of law and order, and safeguarding the security of lives and properties.
Legendary journalist, Ray Ekpu’s review of Usman’s Choir: Issues in Democratisation and National Stability in Nigeria, echoes that the author’s forceful presentation challenges you to come up with another voice in the choir. In his own review of the same book entitled “Alien Herdsmen and the Rest of Us”, Henry Akubuiro notes that the author isn’t given to “fire brigade” approach to conflict resolution in crisis management but contends that it’s much better to nip it in the bud before crisis erupts. It’s a strong case by the author for adopting a preventive method.
Bayo Ogunmupe, in his review of Public Policy Formulation in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects, reminds the reader that the 2017 book was based on a paper presented by Usman at the Executive Intelligence Management Course at the Institute for Security Studies, Gwari, Abuja, earlier, with the author taking a look at, among others, what informed the dissolution of the Nigerian Security Organisation and the way out of the disturbing clamour for restructuring Nigeria. Yemi Adebisi, who also appraises the contents of the book, recommends that it is a must-read for all policy formulators, civil servants, three arms of government, politicians, lawyers, aspiring leaders, students and all citizens yearning for good governance.
Readers interested in the restructuring debate will find more points canvassed by Usman on why restructuring isn’t Nigeria’s problem, which reviewers of his Restructuring Nigeria: An Overview —Anote Ajeluorou, Henry Akubuiro, Yemi Adebisi and Bashir Malumfashi — have x-rayed.
To guide the reader further, Usman, in My Literary Works…, presents blurb comments if available on a particular book. For others, he offers brief excerpts from reviews highlighting key points. In Dreams and Realities: Issues in Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary, the view of Chief Dennis Odife, an economist, resonates: “I have perused the wonderful book… You have spoken the mind of everybody” (p. 228).
One of the best books ever written by Usman is A History of Biu, a consummate work of research and scholarship; the first full-length history of Biu Emirate written by a non-European, chronicling the people’s journey from pre-history to contemporary times. Little wonder The Sun Literary Review declared the 2015 Book of Year in Nigeria.
In the view of another reviewer, Ajeluorou, the offering is “methodical and thorough”, while George Amadi affirms that it is “masterfully crafted…” Abubakar Adam opines that the author, by “excavating memories and archives and recording them for the new and future generations, surely, there is no greater service than this” (p. 305).
Uman is also a renowned folklorist, who has done so much work in Nigerian folklore. While some of these works have involved digging into the heritage of his Bura/Babur people in the northeast and commissioning other researchers to do the same in other parts of Nigeria, others are scholarly research works done by him in that sphere of knowledge. An example of the latter is Folklore and History: Twin Rivers of Works Heritage.
Writing on “Saving Tomorrow through Folklore, History,” a review of the book, Yemisi Adebisi laments that one of the most terrific challenges of the current generation is how, consciously or unconsciously, folktales and history have become alien in most homes, which is why Usman’s book on the subject is an essential document for all elites, as it projects the image of an unknown world through folktales and history.
Akubuiro, in his appraisal of another book, Language, Technology and Democratic Culture, which he titles, “Relevance of Local Languages in New Age”, recommends that researchers in the area of language, culture, and globalisation will find it useful, as it sets the tone on modern discourse on the evolving trend.
•To be continued