•ANA set to host 44th convention

By Henry Akubuiro

It is a season of literary migration to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It is yet another time for writers to pay homage to the muse and ponder on literacy and topical national issues. It is Africa’s convergence largest of writers, scholars, and cultural thinkers and the second national convention to be organised by Usman Akani, which is also the completion of his (first) tenure. It is an election year when the writers’ guild elects new executive members.

Themed  “The Nigerian Writer and the Urgencies of the Nation-State”, cerebral literary scholar, Professor Udenta O. Udenta, will present the Keynote Address at the 44th Annual International Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors, taking place  from October 30 – November 2, 2025, at the Mamman Vatsa Writers Village.

Lest we forget, Prof. Udenta is a renowned literary critic, civil rights activist, and cultural scholar. At  convention, he will bring decades of academic brilliance and activism to the stage. His keynote hopefully will spark the dialogue Nigeria needs for transformation at a critical time like this, said the organisers. The convention is Africa’s convergence largest of writers, scholars, and cultural thinkers.

Denja Abdullahi’s play, Tori Don Get Bow Leg: The Vatsa Story, promises to be a star attraction. The play “explores the life, legacy, and creative soul of General Mamman Vatsa, poet, soldier, and patron of the arts,” described as “a moving tribute, bold, poetic, and unforgettable.”

Besides, in collaboration with the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), ANA will present Mbari Series Open Arts Exhibition in honour of Lindsay Barret, themed “The Embrace of Literary and Visual Arts.”Exhibition Highlights include Visual Arts Showcase, Poetry Recitation, Fireside Storytelling Session, and

Book Arts & Design Talks. This will be held from Monday 27th – Friday 31st October, 2025, 10:00am – 5:00pm daily, at the Foyer, Chinua Achebe International Conference Centre, Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village. It’s supported by the Shehu Sani Foundation.

Meanwhile, the Akanbi administration has patted itself on the back for a job well-done as it winds up its first tenure, pointing to marking significant milestones in literary development, reconciliation, and international collaborations. Coming at a period the association was divided with some state chapters pulling out from the national body over differences, the Akanbi administration successfully reconciled chapters across the country, including Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Anambra, Ekiti, Zamfara, and Kebbi. Factions in Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Abuja FCT, among others.

Among the administration’s several literary initiatives implemented under the period in review included the Yusuf Ali Literary Campaign, which provided N3M yearly grants to support literary development in 20 states.

Also, the Annual Book Review Competition by the national body fostered a culture of reading and critical thinking among tertiary and secondary school students, while a Reading Book Camp promoted literacy and love for reading among secondary school students, just as Book Reading Programmes were organised, in collaboration with state chapters.

Akanbi said his administration organised quarterly Mbari Intellectual Discourse Forums for intellectual discourse and literary critique.

“My administration collaborated with the Pan-African Writers Association to host the first congress of the World Organisation of Writers (WOW) Congress at the Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village in April, 2024, while a Memoranda of Understanding were signed with Wikimedia Nigeria and Dr. Kabura Zakama’s Kairos & Tablets to standardise work activities at the ANA Secretariat,” he told Saturday Sun.

The Akanbi administration also made notable progress in developing the Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village, commissioning a writers’ residency block in 2024, needless to say, the first cohort of six residents was successfully hosted in September 2025. Collaborations were established with Lagos and Niger States to kickstart preparation for their respective Writers’ Villages.

Other Achievements recorded within two years included the standardised the process of seeding the association fellowship, sustaining the ANA literary prizes through the support of various sponsors, and the endowed prizes such as: ANA/KMVL Poetry Prize, ANA/King Dakolo Fiction Prize, ANA/Sir Chukwuemeka Sam Nwelue Non-Fiction Prize, ANA/Ngozi Chuma-Udeh Prize for Children Fiction, ANA/Amina Talaku Zakama Prize for Literary Criticism.

However, the two-year journey wasn’t without challenges. Akanbi said funding constraints hindered the effective running of the association; yet it soldiered on.