Follow Us on Google
By Damiete Braide
Michael Adekunle Abiodun is a visually impaired lawyer and an author of 19 books. He is a PhD holder in Human Rights, Security and Anti-Terrorism Laws from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and currently works with Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja.
Abiodun says writing has been his dream since he was 13 years, and has succeeded in accomplishing his dreams, and he is currently working on two books that will be published very soon. In this interview with Damiete Braide, he speaks on his inspiration, writing regimen, influences, etcetera.
How did your literary pursuit begin?
My name is Michael Adekunle Abiodun, and I currently work with the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja. Writing has been my dream since I was 13 years old. I have always loved to write and be an icon in the teaching profession, but all of that never came to fruition until some years later. I started writing in 2017, and, till date, I have written 19 books.
Tell us about your books.
One of my works, No One Saw It Coming: A Nation Without Tomorrow, is a historical novel which examines various events in Nigeria between 1900 to 2024. The book unravels events in Nigeria that have been swept under the carpet for decades, and it is a postulation into what is likely to happen in 2024. It examines the activities of the founding fathers of Nigeria, who laid it on a faulty foundation.
Some of the books that I have published include Resolving The Unsolved Questions And Intentions in International Law, No One Saw It Coming A Nation Without Tomorrow, The Coincidences and The Consequences of Dire Mistakes, Memories of War Time, The Millionnaires Mindset, Security Rights In the Wake of Modern Terrorism, The Power of the Undiscovered Weapon, The Signs of International Law in Contemporary Era, etcetera.
What inspired you to write?
I am inspired by a lot of things. I am driven by two things. I am not a special person, but I consider myself a fortunate person. Too much has been invested in me by God and wonderful people. The society has given much to me, and I need to give back to the society, and those people who invested in me that what they have invested. This is what I am given back in their names.
God needs to be praised for the mighty things He has done by using people and the society. I have a crave for success. When I accomplish it in a day, I bask in the euphoria of that success. I celebrate it that day and, the moment that day is gone, I forget that success and it is just a living entity in me.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on two books, A Bend is Never an End and The End and Start Point of The Blackman. Those are the things in my head now. The moment an idea comes, it is better to write it down. The pen or whatever is written is better than the finest memory. if you don’t pen it down, it goes, and you may never get it again,and, even if you get it, you may never get it in that fine, raw form in which you got it by inspiration initially. My laptop has a software that reads to me everything that I type and, with it, I make corrections where necessary, and that is how I wrote all my books.
Why did you do self publishing?
What I have done is to publish them on Amazon. I kept the books for so long, because the first two books, The Determiner of Today and Tomorrow Before Yesterday and Principled Principles for Financial Prosperity that I wrote before 2017 were stolen from me.
I was depressed about the incident. Some people spoke to me about the incident, but I encouraged myself and my mind keeps telling me, why do you want to kill yourself because of two books? You can write a million more books, and that encouraged me. I woke up from the slumber of depression, and that encouraged me, and now, I have written 19 books.
When do you find time to write?
I go to bed around 8 pm, I wake up around 11:30pm, and from that time on, I may not go back to bed until 4 am when I would have done some writing. It is very nice to wake up at night. The night speaks. It contains knowledge to those who are awake in the classrooms of life’s lecture which I have discovered. I have discovered that night is not meant for sleep, but it is meant for prayer and war. He who conquers the night has the day at his mercy. I am always awake at night to pray, to read and to write.
Who are your favourite Nigerian authors?
Among many other writers that I have read, I will mention three and, unfortunately, for me, I have desired to meet them, but two of them are late, which is painful. I am praying very hard to meet the last one, and I don’t want him to pass on without me meeting him. I have some questions that I want to ask him, and only him. alone can answer those questions, and that is Prof Wole Soyinka. I love his books, and I have many of his books. I have read books by Prof Albert Chinua Achebe, and there is an author, the late Prof Cyprian Ekwensi, who I am in love with with his writings. I have read his books, and I am passionate about him. I have a lot of Nigerian authors, but these three stand out.
Why is reading important?
My message to Nigerians is that reading books refines the mind. The mind determines every action we take. A mind that is well read and a mind that is continuing to read is a refined mind that will think right and do the right thing all the time. The unread mind is an unhealthy mind. It will always produce unhealthy actions. It is good that scholarships are encouraged in this country. The misnomer by politicians, technocrats by all is first at and for most if we check their lives, you will find out they hardly read. It is because they don’t read; their opinions or thoughts are not shaped by intellectual thoughts. People should devote time to reading, because it refines the mind.
