NOV Chief Servant celebrates birthday in literary style

Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State has distinguished himself from the other governors not just in terms of his preference for the appellation of ‘Chief Servant’ instead of the official and prestigious ‘Executive Governor’. He has become a governor with a difference in many ways as he tries to actualize his unique concept of servant leadership. One of the most distinguishing features is his initiatives in the literary development of Niger State and by extension the country at large. In addition to giving priority to literary matters, he is the only governor that celebrates his birthday with an international literary colloquium. He has done so for three consecutive years. And the third one, which marked his 58th birthday, just took place last Tuesday in Minna, the state capital.
The event, tagged 3rd MBA International Literary Colloquium, was held in three phases; morning, afternoon and evening sessions.
The morning session featured the inauguration of BookHawker Scheme and commissioning of MBA BookHawker bookshop and branded tricycles for book hawking at the premises of Niger State Book Development Agency, NSBDA. The second part featured the actual colloquium with paper presentation by the keynote speaker on the theme of the event; ‘Creativity, Youth and National Development’. The last stage featured writers’ parley, dinner, poetry and drama performances.
The inauguration and commissioning ceremony held from 10 am. In his welcome address at the occasion, the Commissoner for Informaion, Communications and Intergration, Professor Muhammed Kuta Yahaya, explained the concept behind the establishment of the BookHawker. According to him, “The concept to establish the bookshop came about from the need to make good reading texts easily accessible to citizens as well as check the dwindling reading culture in the society”.
He said the BookHawker scheme was developed by the Book Development Agency to kick start a general reading project in the state with the overall aim of providing a platform for book and library development at community level and thus promote critical thinking that would sharpen the quality of the people’s opinions.
Malam BM Dzukogi, Director of the Book Development Agency and Co-ordinator of the MBA colloquium, explained the functions of the agency, one of which is “to formulate, develop and implement programmes and activities relating to specialized services in the area of documentation, policy analysis, publications and documentaries relevant to the state”.
In his own remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Dr. A. K. Babajo, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Kaduna State University, commended the state government’s effort in establishing the scheme and expressed the hope that it would be sustained and replicated in other states.
The Chief Servant, in his address, noted that “When we came in 2007 we found that things that were vital to the development of the people were neglected. We found that the standard of education had fallen, and with it the reading culture”.
He said in order to change the situation, “We introduced free education and numerous programmes that would facilitate the revival of the reading culture”.
The BookHawker Bookshop was commissioned by Atukwei Okai, Ghanaian writer and president of Pan-African Writers Association, PAWA. He expressed gratitude for the privilege to commission the project, and observed that publishing is not just about printing, but printing and dissemination of ideas. “Our major problem is distribution of books after printing, therefore, the governor’s initiative aimed at making books available and affordable is a welcome idea,” he said.
He added; “By making education and reading a priority, authentic development will be achieved because knowledge is central to development. It is hoped that children of Niger State will realize this blessing and make maximum use of the facilities.”
The second phase, featuring lecture and discussions at Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi Conference Centre, began shortly after the commissioning, and lasted till about 4 pm. Guests at the occasion included former president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, the guest of honour, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who chaired the occasion, and Etsu Nupe, His Royal Highness Yahaya Abubakar, who represented the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, as royal father of the Day.
In his welcome address, the Colloquium Facilitator, Professor Kuta, reiterated the aims behind the state government’s commitment to literature and education, saying these two were the bedrock of human development.
Governor Amaechi, in his characteristic manner, criticized the government of the day for the rising corruption and diversionary political rancour in the country. He also criticized writers for “not addressing the issues”. In his words; “You can’t separate politics from literature. Nigerian writers have not done enough to reflect the current political realities. They should wake up to their responsibilities and do as the older writers like Achebe and Soyinka did. Literature is not just about entertainment but about correcting the prevailing ills of the society.”
The keynote address was presented by Professor Kofi Anyidoho of the University of Ghana, Legon. Titled ‘Our Duty by the People; A Challenge of History’ his paper focuses on literary heroism with particular reference to the late Ghanaian poet, Kofi Awoonor.
He recalled how Awoonor was killed in an attack by Al Shah-bab militants in Kenya on September 31st 2013, quoting a portion from the lecture the poet delivered less than 24 hours before his death: “I have written about death also. Particularly at this old age now, where, at 79, you know, …that you should be moving on. I have seen friends of mine who are petrified of death. I say: what are you afraid of? You have done everything already. You have fathered your children, your grandchildren are thriving. So begin to pack your things because the man will come…”
Anyidoho wondered about the source of Awoonor’s courage; the courage to dare life, and death itself, in the name of the people. He then concluded “Some of it may be attributed to personal character traits. But much of it may also be derived from sources outside character but within the poet’s reach. I wish to identify two of such sources of influence: models of moral courage and creative excellence found in the poet’s ancestral traditions; and the examples of revolutionary political vision and principles of economic and social justice that drove the nationalist movement which culminated in the era of African independence.”
The keynote speaker devoted the 22-page paper to the works of Awoonor and various African writers, analyzing them against the backdrop of what he called the ‘visionary ideal of the pan-African struggle’ and ‘collective heroism and the communal ideal’.
The presentation was followed by responses by the discussants. Dr. Abubakar Saddique of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in his response, criticized the present crop of Nigerian leaders whom he said enjoyed free education in their own time but have impoverished the youth of today; “no proper education, no employment opportunities”. He said knowledge alone cannot change society else Nigeria would have gone far, considering the quality of education the present leaders had. He also observed that lamentation at conferences cannot build the society. What is needed, according to him, is a moral regeneration in which people will have the courage to speak the truth and act in accordance with the truth.
Dr. Amanze Akpuda’s own response was a reply to Governor Amaechi’s statement that writers were not capturing prevailing political situations in their writings. He said there are a lot of writings by the contemporary writers which focus on current issues, and that the problem is the poor reading culture especially among political leaders, not the writers.
“The books are there, but people are not reading them,” he said.
Another major activity at the colloquium was the presentation of books on the state government’s Intellectual Capital Project. Seven books were presented, including Abdullahi Ismaila’s Creative Partnership and Intellectualism: Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu’s Approach in Niger State. The books were collectively launched by the local governments in the state with N15 million.
This was followed by the presentation of Servant Leadership Awards by the Servant Leadership Initiative in Africa. Recipients of the awards included Governor Amaechi.
The session came to a close after the Chief Servant’s address, in which he emphasized the need for intellectual development, and a vote of thanks by the President of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA.
The evening session, which commenced from 7.30 pm, featured drama presentation from Jibrin Jibrin’s play,
Visit of a Ghost. There were also poetry performances and discussions on the theme of the colloquium. A scrumptious dinner wrapped up the session and indeed the entire literary birthday treat.