ESSAYS Aesthetics of Being and Creativity Every man is two; practical and imagined. Functional beings!

They collaborate to make you famous or infamous. In the practical man, you have things like this man/the man/that man/other man. In the imagined man, you have something like innerman, which is the opposite of the outerman or practical man. The innerman processes images for the outerman to act upon. Who can then be considered as a Man in his true self?

One who is his true self is one whose innerman binds with the outerman in a genuine concordance to produce actions. What you do when nobody is watching is your true self. In regeneration, this trait is brought to bear as a major impulse that initiates actions of an adherent in the process. Regenerative ideals should be wholly assimilated according to plan to tailor the innerman towards contemplative viability and make the outerman conform adequately. What was assimilated should be the product of a collective will of adherents.

Man often derails from his tracks because he ignores the innermans calls, taking refuge in forces outside it; unviable forces that are other mens personal sentiments like political, religious and ethnic considerations. Had

The outerman is the singer, painter, writer or the chairman, governor or president. He is not creative. He is a hawker or reporter of the innermans creative wares.

In individualism, risk bearing is high. This is often because love is dry among men. Love is a control mechanism regulating man and his actions. People deceive themselves with belief in individualism claiming the world has helplessly gone that way. This is misplaced. It is responsible for the gradual warming of the heart. When individualism falls, man resorts to lying or cheating or pretending to regain a smeared prestige. In collectivism, the journey is short. In individualism, the journey is long and tedious. Some attributes of the outercom that dictate mans movements or directions are the powerful demand on him to listen to forces beamed by the sensory mechanism of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting while the innerman responds to the superior voices in the unseen realms which are often translated in spiritual circles as of God good, and of the devil bad. Man himself rates the ultimate values of his actions in good or bad. It is worthy of note that these two elements work through the innerman to the outerman.

those other mens sentiments been products of collectivity, quality of result would have been enhanced with higher value at completion. In collectivism, risk bearing is small.

A writer can harness inner processes of himself and infused them into his work for quality judgement and for the innerman to overcome outerman in life by readers. Majority of readers may not have the time and capacity to think deep but can read deep and reflect on such salient aesthetics of the inner being, recreated on pages for the society. It is also the responsibility of a regenerative artist to compel growing children through reading programmes and activities to access them to good ideas; ideas that had perhaps made writers cherish loneliness, solitude for un-interruptive signals from the innerman; ideas that would recreate society based on aesthetic qualities and not primordial sentiments. If a writer can recognise these processes, perhaps, he will reduce the largeness of his ego. Perhaps, he would become more accommodating, remorseful, reasonable

The innerman is the designer of the images portrayed by the outerman. He is the processor of ideas into beautiful or ugly images transmitted concretely through the unit of human physiology for aestheticism. Thus man can be potentially successful if he likes by agreeing to the immediate images beamed by the innerman or patiently retract his flaws through regeneration. Any delay due to indecision leaves man susceptible to chances for forces influencing the outerman to encroach on ones stability of choice. Remember, the outermans forces are largely sentimental and selfish. They love individualism and can conquer easily.

Mans quest to actualise his heart desires is limitless. In the pursuit of such desires (positive or negative), he acts like a beast (in thought or action) tearing out all obstacles lined on the part of his adventure (a daily occurrence). Riotously it flames like fuel fire
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Ferociously, the soul craves Intercourse with life

reflective, and trustworthy and be an admired symbol of love. Perhaps, this is why some writers are modest, considerate and non-violent. It must be understood that, each innerman possesses a peculiar worthy that is equally as valuable as the other. What creates differences in them among men is simply the question of need or priority of the society. Therefore, the feeling of importance by occupiers of so called higher status is a baseless feeling that should be controlled by man for others have what you dont have waiting to be utilised tomorrow or some day. Should he then be feeling so important too? These are the qualities a regenerative artist must dig deep to locate and recreate the Aesthetic of Being for his audience to appreciate; to bear on real life to ease the world by subsequently creating peace among men through simple respect for the others feelings. Below is an interpretation of an unpublished poem (innerman) by the author of this piece.

You retired to solitary corner (bedroom, bush path, garden, office etc) to harmonise your heart desires, urge and thoughts. This act of refining is the only possible cushion available that gives the outerman the chance to select a constructive or destructive option from among the alternatives that runs through his mind towards satisfaction (positive or negative). While shifting encumbrances From the rhythmic beauty Of my inscape that insulates The outerman from the Ravage of the soul

I ducked in silence From the fury of its fire

At the height of this urge or desire, the outerman (you that is seen eating, playing, driving, teaching or typing etc) becomes overwhelmed by the state of the mind. And you are helpless and restless. Snarling at me

capacity to discard the past for new experiences. Experience is not the best teacher; it is only a preferred counsellor. Religion sets you shuttling between heaven and earth as: The mind contemplates Shifting the grain from the chaff Crowding it, I the custodian of The mind-ride on emotions. Weighing the consequences of your possible choice which influences on ones present and future roles one is expected or would want to play in the society. Doom and salvation, which is the place of each soul after death is also considered. Therefore, the level of ones religious experiences determines ones choice to another large extent. The likely option that might lead to success is religion inclined choice, since it is believed that Gods choice (religious choice) never fails. It should be noted that good choice or collective choice is nearest to Gods choice. Therefore, it is easy to locate Gods choice during contemplation prior to an action. Education has almost about the same appeal with religions angle, after all, the bed rock of any religion is teaching, learning and obeying or conforming; the very elements of regeneration.
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In this exercise, success and failure simply reside on your palm. Each is at par with the other, with the potential of being chosen. This is where quality thought matters. The quality in thought is built upon past experiences to a large extent and other vital influences like religion, education and environment etc. But man possesses the

Environment is a mobile influence with fragile potency on man. This is because humans have become highly

electro-bio-mechanical creatures; environmental factor cannot always be relied upon for constructive choice. More so, due to the increasing sophistication of environment, there is a deceptive profile attached to it these days such that dwellers do not easily access the natural elements that are traditional features of their habitat to give them that surety of permanence or concreteness of effective choice especially in cities. However, the choice must be made on daily bases, in fact, every second. Even after a choice, the outerman is still left hanging in the balance awaiting the confirmation of the validity of his choice leading to a phase-contemplative test. The outerman goes on: As he sees the earth glitters, perhaps deceptively while heaven kindles alluringly, perhaps assuredly but in distance. As time moves away, the pressure to confirm the viability of choice mounts, a choice becomes imminent when loss stares him on the face. The outerman then becomes convinced that, the re-occurring choice is the way and he settles for it: Pasturage of delicate expeditions And the heart is lured Into a configured matrimony Tick after tick The heart ruminates

As the urge heightens The thirst burns-fuses Into a gossamer; It palpitates, sighs Then judges itself In a contemplative test of will A part is chosen

A part is chosen from the chain of activities of the innerman. Thereafter, the urge to accomplish it becomes even higher and fierce in the pursuance of ones desires positive or negative. At this point, it becomes difficult to dissuade the man to retreat. During selection from among the options, it is clear to man, the consequences of his actions on others. This is where love comes in, love for others as much as self. This is where aesthetic of being retune decisions and this is where peace or war can be initiated. In heaven is judgement On earth is judgement In innerman is judgement

But the consequences of life after death is a much more dreadful imaginative experience on earth than the earthly experience of man, for heaven works with the intent which is a finer arbiter in contemplation. Perhaps, this is why a wrong choice ought to be punished and good choice rewarded. The first call in ones mind when

options are placed before it, matches the part of God and are the right choices. It should not be allowed to slip away in the course of contemplation. Such first call, this poem confirms as the same as heavens call. It is always there in the innerman to guide the actor as: A counsel to intents Of innerman, a sentinel To the outerman as he threads In the comfort of his trade This is how man is led into right or left.

From where was Socrates Copying?

New Nigerian Newspaper, 22nd June, 2002

Creation is a complex dynamics of interlocking events or phenomena that exert independent attributes on established courses and order for which any distortion

The world retains its glamour and beauty through the creative outputs of man that exhibit unfamiliar abilities in transforming impossibilities into meaningful physical matters that are capable of giving value to human sensibility for use by the body in its daily carriage to meet the basic needs of life. Creativity is the greatest gift to man which enables him to remake dreams and make them real at his choice, refine illusions into concrete forms, reverse physical, mental and emotional tragedies into strategies make transit flashes of fantasy into compact beauty and mould little ideas into lofty physical forms of no mean value and size. Creativity unwinds the intricate network of composite web of converging diffusions that knit the aesthetics of physical matter with the spiritual in fulfilling mans sensations such that he does not only see beyond his eyes in the quest for creating things for survival but perceives the smell of thousand years before to guard his next step. In creativity, if man wants to create something out of nothing, all he needs to do is to dream or imagine it. Why is man creative?

leads to disastrous consequences. Therefore, any effective interplay between these powerful phenomena and forces with physically insignificant man in between will require an ultra-ability to dribble through their narrow furrows to survive as an organised and reasoning organism. So, creativity is a dribbling mechanism that enables man to navigate through his social and physical environment in perfectly coordinated beautiful sense of motion. His creativity enables him avoid potential collisions lined up in the furrows of life. It also enables him to erect awesome structures to facilitate his positive and negative desires. Without creativity, the world becomes ugly, extremely little and unpleasant to live in. With the singular gift of creative ability, man takes control of the earth so that when he moves to dislodge anything bogus he does so like it never were in existence. And when he moves to remould any little thing into a bogus outlook he only needs to settle to it and before long it is created beautifully.

There are array of creative ability in billions of men around the world, so diverse and dynamic that millions of its kind could be found in a single field alone. Creativity grows the world and triggers new tastes in man which pushes him, not only to higher need but also to recreate existing conditions and states. Indeed, without creativity, the world is not only vacuums but a static void. In it there would not be motion or growth. In it there would not be knowledge, in it there would not be

Any group or man that refuses to develop or grow or become incapable of finding solution to a nagging problem, it is not because nature abhors it, it is not because God likes the condition to persist, it is because there is dearth in creative experimentation of probable solutions oscillating in the minds of men in such groups. Men know the solutions but could not just bear with the paths to it, usually unfamiliar. They just cannot spare for it. When they do they do with fear. Young writers are simply not daring in their postulations as energies artists who should be proud to sit atop the throne of their

In the true sense of creating, there is nothing that is new on earth, what is new is the exceptional dimension introduced to the existing material. It is new because there is departure from the existing norms. If something will ever be new in form, has it caused influence in the value other than what used to obtain? Perhaps, the new dimension comes only in efficiency, size, aesthetics and delivery but not in essence. Creative sense of individuals cause these diversities to give new forms, otherwise, the product remain that product you used to know. This ability gives rise to progression in attributes and expansion in quality, proficiency and finesse to cause surge in want and value in the product and then you say, Ah! This is new! Ah! This is good!.

regeneration, and in it there would not be life, because human life would have been going backward.

capabilities. They think their art becomes acceptable only when presented in the form of the existing norms. Why? Where was Socrates copying? Any student that wishes to be like his teacher is a misfit to learning. How is he expecting to add to existing knowledge? How does he expect the society to grow? I think students should aspire to be more than what their teachers are, that new ideas may unfold, that the community may grow, that the world would be seen in greater light for peace and development. Let those lights reflect in the works of young writers as they imagine them, not copied.

There is no new idea that emerged and rejected that never become desires of men later. All things that were rejected at the point of rising have become accepted at the point of setting. So why are young artists afraid of experimentation? They pitiably look forward to someone older to approve of their products. Indeed, it is nice to look back, for that will help to define the front for his journey. But persistent looking back is an invitation to a fall or crash. Therefore, the creative man is a bold figure that refuses to see anything by his right or left while he does his things. Perhaps, he could begin to see such angels after his initial draft. Not for a twosome product but for further radical departure from the unconscious similarities with existing norm that might have manifested in his product during his own construction. To achieve this, the young artist must be ready to make
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Fear is one of those natural mechanisms that triggered in man to control him. The Freewill he exercises which is supposed to facilitate the bloom of creativity in him towards the attainment of goals and to level the space for choices resulting from active aesthetic sense, will grow out of bound without the presence of fear. Absence of fear in man will nullify many aspects of his existence. It is meaningful to creation that fear must exist before man can recognise God. It must exist before he can maintain perfect state of health and security. It must exist before he can walk up to good, it must exist before he can abhor bad, it must exist before he recognises that he has a father or mother, it must exist before he recognise law and order, it must exist before he works hard, it must exist before anything is done in life. Accordingly, courage stands as the opposite of fear. They perform similar functions. The only edge courage has over fear in terms of functionality on an actor is that; he is made to be seen as a hero after performance. While,

Fear and Mistake are natural obstacles to set goals but fear and mistakes could be ingredients for a thrust into the desired future when re-channelled. It is better to attempt with courage and fail than with fear and pass because the ultimate end of courage is passing and the ultimate end of fear is failing.

mistakes and gauge the fear he will permit in his mind during experimentation.

Mistakes are evidence of mans limitations in actions. They are signs of shortfalls in human capabilities. They explain mans deficient state in action not in structure. Mistake belong to the family of luck, which is an unseen addition induced outside him to make-up for his shortfall during action. Where does the addition come from? To

success moved by fear is a personal intrinsic motivation coming from a negative condition. Another edge of courage over fear is that, in courage there is speed in actualisation while in fear the speed is slow and fragile. However, the negative consequences of excessive inducement of either of the two lead to similar end. Excessive fear leads to non-performance, accident and destruction while excessive courage leads to recklessness, brute and crash. The successful performer is one that uses his sense of balance to mediate between other senses responsible for specific actions triggered optimum result. One major positivity about fear is that it has a specialised function once man is distressed in terms of physical security. Extreme sense of fear triggers man to unimaginable lift in courage that enables sense. Once lucky, man is removed from immediate danger. Example is to jump off from a storey building to escape fire. Then you say, He escaped through miracle such are the kind of miracle God has placed in human physiological phenomenon. It is explained through the secretion of chemicals in the body which flood it with excessive energy to work and off you go.

me his addition is an exercise of a supernatural being, otherwise, what explains the dramatic change in courses of actions of man, especially, those he did not wish for only for them to materialise in his favour and pleasure.

In man you find in-build but varying attributes; lofty, dynamic personality makes specific to an individual and some others that are in high abundance while others have them in limited supply, including special talents. The presence of those characteristics in the individual

Luck is the incompleteness of the best in man made up by a strange force. The individual, depending on his belief, better explains the supernatural being. Whatever explanation given, it will eventually point to one supreme phenomenon whose identity is generally unclear to some souls. It is not wise to ascribe what man cannot explain about creation to evolution. It is not wise to teach what the writer is not. Art is not for art sake but a functional tool for value. Evolution is to me known as arbitrariness. How could an organised form or occurrence be a product of arbitrariness? Any matter that resulted from evolution cannot but function in similar manner of origin. Or what reasons to explain the change in course of dwelling outside the initial unplanned state? Thus, actions, events in fictions must have a history. Such must come in order, because it is the nature of man to act in order. It must be logical and be comfortable to human sense of reasoning.

man is an aspect of the principle of positive and negative pairing in life that distinguishes one entity from another that activates energy to power an event to bring about valuable step not just in motion but also in other elements of creation that aides not just in motion but also in other elements of creation that aides survival of man. Each man is egoistic thus vulnerable to reckless posturing in his two worlds of the physical and spiritual. And because of his failing nature, some men could fall subservient to another man; an impostor claiming supernatural creature. Therefore, God had to create junctions alo9ng mans journeys and adventures that will simply ridicule his arrogance, junctions known as mistake and luck that set him to think and obey or to cause remorse in him. They are many. Man can explain his mistakes but he cannot explain why he was lucky. It is believable that their occurrence is a divine activity. Therefore, it is not out of place to reflect such dramatic twist in a work of fiction; however, it must be explicable to human sense when such occurs. This is why in some profoundly written stories, what gives rise to conflict either positive or negative is usually not bogus. No man has ever dreamt of a bogus event or structure and woke up to walk on elaborate path to it. The natural thing is to couple-up bits of segments of life for the whole. So, it is common to hear that, it was one little mistake that caused a decades fortune.
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Short sentences explain little details better. Articulate paragraphs move the reader in sequential order that explains the inner sphere of life in slow bits. And it is through such that man could understand his mistakes and limitations for a moderate lifestyle that will reduce hostility which is the ultimate goal of any form of art.

Artistry of Time in Creation

Time is the canvas on which life is painted; it is immortal perfect and colourless. In civilisations past, time was a central character in their build, degeneration and demise. So it is with any other process in life. Therefore, the painter, the writer and indeed actors in any process need time for actions to increase chances of permanence at realisation. Regenerative art is time friendly. Since dualism is a feature in creation, processes end either gloriously or ingloriously. Glorious end are often threaded on regeneration paths for which the initiator goes home with nothing except the fulfilment that society is happier. Inglorious ends result from the departure from selflessness whence degeneration sets in.

work of art stops, time stops for him. If he looses grip of his conviction to conquer, he fails. Regeneration does not permit break in transmission. That is why a protagonist in a work must ignore time when incarcerated.

Time is the permanent determinant of how, when and what becomes of actions, processes, events, man and the environment. It is an abstract phenomenon made real by celestial materials in motion. It also exists because man resolves that it does. It can be ignored because it is largely a psychological phenomenon made concrete to human by his actions. If man stops, time stops in human world. This does not mean it is static. If a character in a

More so, his disappearance does not stop the process, being a mass action. Time is a stronger determinant than mans wit. Its continuous nature is responsible for human desperation and subsequently, the trigger that sparks off conflict. Conflict is sparked off and heightened by the fear of un-realisation. Therefore, since time sails and it is orbital in nature, human tendency is inclined towards catching or stepping beyond it, often to gain advantage over others. Time must dwell, being a cyclical phenomenon in motion. This makes hurrying needless. This reduces conflict. Time is worth running after if the advantage accruing is for corporate glory. Stepping it is possible, that means standing in its way. If diffusion is not properly managed, man can be crushed by it. So training it is a fairer choice. However, due to the dependency factor in humans, which obstruct fluidity of movement towards realisation, irrespective of efficiency of management, time remain slippery, untrackable or even elusive. Hence the resultant tension, suspense and frustration in mans actions. Planning and independence are deterrent to problems humans set in time. Patience, conformity and other regeneration

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determinants reduce such problems to the barest minimum.

In regeneration, time is a planning requirement and becomes less significant in the process, once started. What stand in for time in the process is result at various stages Residual or and peripheral results are not counted but recognised. As long as result (visible shift from preceding event) can be noticed, time is irrelevant. To be over conscious of time is to introduce desperation and conflict once the time set draws near without realisation in sight. It must be noted that result is upward shift or progression according to nature course and plan. Realisation is the terminal end of the process.

A regenerating material ultimately degenerates over time due to a puncture (injury) or terminal infirmity (wearing out of cells). The deterrent to this are the various stages of the regenerating process substituting each other by diffusion, when a stage wears out. This process is what Nigeria lacks in her approach to social, political, educational, technological, scientific and cultural developmental initiatives. This is why decay bestrides our landscape today.

Actors in a regeneration process are time tolerant. Speed of time does not mean speed in realisation. If anything, a disregard of it means the elimination of potentially conflict points. A reduction in these spots is a

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Writers being restive often appear depressed, disenchanted by obstacles that thwart their efforts at redirecting the society. But, the writer of regenerative art is a cheerful participant, enliven by the hope of imminent realisation of goals. More, he is not in isolation but socially and politically available to provide focus in an accommodating way. He is harmless and not seen to be harmful. He is like the characters in his wok with astonishing tolerance for time, since actions and result must undergo the natural processes of growth during conformity to order. The writer of the Fourth Order must imbibe these, qualities because; he is not just a fashioner of paths but also an active participant in the process. He identifies with adherents of regeneration in his work and in real life. For example, the writer in a school should initiate impulses from school literary club that will generate positively from members to other students. He must aspire to lead the school for such process to strive under the club and to eventual realisation. Literary activities within and outside school are essential curricular and not extra-curricular exercises. Similarly, small but organised groups with children can also be used as point for regenerational bud. But, it is important to note that, school is the most effective channel for regeneration. Initiators of the process must own one. Writers must own schools as

promotion of peace. So, a setback means start again for regenerating souls. No time is ever lost.

In regenerative art, the writer must disregard the tendency to finish a story purposely because of a preplanned number of pages even as ideas have not been exhausted. He must disregard whether his story is voluminous or slim. He must explore every minutest point in the subject of his investigation. The writer should devote energy to the fluidity of events by allowing characters to dwell, in the environment like a forgotten tree in the forest dwell, only to become useful to a wanderer. Characters must be logically self expressive in built and growth of the work. Assassinations, murders and page-exiling of characters must not punctuate logic. Death may occur but not as a mere means of escape. Regeneration is like a growth of a seedling in the wilderness where its unripe fruit subsequently becomes useful. This process naturally accommodates time, reduces desperation, and increases efficiency, the result of which is a brilliant end. In most books of today, hardly does one see any that is above hundred pages especially in poetry. This is a sign of desperation in most young writers, the conclusion of which is evident haphazard texts even as they harbour brilliant ideas. Fame seeking and immediate economic returns is not the preoccupation of the Fourth Order. For us, one literary piece, which walks fall, traversing

individuals or groups; they must own economic concerns for the sustenance of the process.

frontiers of life, making changes, is enough and not the accumulation pieces that cannot walk out of the cradle in terms of creating impact in the society. This is where time is required for the inducement of the necessary artistry in the development of ones creation. Development is the discovery of the natural courses of creations, which time harbours and can only be located through vigorous search (research or regenerational growth) for it. Discovery in the scientific world is mere location of a subject of the matter. It is a new thing that exists. It is what the writer of the Fourth Order seeks to take his time to reach during creation. New Nigerian Newspaper, 23rd February, 2002.

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Many have wondered about the phenomenon called creation, they have also wondered about the entities that give form to it. Phenomenon like time, air, sky, sea, rocks, human mind, seemingly ceaseless but functional mysteries in it. So also are the wonders of the body systems like the brain and many others. In all these, time is a common factor. Indeed, these matters are huge bodies that fill time. What is time then? Time, Man and His Actions Time is the living space that defines actions. It gives form to the living matter even as abstract as it appears to humans. Time is the vacuum in which life (growth) takes place. Time expands to accommodate each size of creation. A writers product is a complex process shooting out to occupy its space in time. The words, sentences and paragraphs are what define the size and beauty of its wholeness. The delicate handling of subject in a work or theme through breaking down of it, from its broad base outlook into fragments of occurrences for comprehension is what defines time or space available. His inability to patiently prosecute these details cuts out the work into a dwarf size occupation of the granted space such that logic and reason that would have filled

the yawning quest of the reader is evidently popped up as a deficiency or desperation by the producer.

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The Nigerian young writer has been accused severally of being in a hurry to get his work out. The accusers say this with regard to the importance time plays in the development and maturity of creative products. Indeed the more time is spent on production the finer the product if such is in a constant condition of watch, which usually leads to working and re-working, thinking and re-thinking, reading and re-reading upon which more ideas crop up, upon which deficiencies are noticed and removed for the attainment of a level of finesse required for consumption. However, spending more time than necessary could lead to loss of quality and originally for one is likely to begin to edit or even delete the original

The young Nigerian writer is a Nigerian, dwelling in her numerous irregularities. He is even more constrained being a social crusader by the undulating terrains he traverses, which deactivates his quests, including the engaging task of writing. The Nigerian environment is a running type; it is hostile to caution and harmful to the careful one. In it, seeking details or inquiry is not for understanding how events play-out to enable remodelling, invention or creation of products or ideas for good. It is a waste to be critical and investigative where cutting corners, short cuts are meaningful routes to successes.

essence of losing the message, the craft and the language of inspiration for that particular piece.

Whether we like it or not, the Nigerian young writer will always be in a hurry as long as he is left alone to his art without any formidable platform for sharpening his skills. But, the major question is will the young writer be able to control himself in the face of a disorganised society, where he is to contend with encroaching assaults from fronts that threaten his existence? If the writer is unbalanced, does his psychology affect his creation? Does it affect judgement among the characters he creates in his works? Yes it does! Can a disjointed or dysfunctional group of people working together manage time effectively? Will there be law and order once time becomes irregular? To answer these questions require the understanding in the relationship between time, man and his actions because some characters in a work are like the writer of the piece. So, his success could be their success too. When a culture of lateness is firmly entrenched in the affairs of a community, the individual is no longer to blame for the repercussions from such menace because they wish to do so. Are they happy to be late? Do they sit at home aware of a function and still stay there or they run down from else where, seeing how late they were? Why do they still attend the functions realising they were late? Where did this lateness start? A work treating the theme of time could ask these questions. Or these are some of the questions to

investigate in a work that the reader may get the benefit of the doubt and see reason in the attitudes of characters in a work. These are the type of questions a work of art ought to expound upon and resolve for every member of the community to see his contribution to a specific menace so that each sees where the correction can be effected once presented with an opportunity to do so. It is strong to say that bad attitude of the members of a group is responsible for lateness; however, the reason for a culture of lateness in any society is largely connected to the socio-economic disorder of that setting. Actors in a group trigger events to occur and that the principal elements that form the group are tied in harmony by time such that once an element falters in his relationship with the time, the entire chain rocks or even disengage, thus, do people go late to functions, sometimes. However, some lateness are genuine retractions of worthwhile processes.

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Behaviour modification or attitudinal change will be fruitless under this condition to enable individuals

Therefore, inconsistent socio-economic forces whose demands tell a lot about the current status of the individuals ability to respond to stimulus is impaired, such must also be met by the individual entity but such are the causes of most lateness whose multiplier effect bounces on the corporate entity in which the individuals presence make the whole.

conform to plans. Once we warped socio-economic forces are straightened, the individuals responsiveness to time becomes synchronised with the corporate plans. These little details are what each writer should seek to couple to give greater insight to the theme of time, promise, lateness and responsiveness to events set to be achieved within a specified period. One little factor that is responsible for underdevelopment in a group, is their response to time. If you believe that, people would not turn up to events as scheduled, thus, waiting a little longer when you expect they might have turned up, then know that you are a part of the cause to the dysfunctional nature of the group. Take for example, if A thinks of going to an event late and B and C are also thinking in the same manner elsewhere, will the event ever take place on schedule? Would the event ever start? Lack of respect for time is one major unnoticeable bug responsible for underdevelopment in our groups. Respect for time is enough theme to be treated by a young writer. Let there be a massive havoc or repercussion to the individual or group of people for lateness. The danger in disrespect for time is that, if you had twelve hours to work in a day, and the hours are broken into six later than schedule as it is the practice in our groups, how many hours would be lost in a day? How many hours would be left and how much task would be accomplished? How well the work would be done in the time left in every segment? Didnt other forces, natural or man-made outside the schedule obstruct the realisation

This salient exposition into the fundamental roots of problems is the only way the reader will see fulfilment in the piece he reads because of the concordance in occurrence in what we call fiction and the events that play-out before him in real life. This is the only way the society will see its own folly either for retraction or for continued perpetuation of the ills that form the subject of the piece being written. In exposing such minute details, time is definitely required and by extension, a fully rounded story that is believable is presented to the audience. In creative writing, this task also require thorough investigation and an under study of the phenomenon in question as to its effect on human actors.

of goals set for each segment? This is the reoccurring phenomenon in our daily life, responsible for underdevelopment.

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Indeed, the mind conceives while the body parts act out the ideas so muted. The environment plays a powerful force in the determination of how such conceptions workout, practically. Though, the mind takes full responsibility for the manufacture of anything provides the stimulus for the mutations called inspiration that is eventually acted upon. Characters and Their Environment The human mind is a wide world of space where imaginary structures in form of information pervades it. The structures are so elastic that no matter their sizes they could move in a reshuffling mode of operations, each step taken by humans stems from the brain. Therefore, characters dwelling in a story are capable of taking unimaginable feats that ordinary reader would think impossible at first go. The cerebellum (a part of the brain) takes responsibility for the initiation and activation of the human body. Physically, the brain as small as it is, working in concert with the mind and as fragile and delicate as it appears has the capacity to fill the world once its stored information are broken down to concrete matter, that is talking about one head. You could then imagine where all the heads of the world would fill when translated into physical structures. So

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Man dwells in three types of environments, physical, biological and social. The atmospheric space and it numerous beautiful and ugly erections created by man or nature constitute the physical environment. It is about physical phenomena that give shape and colourations to the earth. The biological environment is about the organisms, mammals, reptiles and humans that dwell dependently or independently, to fulfil the imminent goals of their kind of survival. The social environment largely is a human phenomenon about the interrelated relationships of the thousands of groups of the human kind. These powerful constituents of the environment are clearly marked on established courses, especially the physical and the biological; therefore, the highly social man would need great skills to overcome them. So refusal to honour the role of environment on characters

what you see screening on human minds are largely about the environment. This underscores the importance of creativity in the life of man. Because structures materialise through a combination of motions of different origin all resulting from a simple dream or a hutch. The processes of shuffling and reshuffling, moulding and remoulding that constantly takes place in the mind is the original prototype of mans creative capacity that satisfy his taste and aesthetic demand which regularly keeps him in want thus giving rise to the desire to make new things. This is eventually played out as part of the physical environment engendered by man.

may be a deficient act of craftsmanship on the part of the creator. It is not possible for characters in a story to disregard the environment they well. This is the most logical occurrence in the human world. And to re-enact the environment in a story, the actors should largely be allowed to dwell and to interact freely. That is when the essence of their survival will manifest without interference by the writer. In fact, humans take their decision based largely on the dictates of their environment. Therefore, any departure from this norm would require a logical excuse or course of events that will concur with human reasoning of how agreeable they played out. Humans want their actions to be noticed, they want their newly created products to be seen, heard and possibly appreciated. They want to take pride in accomplishment of the task they set to do. If some people do not do certain things for the sake of accomplishment, the world would have been moving backward. They are broken when such products pass unacknowledged. Therefore, each streak of action must set on a tract that will lead to a genuine conclusion. This tract is drawn from the immediate environment. The human mind has the capacity to read ahead of an event. Human mind can comfortably forecast the occurrence of event and it will come to past. There is no magic about such feats. This occurs because of the familiarity to the environmental dynamics around the organism. It is about the internalisation of cultural indices of such social

Psyche-Connectivity There is always the strong influence and relevance of Psyche-Connectivity in any human grouping. It is the ability of minds working under the same environment to engage in unpronounced relationship and make similar responses within such group of actors. This connectivity is largely not verbal but often finds a coagulation point in results of the group. Until an idea is expressed in concrete terms and in a known, meaningful manner, it remains an open property. In the connectivity of minds, you have what is called PreConclusion Grasp of an idea that precludes the speakers end of speech. It occurs in the listener, not necessarily because an idea is well understood but its occurrence also signifies the original existence of it in the listener which similar sympathy is shared with the speaker. In the connectivity of minds-seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling similar experiences under the same environment, have the tendency to begin to communicate or relate or respond to undefined targets, in similar manner or begin to process similar thought without having to meet, discuss or agree to issues of mutual benefit. Decisions are even taken without others having to agree, for the fact that wherever others are, one members mind effectively represents another. This is what strengthens friendship,

environment. It is about the behaviour pattern of humans wherever they are settled.

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this is the meaning of co-existence, and this to the prominent character of any progressive social group.

Characters must pay attention to their environment; they must pay attention to actions of other actors around them with reference to the cultural milieu of the setting in which they dwell. Characters must have a traceable line of history, palatable or unpalatable which must develop into the goals the scene or story intend to achieve. This history should make them recognisable. And when they activate their social environment, actions must be rhythmically diffusing to either spark off conflict or unwind it for a peaceful co-existence. It is only through their independent voices, decisions and actions shall they be recognisable and memorable.

Creativity Wilderness

Wilkins talked of field dependent and field independent individuals while, Hudson categorised individuals into convergent and divergent nature. The convergent is science-oriented, high intelligent quotient and critical in his approaches to problems while the divergent loves open fields for exploration and creativity. However, this does not mean that the convergent might not creative. But the general conclusion is that not all intelligent people (mostly converges) are creative but most divergent people posse ample amount of intelligence and creativity.
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A good classroom teacher understands the value of knowing each child in the class. Not knowing them by their height, name, sex or ethnicity but the psychological composition of the child through the traits exhibited by them, covertly. Thus, this enable him to employ appropriate method of delivering the subject content to make learning experiences compact and result oriented. Educational psychologists have made it easy for the teachers by their works to identify children or individuals in various groups.

Our pre-occupation in this piece is on the creative individual and the processes that lead to a good creative product (poem, short story, play, song, painting, sculpture etc), especially at the point of inspiration and imagination. The division of a creative process by psychologists into four stages may not be as total and decisive as they appear especially at its early stages. This is more so for their admittance that it is not easy to define creativity. This shortcoming may be connected to the vagueness of its occurrence. Therefore, they prefer to restrict their treatment of the subject to the characteristics of creative person, creative product, and response and most importantly, the stages of creativity.

existing norms and free from cultural constrains), and lastly, the product must look fresh and new.

Psychologists further highlighted four stages of creativity to include preparation, incubation, illumination and solution. The preparation arises from the time a creative person focuses his mind on an issue or subject trying to figure it out. To do this, there must be inspiration (stimuli).

It is utter folly to teach creativity. It is only an academic activity to teach creative writing, painting, sculpture, drama etc. What can be taught are the secondary stages, which has more to do with recreation of the inspirational products, the characteristics outlined by academics? One of which is creative response. The qualities searched for are originality by its remoteness, its usefulness at all times, serving the purpose it is intended and that the product must have aesthetic values (good, eye catching and brings surprise).

On the other hand, the characteristics of a creative product is distinguished by it unusualness, appropriateness, transformation (departure from

Having heard all these, as a creative writer, one cannot agree less other than to further expound on ones experiences in relation to the pre-product stage, which includes preparation, incubation and illumination often coming in impulsive flashes. It is difficult to at that point
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Illumination is the next stage, where thoughts are fashioned and organised to give rise to the creation of events or the discovery of a path to a product. This is usually accompanied with great excitement, which could lead to funny behaviours.

At incubation, we are told that, there is a solemn and deep meditation which propels the creative person into a withdrawal from his regular environment. This, at that point, he becomes abnormal and queer.

Lastly, solution could be the new creation, which occurs concurrently with illumination.

distinguish the stages from each other. They are simply primary stage of creativity. Imagination, reverie, fantasy, thinking seems to belong to the family of mental activities except inspiration. Some are positive while others are negative. Creative people find favour in inspiration, imagination and thinking activities. They hold on to them with great loftiness of seeming unearthly reverence, leaving the other group to fools. Each product of creativity starts from the creative wilderness known as inspiration.

Inspiration to me is a matter that flies around in space, walks around on earth or stays in almost everywhere. It is very weighty, since it gives the ability or the urge to do something. It is an existing phenomenon. Thus, what exist which is not the handiwork of one may actually not be ones property or possession, especially of inspiration that is mystic but concrete. The origin of inspiration is therefore not in the creative man. For example, if the writer gets stimulated to go working (inspired) while he laid still on his bed or when he sit there by the streamside, what does he have to do with the creation of the serenity of the environment? What did he do to make physical or to change the course or the occurrence of the quite chuckles of the stream snarling over a log lying across it? What has the writer got to do with the stillness that pervades the room that provided him with the process of imagining the things he wrote about? Nothing!

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The chain starts from the inspiration, which acts as an unidentifiable subject in the subconscious then noticed and becomes identifiable due to the activities of other entities it may bind with later given to the process of imagination for refining and logical recreation resulting in a product that is either replayed (existing) or played in the physical world. Inspiration grows from seeming abstractness to concreteness. The quest to want to claim that, the process of imagination to the finished product is a manufacturing right of the author etc is fragile in the sense that the product is an image of inspiration subject or matter. Perhaps, the artist gets away with this claim of ownership because; it was he, who picked it from the metaphysical state. Thus, the inklings of poets (artist) is not the forgotten adventures of God but a grace bestowed on them to explain mysteries and draw man

Rather, he simply drew from it, by being consumed in the independent activity of another entity, thus, setting him on for his own act of creative expression which are later organised as products. In other words, the expressiveness of his immediate environment sends him on his mental expedition, which he collects in form of creative expression or arts. Here, one factor is at work in the process the dependency factor of one activity (stimuli) leads to other sequence of creative activities, thus, making artists parasitic to inspiration; making them reporters of existing but unseen phenomena of creation known as inspiration. It acts in a chain.

Imagination on the other hand resides in the creative man, since it is an act, a process activated in the conscious man. Man has the grace to act according to his intention or will. Imagination becomes his property. The truth of the matter is that, contrary to what many may believe of imagination, as possibly in existing conjectures, it is actually not. What man imagines is always an existing phenomenon, which is often not readily available concretely until expressed. What is it that man has ever imagined that does not exist? What man imagines are products of what registers of occurrences that are there in his consciousness as creative. This may explain the individuals capacity at all levels, the climax of which is the imagining of the kingdom of God and belief in his existing and unlimited creative supremacy at his disposal over all of the earth, heavens and evermore. New Nigerian Newspaper, 22nd November, 2003.

nearer to the fact of Gods artistry in the design of such mysteries. Here is their own with creative competence which they marvel at with awe, let alone Gods. an inspiration could be ordinary or extraordinary.

Originality in Creativity

However, a look at scholastic efforts in defining creativity, a few postulations by psychologists will throw up some light. Mackinnon, (1962) in Ayaniyi, (1993) expressed that: Perhaps for most, it denotes the ability to bring something new into existence, while for others, it is not an ability but the psychological process by which novel and valuable products are fashioned. For still others, creativity ranges all the way from notion, that creativity is simple problem solving to conceiving it as the full realisation and expression of all an individuals unique potentialities. Creativity is indeed a multi-faceted phenomenon.
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No doubt, creativity is a complex phenomenon that cannot be easily placed in terms of its occurrence, origin and ramifications. Perhaps what one can do is to highlight on the characteristics of a creative product and the imaginable process that leads to it. Ones experience might suffice here.

From the above definition, we could feel that many scholars see creativity in two ways: creative process and creative product. While the creative individual may encounter his product through different personal ways, scholars are largely agreed on what a creative product look like. And the young writer may wish to recognise them for the inducement of quality in his products. However, they must not be mechanically applied since creative process isnt a mechanical activity but a thought process that shoots out of fantasy or day-dreaming, which brings forth new ideas for a unique product. Dr Sani Sambo of ABU Zaria in his study of the relationship between intelligence and creativity of a child sighted Prentkys key elements of most creations. He said creation is typically a synthesis and reformation of already existing experiences or idea. Creation is spontaneously derived and not something, that is tediously laboured over. Despite the revelatory nature of the insight there is a period of incubation during which the raw materials are sorted through reshuffling and mulling over. The creation occurs within a social context, influenced by the times, the environment and the community colleagues. It is assumed that there is somewhat redeemed feature inherent in the creation. Whatever change derived from the creative insight must be sustained and the product in some way changes the human condition. The product must go beyond what is known or what is experienced to create anew,

transcendent aspect of human existence. These key elements of creative product, he warned are not definite statements. Let us now look at them one after the other, starting from originality.

The origin of something could also be its start-point while originality is the quality that makes an object or idea of being original. I had stated that, if some people do certain things for the sake of accomplishment, the world have been moving backward. This means that the world progresses in development, peace and harmony because voluntarily an individual get inspired to create not for any material gains but as response to the stimulus that propels him to produce it. In some quarters, this voluntary act is known as an act done because of God. The creative individual is more endowed with this ability creative ability, which is the greatest gift to man, the absence of which would have led the world to docility, passivity, inactivity, underdevelopment and stagnation. Therefore, the human community rises to greater height because of the active mind of her creative individuals, who constantly dish out original ideas. The walk to original ideas must tread on the path of creative process, where creative thoughts rules. Creative thinking is said to start ordinary as simple dream or fantasy, which gradually concretises as the creative individual fondles with an idea, which eventually results

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Things like poems, novels, plays and other forms of creative writing represent creative products. You also have works such as painting, sculpture, song etc as products of creative imagination. These products could posses the quality of being original, beautiful, new, novel and refreshing. The scientific imagination contains thought processes that culminate in manufacturing of a product to shape and reshape lives towards good living and ease of dwelling. They are mostly built on existing
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The life of humans and the individual revolves round problem-solving. Each bit of his life is constantly engulfed by puzzles, and given the five senses and sometimes six, he rises to the occasion by unwinding the intricate network of entanglements he dwells in. to achieve solutions he sets to use body and soul to unwind the puzzles in time. Before then, he painstakingly but pleasurably undergo the process of mental excursions, figuring out ideas until a beautiful image screens on his mind before its graphic representations in forms that are considered as creative or scientific products.

in a beautiful creation. And idea is greater than man. Everything you see around you was once an idea: broom, chair, house, plane, all started as mere contemplations of a creative mind. And the inspiration that bring forth these creation arouse mainly to tackle social needs within the environment.

criterion, which is being remodelled through scientific processes.

Other creative engagements or actions manifest in beautiful speech and oratory power, thought provoking verbal articulation or humour. Indeed, the aesthetic athleticism in sporting movement is a manifestation of a beautiful creative thought, which activates human biomechanical competence for a show of skill unimaginable by a less creative individual. You see them in stunts, gymnastics, rhythmic activities, dribbling artistry, and finisher motions that produce spectacular results that evoke awe. These novel ideas, actions and products excites and provoke further inquiry and thirst that make man prod into the delicate and complex make ups of numerous problems that confronts him disease, transportation, communication, food, shelter, personal security, art and socials until solutions or discoveries are found or made. Man may wish to establish a good society, where peace and harmony shall reign; where development shall be entrenched but to wish that the beautiful society we wish for will eliminate the puzzles of living will be a misplaced desire. Therefore, a good society is not one that lacks problems but one that has them in minimum, with functional instruments of socio-economic retractions and justice. The final institution of a pure society is a replication of the type promised good men in heaven.

The creative individual must recognise that, imaginative capacity can be developed to a higher level which in turn sharpens the quality and quantity of products produced.

This replication on earth will set man to question the supremacy of the creator and the validity of the heavenly garden, whose tenancy is said to be an unimaginable beautiful abode. So, under which banner the quest of good men shall be carried on earth with the numerous divergences if man can attain such glamorous habitation here. It is the originality of the creative individual and his works that elevates the society, without originality, our actions shall circulate in a static motion, where movement exists but on the spot.

Firstly, education is a primary source of concrete imagination. Whether formal or informal, the quest for knowledge sets the individual on investigative journey to things around him. He questions himself, others and the environment regularly to further see the light of their being, in which he understands them and to relate effectively with them for a harmonious co-existence. Secondly, reading is the major facilitator of educational advancement, this time, personal reading will be the most profitable. And it includes reading all manner of texts. Reading, ultimately and constantly trigger a burst of inspirational bud that leads to novel ideas, which culminates into beautiful solutions for positive advancement of man and his society.

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The individuals daily routine is a living example. Therefore, like the individual synthesizes and reforms of his previous activity to redefine the next, the writer, at a burst of inspiration, must at certain stage of the process begin to make conscious effort to patch up, subtract or add to the raw piece to sooth the societal demand without losing the original content. This process is not also laboured over, since the features of any artistic product is embalmed with a large percentage of the creators personality make engendered by his

Another of Prentkys feature of creative product that has influence on originality is that, it is a synthesis and reformation of already existing experiences or ideas. This cannot be far from the truth, looking at the typical behavioural pattern of humans wherever they live on earth. If they are united as Maslow postulated in his six basic needs, then, there is every tendency, irrespective of cultural, religious and economic affiliations that, they will most likely act, perceive in similar manner. They could draw a resemblance in desire, thought pattern and approaches to problem solving. If these could occur, creating a new product might be a rare possibility. This is not to give a license for plagiarism but to inform the creative fellow that though there is newness in its creation, it falls adequately within the range of human existence as creation must be relevant to the social man or else it loses the redeeming factor it ought to come with. Indeed, life is repetitive; you could say it is cyclical.

environment and other principal personality builders. This should come to bear in seeking originality in ones work. Any imitative venture is a share waste of time, it does not add to knowledge.

Obstructing the flow of inspiration at burst is a distortion of the potential originality value of the product. Regular dependence on dictionary by a creative writer or a models style is an obstruction of creative flow which wipes out originality. The reason being another of Prentkys key of creative product which is, a product of art is not tedious and laboured for nor there is any long time spent on it. Perhaps, where time would be required is at incubation period, whence sifting or sorting goes on. Time becomes a necessity after the first draft is out because the longer a work stays in construction, the better the outcome. Here too, there is the danger of distortion, interference with the original idea. Therefore, the writer must learn how to control himself and his creation that have stayed long in his possession. Nigerian Newsday, 3rd to 9th April, 2006.

Life Is a Coupling Up Of Details

The life of any soul on earth is about pieces of actions, which in their entities are seemingly insignificant and negligible occurrences. They are chains of discreet events whose segments embody fractions of individuals momentary thoughts that lead to step after step in motion for mutual contest of attention. The practical details of these fractions are what young writers do not excavate to locate the soul of an issue. It must be understood that, the details you seek to garnish a story with are not mechanical occurrences around the individual in real life. An actor on earth is hardly in control of the sequence of occurrences around

One of the major flaws of the young writer is his refusal to pay attention to the little details of characters or actors and the environment they dwell-in. Stories, no matter the imaginative import and complexity of setting are real life stories, real experiences of others in short and long distance to the writer. And life is not about bogus occurrences.

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him. Therefore, the writer who replays or replicates them in his work can only serve as a regulator, not a dictator that, the independence of actors might not be infringed upon to the detriment of logic. The reader must be taught how to track the arbitrary occurrences of life by the way a character manages himself through them.

makes the whole drama of man on earth a mundane and monotonous show. Perhaps, this is why we have acceptable codes of conducts in human settlements.

The details of occurrences in life are not necessarily sets of plans by the concerned actor; they are largely induced by external forces that form the complex network of competing entities for small spaces of ones attention. The moment the writer ignores them to focus totally on his theme like a manufacturing tool, set to deliver the same product for a hundred years to come, he loses are beautiful ingredients that build a story and the opportunity to present a work in vivid reality to the reader let alone having any meaningful impact on him.

It is easy, especially by serious critics, who sincerely expound the strength and weakness of a work for multifaceted benefits of consumers to know the summation of which side a work tilts. What new addition made to the existing norms in the art is by exposing a work to the silent details of life. Life is about coupling up of pieces of events or unwinding a whole of it into smallest forms or scraps. In either way, the end of it is a form, whether imaginative or real that makes meaning to human sense. Now, can man or a character in a story submit effectively or competently to the demands of every bit of detail of life in the course of actions without interference from a force or forces outside him?

Although, the details that make up life are no respecter of plans by man even in an orderly society or sympathetic to intentions of actors in a rudderless one, their arbitrariness in existence put to task mans intelligence as he tries to track and straighten them to soothe his soul. Those little details become meaningful with the systematic activation of the central nervous system that power human parts to or consequence. The appropriateness or otherwise of the results are in itself the beauty in living a life and creation. The absence of it

Man is a limited creature in function even with the superiority of his being over other creations. What make him limited are his traits: Greed, tears, sadness, tiredness, sickness, crawling and failure, the habit of seeking help, violence, looking and theft. In fact, his dependency factor is his basic limitation that opens bare the nakedness of his so-called superiority. Why is he limited?
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Mans limitations result from the deficient output of his sensory organs, which is a measurement of the range of their powers at a particular moment in setting each soul on the run. This natural output in each soul ensures that men do not operate on the same frequency thus enabling their independent activity fuse into their affairs as a community of one people (Dependency). The shortfalls are made up elsewhere by another persons high output. The variances in mens outputs in meeting commitments within periods are creative junctions among men. This delicate but mutual sophism of creation is on which base good or bad becomes the scale where terminal journey of life shall be measured. Understanding these details help to induce moderation in mans activities to curtail his bestiality. What measure of attention to details of life does a man need? He is not to go on submission of his whole self to the total percentage requirement, seeking details of a discreet event, but the reader should see him as having exhausted major detail of it to a range that gives reasonable satisfaction. Quests by characters and even the writer must take them to a quality range that is exemplary to consumers. This is an important lesson to be learnt, so that, quality of living is constantly kept at a fine state. Details in a story evoke the essence of life and its realities and gives originality to the reader. He sees

himself playing a role or drawing lessons from the unfolding events in which he expects to see a result that will cue him to a safe arrival, thus, unwinding his life long puzzle or provoking a new critical investigation that enriches the community. However, many reasons have been adduced why the Nigerian creator might not have the patience to explore his characters and their surroundings let alone understand the subject of investigation, reviewing the high point, aligning the sequence and connecting the fractions of details for a wholesome product, he has been accused by many as being in a hurry. Is the Nigerian young writer in a hurry? If yes, why is he in a hurry?

Nigerian Newsday, 27th March 2nd April, 2006

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tool for redirecting a strayed society if properly used for mobilisation through insightful inquiry into the substance of the subject being investigated which is free of peripheral examination or sentimental attachment based on narrowed political, ethnic or religious interest. This is one of the rots; Fourth Order seeks to remove from Nigerian literature through regenerative arts. Man has amazingly surrendered to the spectacular witchery of science whose body of knowledge is vigorously trying to demystify the universe leading to limitless expeditions into unseen realms and the minutes of creation. This quest has drawn to him assorted comfort and ease just as it has brought home immeasurable discomfort, sadness and grief. The issue of science as doom is something else that perhaps is because of excessive inquisitiveness and misappropriation of scientific knowledge. What shall occupy us here are the benefits accruing from knowledge and experiments of whatever kind. Also, we shall concern ourselves with how art can be a catalyst for changing the face of the earth for good and enhance human development. The Concept of Regenerative Arts The European renaissance, which gave birth to modern science, had its root in the art. Therefore, art can be a
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The concept of regeneration is the nucleus of the Fourth Order. Regeneration is a phenomenon man cannot avoid. It is a common feature in every step of his, yet it is the most neglected area of concern, which he has refused to explore as the ultimate strategy for changing an ugly course. There are two phases in regeneration: Primary and Secondary stages (self and corporate). This is seen as first and second tier regenerations respectively. It is on this phenomenon that human activity is saliently hinged upon constantly, for success. This makes the concept paramount and a viable option for social order, happiness and development. In order words, change arising from regeneration process is more permanent and all encompassing. However, it must be built around the following determinants: the mind, planning, teaching, learning, time, logic, endurance, concordance and conformity. Protest and revolt are less emphasised. Perhaps what needs to be revolted against is self, which constitute the first tier of regeneration.

Mans constant desire to create and recreate, build and rebuild, discard old and appreciate new, think and rethink are artistic regeneration processes needed to change an unpalatable course. Shift in taste is an obligatory human act. It is not an ultimate desirable act though. Unfortunately, what should take man to satisfaction is what has remained the subject in question. For example, if I desire to be an engineer, maker, I can choose to be an apprentice either with a professional or with a roadside engineer to learn the art. Both ways can lead to happiness but the question is which way makes learning more concrete, durable, satisfying and beneficial to others. Which is more orderly with less hostility? Which is less tasking (something can only be tasking when the actor has limited interest in it), which is more acceptable to others? Which has high value and which contributes more to knowledge, a thing that can be picked by generations in hundreds of thousands of years to come? These should be the fundamental concerns that should inform actions. In the concept of regeneration, hostility is null. Compulsory is void. What is important is belief in eventual realisation of happiness and that nothing is lost in the length of time during conformity and sequential response to order. However, the concept of regeneration needs the application of two principal elements among others for success. That is Teaching and Understanding on one hand, concordance and conformity on the other.

In Teaching, there is truthful showcase of idea(s), well dissected and objectively expounded in a participatory exercise by both the learner and the instructor in an institution. Understanding on the other hand should result from optimal performance during teaching and learning process. It is seeing what cannot be ordinarily located without critical assessment through observation and hypothetical conclusion. This must be self-expository and conducted in tranquillity. Time is required for this process to mature for the proper identification of the inherent values in the subject. Concordance is not only agreeing but believing in a cause arising from the fact that you have seen, based on personal conviction, the high value of the idea in question whereby you then proceed to proclaim it to self and others by way of acting it.

Conformity is living and acting for ones testimony, wholly. It is a lonesome resolve for a collective exercise, which is universally beneficial and largely built on personal light, acted upon for the good of others, secretly or openly. Acting for the good of others under no compulsion can only result into others acting for you in return. This is the logic in regeneration. Love is what the society lacks today.
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Regeneration is not only for human beings but is more relevant to them. It is a phenomenal process in the lives of living things. And two points are useable regenerative cells: the child or an adult who will give away his adult character and subject himself to the laws or regeneration. In regeneration, the self is the principal arbiter of internal probing and judgement on subject that is about to dictate a course of action. It must be noted that the second beneficiary of regenerative concept and acting for corporate happiness, inverting back to the originator later. Even as the concept of regeneration rely on self as its pillar which is akin to the trunk of a tree that bears leaves, branches and subsequently fruits for the happiness of the world, regeneration needs mass institutions like schools, clubs and societies, wards and small cell of communities for effectiveness and result. It does not rely heavily on residual or peripheral results but accommodates them during the process even as they could be passively useful to the course. Permanence, surety and wholeness of plan well entrenched in such institutions are what must be adhered to perpetually.

Regenerative art is central to the concept of regeneration. It is a potent vehicle for mass mobilisation where all the determinants of regeneration are vividly located in the main character(s) and their allies in a work

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of art. They are the ultimate conquerors. In regenerative art, anger, blood, darkness, insult, hopelessness are inferior and does not hold sway for long even as they determine events. Light, hope, smile are what should sprout from among the cloud of darkness to brighten the next event which must be through independent search for a lifter in man, located and watered by courage towards the ultimate triumph of the will to rise. Complaint induced literature as was the case with the immediate past Nigerian writings does not occupy a space in the Fourth Order. Their imitative nature is loathed. Their invective content is detested. Rather, beauty in a subject under investigation, which entrenches the right mental frame for quality thinking, is highly encouraged in regenerative art. Therefore, a writer, who is regenerative in his work, employs eye of the child technique, to target a conscious inducement of characters, with the spirit of regeneration, in the face of depression. He triggers the urge in the reader; to replicate characters from mere imaginary sympathy with their plights, to concrete bond to be translated into real life experience, which is powered by a strong, will to actualise happiness, as climaxed in the work being read. Eye of the Child is a technique of plotting and characterisation whereby a child character whose background is not flamboyant is cultured through a path determined largely by his own childhood taste through to adult, to eventual realisation of such dream. Regenerative art is like a parasympathetic activity of the

Fourth Order notes that, democracy in the third world cannot strive without conscious application of the principles of regeneration. Democracy, though not an absolute means to happiness but just a vogue in town, will constantly be exposed to contamination by one degenerating factor or another if left to evolve in a vacuum or at the mercy of media campaigns or sloganeering by the present crop of politicians. Political, social, religious, cultural and intellectual/ educational regeneration etc, are essential for a true national rebirth whereby citizens are prepared to give away possessions as building bricks or capital for re-investing in the society. The stimulant to this calling is functional regenerative art and the impulse to generate it, is the educational regeneration. Writers of the Fourth Order are the guides. The collection of short stories in The

Autonomic Nervous System which in this case, permits the mind to mould and remould a course of action through reflective assessment and weighing influences of the decision generated there-from on the generality of ones surrounding during contemplation. Thereafter, it becomes a sympathetic activity, an active mechanism of Autonomic Nervous System, which activates conception to break open into the world of reality in a vigorous contraction (action). The will to conform, to order actions strongly powered by the belief to realise happiness for others forms the second phase of regeneration process.

New Nigerian Newspaper, 4th May, 2002.

Unique Madmen and Other Stories is the beginning of the serialisation of this belief.

The Regen Idea I1

The Regen idea revolves round the REGEN TRAP which the child must undergo during growth in the school. These are ideas to be taught. These are what should manifest in the child. The Regen Trap consist of bundles of specific targets along budline, from the start point to our society will wander in illusion unless we all converge on that shack, that piggery called primary school to restart the process of moral, educational alignment and reconstruction of the child. From there, everything will begin to fall in place. Secondly, the local imperial headmasters must surrender their bloated pleasure, avarice and replace it with the thirst for functional education of every citizen; young and old.
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The Build The aim of the regen idea is to build a cultured child who will embody, proclaim and act ideas of the Fourth

Order. But more importantly, he is the crystal symbol of the movement with the potential to lead the society at the smallest unit he finds himself. His exemplary character must win admirers to the ideals of Fourth Order.

The build follows the arrest, where deliberate efforts are made to tune the childs mind towards the goals of the order through education and scholarship, motivation, voluntary service. In a regen curriculum (MINDWAY) national ideals, moral instruction, love, humanity and charity are the core subjects to be taught. The teachings should form a Regen Handbook of Practice for adherents. Cultural ethics must be well represented.

The curriculum shall be classified into Reg I, Reg II and Reg III. Similarly, adherents will graduate from one Reg to another through out his primary school age. This classification will be repeated in the secondary school with new sets of contents. (This curriculum shall be adopted side by side with the conventional school curriculum). Therefore, A Regen Club is desirable in the school to implement the idea. In fact, the ideas of Regen are to be induced into the childs conventional studies in school. For example, the child who studies physical education should be able to apply it in Regen way to enhance the transformation of the society by actively participating in the goals of ones professional calling.
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The boundary, they are like segments of a chain loosely attached to each other yet efficient at activation (work). Detaching each segment is undesirable. The Regen Trap consist of the following: The Arrest, The Build, The Conquest, The Power and The Regen World. Each regeneration unit or group must have its unique regenerative goal; it shall be thoroughly assimilated by all the adherents of the process, I conformity with the Regen Trap.

Since scholarship and education shall form the basis for Fourth Order the READ initiative shall be put in place for the child.

Each adherent shall be placed on scholarship through the Regen Ginery (fund). Education of members shall be free with many incentives. Therefore, schools shall stop being owned by governments. People must come together to establish one. This is the step that will make Regen Idea concrete as adopting it in a public school will be a fruitless exercise, except the one with full autonomy.

The Arrest is a period of initiation (start point) where children or adherents (Boys and Girls of Pre-Primary and Primary School Age) study and assimilate the process plan. They are thoroughly indoctrinated with the ideals of regeneration (Re-growth through service) down played to their level. The child must be made to understand that, he is living for others to realise themselves. This is the ultimate goal of leadership,

which they will eventually ascend. Love thy Neighbour as Thyself. And the only genuine way to convince your neighbour that you believe in the above principle is to love him first before yourself. Here, love means: working for him, giving him first, smiling to him first etc. If you do, he would have no choice than to reciprocate either in similar measure or above.

In the ARREST the child must be made to appreciate the concept of you before I. Example, a child who scores high mark should volunteer to teach others to be able to earn similar or more marks. Or a child must be willing to share his biscuit with others without compulsion. Or children in a class must be willing to contribute for a child who lacks textbooks or pencil or members of a class should contribute to the development of the classroom. The teacher is the manager of these situations.

participation for service to society because the society owns the child and needs more from him than he needs from it. Therefore, the child must be made to know that wealth is good but obsessive quest for it must be for the good of other in the REGENWORLD. However, these values cannot be realised until a child is kept in a boarding institution through the regeneration points. Community boarding school system, where each community builds school according to her needs within the framework of Regen Idea should be encouraged. Community Theatre will also enhance the realisation of Regen Goals. PTA should source for teachers and determine their welfare and salary in conjunction with government for they are principal actors in this process Our society will wander in illusion unless we all converge on that shack, that piggery called primary school to restart the process of moral, educational alignment and reconstruction of the child. From there, everything will begin to fall in place. Secondly, the local imperial headmasters must surrender their bloated pleasure, avarice and replace it with the thirst for functional education of every citizen; young and old.

The structure of the process of ARREST is broken into specification, which shall comprise of boys positive thinking through selected texts (story, poems written for such purpose), teaching speech through selected texts, debates, quiz, writing, personal academic games at home and in school plus free-will discussion on unguided topics (it should be recorded for reviewing). Specific functions must be taken up in PTA in this respect. The aim of these engagements is to appeal to their subconscious at early age in the spirit of active
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Ordinarily, man feels he lives within the earth rather than on it but whether in or on it, the earth is mans home. A home he is still trying to discover. In the continued process of exploring the earth for his short and long-term goals, man moves through the environment on roundly basis. While in this quest, he deploys his energy, creativity, knowledge to take him to satisfaction and realisation of self, and to occupy a status in the eyes of other men. He often does this with little consideration for other entities that play basic role in the modification, enhancement or stabilisation of his behaviour. Environment is one such entity. Therefore, how has man been able to manage his environment for his daily merry-go-rounds? What significant role does it play in the enhancement of his creativity, not just for arts Man, Environment and Creativity

but in the manipulation of skills? How does a recreated and natural environment reinforce sound state of mind for optimum performance? How does a degenerated environment retard performance? These are simple health matters. Health! Not medical matters. With due recognition to the fact that teaching and learning or contact with objects, as does a child with toys or construction blocks brings about the discovery and enhancement of ones creative worth, dwelling in a healthful, natural environment is the best recourse for not just digging out but for rapid sharpening of creativity in man. Men can increase their performance by devoting good time towards appropriating their environment to achieve sound mind in a sound body. The artist, the writer needs such environment for high output. Whether this is attainable or not in the developing countries like Nigeria is a different matter all together. However, stating the obvious is the beginning of the removal of the impediment to the realisation of ones full creative energy and worth in the society.

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The power behind every mans step is the fact that he is healthy. It is the ultimate empowerment for his multidimensional motion. It must be understood that the quest for sound mind in a sound body is not about drugs or medicine. It is about the state of total well being of man which the writer needs to flourish because a decent and natural environment is a primary essential element for the attainment of full creative energy and enterprise.

Stress at an early stage can be removed but at a letter stage becomes complicated such that individuals can only cope with it using acceptable strategies. This includes reciting poems to oneself (not gloomy ones), walking in the rain, sitting and watching natural environment etc. They help to douse stress whence at the end one becomes refreshed to relocate his stability and a higher creativity level for artistic or life engagement.

Among the essential promoters of a sound mind and body for enhanced creativity, environment is the most important for the simple fact that a degenerated or poorly managed environment is the central processing unit of agents of diseases. It is fastest agent for demobilising man. This, coupled with the prevalent stressful condition in cities where many writers reside, they need a more refreshing atmosphere for physiological, psychological and aesthetic balancing for artistic productivity. A dry environment aggravates stress which is a major health problem most men carry about unconsciously. A recreated environment helps to remove stress which slows down creativity and performance. Stress is a weight or high pressure in man exerting discomfort on the systems and organs to deactivate the body. Therefore, creativity which requires tremendous stability in mans physical, mental and emotional state to attain full energy gets impaired in the presence of stress.

Some peoples attachment to the natural make-ups of the environment, such as trees, flowers, vegetations, animals etc, amazes most people. Their amazement usually stem from the fondness attached to these make-ups and the anger let-loose when the make-ups are hurt either by felling trees, killing birds, burning bushes, poaching or hunting and even plucking flowers, casually as one walks along. Many environmentalists have gone to court to protest these cruelty to the environment. The bewilderment thrown up by people at such steps is as shocking as when judges rule in favour of a complainant. At one time, one has been a victim of this bewilderment too. But confronting the ABU Zaria magic threw up the light in keeping natural environment near man. As you step unto the campus, the awesome radiance of its colourful surroundings and the breath-taking ebullience of flowers and trees, gleefully making ballet dance-steps in varying styles, straight ahead, winding into corners of cute patterns of lawns, simply leave you gapping in prolonged smiles with internal excitement and glow of a paradise dweller. Such is the magnificence of the Ahmadu Bello University environment. One never thought Nigerians have the knack, competence and patience to becalm a vast dry land into misty garden of expansive beauty. So why must the writer recreate his environment? Why should people indulge in tree, flower and grass plating around them?

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A recreated environment stimulates ones sense of appeal. If man confronts a natural environment, he appreciates it, he feels happy, peaceful, all of which increases ones emotional and mental balance for good health. All men, irrespective of his poor personal health habit have a sense of appeal, a knack for beautiful and new things. Ones sense is incensed in the presence of trees and flowers which are essential beautifiers that maintain the naturality of environment. The aesthetics of a recreated environment becomes even intensified with good paints and creeping plants around buildings. These are some of the encounters artists need, for efficiency. Generally, it is important to recreate environment to flush out unwanted organisms that cause discomfort and disease to man. The proper disposal of waste materials such as polythene bags or wrappers, pieces of papers, empty cans and proper drainage system, clearing of bushes or their management, combine to make man healthy and happy because micro-organisms that can breed diseases to retard creativity and performance will not have a place to strive and multiply to wreck havoc on human lives.

heart of men and removes anger to produce smiles, whence he becomes refreshed for a happy dwelling, innovativeness and greater productivity. In an educational institution, beautiful environment can be highly inspiring to reduce the stress of academic activities. No wonder, lovers need gardens, quite corners, cosy rooms, riversides where they easily melt, peacefully into the solemnity such environments offer. Have you ever wondered why Gods promise of a blissful home in a garden of trees and palms? Do you wonder why the homes are positioned in serenity and stillness, wafting with harmonious breeze, incensed by the metallic voices of chirping birds in magnificent rhymes? If this is the ultimate God wishes for you then why not begin to enjoy it from the earth.

The continuous and regular removal of these agents of physiological destabilisation should be the preoccupation of cities, villages, schools, offices, and organisations. A well-managed environment softens the

Similarly, an environment landscaped with flowers, trees keep the surroundings moist, cool and breezy that abounds with oxygen, the most essential requirement the body need to get to the next minute. Oxygen is life. It is life because it replenishes blood. Blood in turn nourishes the body cells for activation. The trees around you mainly produce oxygen. Therefore, an environment polluted by stench, smoke, excessive dryness if a simple pollution of ones body and by extension ones tomorrow. This causes mans creative energy to retard. He will simply lack the soundness of body and mental balance to push on the pen being chopped off by infected
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body internal environment, organs and tissues. Have you heard of the gradual warming of the earth?

Researches have it that, the ozone layer which naturally serves as an umbrella for the earth from excessive sunrays is gradually being perforated by gaseous release from industrial and even domestic activities, which is heating up the earth. This posses danger to man, among which is skin cancer depletion in soil content that makes agricultural practices difficult. Therefore, trees, flowers with well laid out grasses can give immediate succour and aesthetic sense and reduce the effect of this heating up of the earth. It is the new potential danger to human existence. May be, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) can be managed but how do you manage the fact that our own doing has driven oxygen farther away from us. Finally, the management and preservation of environment should be a daily pre-occupation of individuals for it is the first step towards the acquisition of a sound mind in a sound body, increase creativity and its collection, and the promotion of productivity and quality of ones steps. And remember, such natural make-ups are not to be destroyed for it will amount to a gradual destruction of self. Weekly Trust, 1st 7th May, 2004.

Prize of Creative Writing

One of the greatest prizes a writer gets from creative writing is the intrinsic fulfilment from the sublime lines one often discover in ones write-up which sometimes makes one wonder whether one as a being, has much to do with the sources of such expressions. Great thoughts are often written or spoken in the simplest language in which they are expressed. Poet is the custodian of such artistry, which he rarely talks about except with himself. A poet rarely talks about himself but when he does, it is absolute, his voice passionately begging to be understood. However, if a poet must be known then this verse is it: POET IS A MAN which is the title of a novel by Vincent Ebunseh. This simple verse evokes thousands of meaning; the poet is that he says of others; does what

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However, pretence is life insulator that absorbs the spark of counteractive motions. Thus, the presence of poet is harmless while the pretence of man is largely harmful. Therefore, the prize of poetry is that, it insulates the soul against the physical assault of negative forces. This subsequently burst into a decisive motion that creates freshness. This prize is intrinsically motivated. It is not a new world order that is required, because, it is based on mans judgement. What is required is Fresh World based on poets judgement. At the ANA Kano convention, during the inaugural meeting of the proposed summit of Northern Nigeria Writers Summit, a question arose as to the relevance of prize in ANA and how it is being managed in term of who wins which many at the Kano convention considered as sometimes tailored to who should win. The consensus opinion was that, there is gross misappropriation. This was confirmed by the current Assistant National Secretary, who narrated a story of

they do. He is no less or more than what man is. Thus poet pretends a lot to prove otherwise. In the next world, if action would not be judged by intention, the poet would be the second occupier of the garden. Their pretence often translates to what man sees as modesty, humility, humbleness, humaneness because not all men are poets. This deficiency would make them bear witness to the saintliness of the poet.

how he was to win the ANA poetry prize at PortHarcourt convention but was denied such due to politics of ANA judges.

At the heat of this discourse, Ismaila Garba wanted us not to bore ourselves with prizes in the face of a daunting task of organising a summit that is intended to fashion out a plan for literary growth for New Nigerian Writers. As much as I want to agree with Garbas position because in competition especially sports, participation is greater than wining or losing, but prizes are usually great booster to the growth and development of any sector for which it is instituted. In sports, participation is emphasised by the simple fact that, both the looser and the winner takes home equal benefit of the competition in terms of health and skill related achievement. In fact, the looser may have even acquired more than the winner. These benefits are the ultimate human body requirements and not the status of winning or loosing. This is why the winner is humble in victory; the spirit of sportsmanship.

In defence of his victory, the winner strives for higher standard. To gain victory, the looser strives for higher standard. In this process, the game grows because quality skill, efficiency, accuracy is perfected and put to use for maximum performance. This is the principle that governs competition. This is why we need literary prizes

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In the present Nigerian literary circle, the above spirit of competition does not seem to be the reason why awards are given or should I say why people partake in literary competition (if any exist at all). Here, it means another little god-player has arrived. Sometimes, awarding prizes to friends means an invitation into a cultic society of writers even if undeserved, for undue elevation. Of course, Maik; a consistent winner who had remained humble, an attribute of a true champion, is not in this pettiness. I admire him a lot for the strength of his will and energetic artistry, certainly not for those miserable prizes ANA gives to ridicule winners. ANA needs an independent prize committee, mainly comprising of elder-writers to seek, institute and manage them for functional literary growth.

across the country. This is why the up-coming summit should explore ways of instituting one.

It is not that Garba does not like prizes, anyway. After all, he won one from the BBC the other day but he was only requesting the house to take care of the most competing problem that hinders our growth first lack of publishing outlets for young writers. This sounds wise but may not totally be so to a teacher who understands the place of motivation in learning (learning to be great writers). Motivation, Praise or Reward go hand-in-hand with teaching, for learning to be effective. Each teacher
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Garbas posture finds its relevance in the intrinsic motivation where some inherent stimulus in the writer pushes him on in the absence of a be it, such as the one psychologist observed in the differences in the degree of motivation among children even when equal incentives are given. Also, individuals (young writer continue to strive harder in spite of an absence of incentives people report job satisfaction when there are no concrete rewards. Thus, confirming Garbas feeling that certain satisfactions are inherent in the task of (writing) itself. This is what urges on serious young writers today intrinsically motivated drive. The young writer wants to do something for the sake of the satisfaction, feelings of success and pride of accomplishment he enjoys at the end. This is quite in place. It is natural, without this natural activation, life would be retrogressive. Similarly, those who argue for prizes are right for the extrinsic goals of it. In the extrinsic motivation, some external agents, persons or things control behaviour. Therefore, prizes are reinforcement property of task of writing. That, Success leads to success and that success itself is gratifying. Its presence can accelerate growth of writing in the society.

must give recognition to the two forms of motivation; intrinsic and extrinsic.

Therefore, the forth-coming summit of New Nigerian writers should put on its agenda not just the

The question is, who will convince Gimba that doing it would not amount to self-promotion. The man hates loudness. New Nigerian Newspaper, 27th, September, 2003.

This is the area Abubakar Gimba should volunteer to assist. He is the symbol of this boom. He is connected and can appeal to well meaning individuals, to institute prizes for the teaming up-coming writers in Nigeria. He could as well chair the board of trustees that would manage it. Otherwise, the man should in the name of God, put up one himself, but one man is sure to do it if Gimba ask him to General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

establishment of a publishing house or an interim arrangement with a publishing of literary prizes must occupy the talks there. This is especially necessary for the consolidation of the northern literary boom that burns wild now.

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Man with his so-called knowledge and sense realising his own arbitraries sits to conjure instruments of retraction of his imminent distortions. He says, let there be

Indeed man is dangerous, instinctively a cannibal, deadly while competing but pitiable in defeat, yet he thinks he must have whatever he wants at all times and cost. Such is the poverty of his spirit. At defeat, he is impulsive, wanting to make every body a loser too. In fact, he goes to do it. So plotting begins! He shops for men and women, covertly and overtly, rocking the boat to throw passengers and paddlers overboard, deep down the seabed. This is my man, ever treacherous, ever losing.

Psychology of a Loser

instruments, institutions sprouting across our community and settlement to checkmate the desire for madness that goes with our arbitrariness. So they meet at home, in offices, market place, on the street etc, to share similar feelings formally and informally then begin to associate. In time, they begin to order, reconstruct the environment and engineer the affairs that go in them for the good of all. Perhaps, this is why men of equal status and intellect resolve to design ways and manner in which they shall be controlled in their motions (activities) especially in designs that could kill them easily, through the application of brute sense. But, in time he loses himself again to destroy himself and others and the things erected there-from. This is my man, ever selfish, ever-greedy, ever-proud and treacherous. For nature to curb him and his madness, natural laws were set in motion on land, at sea, in the extraterrestrials, from the extra-ordinary. But once caught, he claims to order and reorder events, behind his mind is nasty linen to corner, bend and distort to gain advantage. Again, from the higher r5ealm, he is cut down immediately for disregarding order, he is made to conform unwillingly. He purportedly despairs then concocts, seeking meanings to his afflictions and the dismembered senses. Temporarily, he abandons his violent inclinations and pretences only to commence dwelling arbitrarily again, while trying hard to burn down bonds that tie humans in association. Heavens

watch his folly and dirty theatricals in amusement. High up there, the watchers know his being, his heart, a dirty conundrum. He must be ordered, repeatedly! Therefore, in the ordering of his arbitrariness, other people; leaders have to emerge, planted on earth or even proclaimed in self-styled manner, which come to retract missed strides. In his dangerous being, only members of the group or community less affected by senselessness can regulate the dirty motion of the afflicted in senseless expeditions. They only need to rise and think alike to contain the bestiality of one of them. There are many approaches to this.

The afflicted person need sympathy and not bullying, except if he insists on backing down group members then he should be broken. Broken, the odd man-loser should listen to others and not his inner self, lest he risks extinction in the community of humans. If he has tomorrow, he would retract to be sensible and associate again. However, one trick must be identified, some losers will seek the so-called paths/instruments instituted by group to destabilise affairs, forgetting that such paths in themselves are fragile compasses that submits to majority voice of designers. It is that very sense democracy claims to popularise. Democracy appears to be the most favourable means of electing leaders today because of the elasticity of its goodwill to the less powerful. It has its own tragedies

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though. One of the wretchedness of democracy is its ability to hoist on the masses, mediocre, hypocrites, potential dictators and parasites who will plant disorder to enjoy the pleasure of power. The ugliness of its beauty is to fail good men, ridicule their intellect and make a perpetual caricature of sanity. Also, men otherwise called voters or electorates submit cheaply and sheepishly to visibly stalk-like contestants, opportunists who would have been elsewhere at the outskirt of society, let alone step into contest. A few things lead to this sad behaviour; ethnicity and religion, especially in my country. The odd-man with these whips of sentiments that stole from the ballot and get elevated because it is called democracy later stands high and says I am clever. If he fails with his warped sentiments in the abortion of peoples happiness, he reclines to treachery, violence and even murder in his new psychology, because he must win. He thinks he ought to win so he still must get it or spoil it. One major question that bugs the mind is why Obasanjo and his Men are cock sure that getting a third term is getting the presidency. The answer is simple to a discerning mind; elections are rigged massively in favour of the incumbent in Nigeria. It is a tradition which should be expected in 2007. This also brings to doubt whatever INEC is currently up to in terms of preparation and the e-voting they want to hoist on Nigerians. However, the wide spread condemnations that trails

these dangerous schemes are the only hope for the people.

In the present state of loss that stares on the faces of third term proponents, the following could be their last minute options. If Obasanjo is still a honourable man, he would come out some day and say he has never said he wanted a third term, therefore, he is leaving office. This is the most reckless dream anybody would want to tell for the second time to anyone. What honourable acts has the man done of recent? Therefore, the most reasonable probabilities to any watcher of Nigeria in this Obasanjo, seeking third term is to await him set the country ablaze with crises then give a puerile reason for the extension.

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The Holy Books enjoin man to read, it is a reminder and a warning that good life depends on the height of knowledge or education one has acquired. They emphasised literacy and knowledge as prerequisite for good life on earth and beyond. Books have also served as principal sources of concrete form of communication in written text between man and God, the other form being inspiration. Inspiration is not concrete in form thus subject to many changes and interpretations before materialisation because man is an embodiment of frailties like forgetting, misrepresentation, mutilation in understanding or even treachery to distort order etc, which could dislocate human mind in his relationship with God and indeed with fellow creatures. However, Egyptians and the Mesopotamians had their forms of writing 3200 years before Christ until alphabets, containing letters were developed in Lebanon and later Book Is the Soul of Humanity

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Word is Soul! What binds the world together is love, without word, love becomes meaningless. Therefore, communication or word is the essential element of existence that propels human community forward. Not just that, it helps to keep it together through the imaginary web it networks among us. If it does, then its sanctity must not be defiled through misappropriation while we transact our affairs. Word must be kept sacred all the time and safe somewhere. Where could that be? You may ask. Book, of course! Every other medium or device employed today as a form of communication or documentation of human activity is simply a replica of what book represents. Your computer, Internet and other electronic devices in communication world helplessly has to display pages or sheets to be meaningful. In other words, they too become alive only with books or written text in them. So, a book is the timeless material that helps to preserve humanity, this is why we must read, that we may grow physically (environment), spiritually (God) and intellectually (knowledge). Perhaps, this is why we must not lie in the course of our affairs, perhaps, this is why we must tell the truth all the time, perhaps, this is why promise is a debt to humans for a peaceful and prosperous life on earth. Read!.

enhanced by the Greeks. Therefore, if we must read then, word, written or spoken occupies a sacred space in our affairs. How does this sacred space look?

What will you Read? Will you read without a written text? No! Then should we say, the noblest thing to do first is to write? Yes! Is it all of us that would write? Yes! Why? Because, we all have ideas, that will develop humanity. Idea is greater than man. There is no one that is better except one with good ideas that lift mankind to higher goals of creation. And what, is this good idea? The good idea is a mental conception turned into a useful product from creative or scientific imagination of the individual. What are the products? They are computers, fans, radio, television, chairs, brooms, cars, flasks, chalk, pen, paper, stories, poems, songs, paintings etc. These are the things found in our communities, these are the things found in books. These are the title, little detail: little things that bind with human and natural motion to form what we call life or living. Life itself is about motion, everything on earth moves. Everything! Life is not about bogus occurrences, it is about little things around you, so little that they must be recorded in book form or you lose them. Man, who is to live for thousands and thousands of years on earth must preserve himself and his actions. Therefore, he needs to record his own events and happenings that such must be passed-on, from generation to generation. What will you write? Is it non-fiction or fiction? What is it in a book? What does a book do? What is it in a book that it must be read always? Academically, speaking, book, is an
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Book is life. Life is currently at the state of high development because we have books to read, where we learn new things. We do not just learn things; we recreate them and get inspired to create new ones too. You get these ideas in non-fiction texts or books of formal-content in the sciences and humanities. You can call them educational texts (biology, geography, physics, P.H.E., mathematics, social studies etc). you also get ideas from fiction, imaginative contents like novel, poetry, play and a host of other forms of creative writing. If you cannot write any of these, your letters to friends or loved ones bring out the best of your imaginative prowess, keep them. Similarly, essays resulting from simple observation of human behaviours, the environment or political occurrences are good subjects that people should write about, casual pieces of notes to friends or at work-place, quotations are all forms of written texts, write, keep and print them (eventful or uneventful), man learns from them to enhance humanity. They come in form of memoirs, letters or autobiographies. Your acts are as significant as any

effective medium of cultural preservation, language growth and retention, knowledge transmission, intellectual propagation and protection, documentation and reference, information dissemination, entertainment and leisure for the continuation of refined life of man and his environment. Without book, there is no life and therefore no development.

other mans act, so, record events in your life that we may learn. You do not have to be a governor before a book is written about you. Nobody is more important than the other because everyone has something important another man does not have. However, if you cannot write at all, you can read, so read!

Read books always. Man must read to open himself to variety of experiences. You must read a book a week. Pick any subject of your choice from bookshelves, from bookshops, attend book fairs and gatherings of book concern and get enhanced. Reading opens your mind to new levels of thought and appreciation; it teaches you tolerance and puts at your disposal the best of alternatives and quality decisions. Read newspapers, magazines, journals, fiction, read, read and read, notice boards, billboards, sign posts, just read. The reason why students or children must read is because, the more you read the more your brain fibres grow. Thousands and millions of information man encounters in life are stored in these brain fibres. Therefore, one who reads a lot develops the fibres to accommodate more and more information. The more information you have, the better you can answer questions, the calmer you will relate with people. Reading also sparks off inspiration and keeps you mentally alert. In a reading society, you find many bookshops. Unfortunately, it is not so with our society.

Why should we have them when only few people patronise bookshops? This makes book fairs relevant, and even so, at the point of resumption for a new academic session, parents and children can access books easily. Parents who think they are too busy to read books are disasters to the society. They are dangerous to our community if they keep producing children and do not spare time to buy books for them each week to read. Here is a simple strategy for making your kids gifted to children make a small shelf at home, buy books anytime you take your salary and watch what they become in a short while. Soon will you see your house sprouting with little thinkers, smart talkers and brilliant kids who are ready to reprimand any erring member of the family? The child has simply read the correct thing in a book. Giftedness enhances the quality of life of a child. But you must ensure that you select what they read.

Still, I ask, what is it in a book? I say, man is in a book! His soul is in there, who he is, what he did, what he does and what he will do and when he will do it are in it. If you do not know what he did, find it in a book. If you do not know where to go, ask a book. If you do not know how to do it, consult a book. Book is yesterday, today and tomorrow. Book is you! Neglect it and lose your soul. Book is permanent!
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grounds for the hosting of the national convention of ANA in 2005, especially now that regional consideration are less emphasised at national level. The award winning playwright and former national publicity secretary of the Association of Nigeria Authors (ANA), who was the pioneer chairman of ANA Niger, Yahaya S. Dangana has paid a visit to the secretariat of the Niger State Branch of ANA, at the state library complex. The variously commissioned writer of UNDP programmes, who recently completed a national assignment as the secretary (opening ceremony) of the 8th All Africa Games, also paid a courtesy call on the Executive Director of the Niger State Library Board, the host of ANA Niger Secretariat for the past four years. Niger State Library In Need Of Books

The playwright, who was a strong contender for the senatorial ticket of PDP at the last election, inspected the empty room of ANA Niger which he agreed needed his mid as touch. At the occasion witnessed by S. B. Musa (interim vice-chairman), Baba Akote who now heads the new leadership, pleaded with Dangana who has drawn acclaim from Nigerlites as a generous giver to assist in providing shelves, table/chairs, carpet, burglary proves, computer set and other materials necessary for writing and secretarial duties.

The aim of the visit was the initiative of the interim leadership of ANA Niger targeted at restructuring and repositioning of the association to meet new challenges of the literary development in Nigeria and to ensure that Minna remains the modern literary capital of Northern Nigeria. Also, the new leadership has as part of its mission, regrouping of old folks to introduce new literary products outside the Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs (ASCAFS) for children and to prepare

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The journey to this historic visit by a trustee of the association, the first of its kind started two weeks earlier. It was supposed to have taken place on Sunday (7th December, 2003) at about 10am, but had to be postponed because of the condolence visit paid by Dangana on the family of late Alhaji Kere Ahmed at Bida.

In his response, Dangana, a trustee of ANA Niger promptly pledged to give the amount of N68,000:00 presented by the executive as the preliminary bill for the first part of the renovation exercise. He commended the new focus of the administration and pledged his support for the initiatives. He later, along with the new members of the executives paid a courtesy call on the Director of the Library Board, Mallam M. K. Ibrahim.

The man had earlier died a day before at a lecture venue in Bida.

One of the many surprises the visit presented Dangana started from the main entrance of the complex. He wondered why the complex named after the famous Hausa novelist; Abubakar Imam had no such inscription on the signboard outside.

As we entered the massive ghost house called library with less than two hundred or so books, the huge building with leprous skin, resulting from lack of painting or poor white-wash application stared at us with such a pity of a street urchin (Almajiri) burnt in the sun without food, without bowl in hand, and without a giver. As it is with the Almajiri who usually carry all sorts of diseases and wounds, the Niger State library complex rather than boast of books and educational materials, only presented his august guest (Dangana) with leaking roofs, crippled chairs and shelves, cracking walls, quaking floors, ready for an adaptation of World Trade Centre (September eleven) dangerous drama. The only difference might be that, while thousands of lives were lost in the New York tragedy, in the forthcoming collapse, the Niger State Library building may only succeed in burying the remains of ancient books that have little meaning to children. More so, nobody goes there to read. Even, such books displayed on what they called shelves may even attract little

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Perhaps, the most surprising episode at the visit was when Dangana got chocked by his own words when he was at the children section of the library which had less than 40 books only (it was counted. You can go and count too), not a single sit was found there, except the traces of water that settled on the floor any time it rained, to remind you of the pool the section was in the rainy season. Hear Dangana; if this is what we have for our children who are expected to think well and lead well and the choke. Then there was quiet. Everybody kept staring at the cracked walls, empty shelves, in selfpity. What seemed like a pool of tears formed in Danganas eyes. Such is a writer. He hissed and headed towards the door. At the door, we were confronted by a ridiculous notice on a wretched cardboard paper of age, which possible might have spent a useless five years without achieving any purpose. It reads; GOOD CHILDREN DONT STEAL BOOKS. Dangana read aloud and cast a glance at us roundly, perhaps, expecting the poets to make comments on the inscription. Al-Kasim (poet, literary journalist, essayist and photographer) expectedly completed the verse for a genuine representation of the condition of the children section of the library WHERE THERE BOOKS, he added. And the Director could not help but joined the writers in a session of laughter.

mourning because of their irrelevance. Meanwhile, the only saving grace now is that, the rains are not here yet.

Niger State Library Complex or Board does not need laughter, it needs cry, sympathy and pity. The society should cry for itself for the huge neglect there. The government, leaders should pity the majority of her children by providing the board with life to function through stuffing of it with books that will not only enhance their performance but help in developing critical minds for the great challenges of the 21st century. Wife of the Niger State Governor, Hajiya Zainab Kure known to be a youth caretaker with her functional project YES needs to pay a courtesy call on the complex and do something about its dilapidated condition. The governor should also for once visit the place, and as part of his educational commitment to Nigerlites pump money into repositioning it in accordance with world standard in book business.

the governor in 1999 for possible implementation in wards and less privileged communities in the state.

These chief executives may wish to liaise with the Association of Nigerian Authors in the state for a thorough equipping of the place with relevant books from local and international titles for the benefit of the society. Niger State has a formidable writing community to help in his direction. A special fund needs to be set aside for the library project in the next years of this administration in which if carried out shall be remembered for its influence. In fact, ANA has a scheme called NEIGHBOURHOOD LIBRARY SCHEME which was presented to the wife of

Meanwhile, the Association of Nigerian Authors appeal to the governor of Niger State, Engr. Abdul-Kadir Kure to fulfil his 1999 promise of a N200,000:00 to the association during a courtesy call in November. This promise when redeemed will help in execution of the forthcoming Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs (ASCAFS), and two new programmes drawn up to put life into the library board complex. They are CHILDREN LIBRARY WEEKEND SHOW (CHILIWEES) and READING EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES for DEVELOPMENT (READ). These programmes need sponsorship. Project YES may wish to discuss with us on the possibility of collaboration in CHILIWEES. The state government through the ministry of education may wish to adopt the READ programme in schools with a pilot scheme of 100 pupils at the library complex.

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Finally, in his state of hopelessness, the Executive Director of the Library board managed to inform Dangana that, Abubakar Gimba and Alhaji Wali of National Library had earlier sent a memo to the governor two years ago on the terrible state of libraries in Niger State, but he was yet to receive any response from that exercise. Ones advice will be that, if nothing comes for

the board gather for rain, the staff had better vacated the place lest the WTC tragedy by played in Niger State. Daily Trust Newspapers, 24th March, 2004. A Reverie Called Freedom You left me restless in many folds, not restless as such. Of course, a surging inspiration rained thereafter. I felt like collecting them in mu pail. But, I could not resolve, in what colour of pail poetry, short story, novel, play or essay? However, as an internal therapeutic does, I thought this letter would clear certain misconceptions about our subject freedom.

Actually, I would have settled for a poem but poems seem to draw little audience even as it is the trend in town. Poetry is a pail of many chambers like the heart, with bouts of life; a delicate artistry with attributes such as heart rhythm, pulse rate, blood volume, lub-sound, dup sound and two opposing acts-contraction and relaxation, each of which is required for life. If this is the sublime nature of poetry, why is it not widely read? Why has it refused to move hearts in Nigeria except only for entertainment, especially at ceremonies with almost no effect for change? However, poets themselves do not make things easy by their penchant to flaunt bloated ego.
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Poets feel they sit somewhere in the celestial realm in a mystic relationship with writers and other little creatures. Do not ask me how. Ask Ben Okri who says poets remake the world in words, from dreams. Institutions which could only come from the secret mouths of Gods whisper to them through all of life, of nature, of visible and invisible agencies Okri also seems to concur with Elias Canethi whom he quoted as having once said that: the inklings of poets are the forgotten adventures of God. Again, in introducing his essay, while the world sleeps published in Times Review of January 25th 2003, he quoted Paul Eluards description of a poet as he who inspires far more than he who is inspired. This unrepentant elevation to higher realms makes the poet a suspicious being. Yet, this is what writers cherish elevation, talking about Nigerians. They all seek poetics despite its ineffectiveness in the country.

Have you come across a magazine called Poets and Writers? who is a poet and who is a writer? Anyway, perhaps, this is why we have all manner of poets today. You have poets who from theirs speeches are poets; who from their poetry are poets. You have others who arrange words in straight lines in the name of poetry. Others are simply organisers of sayings, while some have their poems, hardly making any distinction between their prose and what they call poetry. I think they just cut their regular sentences into two to make their kind of poems.

I am telling you this even as it would make little sense to you. I know you do not like writers. You said they are full of themselves. Poets are the cause, I know. Nevertheless, I needed a bowl to pour in my vomits, catharsis of a neglected soul. You remember you own story of a coterie master who plundered the innocence of virgin girls to test his potency, claiming it was a favour on them, which would cleanse their potential infertility. They awoke unstigmatised from the wreck to avoid giving birth to bastards. You remember. You are like that main character. You like to speak like a master, stare at people like a prophet, see like the D evil and insist you make the worlds for others to dwell even with your impotence. All these make you like a god. And you disdain a lot. But our thoughts are different. You cherish fantasies; reports of alien ideas, while I discuss you and I from my own thoughts, a case of a reporter and a thinker.

In fact, I have seen someone who had a big dictionary before him, picking words that he knew, not many would readily find their meaning and like bricks, built his poems to disqualify Wordsworthian claim that poems flow spontaneously from emotions. You have a lot of this mechanically created poetry around town today. This unnecessary guided- poetry exists among young and old writers. Buchi Emecheta commented on this in a recent workshop organised by the British council, Lagos in Minna December 2002 where she wondered what communication would take place with large audience.

Our last discussion on freedom would have made a good theme for a novel. But they say novelists are talkers who are not deep. Rubbish! Novelists are more popular, meaning, more acceptable and more effective. They are richer, more admired and their works travel faster than the poets does. Personally, I would have loved to be a novelist but I know I cannot. I fear that, my siblings would ask if I truly witnessed the scenes there-in. Wont they see me as a liar if I told them yes or no? I do not want a repeat of Gimba and Luckys episode, at a workshop, on project to promote reading culture in Nigeria, which was organised by the Heinrich Boll Foundation, at Kaduna in 1997. Lucky is the evangelist of AWE POETRY (our own poetry), which is a blend of conventional English Language, pidgin with Nigeria Languages. He asked

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In Nigeria, poetry is ineffective on the society because it does not come from the heart. It comes from the dictionary, weird sentiments of pretenders, warped political noise, instead of universal security and plain anger. So, rather than appeal to consciousness, it uproots it thus leaving poetry as a thing of entertainment and war. Todays poetry is largely for economic gains or some sort of claim of arrival into a sanctuary of saints. This has grossly alienated the people, the potential consumers and changers. The bakers too hardly walk out with it in their hearts. Luckys AWE POETRY may do

the magic if there is commitment and development. In an evolving society, a unique feature of progress is that, conventions do not always work, inventions do. However, a short story writer may be near to the poet, for a good short story could harbour craft that results from active diffusion of arterial and venous ends (capillaries), carrying life materials. On the other hand, I love plays more than poetry and novel. Plays are like venous blood journeying back to heart with certain wretchedness but with the potential of giving life the next minute after oxidation. Plays! I do not read them, I watch them, and on stage. Watching plays move me more than reading novels, poems and short stories. Most playwrights are poets, orators but comics. Good plays have good poetry. Oh God! I love poetry performance.

let out. Lt first expresses freedom by arbitrarily fluttering her wings to different directions before settling down to order. Birds are not alone in this show 0f glee. Goats and lambs exhibit similar behaviour when stimulated by freedom. This celebration of freedom by lesser animals that lack the ability to organise affairs fits the definition of the word free or freedom. To humans, it is a profound state of being they so cherish. I consulted my dictionary after you had left. Free according to the BBC English dictionary means someone or something that is not controlled or limited , while freedom is the state of being allowed to do or say what you want. I guess this definitions fit your own line of argument which you strongly proposed as if you were an American; the evangelists of free everything. Ironically, if the bird or goat that is suddenly set free continues to make such arbitrary and limitless movement without control, you would be the current world- song about free this and that seems not only limitless but compulsory for all mankind, forgetting that, to compel others is already a limitation on their right not to sing a song that soothes another. You confuse me a lot. Nevertheless, freedom is sweet but can never be totally available. Lack of it is as destructive as its abundance. Just read on and stop becoming impatient. When we meet, you can talk as much as you want.

Well I am not too concerned about this and that in the writing world, I must be in this or that form because that and this is the tradition. Tradition! How can creativity be reduced to a straight- jacketed thing? I guess, these are the things that made you say uncharitable things about writers. I catch cold anytime you tell me that writers are nothing but reports of inspiration for which they had little input to its occurrence. Please, do not tell me that again. It irritates me a lot. Now, let us return to our last discussion on freedom. In deed, freedom is sweet. It is a state of being best expressed by a bird caged for a long period and suddenly

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A free man is supposed to be creatively enterprising, healthy and productive. Thus, the essential objective of and society desiring prosperity is to set the citizens free. What freedom? Because freedom does not end with speech or to do what soothes one as your master brainwashed you. But, it entails freedom from poverty and general lack, un-satisfactory citizenship, illiteracy, disease etc. It would be surprising that the quest for freedom of speech or expression would not make relevance after all, since the complaints people do here and there for which they are incarcerated or suppressed is against the prevalence of these menace or injustices that perpetuated them. I do not like your concept of freedom. This concept as it concerns practically poor nations seems suspicious as to what good we are told it would bring us.

a hidden motif by its proponents, to keep my third world noisy in arms. Forget that the world has grown complex and would need new, practicable ideas to simplify it. But the crux of the matter is that the world has become simpler but more difficult.

The idea that citizens should say or do what they want is a reverie because nobody is ever sure that, mans action would ultimately be appropriate, good or acceptable at all times. This is anarchical. Why then do you have constitutions, religions and articles of deed? Are these not limitations to your concept of freedom? So, of what relevance are they if we are to talk limitlessly or act uncontrollably? You see, there is every reason for man to be controlled. Your masters confuse me a lot. The glorification of your mind of freedom or should I say looseness, so heightened today seems to silent signals of
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One is at a loss as to why other world dwellers should be free to posses all manner of defensive and offensive weapons while my own country a co-dweller must not. Is this not a simple indictment on the complicity and hypocrisy of the champions of freedom and liberty, which you represent? Your argument of power balancing or headmastership is rubbish. Does it not make better sense that no nation should posses weapons of mass destruction that power may be balanced. Certainly, there is no balancing as to early producers retaining theirs and no new producer should emerge. It is illogical and silly to believe that actors in different circumstances would act simultaneously at all times and in similar manner. It ought to be known that somebody would obviously acquire the knowledge and capability and would wish to exercise his freedom to have what he likes, and to express himself with it as he wishes. But the fact that they cannot, today, puts freedom on the line. It reduces man to low sense of justice. So which freedom were you talking about? The concept of freedom as it is being hawked today is sheer folly. It is an impracticable fantasy that human

mind often wanders in when he thinks he knows and can help himself out. It is little understanding that the free this and that are the things that will bring stability on earth. These concepts bound into globalisation or global village is in their natural texture not exactly Free State of being. They look more of traps than freedom, because the network of mans mind and body is naturally not given to excessive mobility. Each is caught within a range, which makes more sense.

Freedom may even be blankness such as the one that surround a newborn baby, which overall may add up to nothingness. However, in tome the child grows and ultimately looses freedom or nothingness to make life meaningful by increasingly becoming more dependants. This is because life is not unidirectional; it is interplay of good, bad and the ugly. It depends on the one that endures. Thus, any day man becomes free as his heart desires and propagated, he becomes beastly from there. However, how can man ever be free, when his body and mind is unavoidably dependant on the environment and its components, which are negative and positive, and ultimately controls his mental and physical motion through simple stimulus? Thus, the mind or body as a unit cannot function without associating with another in a dependant manner, in the process, freedom is lost, then regained and vice-versa.
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Again, what I want you to understand is that the concept of free this and that will ultimately lead to a freeman as hawker by societies in pretentious harmony is a fallacy. But, to me these strategies of deliberate looseness seems ulterior instrument of indirect cultural wreck of our already polluted identity where nations such as ours proclaiming independence with large population of her citizens enslaved to alien norms such that nothing works in their home countries because their eyes are set in illusionary goals of other lands. This kind of freedom leads to degeneration. Our universities are simple laboratories for this smooth degeneration or what do you say of a politician who in the exercise of free speech says we will break away if we dont become a sociocultural group that orders her members to kill opponents for the fun of it? What manner of free speech is that? This recklessness as tolerated today in our society is contemplated in other societies. Propagating these concepts is an illusion. They promptly dealt with anyone who talks grievously against their national ideals. However, it is not so in my country, Yasalihu. It is free speech. What you must understand is that, we must stop being gluttonous consumers of alluring products and concepts that have not been well synthesised but packaged for us. What is our own identity? Even the concept of freedom in a democracy looks destructive to the developing nations. What kind of freedom are we talking about? What kind of democracy?

Where the fading phenomena do called democracy start and end? In fact, one get tempted to think that, it is a design to loosen us and prepare ground for new forms of dominance by stronger society. Because, the so-called freedom is disrupting the peace it is supposed to entrench.

More, the concept of freedom in democracy is a new strategy to reduce the bridge between man and God, that smaller gods in form of man could be created on earth, who because they have acquired high technology could use freedom to introduce, loosen and dictate life by socalled advanced nations. Otherwise, have we stopped the appreciation of the order of moderation as the guiding light? Indeed, a human needs balancing not total freedom, freedom that brings responsibility and collectivism. Will he ever get total freedom? He will not get it.

then it does not make sense to preach freedom of speech without equally preaching its limitations and responsibility within the confines of a group of peoples whose problems are not similar because of cultural diversities.

Planning is a universal strategy for ordering self and society, an enviable phenomenon that plays crucial roles in each of a man or peoples steps in life. However, to plan, to order in steps or sequence to succeed is a sort of constraint on freedom. Planning pins on your limitation on the capacity of human to exceed bounds in his actions, consciously or unconsciously. Thus, he needs documentation as plans of measures, procedures and control to be able to achieve goals. The fact that man rely on this as an instrument of progress and actualisation,

New Nigerian Newspaper, 12th July, 2003.

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Similarly, man ought to understand that the issue of undefined freedom is a folly, since man has identified care or being careful, tendering, nurturing as prerequisite for good growth and order. He should also be able to know that the personal care, man indulges in (of whatever form) is a technical constraint on freedom because arbitrary dwelling or action is not humanist. Being careful (limited freedom) is what distinguishes humans with beasts who posses a wide range of motion or freedom. However, man is careful not to hurt others or harm them, tenders the child, plant, or animal that they may conform to order etc. These are the profoundly sound characteristics that aesthetics of dwelling as are currently exhibited by Nigerian politicians. It is on the basis of these salient aesthetics of being which have the persuasive texture, are purely built personality of the individual that scriptures expounds and urges man to abide by in any stable religion. These are the aesthetic the evangelist of freedom; seek to destroy to plant confusion on earth that science may prevail.

Mazi Desmond Azuwikes fear of a Shrinking Iroko Tree and a possible crash by the so-called giant of Africa due to general inconsistencies, is being confirmed five years later: If you shrink, you will be the shame of the forest, and if you fall, women will climb you. Sure! Cameroun is right now on top of Nigeria over Bakasi peninsula. Whether he would rise again to be the husband is a

At the Ilesha convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors in 1999, Yusuf Adamu of ANA Kano asked us: why are you people always angry? Angry! We were surprised because we thought we had been cheerfully generous enough at ANA literary gatherings. His question betrayed one of the philosophies of our group which detests literature of invectives, war, blood and darkness. But, Adamu might not be totally out of place. His comment might have been informed by the poetry of ANA Niger, in Dancesteps of Dawn (an anthology of poetry, 1997) to have reached that erroneous conclusion. Verses like the ones below are capable of hyped comment; as Lucky S. Oghuvwu opens the collection, urging even birds to run away from him from my earth, from these spoils, from these greens snake, from me! Yes, me! For we all carry catapults in our smiles.

Before Angst Turns Anger

matter of contention in time. Perhaps, this could be one of the many tribulations of Yusuf Manta who denounces his citizenship by querying why he was born into this generation that is worse than Noahs.

However, contrary to Mantas exaggerated pain, Alkasim may be more at home with truth of a sorrow-filled heart in his Elegy for a Poet, because good-men and women have been plucked from us too soon for evil to overrun the land. The strategy often implored according to Aminu S. Muhammad is to send dogs on them, the berserk beast, munching in their bestial mouths, the sacred flesh of truth. This, Khaleel says makes the youths remain undirected and angry as they bear the weight of mountain/and slept in the depth of seas without the strength of monsters, the snarling of demons and several pummels of Hunger which Kamarudeen agrees send infant spinsters with an office chief, strut in the bosom of wealth/to Nikon Nogha banquet the Abuja style, as prostitutes, while the boys trade in political thuggery, black marketeering and sycophancy. Abdullahi Ismaila looks angrier than all the poets in the collection, where he takes his wars beyond the terrestrial space God! Tell me/for I am cut between these imbalances. In as much as I hate to read these lines for they appear to show the length poets could go when surrounded by mysteries. This out burst may be misconstrued for in them, you hear a voice addressing

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the Supreme Being with utter anger of a confused soul. God! with exclamation mark, followed by tell me is unbefitting in addressing the majesty of God. Why not, Oh God, tell me or God, open my heart. Nonetheless, if these are the verses that made Adamu to conclude that, we are angry, I must say that we are not totally in that mood. Or Adamu may have looked at the entries from ANA Niger, in his forthcoming anthology of poems (The pregnant sky) and concluded that we are a group of angry poets. He is wrong about our works and us. It is just that, we have robust poetry here. A secret feeling of poets here is that, Kano poetry is too lean to be healthy. Indeed, there are fat ones from distinguished poets, we enjoy. However, in defence of ourselves against Adamus accusation or appreciation, he was flooded with a barrage of questions, some of which are: is the country not annoying to you? Is anger not a human act? Here I am, in Concor Hotel, Ilesha without the convention fee, not because I have not worked hard enough but because some thieves somewhere took my share (Laughter), should I go to the streets of Abuja and continue laughing about that, someone stole my money. The issue died down as we moved to take snapshots with the famous dramatis Ola Rotimi. Therefore, Nigerian young writers deserve the right to be angry for utter neglect, especially by their literary

fathers. We cannot publish our works, the untenable reason by the older writers and publishers being that, the works are not of quality. Do they mean all of the works by all young writers are bad and at all times? But one should ask, how much of quality did their works had when they were young? Didnt they have editorial intervention? And whose natural responsibility it is to straighten a growing child? Was their environment as hostile as it is now? Was it as terribly competitive as it is now? Was there general madness in the society then? Why cant we be angry? Again, the elders tell you that, young writers are in a haste to make it. Tell me; is someone not in haste to make it to Aso Rock Villa or government house X, Y or Z? is someone not in haste? Is the world not hasty? Perhaps, it is only Africa and Africans, especially Nigeria that is not in haste. No wonder, while wise worlds emphasise unification, some Backwoodsmen are busy presiding over division of all kinds. Therefore, we are to be angry at every Backhood activity in our society. But the question is how do we process our anger for sustainable victory without causing more casualties in the way of the Fourth Order?

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In understanding anger, one needs to understand creation. In the balancing of creation and most importantly, to assert the singular dominion of the creator who is the being of balance, He creates in

dualism that HE prevails as ONE. Even in human world, for man to exert dominance over the other, he stops another to keep himself relevant. Stop means working above the other in the world of good to secure a place. But in the world of bad, force and denial is applied. Whatever the case might be, the issue is not the medium for seeking authority but the subject itself and what it matters. For God, He possesses the power for both and thus prevails always. Funny enough, man wants to keep being the president, governor, V. C., Emir etc and solely so, yet, he understands little why God should not entertain partners. Therefore, anything that is two or has resemblance to two forms is not supreme. Two beings cannot hold the balance of creation. The systems will spark. Where two beings claim to hold the balance of creation or comfort hearts, speculatively or manifestly, it is illusionary. In the pursuits of the world by man, dualism is relevant and has greater wisdom than ever imagined. They serve the purpose of balancing human capacity, durability and contentment of the heart. Anger is capable of destroying that strength. Furthermore, anger can be likened to enclosure, imprisonment, darkness, sadness while laughter or smile is to openness, freedom and light. None makes full circle without the other. They are relevant to mans well being. Man has been an angry being and may seen to remain so because; he takes delight in cheating, oppressing, denying and hurting others. Spiritually, it is said that, he

harbours a mechanism that activates it. Thus, being angry is an inevitable human act, yet he is asked not to get angry at any provocation. What is the wisdom behind this? To some men, this is an unbalanced state, while others are ready to hear and obey. However, since man possesses the capacity to ponder upon creation, as he is encouraged to do so by God, to aid understanding of natural phenomena, he should at every occurrence contemplate and reason.

Reasoning ensures that balance is struck between occurrences. It serves as control mechanism and standard for future steps. The journey to the meaning of creation starts on a pedestrian note towards its delicate and intricate network which humans exhibit, see or hear; the things they do on earth. For example, man knows that, to generate power, which lights the electrical bulb or an appliance, positive must be married to negative. Similarly, where there is right, there is left, night and day, girl and boy, death and life, wet and dry, up and down, good and bad, tears and laughter, sadness and joy, anger and happiness. Why do they exist side-by-side? What does anger stand for in the world of man? An individual needs to ponder comparatively and analytically why these occurrences beyond their peripheral importance and thus appreciate anger and other negligible acts.
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It is unnatural not to get angry at all. That, in itself translate to non-compliance to a natural law, for anger

could be medicinal. A hear that expresses it well becomes relieved temporarily. That could put off any lurking emotional strain that may hamper individuals well being and creativity. For some attributes of a healthy person is of a rational and emotional balanced being. But anger could be destructive because only few men could be rational while expressing it. And who is that man. If man truly harbours the mechanism that triggers anger which is not in his control, but the stimulants that activates it can be controlled or totally avoided. These stimulants should form the salient points that form the development bricks of stories we write. This is because, these good or bad attitudes are the simple products of these wanted or unwanted behaviours of our daily activities. Thus, there appropriation should be drawn home, in works of art.

The condition of lack of any of the hierarchical needs of Maslow can simply activate anger at any point in time, just as their abundance or attainment is a source of happiness. This lack is in various forms. And it explains why you must share with the needy to reduce the amount of anger in human communities. Works of art need to create relieve not tension by taking minds to where happiness can be realised. The immediate deterrent to anger is the individuals ability to recognise its possibility to set-in at any point of endeavour and the willingness to warm self that each

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For the artist, anger, laughter or cough could serve as allimportant theme of a novel or play. Say, a teenage who has shown great skills and in whose hope, an entire village puts their heads to lead them someday, is being ravaged by cough. The writer can go on to depict travails of a parent, a teenager and villagers. After his death that swept their hopes down the drain, and the subsequent emboldening of the village to conquer their age long misery of backwardness or underdevelopment by corporately using farm produce to build a school to educate more teenagers and discover more talents is simply an expression of anger that harmed nobody. In that vain, they could also raise a good boy or girl who

word to be uttered would be well thought out. This is personal; this is difficult where the condition of lack exists because life is not an individualised activity. Where no creatures live with man, environment naturally provides the immediate partnership to man. Thus, the state (environment) becomes the facilitator in the manufacture of good citizens. It is a flaw to expect the individual to perfect his art of living independent of the degeneration surrounding him, simply because he had imbibed variables that give colour too ones act, the consequences of their seeming unimportant nature, but have served through the ages, the very acts that destroyed civilisation, peace and love. Anger is an example of a simple act responsible for almost all of human woes today.

A writer can steer, develop and actualise themes like this even in a single room apartment. If well treated as in the logical presentation of events, such works would create a more lasting effect on the reader than the anger of open confrontation with a naughty authority. It is more regenerative to tackle the problems located in their immediate environment rather than the zest in throwing direct, unguarded missiles across. It is this method of passionate appeal to the sub-conscious for which Abubakar Gimbas novels harbour that is regenerative and capable of a long lasting change of the society. Of what do you say of Ismaila Garbas short story, the blank book that has become a constant reminder to me, to always be careful no matter how small, insignificant or brilliant, beautiful or how bearable misfortune could look? This care consciousness is bound to remain and influence even actions that are not book related as contained in the story. This is what Fourth Order aims at, grassroots, self, child based approaches to societal reengineering and ordering.
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would be a counsellor, chairman of local government or even a governor who will dislodge an in-effective one. It is possible, it is regenerative, and it needs time, plan and patience. This is the Fourth Order initiative. Themes that are seemingly simple like this are the things that can activate the consciousness of members of the community.

In fact, the young writer would soon jump into reckoning with a simple monthly one-page neighbourhood bulletin on the tenets of democracy without taking sides but maintaining a posture that allows the actions of politicians and voters fall into his printed out thoughts, to find them guilty or not guilty. This type of posturing will silently counter any creeping electoral fraud, winner takes all, rigging or incumbency factor and voting attitude by the electorates. So many instances exist for the young writer today as how to express anger. For example, three groups of politicians faulting an electoral process. One refused to contest by withdrawing before voting. Another participated and disagreed with the result while the last one withdrew at election ground.

Young writers do not need to journey, pretending to be warriors, to Aso Rock Villa or any government house for that matter with venomous writings to make an impact. Draw freely from your bedroom, write there and send to the neighbourhood. Draw and write what they do or dont, you will win souls. Do not over depend on anybody. Be natural. A democratic environment should offer the security for him to participate actively. The spirit of active participation is the pragmatic philosophy of Fourth Order which explains that, apart from books, young writers must play the pages of their works out in the physical world they live.

The fact is that, all the groups knew the process was faulty before their action. Which group expressed an harmless anger? Which one is more honourable? This writer used the following write-up (bulletin) as a test material in an election and it worked in A.B.U. Zaria. Politics is excessive association without bitterness. It is belief in ideas by members of each group or cooperating groups. Politicians are office seekers, which they achieve through one medium (marketing of ideas to the electorates). From among the goods being hawked by them, the buyer (voter) selects a programme of one seller by exposing each of the wares or goods displayed by politicians or office seekers. This exposition must be through critical appraisal before seeking a choice. This is the advantage accruing to voters. This is the beauty of democracy capable of killing Tazarce (perpetuation or democratic dictatorship). However, other elements, which are facilitators to good choice, must be considered. These elements must not be based on primordial sentiments otherwise, the voter looses someday, even if his candidate won. Voters must be critical of their thought pattern towards politics. Actions of politicians must be critically analysed as it affects society at the closest look. Politicians should give consideration to other integrated parts or part players in the polity. Voters should ask questions: what advantages have others enjoyed, especially the dominant groups, in the past? Have they served well? What are the
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products of their service? Where they people oriented? Were they genuine? Do others deserve a slot too? Can others be good too, even as they come from small groups? These types of questions are important in balancing up and holding together interest of the sub-units making up the polity. And the voter is the ultimate beneficiary of these trades. If politics is a game of number, it is never used for bullying other stakeholders, for a group of small number may harbour a potent or quality material; tested, proven and practical material for leadership. This is why voters must thoroughly weigh issues or agenda carried by office seekers, comparatively with the person seeking the office before making a choice. The good of democracy or politics is that everybody or group should have a sense of belonging in the polity.

The above text may be the type of content in a bulletin within the neighbourhood by an angry watcher or writer or youth. By this, he would have expressed his anger in a harmless manner and would have fulfilled one of the basic tenets of the Fourth Order which is active participation in the process. This is when anger becomes medicinal. And art is the most potent instrument for expressing and teaching it among men, whether it is through evangelical, cultural, literary, sculpture, painting or weaving. They speak to you in the same form; evocation of beauty and internal incitement

to counter. Sure! Lifting of hand to inflict pain to cause change is folly. Perhaps, lifting of hand to deflect it is not. Weekly Trust Newspaper, 3rd 9th May, 2003.

Dramatists Dilemma

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Ismaila Garba is of ANA, Kano. He is a poet and short story writer; a developing academic. As I listened to the side talks during the last ANA Kano convention, which spoilt me a little, many of Ismailas friends had already painted him and his poetry (The Kano Shakespeare, The Deconstructionist, A Master Parodist), which Kamarudeen told him that he would in no time become a literary bastard. The subject of contention is simple; Ismailas poetry has almost nothing to do with his environment, for the settings, the imageries, the languages are pure western romanticism. Even the anthologies that published him are foreign based. My comment is thus, it is others, who complete the story of one life. As a Health Educationist, one of the attributes of

What I enjoy most at literary gatherings are not the mechanical act of discourses, which often drift into monotonous boredom, but the many side-discourses of writers who usually stay in patches sharing issues of common and uncommon interest. Writers do talk about writings of their colleagues and if you are a patient listener, you will soon know or what you are, from the subtle but hard hitting remarks.

Indeed, Nigerian activists and writers are one of the loudest on earth. By their cry, they look like world war victims and ethically sound but at certain delicate junctions when confronted with ethical realities and the invading lure of survival in higher planes where spring flows, a monstrous ambiguity called chop-ethics overtake them because of the fragility of their intentions. And shouting suddenly becomes whisper, doused in sweet embrace. This kind of ambiguity that draw us back can be found in Desmond Azuwikes Elders Also Sin in an anthology of short story, The Unique Madmen and Other Stories,

At another time, it was over a sumptuous meal, before the inaugural meeting of the proposed summit of New Nigerian Writers, coming up on June, that uncle Diego of YOUNG TRUSTERS aptly summed the principles of Nigerian politicians my thing is my thing, your thing is your thing. But Alkasims later day explanation showed that, the politicians are not alone in this game of avarice and ambiguity. Writers often cut between survival and ethics, leading to an ambiguous step.

a healthy person as outlined by the WHO is that, the individual must be able to take rational decision and stand by it. So, what is the rationality of Ismailas poetics seen by others as passive participation as against the active participation of the Fourth Order because, Nigeria herself is a land of many ambiguities.

published by Kraftgriots, Ibadan (2001). In the story, the elder of Alaire who belong to the union of Ebendu, noticed series of calamities befalling their community and insinuates that, boys and girls must have breached the age long tradition of sexuality. Intra-marriage that was permissible among the conglomerate of the five villages that formed Ebendu. Therefore, the culprits must be fished out, and punished by swearing to the gods. Chilaka, a popular boy even among the girls of the community refused, claiming it is not only the youths but the elders could be guilty as well, and should also swear by the gods. The elders vehemently called for Chilakas head. They spend ample time in trying to sort out this ambiguity. Later, the chief or chairman accepts Chilakas proposition for a general search. Let the person who feels that, this boy has told lies stand up and speak. And there was total silence. Chilaka subsequently swore and was found not guilty. The rest of the story can be found in its title.

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This is the many confusion that envelopes young writers today, especially as to what role they should play in a seriously deconstructing environment like Nigeria, where most of the older ones seemed to be confused too. They have since, stylishly recoiled into impracticable prescriptions as they sit back and watch or go there and get consumed by yet another ambiguity. Our presence in

ANA should help clear the haze. In ANA Niger, we are focused.

ANA Niger among many other acclaims from writers across Nigeria is also seen as a formidable bridge between North and South of the country. This ever present gap between the two divides in political realm has been narrowed in the Nigerian literati, especially by the regime of Abubakar Gimba who is the immediate past president of ANA. More than this however, are the activities of the young writers in the state as focused bridge builders, who in few years were able to win friends from across the literati. It was out of this that, the branch secured the office of the Assistant National Secretary. It was a collective plan to seek and test our acceptability and also begin to induce on a higher lane, the process of regeneration which had long began here with the arrest of the school child with our programmes. This is a deliberate design to remove some of the national ambiguities in us. ASCAFS is more than a fair, today. It is a Mecca of some sort. If you have not witnessed one, you may not understand.

literary plan geared toward growth. And even with our organelle, there seem not to be any regeneration. It was planned that the fierce fire down should kindle up. But, it appears the matchstick is a wet one this bounces back to the fact that only collectivism rather than individualism that built here. The absence of firemen makes the fire officer ineffective. Therefore, any wish of a solo run is a backwoods activity that would decline with two steps. When next wet forest needs a matchstick, give it a dry one. Tell the heart that humans need her she would nod. Ask her what she needs, she would whisper Sino Atrial Node (SAN) ANA needs it too. However, what prompted this piece is the question of the role of a writer in the society. As for the natural responsibilities of ANA at national level and Nigerian Literary fathers to the young ones (their immediate environment), especially in the dying years of the twentieth century, it is a settled conclusion that, they care less about what become of us, with their deliberate silence towards growth and development. Are they so impotent to compel government to its role to the arts? Do they lack the resources to initiate a collective project for writing to bloom? Or they just wont do anything? The fact that, even a branch levels they pretend and wish away our predicament call for a summit that would hold in Kaduna to discuss our common problems and needs. We cannot wait any longer! We have not waited. But, we

Also, the current national president of ANA, Professor Olu Obafemi is our genuine friend and he enjoyed tremendous support from the branch during his election as the head. However, a year after that election, my confusion as a young writer is yet to abet in many fronts within ANA national fold. We simple lack a national

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We advocate the active participation of writers in the recreation of their environment at any small unit. Therefore, the news at the Jos convention that Professor Olu Obafemi was made the Chairman of the National Board for Museums and Monuments gladdened our hearts. We cannot be admonishing the society on what to do and refuse to partake to exemplify our numerous prescriptions for healing the earth. However, the recent conventions of political parties in Nigeria further complicated my muddy pool of confusion as to the role of writers. I watched with curiosity the almost flawless stage performance that made the events artificial. Behold! Was Professor Obafemi on my screen as I stayed glued to the television watching PDP convention. For once, I missed my breath. So Prof, ANA, me are members of the PDP? Look at Prof. yawning and waiting to cast his, our or my vote! And the conclusion was that, my candidate would lose because it makes no sense not to vote the man who put you there. This is because voting

can go faster than this. Solo efforts would not take us to maximum results. We must create our own avenues for development. We must also partake constructively in the affairs of our land and join in making policies that would aid art in general. It is only in such a summit that we can articulate ideas with each state presenting a common front for a national literary renaissance. It has started up here. Thanks to ANA, Kaduna for volunteering to host it.

Forget that I almost did not recognise Prof when his unartistic cap that made him an artificial politician at the PDP convention, stared at me through the screen; when his agbada and probably an Italian shoe totally translated him into one of the culprits in his plays. My Prof was like never before, a symbol of the damagers himself. At that point, I thought he needed a special baptism in a torrential rain afterwards. This was my silent conclusion days after the convention until Abubakar Rimi, a less fancied candidate at PDP Presidential Primaries run an advertorial in the Daily Trust Newspaper on reasons why the Primary was a fraud. One of which was that, non-PDP members voted at the convention. And Prof. returned to my memory. What is actually the role of the writer as correctors, mirrors, advocates and light to the society vis--vis one of the principles of Fourth Order which encourages active participation in the process of regeneration? Profs participation in PDP Presidential Primary as a delegate (a non-member) has set rippling puzzles in me. I need clarity, he is my president.
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others would amount to voting out Obafemi, ANA or even me. But, who owns the museum PDP, Obasanjo or Nigeria? If it is Obasanjo no problem, if it is PDP more questions, if it is Nigeria, many questions.

Is he representing ANA on that board? If yes, did ANA agree on which party and which candidate to support? If

ANA as a pressure group does not have any common ground to push forward their group interest makes the whole scenario\ unfortunate, perhaps calamitous. Yes! It pains that ANA posses no voice like the NLC, ASUU, NBA, NUJ and even NANS to redirect, to order these numerous political way weirdness and push home our group and the displaced Nigerians interest. Sad! Our own is a ridiculous silence in the face of contending national issues. If we are serious, ANA should be able to serve as arbiter, mediator, insulator etc in contentious national issues, thereby boosting our image and acceptability, if not in the eyes of our governments that sees nothing (very likely), then in the eyes of Nigerian public for whom we write and beyond. And now, our inarticulate participation has made us appear arbitrarily impotent and insignificant in the present dispensation. Remember, one is not advocating active politicking but ANA should serve as a voice for the people ad living also by the ideas of clear stance and not ambiguous participation. Was Prof aware, the convention was supposed to be party men affair? It should be, irrespective of what concocted guidelines. Were the selection, election and appointment of delegates fair to all contestants? Did Profs artistic mind as a mediator among the characters in any of his plays, put it to him as he would have illustrated or pointed out in his works, who a serving minister, chairman of a federal board, an adviser, a

New Nigerian Newspaper, 19th April, 2003.

Passing this question to a poet here, he simply chuckled and said Prof was caught between chop-ethical ambiguities? He would not comment further, leaving me more confused, just as Prof himself whispered, conscripted, when I became David before the Goliath in Kano; an ambiguous response to a verse: I saw you in the mad crowd.

special assistant could have voted for where his master was a contestant? Where would other contestant would other contestants have sourced their own ambassadors, advisors etc, since they hadnt the privilege to appoint one? Did my Prof study the convention guidelines and found it fair to all? Was Prof, at anytime before the convention caught between these puzzles? Did he contemplate the consequences of his participation as an artist? I am at a crossroad as a young writer trailing behind the likes of Prof, I need clarity. Because, I am just imagining where Odia, Osundare or Gimba are tied under the same shoe as ANA president in museum; what would they have done? What should a writer do?

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Eight years, we carried gongs, drums and flutes chanting tunes of regeneration but the city has it ears inverted and twisted, emitting noise for its own delight. We are angry at it for faking deafness. How can it be so insensitive to the pen soldiers matching into its bowel to scour for the lost citizenship buried in excreta? This daftness is what makes us angry. Anger of a City Dweller

Being angry at the city appears derisive, for cities are gatherings of lifeless structures that posses no feelings such as to differentiate anger from laughter. But we see cities not just as unit-stage for human drama where tears and laughter are easily created but also as cell tissues harbouring life for mans well being. Also, cities grow, and since growth is a prominent trait of living things, cities are capable of drawing our grouse for being unaccommodating to genuine dwellers. (a genuine dweller is one that is not criminal in his thoughts and actions such as to give the city a terrible disease called citosomnia). Of course, city is city but Insomnia is sleeplessness (inability of one to sleep. It is a human disease). Thus, citosomnia is the inability of the city to

A cell is the minute functional unit of the body. Cells make tissues, tissues make organs, organs make systems, systems make humans, humans create cities, and cities make humans healthy or sick. Life in a single cell is a replica of life in the city divided mainly into two principal structures: the membrane (boundary) and the cytoplasm (the inside). The membrane apart from being a partition is solely responsible for permeability (movement of substances across it in or out); a feature of the city. The cytoplasm houses smaller tissues (organelles) interrelatedly keeping the cell in form. Cells are jealous tissues. This city is not, it is stupid and lacks the high sensitivity of a cell, it cannot copy from a natural paradigm for its ordering. This is what causes anger the more in us. Unlike the cell that promptly ejects foreign materials from it, this city has played host to uninspiring organelles leaving us susceptible to diseases; a deliberate affliction to compress and expunge us from our habitat as worn out tissues in a supposed dysfunctional contusion. We are now lined up at the cell membrane; the permeable outskirts waiting for expulsion from our

grow due to low ideas generated there-from, crime infestation and sleepy attitudinal disposition (lack of a functional productive sector to power it). This causes anger in us. More than this however, if cities are living cells to the world then how is life in a cell?

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We realised on time that campaigns, jingles and such other ad-hoc intervention measures by the mad dwellers could only serve as control switches regulating the process of evolution of a formidable society and not as sole determinants of change. We do not so much believe in them. Our conviction is in the educational/intellectual regeneration, giving birth to other necessary sectarian demands of the city. Of course, school-children that are less infected and infectious serve as the catchments regenerative cell.

dear cytoplasm. Who works, we might even be forced to bow to extinction. Unfortunately, the accomplice to this plotting is the nucleus the centre of the cell itself. Should we then continue to be angry at the city? No! We took refuge. We fused with an organelle yet infected; the cell-mandarin, which process our potentials to regenerate our dented identity as natives. It called and urged the matrix tissues (smaller organelles) who are cell wanderers to settle and transform into functional structures, drawing fluid from the cytoplasm to sustain their newness and strengthen their immunity content to elevate their status as integrate, to maintain good health status. Realising the citosomny of the city, we picked our blades like potential good surgeons to cure it.

new perspective emerging on African literary scene. It is a concern, which is placatingly optimistic to a large extent a major novelty, characteristic of regenerationism that is at present the preoccupation of writers of the Fourth Order That is why, when (the poet) boldly says: on shedding these last tears, I have embolden the veins, to tell the ghouls, haunting me in the courtyard/that I am a MAN. The introduction of foreign material into the cell tissues disorganises its stability for such materials are souls. Thus, the lysosome, which is the cells minister of defence, is called to act through engulfing or expulsion. But since, co-dwellers see us as supposed foreigners of the city, we are left to selfdefence as the poet says elsewhere in the same collection that, they are not servile worshippers/but gods unto ourselves. And therefore, urges the adherents of regeneration; the pen soldiers to hearken to this saga/before being devoured by those odorous gods littering the cell, those causing bacterial and viral infirmity to our health. The health of each cell is its ability to coordinate various activities of its organelles to maintain its constancy and by extension, the constancy of the body internal environment as sought to reflect in the dwellers well being. It is akin to a citys laughter, which is its alluring glow and serenity at nights. Its tears and pains come when sound of guns and the likes, and barking of dogs overtakes its peace at nights to keep dwellers awake.

In the preface to the book THESE LAST TEARS (poetry 1997), the reviewer pointed out the direction of the cure concerning a shift in commitment which demonstrates a

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This brings about warming up of the city and cause discomfort (i.e. fever, headache, war etc) in the dwellers as it is with the cell tissue.

However, a city at peace as regeneration seeks is alive from the vitality of its dwellers. It is not given to complaints, grumbling, dullness, frowns and suspicion, with the inhabitants increasingly getting confused about their cherished settlement. Our city is sick. There is too much dementia. It must be cured. The youths must recreate it because, it is our sub-stage; the sweet abode. If we loose it, we become wanderers, hence the justification for ASCAFS to crap the citys inscape and reduce our vulnerability to infections. The strength of the mandarins pen-soldiers to deliver is a collective resolve, to be located in many works published between 1996 until date. One of which is the SCOURGE OF EARTH-WORMS, (poetry 1996), where in the song of Great Procession reminiscence of a war mongering soldier, the poet boldly affirms our mental and physical readiness to take-on any human, like worms eating up our tomorrow. We are not scared/by the gory tales of yester-years/when avaricious emperors/unleashed havoc on the land. Such internal or external city tragedies we beg to stop. The poet then proceeds to foretell of an imminent dance where the initiates dictate the style. As believers in the principles of active participation, the tune for this great dance began in 1995, with ASCAFS. It is a revolutionary undertaking so ignored by the city.

In fact, what we have now is an army of pen pushers; excitable organelles willing to bind with us to function as a powerful generating station like the mitochondrion (cells powerhouse) to activate our creative enterprise that will bear on the society. Let the mad-dwellers go on with their citosomnia while Fourth Order chops them off from within their own souls. The children understand WORD and SPIRIT as surgical blades that dissects the citys abdomen to evacuate there-from infectious lumps of acute diseases and parasites stalling their virginity and diluting their virility. They can no longer be guilty from inactions or actions of others, not even of their fathers let alone some dullards who are pilots of accidents. As the city becomes positive vulnerable to the flooding overtake by the mandarins pen soldiers, it makes the whole experience a worthwhile target of regeneration preached by the Fourth Order which has a terminal process of a minimum of twenty years for the manifestation of its aesthetics. ASCAFERS would have been equipped with skills to bestride the cells political, social economic and educational inscape to execute ideas built in. And like the poet renders in his HOMECOMING in This Land of Ours, assumedly heralding the

This is what makes us angry. By their silence, our courage is put to test. And more, their dormancy makes the conquest easy in the end.

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triumphant victory of the process; The future is nurtured in the dirt of a bed of decompose, the city still could not straighten its ears and adjust to diffuse into the process. But whether they heed or not, our duty, as Desmond Azuwike says in DANCESTEPS of DAWN (poetry 1997) is to salvage the Shrinking Iroko Tree the Tall, Beautiful Iroko Tree, The Pride of the Forest, the nucleus of the cell that harbours the genetic materials for other cities. On the final day of victory, we shall renounce those Saidu Musa cells False Prophets who will not prophesise prosperity but doom especially when The Empire of god is threatened. As if that is not criminal enough, they still call the unfortunate, helpless, poverty stricken faithful to take up arms often against themselves. But, we now know the tricks. We shall tell them the season of sheepish, devotion is past. Our cities are not battlefields! Therefore, whether In Chains as Aminu Muhammads poem shows like ringlets of chain, our voices shall remain rays in the dark prosecuting the process to the end and eventually be crowned as Khaleel Ayubas Prince of Tides what a glorious end. No wonder, Aminu and Hassan have become worthy evangelists of ASCAFS ideals in Jigawa and Gombe States by organising it there. We will dwell mainly with gentle words and when rain falls to annual our anger like in AlKasims elegy for M. J. Vatsa, we know we live on as birds whose songs will cure the city of its citosomnia. New Nigerian Weekly,
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30th November, 2002.

The Minna Literary Revolt

All areas of Nigerias productive sectors have largely remained at their lowest ebb if not at a dysfunctional status conceptions are seriously aborted at planning and execution level of their coming to being, mostly due to dislocated social, educational and economic systems, whence, development moves on a static rather than progressive range. These publishing sector is one such example that could have easily nourished the educational, information, literary/literacy, and cultural of the society.

However, as a unit within several degenerations in the society, its genuine targets are never met. Thus, the society remains in a state of coma because it lacks intellectual excitability for which publishing industry could have stimulated by consistent and large productions of materials that would enhance thinking and broadmindedness of citizens for development. In the absence of a favourable environment for citizens to harness and showcase their creativity, and in response to the fact that humans must respond to their natural

needs, citizens who do not wish to be murdered by a docile society, identify a path for themselves and prosecute it to fulfilment. This is the case with Nigerian young writers especially in Niger State, the literary capital.

As a member of the Nigerian literati and a teacher, publishing and book related issues have at various junctions of ones life shortcut ones expectation of scholarship. This is true with many young Nigerians. But, the struggle is on to conquer this destructive tendency.

In the northern part of Nigeria where one resides, the worst scenario is unrepentantly on display there, where virtually, publishing houses are non-existent. Worst still, no any conscious effort is being made either by individuals or by group to remove this menace. And those who have managed to do something got trapped in an inactive environment leading to their untimely demise. Therefore, the upcoming writer is left to find the way out. The way out is what cynics call self-publishing in Nigeria. This we have tried to do as a way to show

First, as a writer based in the country, the journey to getting published in 1996 was traumatic, torturous and dampening for the fact that, the few existing publishing houses would not take the risk of accepting a work from an unknown writer, except he was willing to pay for the cost in cash.

what we can offer, perhaps, the society will come to accept that we could be a point for its redemption. Niger State is a victim of our onslaught for the past ten years, believing in the saying everything you see around you was once a little idea. Today, they have come to accept us for what we are, and the once sleepy environment called Niger State is now alive with the culture of writing. They have come to accept that we could be a new beginning. Some have even come to bow in adoration of our rude believe that we are up to something. They envy our elaborate literary activities and boldness. Today, we pursue writing, teaching, publishing and literary fiestas to meet the demands of the excitable large army of pen soldiers in our secondary schools. To this effect, a new literary boom of Kid Authors is engulfing our secondary schools in a competitive manner. They come inform of anthologies and individual works. Many students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, are reader, thinkers and writers who are published and are rubbing minds with leading Nigeria writers around the country. Aminu S. Muhammad, Nma Hassan, Alkasim Abdul-Kadir, Pmabi Ayuba, Shagabo D. Bala and Wole are some of the numerous examples that abound there. We all are in this movement making dreams and actualising them. Unfortunately, the University does not know that it is has these brains there. They soon shall know.
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Over the years, members of ANA Niger have not just pour out titles of poetry, short stories rhymes, children stories and novel in our own styles but also educational literary journals and newsletters have been produced to consolidate on the gains of the revolution, ASCAFS is one little example. Three new fiestas are soon to be introduced (CHILIWEES, READ and POETRY ACTS and DRUMS). We hope our dreams would soon consume the entire region. Some of the supplements for the revolution include the Biannual Anthology, the Pathfinder Educational Journal for secondary schools in the state, Holiday Companion series for primary schools, the Moonlight Rhymes and Algaita Literary Review. The reason for these stables is that, without serious readership, the revolution would collapse. Wisely, our choice of audience is the child. We are happy to have put smiles on their faces, a smile on a childs face is a purification of his soul. Purified souls are functional engines for the society. New Nigerian Newspaper, 10th April, 2004.

Word is the foundation of man; it is the foundation of the world. Nothing binds the world more than words. If love does, it makes no meaning when not expressed in words. For nothing will ever occur without words serving as meaningful conjunction between Man and God, Man and Man, Man and Animals, Man and Jinns, Mans past, present and future. Words interpret sounds represented in letters. Words are the divine sacred sound God uses in creation. The writer enjoys the privilege of being listened to anytime he utters or manipulates words. Hence, the need for him to weigh his words and moderates his voice. Because, nearly what he says might be taken for truth. This also makes it paramount for writers to their every bit of their words, secretly or openly, to confirm to their audience of their sincerity and commitment to art as a tool for change. Anything contrary is tantamount to hypocrisy. A writer expressing himself in words and in whatever language does not just advocate or mirrors but each of his lines is sacred promises, pledges, guides, teaching and values and not passing remarks. These concepts

Writers or Hypocrites

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demand honour by any user of words in creating, and in his dealings with others. After all, the writer always expects readers to imbibe the high values inherent in his works. So, what stops him from practicing it himself? This practice is a direct translation of what he has imprinted in book form and sent out for consumption. No wonder Salmon Rushdie as a growing child was taught to kiss a book that falls before replacing it back in place. This is simple reverence for the sanctity of words there-in and not idolatry. How dare you ordinary mortals implore the divine medium of God Almighty carelessly with title regard for its value? Word is life. If you have not known, then you are deaf to the supreme command BE and IT IS. Therefore, whether alone or with people, the writer must oblige to what standards he prescribes or utters. And if I may add what Abubakar Gimba admonished us a few days to his 50th anniversary (2002). Be careful about what you write, for you will be accountable to God for each of the books, verses or words you have created. This is quite true, especially of a regeneration set up like the Fourth Order, where corporate interest defines every step of an adherent of the process. Accountability in the process may not even have to wait that long since each member is an active participant carrying a potent instrument of redirecting the society or a course that is well defined and known to all.
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There is a growing hypocrisy in creativity in a degeneration society like ours. More evident, is this phenomenon among creative writers, especially my fellow young ones. This literary hypocrisy has flourished quietly amongst new crop of writers who have unfortunately turned the noble art of writing into a hawking exercise to deceive the society. However, this is what happens to a society that leaves its youths, growing in a wide vacuum: wild, wild growth like forest trees. No doubt, creative writers enjoy more popularity and acclaim more audience and impacts readily on their audiences conscience faster than any other form of creative being. Under this privilege, writers have taken one posturing or another as to the definition of their role in the society. Some say, they are advocates, mirrors, and many more of these passive stance. However, because of the deficiency of their posturing, they easily drift into unwholesome acts. Mirror in its attributes shows you less than half of what you are front view only. Back view is always left to guessing. This is a minus for the writer-mirror. Similarly, mirrors do not show you your inside. As an advocate too, the writer does no less possess the passive attribute of the mirror. Since, they would be contended doing just the shouting, complaints etc, in their works. Perhaps even if their voices do not change an ugly course, they would be satisfied sitting and

watching, relishing the empty glory of being an advocate of no impact. He may possibly even carry a large ego as in being a creative man or the most sensitive creature around or the knower of rights or even a superior being. In their hypocritical stance, most writers admit they carry none of the above but one could still feel the aura of superiority hovering round them whenever you run into some, leaving you to wonder what is special about writers. Leaving you to wonder whether writers are not just mere opportunists of a gift for which they have little input to its generation than to report inspiration. Any claim or feeling of ingenuity does not hold water for they are reporters. Perhaps, what holds water is to exemplify their works. Therefore, writers would need to add to whatever toga of responsibility to their gown, positivism to generate societal electrical charge and become active participants in the reconstruction of its smallest units. Writers must be active participants in the process they advocate or mirror otherwise they remain necessary hypocrites. If Christopher Okigbo cuddled arms, what? That act was only an internal drive drawn by the fact that, a creative person especially a writer cannot just be contented being advocates or mirrors but also be active participants of a process. However, this is not an endorsement of violence as alternative for ordering a stubborn society or for changing an ugly course but to emphasise the unalloyed commitment and belief of a genuine writer in

the substance of his investigation or quest. Okigbo was a hard option which I am sure he is not regretting wherever he might be now. The viability and appropriateness of an option is another thing all together. What is important is a spirit that binds the writer to his works, which is easily located by his audience when they see him. The option of the Fourth Order is regeneration for which adherents must be active participants for durability at realisation. Similarly, Saadu Zungur and Aminu Kano were active participants in the process. It was nothing if the hardcore elites steeped in conservation stood on their ways but they no less acted in a regenerational perspective by their active politicking. They were not hypocrites in creativity.

Today, you have a large army of hypocrites marauding as writers. They write and write well but do wrong in their real life actions. They act not what good they preach. So, they are technically writers and practically hypocrites that live to be cursed by characters in their works, having realised that their god; the privilege creator was a hypocrite.

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Why writers would need to be active participants is to exemplify their quest. Exemplary leadership has one profound advantage: Others follow without being called, they act without being told, and work is done without tears and thus, the society moves. In the immediate past

Nigeria, writing, whether creative or otherwise got to the fore of the bitter struggle against continued military rule. It was good for the society even as some of those writings appeared warped in their judgements because, some writers either could not find balance or refused to come to terms between universal values and primordial sentiments. Nevertheless, they contributed immensely to todays freedom. What remains is to compliment it by actively participating in the continued re-ordering of society to avoid drifting back to the past. Under this, regenerational approach can be employed whereby, they will take strategic hold of smaller units of the society to teach ideal values that will sustain the polity and engender prosperity on the land. For example, if the national theatre and the museum is in our hands, nothing stops the Nigerian writer from feeling that a big responsibility has been entrusted in his hand. Hence nothing should stop us from giving a brilliant account of our successes that will be the envy of all and garner more responsibilities to the writers tribe. Should I then subscribe to Odia Ofeimuns warning at the Jos convention in 2000 that, those writers who now hold responsibilities in government must not fail. Yes, because, here now is the chance to act what we advocate. What is left is a active participation and constructive engagement. Perhaps, what those writer-managers need is to mobilise their tribesmen as foremen or site engineers to the construction sites to put their claims of

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Humans wherever they are, whatever they do, have done or have not done, have a unifying goal at the break of each down. The totality of mans quest is selfsatisfaction and realisation. The commercial driver harbours the same goal as his passengers and the students, everyone carries the same goal for the day but interpreted differently through various independent or inter-dependent actions. But certainly it terminates as one common need. Then you ask; isnt associates bearing a common goal suppose enterprise to succeed? If yes, then you ask; why do humans run into conflicts if they truly posses unity of goal. And you say; units must have introduced contra-goals that cross them or send each apart. The unity of goal is LOVE FOR SELF. The cross goal is UNCONCERN FOR OTHERS. And you ask; what then resolves the impasse to ensure harmony of purpose and general satisfaction? Say: a common definite platform; the society, should prescribe new codes of activity and conduct in tune with time where good is rewarded and bad is punished. This must be a collective resolve. This is to say that, the constitution, values, beliefs, cultures, ethics, tradition etc are the ethos or codes, which are existent from time yet man, remain so afflicted.

expertise to work. Should you wonder why I insist on we, we thing, it is because, one writers quest is another writers delight. We should have strong feelings in collectivism rather than individualism.

This is why Fourth Order proffers a regenerative strategy as a medium for collective, active, participatory efforts, towards the entrenchment of order. Through the harmony of general desires and constancy of ideals such as where the other is seen before self; where love is the shares for building a formidable social empire; a functional society and human kind based on high productivity service and sacrifice. Governments intervention mechanisms as repair-machinery are sheer waste of time and resources. This is not a socialist fantasy or a capitalist sentiment. It is the harmonisation of both philosophies to produce a fresh order that is not only monetary but charitable. Here, we have what is referred to as (SOCAREG) whereby, participants in the process are active in economic concerns as can be contemplated by a hard core capitalist yet proceeds are mere seeds to be ploughed back into social systems in which all are stakeholders. Every action is pursued with vigour but with the conviction that others deserve as much as self (see my CONCEPT OF REGENERATIVE ART). This is the product of the Fresh Order; Fourth Order seeks to invite artists to champion its ideals in the smallest unit they find themselves. New Nigeria Newspaper, 9th November, 2002.

Fourth Order is not just about literary theorisation. It is more than that in many ways. It is championed by a group of young writers who believe in the appropriation of society for good life. Fourth Order is only a name mentioned by Abdullahi Ismaila as an identity for the group. In the beginning, there was this urge to create a new chapter, fist on the literary scene and by extension the society. The later was stronger than the former as we always discoursed. Minna, being a city of young writers, we thought we had enough young men and women to prosecute this idea. It is working. Today, as against the initial generational literary identity which Fourth Order was meant, the group has not become a movement of divergent thinking. Thus, ideas are cropping up. For example, contrary to Abdullahis long term hibernation as represented in his Nigerian literature and the essentials of Fourth Order whose essentials have been highlighted in my essays published in Thisday, Tribune, Post Express, Vanguard, Times Review, the illuminare (ABU) and most frequently in New Nigerian Newspaper (write stuff).
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Fourth Order: Not a One Man Business

However, I am comfortable with the name Fourth Order. Integralism is only an element of the many tools that pivot the character and direction of the movement. I believe more in REGENERATIONISM as the ideology that should pivot the recreation of society. Regeneration Art is only a medium for expressing or carrying through, the principles of regenerationism. So, the point that should not be missed in that Fourth Order has little to do with changing the face or shifting the posture of Nigerian literature but Nigeria/society itself.

discipleship on me would simply appear to readers that whatever one had said, is saying and would say is an extraction of the content of his idea. No! my thinking which has held me hostage for years. They are original, raw unedited for the world to interpret, either for or against my positions.

In Fourth Order business, I am not a disciple but an active participant in the generation of ideas that form it, and also in giving a focus in its for which Abdullahi and Kamarudeen are partners. While, Abdullahi may be heavily dependent on literature as his area of professional calling, I rely on the power of reflective thinking for the generation of ideas. I use the child to practicalise them. It must be mentioned that, some members of ANA Niger have also been builders of this Order in some other ways. I cannot be a disciple to my own ideas. More so, I have never laid mu hands on any document on the Essentials of Fourth Order until two weeks before it appeared in New Nigerian Newspaper of. I am a digger, bricklayer in the midst of people who realised that they needed shelter over their heads. If I partake in the design and build, I am an active participant and not a courier, as Abdullahis discipleship would want people to believe. To impose the garment of

The philosophical postulations in my essays as New Nigerian Newspaper would want the world to believe are not as a result of mu contact with someones ideas but pure products of a rather troubled heart about the society. My interaction with children since 1985 till date, I thought, must have largely been responsible for ones deep eyes on the society and human behaviour. Family background, my relationship with translated Quran for which my wife is my teacher has all been responsible for this thinking. Fear of death is another. Not that I fear to cease to exist but that I may pass away unnoticed. This has been well illustrated in some of my poems. Therefore, let me say categorically that, until July, 2002, no text or formal discourse has being articulated and presented to the public in respect of the Fourth Order. All we have been doing was planting a seed, nurturing it for a juicy product. I am not a disciple of Abdullahis ideas. I am a disciple of my inner-mans ideas.

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However, I do not dispute the fact that in Fourth Order, theories could emerge depending on the unit of the society under investigation. For example, my new essay

(THE REGEN IDEA) dwells on the evolution of new political leadership that will engineer a wide spread regeneration in the society, is only one of so many ideas that would unfold in the Fourth Order. This cannot be said to be someones idea but mine. So also, those being invited to share with us the objectives of Fourth Order cannot for now be tied to one idea. The group must be free to bloom. Let it be known that Fourth Order is for now in its incubation period for which enough discourse is need by whom it appeals to. Until then, ideas must flow as in its build. This spirit has made ANA Nigers growth possible.

Theorising From My Idea

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I do not think I deserve so much anger from Abdullahi because I chose not to be a disciple in what we have initiated as a group Fourth Order. Anger does not make his wrongs right. More so, I never said he did not have an idea, I did not say that his theory of the Fourth Order is not his. It is just that the theory has never been certified as the end of the Fourth Order thing. I do not agree that it is the only thing and should be the only thing in Fourth Order. My essays on Fourth Order have long appeared before his. I have been in the business of societal regeneration as a teacher before we met at ANA. How

Many things would not make me go name-calling with Abdullahi. I cannot stand the sight to ASCAFS children reading it. I must not make my children in the house see him as something outside the model he represents to them. Then concerned people including Oga have asked me to be careful. Otherwise, I was going to say whom the plagiarist is who indulges in sponsored write-ups, in defense of official falsehood but I will make do with all the juvenile writings about me in the New Nigerian Weekly. I do understand why I should be careful. I will be careful to downplay my contributions in the emergence of the Fourth Order.

Again, I disagree with the evasive posture of not wanting to discuss the things he did because, it will amount to a display of ego or lead to disintegration. Egoism is writers companion. It is illogical to detach actors from actions. Their static, passive and active motion identifies them. Under this circumstance, if decently done, it would only provide readers with the background for understanding issues. For example, I said I brought up the idea of ASCAFS early in 1995 as contained in my interview with New Nigerian of 27th January, 2001, I said so because I drew up the first edition in writing which was adopted by the group. It is on that programme that every other thing emanated in the present dispensation. Perhaps, it is only one person who can deny this. Thus, if ASCAFS (child) or its tenets which, forms the spirit of the Fourth Order I know, the essential string that tie Abdullahis theory, it can safely be concluded that, he picked the theory from my idea. If not, where had we sat down and handed the theory in writing as did with ASCAFS? When was it written? Where has it ever been discussed? Till this moment, ANA Niger has not sat to discuss Fourth Order formerly. How come Fourth Order is one mans idea? Ideologies have never emerged by constriction. They evolve through human activities in a group for which ASCAFS provided the platform for Fourth Order.
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can I then be his disciple? In any case, dont I have a right not to be his disciple, especially of our collective idea?

It is important that readers know the strong spirit of collectivism in ANA Niger. It is not as a result of one mans effort. It is simple evolutionary. For example, Baba Akote gave ASCAFS its first name (LITERARY EXPO 95), Abdullahi change it to ANNUAL SCHOOLS CARNIVAL OF ARTS in 1996. Saidu Baba added AND FESTIVAL OF SONGS in 1997. So are other members been responsible for the introduction of other categories in the programme. Gimba wanted books from across the country and beyond to be read by children, he wanted quiz on current affairs and sciences, all these have come to play. This is the spirit, which Kamarudeen referred to as psyche-connectivity. Psyche-Connectivity Abdullahi out to have discovered from our activities as a group, the strong influence and relevance of PsycheConnectivity in any human grouping, it is the ability of minds working under the same environment to engage in unpronounced relationship and make similar responses within such group of actors. This connectivity is largely not verbal but often finds a coagulation point in result of the group. Until an idea is expressed in concrete terms and in a known, meaningful manner, it remains an open property. Abdullahis supposed authorship of Fourth Order does not hold. One should not make the delusion in a group that others do not hold strong ideas as such as his. And if a member must necessarily be identified with one idea within the group as much as

In the connectivity of minds, you have what is called Pre-Conclusion-Grasp of an idea that precludes the speakers end of speech. It occurs in the listener, not necessarily, because an idea is well understood but its occurrence also signifies the original existence of it in the listener which similar sympathy is shared with the speaker. These experiences have many times dictated our activities in ANA Niger. So, why is Fourth Order one mans idea? When in the connectivity of minds seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, similar experiences under the same environment, have the tendency to begin to communicate or relate or respond to undefined targets, in similar manner or begin to process similar thought without having to meet, discuss or agree to issues of mutual benefit. Decisions are even taken without others having to agree, for the fact that wherever others are, one members mind effectively represents another. This is what strengthens friendship, this is the meaning of co-existence, this is the prominent character of any progressive group, this is the ANA Niger experience which Abdullahi claimed to be his property in his supposed authorship of Fourth Order, sentencing the rest members of the group to discipleship. But while he was hibernating as he claimed, to give birth to his

some who have established greater skills in administering, organising and as the central point for initiative, (the very thing that caused his wars), it should not be by sentencing the rest to discipleship.

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The Child Philosophy in ANA Niger In the beginning, one of the grudges we nursed and still do (including Abdullahi) is the total neglect of young writers by older ones, elites and the society in terms of publishing our books. It has been re-highlighted in the introduction to the book, Unique Madmen and Other Stories. We thought with Gimba around we could easily get published, but the novelist made himself clear that

Fourth Order as late as it was mentioned in my book after the emergence of ASCAFS was only a group name. What group? It was not totally clear. But a spirit of the desire to change, recreate the society through the child, reverberated in us. Thus ASCAFS was the thing that gave birth to any present direction in ANA Niger, including Fourth Order.

Therefore, I still maintain that until mid 2002, there was no document Nigerian Literature and the Essential of Fourth Order. All we have had were contemplations, hibernations, passing discussions, done on streets of Minna, our houses, under trees (G.G.S.S Old Airport) and most importantly, the psycho-connective bond among us which had always led to the birth of one thing or another.

essentials of Fourth Order, other members who had similar stimuli and capacity to organise thoughts were also doing something, if not even earlier in other ways as manifested in Literary Expo 95 and in my REGEN IDEA (Nigeria and the Fourth Order).

If for nothing, I have been with children (nursery, primary and secondary at Hill-Top Model School, Minna). I am still there. For ASCAFS, Abdullahi would not have been near children (schoolchildren) because he is not with them now. Akote, Saidu and Kamarudeen have been with children too. All of us except Abdullahi went through N.C.E. The child philosophy in ANA Niger is more of our property than his. Thirteen years in the same school environment is enough periods for a writer to develop concrete curiosity such as the ones discussed in my essays that dwell on man. Interestingly, some of the children who were once my little things in the primary schools are now in the same university with me (ABU Zaria) I still watch them here. You see, these are

we must go out there and work hard by sending scripts to publishing houses. We wanted to be heard. We complained (all of us) for the mans inability to introduce us to any publishing house even after Abdullahi told us in 1997 that Gimba had asked us to dust our scripts for possible publication. We still complain but we didnt sit back in complaints, we said we must arrest the school child, force him to listen to us (ASCAFS) believing that when we teach them Words through our ideas as contained in our poetry, short stories etc, the society would be forced to listen to us. It was a corporate idea and not that of one man, cleverly introduced into Nigerian Literature and the Essential of Fourth Order.

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If that was Ofili in Lagos, what about Ibrahim Sheme in Kano? Hear him about Abdullahi in the Weekly Trust of July 28, 2000. Abdullahi Ismaila is one of those, enthusiastic young men who struggle to take Nigerian

Egoism Abdullahi should see my (Filcreates Arts for Writers) in there lays the therapy for his confusion. He accused me of being egotistic. But ego does not always come through voicing. It manifests more from ones carriage and disposition. And he is more afflicted because the self does not notice it, others do. I think he simply confused assertiveness, courage, boldness and innovativeness with egoism or ego-tripping. But is Abdullahi free from egoism? Ask Chike Ofili of Lagos ANA in the Thisday Vol.5, No 1652, page 27. Abdullahi Ismaila and Chairman of the Niger State Chapter of ANA was not only also the editor (Dance Steps of Dawn, an Anthology of Poetry) but he used his position so abusively that he accorded himself 10 poems, the longest and the highest number in what is supposed to be a community property. He even went ahead to write the introduction and blundered again by his. Indeed, we had a hard time trying to control the many ego that pushed him into these acts, the climax of which is his supposed ownership of Fourth Order; a community property.

the things non-teachers call ego-tripping when you talk about them but they are simply teachers delight.

literature to great heights I agree wholly. But in his struggles, Sheme continued, He is often seen strutting about at literary events STRUTTING! You know what that means. Strut-to walk proudly and stiffly, especially with chest pushed forward and trying to look important. Abubakar Gimba and ASCAFS We have always acknowledge Abubakar Gimbas efforts to ANA Niger even as the man detest the act. In ASCAFS documentary aired on NTA Minna, many times. I stated, Gimba remains the platform on which ASCAFS stand. Again, in the book Golden Foot-Prints of a Mandarin I have this to say in my essay, in reference to Gimbas efforts in ASCAFS and school children. They are the ones we gather annually to teach them not just words but the spirit for which we share with the Mandarin (Gimba). They (children) are the ones that the Mandarin spends his hundreds of thousands of Naira on in ASCAFS (Annual Schools Carnival of Songs and Festival of Songs). They are the ones who come to be honoured as winners, who are given a few copies of books and a token amount for their efforts by the Mandarin, the dominant sponsor of the programme. This article has also been published in the Nigerian Tribune. Therefore, Abdullahi was only being mischievous when he said I did not acknowledge Gimba and others in my interview. I did not have to in an interview. Anyway, I did. Therefore, the question is, what did Abdullahi want to do with

About the quotations given from my essays (oasis of sharks), they are my words except the one Abdullahi said I plagiarised. Those one are actually his words, which we asked him to write for EPUN. I used them because I thought they where a part of the groups philosophy. Now that he is independent of the group, one would be more careful next time. However, they were not intended for plagiarism. Those creeds were formulated in 2001. As for the other references he made in my essay, as the chief image-maker of the association then, I was only repositioning the groups philosophy as contained in various ASCAFS tracts over the years. Most times, Abdullahi was not around then (he was a student in Zaria) and many things needed to be done, thus, we always spoke on his behalf. I spoke my words through his voice. Otherwise, he never said those things. And if he ever said similar things, he did so as the chairman of the association. And the only place, he could have first mentioned a similar thing was the finals of ASCAFS in 1995. But that was also a speech representing all of our ideas and aspirations. A chairmans speech is a collective speech. In fact, physically speaking, he was not the leader. He was not even the third. But, he was first when it comes to delivering speeches. Let readers know that, Fourth Order is a group effort; it does not end with one
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discipleship? Please leave the gentleman out. Just tell me how I am your disciple in the Fourth Order.

mans idea. Everybody is free to be part of it from across the world New Nigeria Newspaper, 21st December, 2002.

Writing Is an Art of Protest

Many writers have complained of lack of understanding of the Fourth Order. Although, many of these questions appeared not to have devoted enough time to reading all the texts by the proponents, study the Minna Literary Environment and the activities of writers from this area at literary scenes around the country, to be able to get the grasp of the revolution, occasional clarity is needed to further bring home the issues. The recent interview with a proponent of Fourth Order gives a fresh room for presenting the perspectives we harboured and are still harbouring as individuals and groups in one movement. In the said interview, Abdullahi Ismaila claimed to be the initiator of the Fourth Order, he also said protest writing is a colonial mentality. Thus, making this clarity necessary to avoid positions, this can be mis-constructed as a total principle of Fourth Order held by all. However, this is not to disagree totally with all the content of that interview.

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I wish to state that, there is nothing new in all that we are doing, there is nothing that is extra-ordinary. What appear to be new are probably our approaches to actualisation of our dreams as a group. The name

Regenerative Art is the immediate medium, which is a tool in the hand of the adherent of the Fourth Order. It works more with the child. However, other medium exists which is in the hand of a regenerative leader. Similarly, the individual (self) is another medium, which the repair of society can be achieved. Indeed, he is the first port of call. In each of these entities (child, leader and self) a repair of the society, organisation, family and country could be achieved through regenerative ideals. For the child, he grows with it. For the leader, he shows it for others to see and conform. For the self, it is a resolve to act well. The effect of the actions over time eventually comes up with a cumulative good for all. Thus, the counter-effect here is that, the good they
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The Fourth Order in Minna is a movement of writers who having realised their creative worth to embarked on the process of re-ordering an unpalatable condition to a more acceptable condition where actors there in move or act in full energy for common good and the realisation of a desired individual by the society. The process to this end is regeneration, which is a less violent procedure that could be appreciated by even the most ruthless agent of degeneration.

Fourth Order too is not a new thing except what it stands for to individuals or groups around the world. Indeed, Fourth Order exists in Europe and America.

This Fourth Order is not solely an academic exercise, it is not just theory, it is really as practiced by this group of young writers in Niger State. It is evolutionary, it is experimental, and it is not one mans idea. It is a continuous cumulative experience of the group. Now, to the issue of protest writing raised by Abdullahi. The saying that protest is a colonial mentality is not correct. The act of writing to me is an act of protest in itself. Agreed that in Fourth Order protest is less emphasised, because it turned out to be a pastime for young writers in Nigeria. It is destructive. But this does

For a child who is an adherent of regeneration, his is passive growth or conformity. It is in order. For the adult (leader or self), his is active regeneration because he has to give away his old self (comfort) to counter the societal degeneration whether as a leader or as an adult. While, the child moves upward in passive transport (cell) manner, in conformity, which is normal of him, the other two types move downward to counter (active) for others to see and conform (exemplary leadership or exemplary behaviour). Usually, such adults or leaders are seen as radicals, non-conformists, anti-elitism or establishment, pro-active, mad etc, terms that merely represent protest. To me it is regenerative.

indulge in becomes a protest against the general ills they dwell-in, in the unit they find themselves.

not mean complete removal of protest writing from the movement.

Counter-effects of creation are those acts that bind with others to give meaning to another action or to bring about a desirable energy or effect that moderates or give comfortable result. These activities can be called positive and negative forces of creation. For example, one of the cellular activities of a living cell is its transport system. That is movement of cellular materials in and out of it. The nature of this movement is in two forms; passive and active transport systems. The things to learn are that, in passive, you need less force to accomplish it. In each case, both systems are desirable to the health of the cell. This is how creation works; a marriage of negativity and positivity to produce stability. How can protest be removed entirely? Then it means, we are at Heavens gate ready for a passive, fluid and harmonious dwelling. We are not. Nigeria is not because there is so much dementia, even amongst writers.
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Protest is an obligatory human act, it is normal, and it is desirable for the stabilisation of human affairs and the stabilisation of creation. Protest manifest in different ways and forms. It could be complaint, grumbling, crying loud or simply put, protest is the counter effect of an action. An un-protesting being is a default. For creation could be said to be defective without counter effects.

The reason why we use regeneration as a strategy is that, we cannot afford to be perpetual complainants, inactive protestors, and toothless fighters without a purpose, without a follow up effort. We want to protest against self whence; the individual worth is showcased to counter the many encroachments of an inactive society, misrule, dictatorship, ignorance, laziness and underdevelopment. To me, art is a form of protest whether as in mirroring, advocacy or aesthetics. In each of these, there is a counter-effect in the individual when in contact with a work of art, replacing an existing condition, internally or externally; is this not a protest against old order? What Fourth Order loathes is using art as pastime in protest, invectives, blood, anger as destructive tool for propagation of sentiments that are not cooperate oriented in benefit. As actors of creation, we cannot remove the possibility of protest as a potent tool to weed out dirt in certain instances, after all, life makes meaning because of positive and negative forces acting and contracting with each other. Any writing that does not raise a problem or protests is not active. But, in Fourth Order, when problems are raise, solutions must be proffered. What is the practical activity that can remove the problems? He cannot just remain a crier. It is in recognition of the fact that, Nigerian writer of today prefer to keep shouting without suing their energy to change writer an unpalatable condition, it is for fear of plunging into chopethical

conditions that we de-emphasise protest as the dominant strategy less we have a generation of writers who are criers, imitators of the old, and no significance.

The idea for this piece was taken from Nduka Otionos description of ASCAFS during the AGM of the Association of Nigerian Authors in Lokoja in 2004, where he encouraged ANA branches to adopt it in their states. ASCAFS is Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs. It is a carnival of arts subsumed into nine categories, namely: a) On-the-spot Writings, b) Drama Presentation, c) Quiz Contest, d) Painting, e) Song, f) Cultural Display, g) Craft, h) Photography, i) Lullaby. It is the largest literary event in Nigeria organised for the Nigerian child. ASCAFS: The Beautiful Model

been modified to reflect it present outlook. The event holds in Minna, the Niger State capital in the first week of February each year at the prestigious UK Bello Arts Theatre, for your days. ASCAFS has held there for over twelve years, consecutively since 1995. The 13th edition comes up in February 2007. ASCAFS is a major contribution to the development of Association of Nigeria Authors, literature and book culture in Nigeria through its philosophy of regeneration via the child. It is the only known formidable platform for nurturing writers from school age to the national and international scene. Alkasim Abdulkadir who is a leading light among the new Nigerian writers represents the power ASCAFS hold for tomorrow. He came through it to become the most featured in all the important anthologies in Nigeria, today. He currently serves as one of the editors of ANA review and editor designate for Teen Authors in Niger State. In his class are the likes of Ayuba Sunday Pmabi, former Secretary of the state branch and Shagabo Daniel Bala, who is the current Vice Chairman of ANA Niger.

Abdullahi Ismaila led executive of the Association of Nigeria Authors, Niger State branch for which I was the Secretary started the programme in 1995, resulting from a proposal I submitted for its introduction. He had requested members of the then new Executive Council to draw up programmes that could form the bases for our operation and ASCAFS formally known as Schools Literary Expo was adopted. The original draft has since

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After a decade, while retaining the broad-based outlook of the carnival, the initiators via off to the next phase of the philosophy, which is introduction to thorough creative writing through the production of school-base anthologies and individual teen authors under a new scheme, tagged TEEN AUTHORSHIP. From last year,

Ahmed Maiwada, poet-lawyer, along with the likes of Kamar Hamza, the former chairman of the state branch and a pioneer organiser of ASCAFS offered to begin a large-scale publication of students in schools under Mazariyya Entertainment Company Limited. In three months, six titles were published for six schools. In addition to this, he has endowed a national prise for teen authors in poetry to the tune of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira, annually. Similarly, National Examinations Council (NECO) has also endowed a prise for Teen Authors in Short Story worth Five Hundred Thousand Naira at Hundred Thousand Naira annual for Nigerian Secondary School Students in Nigeria. Niger State boasts of the largest reservoir of Teen Authors and young writers in the country. And they attend ANA conventions and other national literary events in the country. While ANA Niger members serve as tireless field workers for ASCAFS, Abubakar Gimba remains the soul of the programme and the single largest sponsor of the programme. He commits a minimum of Two Hundred Thousand Naira annually to the programme. His, is not just about financing it but he sits there with the kids to award them the prises at the end of the festival. ASCAFS is an awesome carnival, whose scope is huge and therefore subsumed into nine categories namely:

a) On-The-Spot Writing (Poetry and Short Story) Here, students are asked to write without any fore knowledge of the topic. Officials discuss and choose titles in front of the participants before they write. c) Quiz Contest Here, a maximum of five books are short-listed in each of the following genres novel, play and poetry and titles sent to schools in advance of between three to four months before the grand finale in February. Students of participating schools study the books and come to the final to respond to our questions. Any writer who desires that his book be studied only needs to make copies of the title available in Minna and thus win a short-list. e) Song Here, a theme is sent to schools where one or more students compose a song, which they will rehearse in school and come to the carnival to render it. d) Painting Here, themes are sent to schools for participants to conceive ideas and come to the final to do on-the-spot painting. b) Drama Presentation Here, a theme is sent to schools where a play would be written by one or more students, practiced and come to the final to stage it.

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f) Cultural Display Here, lists of Nigerian tribes from selected states are short-listed and sent to schools to prepare for staging, any aspect of their culture at the

g) Craft Here, names of objects to construct are sent to schools to construct the items, come to the final and display them. Constructions are usually machines like Room heater, train, and boat, fan, grinding machine, elevator, streetlight and many others. h) Photography Here, themes are sent to schools for participants to capture images, frame them properly and come to the final to display them.

finals. This category, along with song is the most exciting categories in ASCAFS. Only one tribe shall be chosen by a school. A record was set by a school in 2003 when they spent over N30,000 in costume development in this category alone.

i) Lullaby This is a new category. Each year, one Nigerian tribe shall be short-listed where a lullaby would be rendered at the final. At ASCAFS, competition is only an aspect of the entire event. There is this cross-cultural fusion, limitless friendship, a feeling of oneness, a spirit of hope in the children, the excitement, honour and glory are the most
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Each of the categories above awards prises for the first three contestants and various points for each contestant on behalf of his/her school. The points are tallied at the end of the carnival to decide the overall winners.

Many writers have come and felt it, hear what some of them had to say after their encounter with the awesome event: Minna, which is fast turning to the literary capital of Nigeria usually, comes to a stand still (Layiwola Adeniji 1998 edition, Guardian), if I was told that these talents exist here, I would deny it but seeing is believing (Eddie Aderinokun 1998 edition, Guardian), This is about the best from ANA to the Nigerian child (Wale Okediran 2006), we need to take this thing (ASCAFS) to the national wallahi (Denja Abdullahi 2003 edition). This is beautiful! (Maryam Ali Ali, 2006 edition). ASCAFS: the Unique Literary Experience Association of Nigerian Authors, Niger State Branch, already advanced in her phenomenal strides, winged with the wings of an eagle, the strength and courage of a lion busting from her inexhaustible energies and will definitely give you a perfect experience when you come fully in contact with ASCAFS (E.E. Sule, 2005 edition). The most memorable submission after reading books written by children of Hill-Top Model School Minna (Ascafers), Ken Ike the Slam Master of the Abuja Literary Society declares in the THISDAY of December 18, 2005 that who ever is still worried about the next generation has not met the Hill-Toppers. The Nigeria Tribune of January 24th 2006 simply called it grand literary carnival for children.

significant elements that cover the arena for the days. Still, this does not explain it all until you come to feel it.

It is interesting to note that Denja Abdullahi, the current National Secretary of ANA is collaborating with ANA Niger to see how the national body can adopt it as a national event starting from state branches, especially the teen authorship scheme. He has since sent draft copies of the blueprint to chairmen of branches preparatory to a brainstorming session on the approach it will take.

Indeed, ASCAFS and the Teen Authorship Scheme of the Association of Nigeria Authors, Niger State presents a functional regenerative strategy for the growth of writing and ANA in Nigeria in the years ahead. ASCAFS, the first yet to be copied.

Seeking a Path for ANA

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I started attending conventions since 1994 in Benin. I have not ceased since then except the one that held in Lagos a year later. Even that one, we had packed our baggage when we heard that Ken was killed. Wisely, we stayed back so that more casualties may not be recorded. Therefore, the seven conventions I attended are enough to show me where I was and where I would be as a writer and as ANA National level. It has been a lonely runner on a track of one lane in the wilderness; an experienced young writer encounters in ANA. Yet ANA is seen as an organised group outside its fold by watchers and admirers. This situation has largely remain so because of the activities of a few state branches who remain functional outside conventions, and also, a few members who managed to win their lonesome race away

Several seasons, ANA seemed to have lost in its focus. This is not a condemnation nor is the assessment based on speculation.

from the land. In addition to this, the body has been sustained because of individual efforts by young writers who weathered the storm of neglect within and outside ANA to publish their works? The so-called vanity publishing or self-publishing, which were condemned in some quarters within ANA appeared to be the imminent sustaining factors of writing through the dark years, whether as a member of Nigeria or as a member of ANA.

Those books may soon become the basis for defining tomorrows Nigeria Literature. They cannot be ignored or deliberately neglected, even as these are twin evil causing degeneration in our society today. It is unfortunately that, what we accuse our political leaders of are what abound in ANA; inconsistencies, selfishness, corruption, ethnicity, sectionalism suspicion and even Tazarce etc. Yes, ANA is a unit in Nigeria where these unwholesome traits have grown as high as the sky, yet we always carry the toga of nobility; those salient ideas in our works are an effort to entrench a good society. Cant we keep these cankerworms outside ANA? Where we would draw up a long term plan for the association and large flock of young writers across the country? This is where the returnee old guards need to do a lot, that ANA may find her feet. They would need to play the statesmen, watching proceedings from behind. They would need to come around while the young ones showcase their ideas both as writers and as new leaders of the Association. They would need to show us how the

Many years of neglect is too much for us to bear as stallions, galloping into the crowd in the name of winning a race only to look back and see casualties. The new regenerational demand, whose actualisation began in Port-Harcourt encourages the young writers to remain bold and focused whether as an individual or a group. One cannot but admire a few of them who were vocally active before the U-Turn. We hope to see a genuine concern for their existence. Any one who thinks his thick calico gown can break the wind stands the chance of being blown out by the imminent process. He cannot afford to be wasted. For long, one has been looking for the opportunity to tell ANA the truth. And if this cannot be accepted as the truth, especially by sophists in our midst, well, it is our

art of writing should be approached in a functional way and as a career. They should meet and arrange to put in place a publishing outfit. They should take up the responsibility of organising a more befitting ANA prise. They should prevail on governments, organisations, and individuals to do something for the art of writing. They should make legislative move to pull the art of writing to the centre stage of our National life and government. In fact, writers must move in as champions of new courses for the society and upsurge of young writers (bewildered sojourner) littering the literary streets musing in misery unguarded.

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genuine feeling in Niger State. You cannot be surprised that writers could horde their feelings for long. This is our land: a land of smeared colours, a land where truth is not easily discernible from falsehood, a land where truth has labels. Once it is told, very soon, someone would tell you it is subjective and bias, it is everything that is not in his favour, it is because you are a Southerner, Easterner, Northerner, Westerner or Centerner. But now that fellows are on the executive trains of ANA truth would be better appreciated. After all, they were victims of

ANA can do better things to enhance the growth of writing in Nigeria and to make her branches happy. We need an agenda, a long-term plan, drawn from branches across the country. This way, we would be able to grow in an organised manner as an Association. In the light of the above, we suggest the following as a path for ANA; an association held high in Niger State. Firstly, state branches must be strengthened financially and be made more functional. Grassroots development strategy should be adopted. We do not think people should just wake up from their bedroom without anything handy and walk into convention hall displaying unclaimed glory, and even contemplating leadership position as a first timer. This smacks of an unorganised body even as we crown ourselves with caps of nobility. When have ANA offices become a thing to be contested for by cockroaches and crickets? This was one of the laughter one couldnt resist in Port-Harcourt.

Since the inception of ANA, ones regret has been lack of something on ground for the young writers to climb diligently towards realising himself. The association lacks plans, consciously put on ground for literary development of the young ones. What we see is individualism and reckless display of ego at convention grounds. As members of the same family, we see only once in a year as if writing is only about convention. As if that is not shameful enough, you hardly can tell what you picked when you go back home except a ridiculous bag whose quality mu little boy has contempt for. Cant we do other things outside convention? Cant we prepare a calendar of literary activities (annual) in Nigeria? Okay, lest I forget, I do know that there is the incessant controversy that has nothing to do with literature but often treaded on such trivialities as who leads ANA. A curse often traded cheaply with ethnic cards and craft.

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Therefore, a clean register of ANA should first of all emerge from state branches specifying the requirement necessary for accreditation as members. The national body draw her list mainly from state branches register, while compiling her own. This will inform a prospective member that his journey will have to begin from home base. This exercise will further strengthened credit state branches. While states should have REGISTERS, the national body should have a biennial COMPENDIUM,

which will come in volumes as years progress. It will also serve as voters register during elections. We believe the first authentic volume should come out in 2003 after state branches must have authenticated list of their members in 2002. We suggest biennial publication of anthologies of short stories and poetry. Materials should be drawn from branch anthologies only. This will introduce competition among the branches and among contributors, because only quality works shall be selected. Quarters or number of works could be allotted to each branch. However, quality should not be compromised. The association can enter into an agreement with any interested publisher who will promote the works outside Nigeria. Alternatively, state branches should contribute certain amount towards the publication of the books biennially.

It is commendable that ANA is planning a committee of editors for young writers. ANA should make sure that services offered should be accessible to all. We must consider more than two committees for this exercise. It should be evenly spread and members well remunerated. In fact, this is one vital area, the elderly ones should volunteer to serve. Its a natural responsibility they owe young ones. We do not think establishing a publishing house is too much an exercise for ANA. The statement of Ayi Kwei Armah in Port-Harcourt exposed our disorganisation

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ANA prises should be restricted to five areas; Prose, Drama, Poetry, and Anthologies of poetry and short stories. It should be open to all with befitting money tag (N300,000 each for the three genre and N200,00 for each anthologies). Other organisations who wish to institute prises can freely do so with ANA providing the technical

ANA can also arrange for the establishment of its own libraries in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja and Kano. State branches should also be encourage to do so. International donor agencies within and outside Nigeria will be happy to contribute books to them. The National body can make the contacts on their behalf. But such libraries must have house books from their localities, Nigeria before looking elsewhere. Bookshops can be established in Lagos, Minna, Kano, and Enugu to serve as a source of revenue for the association. The bookshops will serve as recognised central points where individuals and organisations can locate books written by Nigerians. This project is even more desirable in Minna for ASCAFS where books are short-listed for the programme.

where he said writers in Ghana have establishing a publishing house to help themselves. If I heard him well, he also said that Nigeria is in a better position to do that. The Obafemi/Otiono executive may wish to form a committee of elders of the association to draw up the modalities for this. You see, we have under utilised our elders.

ASCAFS (Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs) organised by ANA Niger should have a grand replica at the national level. State branches in conjunction with Ministries of Education should arrive at how they can present contestants at national finals. ANA has the power and credibility to seek sponsorship from organisations. A lot of people will be willing to take it up only if we speak to them we are friendly creatures not dreadful beings. The current atmosphere in the country provides for good partnership and understanding. This we must initiate with other dwellers. Anytime we notice irregularities, we can simply disengage. In addition to above, national literary visits should be encouraged among state branches where writers can go to schools to fraternise with students. This is a worthwhile programme that will promote unity and understanding amongst people. To take care of these numerous programmes, we suggest a national fund rising in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Enugu. Money should be raised from writers across Nigeria in order to organise the launch properly. Here again, older writers have yet a great role to play towards the realisation of this dream, which shall form the core purse

facility only. State chapters also institute local and national prizes by talking to their home governments or individuals.

for our programmes. We are ready to volunteer as errand boys for this service.

We believe ANA has influential and powerful men who can carry out these tasks to be able to carry this through. We may have to set aside our ideological differences and work for the society of writers. What is important is for this executive to initiate them. They dont have to actualise all, but if they do, good. Nigerian Tribune, 5th February, 2002.

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centred on literary growth and development in the quality of products and producers. That way, we will be able to draw the eyes of the world to the potentials that exist here. In this summit, modalities for the institution of the following will be discussed, committees set with operational manual for which progress can be assessed easily. However, the group needs identity by which it shall be known. For example, if the summit is for New Nigeria writers (which is more preferable to me) or Northern Nigeria Writers or New Nigerian Writers in the North, the question is who is organising it or what is the name of the conveners? Of course, the individual identifies of conveners is known. Certainly, it is the young writers in the north who are prominent features in the Association of Nigeria authors. Is it going to be Northern Writers Congress or Congress of Writers in the North? Or Association of New Nigeria Writers or Northern Writers Forum or Northern Nigerian what? This is important because we need a secretariat, a bus and officials to coordinator resolutions after Kaduna Summit. As a group, we must aspire for a secretariat at the centre of the region or any state that would donate one, according to our specifications. We need elected or interim officials to coordinate activities of the group. These officials may have to be writers who do not hold

On Northern Writers Summit

The summit of New Nigeria Writers coming up in Kano, 2003 is going to be a platform for fine-tuning various programmes proposed by young writers across the north. It is going to be a summit for brainstorming on what to do, when to do and how to do, all geared towards literary growth in northern region of Nigeria. At the end of the day, a long-term literary plan should to evolve, stating clearly, the specifics for actualising them.

It is necessary to warn that any emerging group must avoid over dependence on conventions or entities the range of mobility of the constituent actors. What outside an emerging group is its ability to depart from normal parts based on its outlined focus and believe in self to work towards targets set. The departure will result in the way to our ends, while the ends basically remain what obtain elsewhere in the literati, which is broadly

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sensitive positions in the National or State ANA. This is necessary to avoid melting our activities into ANAs and to also give efficiency and commitment to the goals that might be set. We need a bus as soon as possible. Officials and the bus are much needed now to prosecute plans after Kaduna Summit. I want to propose that the summit be a biennial event with the state given the right to host the next summit, producing the head of the group at a previous summit. It should be noted that, the prime objective of this essence is to strengthen our participation in ANA and Nigeria literary scene by promoting quality at home through the programmes that would be set. Secondly, it is to find a melting pot for the new northern literary boom ignited in Niger, Kano and Kaduna etc, through discourses and book production. It is also to create fresh thought with the aim of building critically minded young northerner through literary series to be introduced the totality of which would reflect positively on politics, education, economic and social lives of the new northern man. And lastly, to promote indigenous literature by building on the successes of soyayya writings in Kano. Specifically, one would want to see the introduction of an AREWA NOVELLA SERIES. The series which shall be in conjunction with INFORMAT PUBLISHERS shall be in English Language with the possibility of translating them into any Northern Nigerian Languages in later days. And

to translate the existing soyayya novellas into English. The new Novella should not be more than fifty pages. The summit shall appoint an editorial team that would yet scripts, which would be placed on a list for onward publishing by Informat. They shall be paid for editorial job. The responsibility of Informat shall be to publish according to the arranged specifications only. At early stages of the project, it shall be cash and carry but later, the arrangement shall revert to conventions of publishing. However, the first set of about four to five titles shall be launched, pulling together. The Northern State Governors, ACF, Emirs, Politicians and individuals should contribute to the revolution. This I believe should be the first project which would not only turn in good capital for more critical works, novels, poetry and drama but also the image of writers and the group would have been lifted. The success of this would determine the introduction of series in other genres and the translations that would follows. Next is a literary journal. What I think should be done here is to encourage groups within the fold to establish journals at various point in the north. Let them compete amongst themselves. This does not mean that every constituent state must establish one. But most concretely, what I favour is the strengthening of the WRITER STUFF by giving it more pages (4). A similar thing should be done to BOOKSHELF. The summit should make formal presentation to these media outfits.

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No doubt, write stuff has been responsible for the new fever in the northern literate.

I strongly believe that the Arewa Novella Series could be the door for greater things for writers in the north. It should be tried. New Nigerian Newspaper, 17th May, 2003

The summit can introduce its own Bulletin of writings and news. This is not difficult. The association of education students did its first edition recently at ABU, Zaria with less than Ten Thousand Naira, for a thousand copies of four pages.

The master story teller, late Cyprian Ekwensi is among the recipients of a Lifetime Literary Award come April, 2008 in Minna. The event will come up during the 1st NORTHERN NIGERIA WRITERS SUMMIT. At a meeting held at the residence of the Local Organising Committee Chairman of the summit, Yahaya S. Dangana, he said that, the late Ekwensi projected the culture of the Northern people in most of his writings more than most Northerners writing in English. Saying that, for that resolve by the novelist, he deserved the highest award from the region. You know that a lot of Nigerian writers have affinity with Niger State, especially, Minna. Talk about Ekwensi, Zik, Ben, Mamman Vasta and others. Gimba is also here. So, Minna is the literary capital of Nigeria. It is the only state capital with this kind of touch with writers. This is why Ekwensi is our own and he must be honoured.
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Northern Writers to Honour Cyprian Ekwensi

The summit will provide a platform for brainstorming by writers, educationists, academics and governments to fashion out a path for literacy and book development strategies that will entrench book culture in our lives, especially, children in order to boost literacy level in Northern Nigeria. It shall be a biannual event to be rotated among the nineteen branches of ANA in the North. The broad objectives of the summit include the following: To bring together writers, academic and intellectuals periodically to fashion out ways and means of enhancing literary and educational development of the North. To pursue the implementation of ideas generated at the summit.

It would be recalled that the Chief Servant of Niger State, Governor (Dr) Muazu Babangida Aliyu recently received members of ANA Niger at the Government House, Minna, where he endorsed the summit. He would be a long term plan by northern branches of ANA since Jos convention has been lying low until the current move by ANA Niger to host it.

To celebrate distinguished writers of northern origin and crave for the institutionalisation of prestigious Northern writers prize. To collaborate with, and seek the support of state governments, corporate organisations, international donor agencies, non-governmental organisations and individuals towards the realisation of the summit positions.

To resurrect reading programmes, school literary competitions, publishing and marketing of works of teen authors.

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The outcome of the summit would be presented to the chairman Northern Governors Forum, Dr. Muazu

To develop and enhance the literary quality of our public libraries through donations of books by members and advocating for regular stocking of libraries by the northern governors.

To effectively integrate non-English writing northern writers into the mainstream of Nigerian literary tradition as well as world bodies of writers.

To protect the interest of writers in the north in both peaceful and difficult circumstances.

To harness, package and disseminate northern indigenous cultural elements like proverbs, myths, legends, folktales etc in form of books, prints and electronic media.

The summit will draw seven participants from the nineteen branches of ANA in the north, chairmen and secretaries of all branches in the country, three from the universities in the north, two each from all the colleges of education and polytechnics in the north, all members of the national executive council of ANA, twenty literary journalists from national dailies and well-wishers.

Other recipients of the Lifetime Literary Award includes, Abubakar Imam, Prof. Zainab Alkali, Mamman Jiya Vasta, Labo Yari, Abubakar Gimba, Ibrahim Tahir (Talban Bauchi), Shehu Shagari, Nana Asmau Usman Fodio, Helon Habiba, Yahaya S. Dangana, Dr. Jerry Agada, Al-Bishak, Ibrahim Sheme, Prof Olu Obafemi, Mallam Awwal Ibrahim, Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, Bilkisu Funtua, Rev. Father OConnel and others.

Babangida Aliyu for onward deliberation by the Northern Governors Forum and action.

The Association of Nigerian Authors, Niger State paid a courtesy call on the Chief Servant of the state Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu on Thursday, 10th January, 2008 at the government house, Minna, where he promised among other things to publish manuscripts of ANA Niger members in 2008. This drew a loud ovation from the visiting writers. We arrived there at about 10:30am as the visit was scheduled for 11:00pm. However, the event did not take place until 3:00pm owing to many unscheduled visits by individuals and organisations, including the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Jerry Agada who is the current National Vice President of ANA.

Governor Babangida Aliyu to Publish Writers

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Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mohammed Kuta Yahaya had come to invite us to join in the proceedings of the NLC rally that was taking place at the government house after which the governor would see us. It was one of the series of unscheduled events, which led to the incessant shift in time during the visit.

After about two hours, we returned to the hall where the governor was to meet us to spend another one hour. We were not bothered, it was the action governor we wanted to see. No one sees him without a dose of life pumped into him. This we expected much. Writers, wherever they gather, are not known to remain quite, especially about jokes. So, the prescriptions rolled down by the leader of the delegation, Alhaji Yahaya S. Dangana (Ratibin Nupe), a trustee and pioneer chairman of the state branch, former National Publicity Secretary and the current Senior Special Assistant to the Governor we were visiting, the Talban Minna did not work. Danganas request for members not to crack heavy jokes at the government house did not find residence in members, it was melted down by the long wait we had in the cold room. So, light and heavy weight jokes flew around, over us. Suddenly, the door to the conference room was thrown open, the governor entered: I do not only apologise for coming late but I have also brought you a big gift and behold Dr. Jerry Agada, appeared. There was a big applause. The governor humbly stepped aside while Dr. Agada interacted with us before taking his leave. In an address, Dangana intimated the governor on the activities of the state branch since 1988 and the contributions of Nigerlites to the growth of writing and literature in Nigeria. The governor was also informed of

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However, the most shocking of his promises was his declaration that I think Niger State will be the most published state in 2008. We want to publish you; we shall publish you, including these Teen Authors. This HILLTOPARTS CENTRE, where are the children? he asked, tossing Zainab Manko, Halima and Saddiqs books in his hands. We need to track them as they go along otherwise they will vie off to something else. Then he formed another committee comprising of ANA, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Mohammed Kuta

He said he was appreciative of the Northern Nigeria Writers Summit granted Niger State, stating that it was in line with his administrations policy of drawing people of diverse background to the state to develop into one of the three economies of Nigeria. He declared in a tone of a writer that, no society develops without others coming into it to share its dreams. He promised to support the event financially and immediately formed a committee to be headed by the commissioner of finance to workout the area of support.

the NORTHERN NIGERIA WRITERS SUMMIT coming up in April 2008, in Minna. It was the main reason why the visit was requested. In his response, the governor declared that he was more attuned to interactive sessions in occasions such as the one we were holding, so he opened the floor by showing gratitude in our pressure.

No doubt, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu is the most visible governor in Nigeria today. He does not hide his quest for tourism development in the state. This he has demonstrated with commitment even before he became the governor. Talban Minna is legendary for glamorous horses and horsemen during Sallah Celebrations in Minna. His camels and elephant have become a source of education to children, which the famous columnist in the Daily Trust, Algazali attested to in his recent title. So when Dangana requested for a writers resort for ANA Niger in Minna, the governor quickly granted it. He offered to build it and he formed yet another committee comprising of the commissioner of works, finance, lands, commerce and ANA to select in his word a place with less noise and workout the design for construction. Such is the character, competence, well intended, respect for intellectualism, active in thought and physical of the new administration in Niger State. In prosperous societies of the world, only a man came to define a genuine direction for the people. In Niger State, we now have direction, owing to just a mans activism of thoughts

Yahaya and the Chief Staff to government house, Dr Peter Sarki, who was our teacher at the College of Education, Minna. We were to liaise with them for the said publishing largesse. Not less than twenty (20) titles are expected to be published by members in the Book Development Programme (Niger Book-DP) of the Talba administration in Niger State for 2008 alone.

the Talban Minna, Governor Muazu Babangida aliyu. This is a writers delight.

It would be recalled that ANA Niger was among the first callers to the government house, Minna, in 1999, where we met the then governor elect, Engineer Abdulkadir Kure in which he promised to fund our Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Song (ASCAFS) with the sum of N200,000:00. It is yet to be received. Meanwhile, the next edition of the annual programme comes up from 11th 14th February 2008 at the UK Bello Arts Centre Minna. The events start from from 9:00am daily. It is expected that the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Ibeto will declare it opened while the Governor will close it with presentation of prizes on the 14th February, 2008. Dr Jerry Agada has been informed of the gesture from the Governor of Niger State. He has since thanked him for his unmatchable commitment to book development programmes. Dr Okediran also reached out to friend, the SSG of Niger State for the support. Abubakar Gimba preferred to call at the Governor office the next day to thank him for the honour done to Nigerian writers. ANA Niger is set to be the first branch to own a writers village in the country, a dream that has eluded others for decades. Similarly, it will go down in history as the first state to convene a summit of writers in Nigeria. It will attract participants from the nineteen states of the north, chairmen and secretaries of other branches from the

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federation, universities, colleges of education, polytechnics and ministries of education. Lifetime awards would also be presented to some distinguished writers and artistes, including the late Cyprian Ekwensi, whose background of his novels were largely set in the north. He too belongs here, more so, he was born in Minna, the capital of Niger State just as Ben Okri.

Sometimes you need a wall-size mirror to see some little things Goliath looked down, when he did, something was standing there, something he couldnt ignore, see now your little self from our eyes, the Mandarin. The Mandarin and His Children

Teachers are always attracted by the presence of children wherever they are. They attract me and I love being in their midst. To some extent, I know what children want. I can also tell who is a lower of children. But my eyes back the potency to detect one who pretends to be a lover of children. However, an open secret about how to know someones children love is that, when they see him, they first smile at him, mill around him, and then they would touch him for a reason not explicable, but might be connected to love. Writers are like teachers. They have countless children across the world. Therefore, a step into the house of Gimba, the Mandarin informs you that, here is a community to love, a world for everyone to dwell. Lovers of children are humanists. Humanists are harmless and they share love unlimitedly with other living creatures. Gimba is one. By whatever eyes you see

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him, the man evokes an image of harmless bee, whose honey is a delicacy for children. To us, the man is the DG. To many others, let him be what they think he is. You may want to ask what DG means? I will dwell upon that later.

This Mandarin has three sets of children; those of his blood; those of his spirit and those of his words. Those of his blood are the ones, by the grace of God, he facilitate their being; those that merely recruit his name upon their image and proudly carry it along for whatever reason that may be connected to that privilege and may not be too important to the man himself in relation to the world outside his home. Of course, those of his spirit are people like us who will mill around him, not for anything people think he has, not even by the number of his books but because we simply share the same spirit in our feelings toward the world outside us. And lastly, those of his words are the school children wherever they are found. If you ask me who is more important to the man, I will swear, it is the last group. They are the ones we gather annually to teach them not just WORDS but SPIRIT for which we share with the Mandarin. They are the ones the Mandarin spends his hundreds of thousand of naira on in ASCAFS (Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs). They are the ones who come to be honoured as winners, who are given a few copies of

books and a token amount for their efforts by the Mandarin, the dominant sponsor and walk away with smiles and the Mandarin would smile too, smiles that are for nothing less than the fact that a childs smile is a purification of his soul. A purified soul is a functional engine for the society. Simple, this is the group that makes him happy. Those ones who will walk up to him in the morning and lovingly demand for what they have resolved to be their natural right. That is the child of blood turning to become your father and mother at a go.

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What is a good poem? This question was asked at the recently conducted workshop by the British Council, Abuja as part of the 60th Anniversary for their presence in Nigeria. Prof. Oculi, Kamar, Denja, Tsenongo, Mabel, Susana etc were there and Jackie Kay a Scottish Nigerian was the facilitator. She dwelt on her writing activities captured in the theme MEMORY. What is a Good Poem? It was good having that kind of opportunity around, especially for the modern literary boom in the northern part of Nigeria. George of the Council apologised for not being able to produce accommodation and transportation allowances. I wonder how Benue and Jos people coped. In my own case, I took a flight to Zaria where accommodation even on a bench in a lecture room would be guaranteed. Memories of a Nigerian writer in Scotland visiting her fatherland for the first time were interesting to hear as much as the question that was asked by someone who looked like a student of writing. What is a good poem?

Dr. Oculi said it can be a work in which if ready by someone, he feels why it was not him that thought of it. Denja coming from Osundare who is said likened a good poem to someone that is not a Nun or a prostitute. While Susana said that to be able to know a good poem, its intended audience must be known. Tsenongo, being a teacher of poetry was explicit in his explanation, concluding that, a good poem cannot be judged using the same parameters with another one. However, certain standards exist for a poem to pass for a poem, then a good one. That, what appears to be a bad poem here may pass for a good poem elsewhere. The debate continued until British Council tea broke it. I felt the city of artificialities after a group photograph with Jackie Kay, walking across a flower lawn, a lady-official handed over to me a T-Shirt with British Council 60th Anniversary inscription. I made for the gate where my bag was earlier seize by the security personnel (September 11) collected mine with Kamar, unto a bike to connect Kaduna to Zaria. Penni abandoned me. You can see why I must have this inversely un-Nigerian city. On board, the taxi-cab, the answers to a good poem began raining on my consciousness. I got drenched enough to know that you do not need anybody to tell you what poem is good. A good poem is the one that evokes beauty, concrete reality, naturality and elation in the reader and leaves a memorable image lingering in him

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for a long time. If there was any watcher the reader would be seen smiling without noticing it himself as the face glows.

Indeed, a good poem depends on the context it was written and theme it seeks to explore. What appear to matter are the features or medium in which the poet himself uses to create it and bring the subject-matter alive, those profound feelings surging in his mind during creation. The poet uses imageries that deceptively but aptly capture occurrences, hence, he uses affordable and accessible words or language with such craft, brevity as if he was the first user on earth, living the non-poet wondering why he could not do it or leaving another poet wishing it was his or not to have thought of it earlier. The thoughts expressed in poems are high thoughts only seen by those with eyes. The meaning is variously beautiful. The language appears higher in quality than those of mortal such that, the poet silently seems to question his own capability to create life and creation with precisions that manifestly makes human life and the things around him meaningful.

Perhaps, editing poems should seize. After all, the author has so much licence to write it. My good poem is the one I unconsciously read to my own face whence I read and re-read it many times aloud to myself. The ugly portion falls out immediately as they distort the fluidity of not just the lines but thought pattern. One common feature of my good poems is that they are almost written once and they say. It is difficult to remember when I wrote a poem once and felt okay. Tonight, I do not need to struggle to write in any traditional form. Why should I? I write out my heart experiences in a manner that is satisfactory, let those whose business it is to locate whatever they wish to locate, do so.

What results in this seclusive meditation in a dwelling in higher realms of inspirations and world. Whoever comes into contact which such pieces of poems usually in scattered form, it is his business. Such poems frown at editing by strangers. In those poems lies the beauty of poetry and creation.

It is not always that poets write to pass on message. This does not mean that there are no messages in such poems. He may just be collecting experiences, just collection of intuitive feelings which he loves to read to himself quietly when the world is not around.

Therefore, a good poem does not need any intermediary, no editor, no dictionary, and no teacher. It just needs itself, the writer and the life it puts in others. New Nigerian Newspaper, 27th December, 2003
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An Oasis of Shark

Most early pioneers of various breakthroughs in science, technology and medicine were not necessarily those who went to school and got stuffed with theories, formulae and cumbersome researches. Rather, what inspired such feats were personal curiosity and the demand to meet challenges posed by their environments. Notable among them were Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright brother and Thomas Edison who invented telephone, aircraft and electricity, respectively. This is the same with creative writing where writers like Cyprian Ekwensi, Abubakar Gimba have excelled. No wonder, the most successful men and women of the pen didnt have to be literature students or teachers before students or teachers before they could put forward brilliant ideas in their books. Creativity is not an exclusive custody of anyone or group even if narrowed to specifics. This is the sacrosanct belief of writers (mostly young) based in Niger State. The annual convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors, which held in Minna in 1991, was the seed of redemption required to make lush the seeming literary

barrenness of the state. Although, Niger State could not be referred to as literary-barren with such established writers like Mamman Jiya Vatsa, Abubakar Gimba, Abubakar Imam and Yahaya S. Dangana who emerged earlier. Their presence, which ought to have placed the state on higher literary grounds than those areas who relish such status accruing from writing today, have remained narrowed to themselves until of late. This could be attributed to the drought in literary programmes not consciously package to promote writing earlier. The 1991 convention provided the ground for a rebirth.

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Quality convention is derived more from commitment rather than availability of funds. This is perhaps what

It was a memorable convention yet to be matched in its richness. The subsequent lully convention elsewhere gave little taste of the Minna sweetness. They merely struggled to be successful. Port-Harcourt showed spackles of success. They could have achieved a lot if not for their sinister design to annex all offices in the National Executive of the association. It crashed because writers saw a dangerous trend being introduced to convention year where elections would hold. If state branches could go to schools, motor parks, to recruit literary machineries to win elections that translate to doom for ANA. We refuse to vote for them. They were not annoyed. Good.

The giant strides between 1994 till date in ANA Niger have largely resulted from the doggedness of the then executive (1994 2000) and other members who watered the 1991 seed with their sweat amidst drought to resuscitate its barely visible vestiges. Soon, the dead seeds sprout from the conscious effort made to initiate programmes with resounding acceptability and made writing flourish un-limitedly. Members of that executive included Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad (Chairman), Baba Akote (Vice Chairman), B. M. Dzukogi (Secretary), Lucky S. Oghuvwu (Assistant Secretary), Saidu B. Musa (Treasurer) and Hamma Kwajafa as the (P.R.O.). Abdullahi Ismaila and Baba Akote were pioneer members of ANA in Niger State. They had their visions but could not actualise them since they were not members of the then executive. Leadership actualises ones visions. Therefore, when opportunity presented itself as the State Branch Chairman, it was Abdullahi who

led to the comatose of literary activities in Niger State soon after the 1991 convention, until a new executive assumed office in December 1994. Ironically, that new executive was the brain-child of Yahaya S. Dangana who headed the previous one. It was a victory for him; victory of selfless interest over petty wrangling that riddled his post-convention period. It also marked the beginning of a vigorous literary campaign, whose results have been rosy even as the roads have not been rainy.

According to him, our writings should constantly be selfanalytical, self-inspecting, self-probing, self-appraising to provide the internal searchlight for which we shall be guided in the propagation of our ideas. By this, members were urged to be guided by aestheticism in their works and the subjects should have a strong advocacy of those things that tie us rather than literature of inventive that trailed the immediate past writings in Nigeria even as many a writer remain guilty of their works. Works of writers should speak less of anger, blood and insult but should highlight the potentials embedded in man (especially the child), to preserve the nobility of the art. These are the things that will stimulate the individuals creative enterprise and enable him rise above societal oddities, which weighed him down.

set the ball rolling with the focal point. He proposed that, as members of one growing movement, our writings should have a common philosophical fulcrum on which we all revolve. He came up with the idea of FUNCTIONAL REGENERATIVE ART.

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Abdullahi suggested that, since the school child shall be the catchments instrument for change writers cannot afford to teach them how to be angry with the society. Rather, they should be taught how to remove those things that cause anger in them. This will be through the process of regeneration, gradual phasing out of dirt by sterilising the mind of the child to make him functional.

The Fourth Order is a literary moment within the body of Nigerian literature. Its members, having followed the development and direction of Nigerian Literature over the past decade, have pledged themselves to the following set of creed: - To preserve and entrench the nobility of art. - To raise art above the whims and caprice of a particular class. - To entrench the utility of art as regenerative that is, being soul-searching, omniscience, rationale and preponderant in its commentary. - Affirm that art is light that spotlight and minutely expounds the object of its investigation.

On the basis of the above, Abdullahi propounded the concept of the Fourth Order as the movements tag and a mark between the immediate past Nigeria writings that were inconsistent in focus and unnecessarily initiative of the early generation of Nigerian writers. Ours should be art for art.

The implicating of this consciousness, this spirit of positivism, assertiveness and enterprise coupled with hard-work and independence, automatically produces a child, a NEW MAN in a few years time who will not be over-dependent on other or the society but who will freely explore self and the environment for survival. This will in turn untie the society from the social malice that bedevilled it.

Again, Abdullahi challenged members to draw up programmes that will be used to propagate our ideas and inculcate such in the school children. Members of ANA who were present at the inaugural weekly meeting (December 1994), promptly agreed with the new Chairman and swung into action. This is what defined our steps since our arrival. This is what had won us admiration from friends in ANA across the country and beyond. This is why we remain humble and dogged on our commitment. This is why our activities and literary products speak for us. The totality of which assures us the worthiness of our belief and actions. And today, ANA Niger has become the most functional bridge linking writers across Nigeria irrespective of their affiliations. The last convention in Port-Harcourt depicted that great role during the election of new National Executive.

Writers who share this with us should join us. It is not an exposition of young writers in Niger State alone. It is an issue for our friends in Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Benue, Kaduna, Ilorin, Rivers, Enugu, Abuja etc to contemplate.

Following Abdullahis demand, B. M. Dzukogi designed and presented to members, ANNUAL SCHOOLS CARNIVAL of ART and FESTIVAL of SONGS (ASCAFS). It was adopted. And today, it is the most ambitions, practical literary event for school children in Nigeria. Seven editions have come and gone since June 1995. The
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8th edition comes up from 5th February 2002. It holds for 4 days in February each year.

The event is subsumed into categories A, B, C, D, E, F, and G (i.e. on the spot writings of poetry and short story, drama presentation, painting, song, craft, quiz and cultural display). It is our belief that the Obafemic/Otiono led National Executive of ANA will actualise our long term dream of making it a National Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs (NASCAFS), where various state branches will present winners of their state final for a National Contest. The non-refusal of the Gimba-led executive to adopt it as a national programme is a grouse we hope would be annulled soon. Having organised ASCAFS for seven straight years and following the demands for more literary activities, a new product has been introduced. It is known a SCHOOLS POETRY ACTS AND DRUMS. This shall be solely dedicated to poetry performance on stage. The first edition comes up in July, 2002.

In 1997, the state branch published its first anthology of poetry entitled Dancestep of Dawn. The second anthology has just been released The Unique Madmen and Other Stories at the last convention in Port-Harcourt. Members have published over thirty new titles since 1995. A few of them have been entered for ANA prizes.

Alkasim Abdul-Kadir was recently published in an international anthology of cities (Drum Voice Ruvue).
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One remarkable feat achieved by our literary crusade has been the reading habit, which our programmes have carried to schools in Niger State and Abuja. Because of the popularity of the programmes, especially ASCAFS, schools have established Mini-Literature Libraries, which are solely dedicated to literature books. Examples of such schools are GGSS Old Airport Minna, GSS Minna, Hill-Top Model School, Minna and New Horizons College in Minna. GSS Minna has even gone further to produce an album of ASCAFS songs. The wife of the governor of Niger State, Zainab Kure and Abubakar Gimba launched it. It is currently in circulation.

Midnight Lamp (poetry) by B. M. Dzukogi was short listed for ANA prize in 1996. While A Price to Pay by Hasiya Mohammed came second in the 2000 ANA prose prize. Our impediment has been lack of publishers for our rich reservoir of manuscripts. A new literary journal known as EPUN has also been introduced. EPUN will be an addition to the ever-bubbling literary scene in Nigeria. It is intended to serve as a forum for generating ideas, and also a voice for young writers in Nigeria and Africa who remained silenced despite their prolificacy. The first edition is currently being packaged. EPUN shall be published twice a year; April and October.

The recent election of Abdullahi Ismaila as the new Assistant Secretary General of the National Body signified our increasing popularity amongst Nigerian writers. In no time, Niger State will fully assume the status of the Literary Capital of Nigeria as predicted by Guardian Newspaper in 1998.

Works of members have also features prominently in most new anthologies in Nigeria.

Art Centre for Budding Artists

Today, we have a new executive led by Kamarudeen Hamza one of the proponents of the Fourth Order. It is just the beginning. New Nigerian Newspaper, 5th January, 2001

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HillTopArts Centre is an outfit in Hill-Top Model School, Minna, Niger State Nigeria. It is a beautiful, cool and

The main activity of the club is Reading, which is networked to other areas such as Creative Writing/Teen Authorship Scheme, Visual Arts (Painting, Photography, Video Documentary etc), and Performance. These activities are embedded in the free, liberal but disciplined atmosphere at the HillTopArts Centre, with members bound by a simple philosophy of Training for Life as the guiding verse. The idea is to encourage critical thinking, enterprise, unlimited flow of creativity, service and togetherness as tools for growth and prosperity of society. Low thoughts and products are hardly tolerated while striving for excellence is elevated with the belief that a single soul can change the society for the better.

Hill-Top Arts Centre is an art centre, where students use various forms of artistic expressions to showcase their inherent talents, and to serve as a place for discovering the New Nigerian Child that would be moulded into a functional engine for the society.

Reading Compulsory reading is an obligation for all members of the HILLTOPARTS CLUB. Reading broadens the mind, which will in-turn sharpens the skill of members in what they do at various sections. This is why it is compulsory exercise for members.
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Activities of HillTopArts Centre 1. Reading 2. Photography 3. Fine Arts/Crafts 4. Teen Authorship (Creative Writing) 5. Performances 6. Video Documentation 7. Holiday Reading Clinic 8. Art Exhbition

inspiring centre for a young creative mind to develop his art. The centre houses a stage for performance, a developing library and computer room, newspaper reading corner, writing, fine art corners, and an office room. The centre is well ventilated and lighted to cast brilliance and glow from the alluring colours on the walls. The inscriptions and works of art on the walls that first greet you with abundant aesthetics show the glamorous nature and the glowing spirit of the minds you find there happy and healthy for work. Its type is hard to find in a Nigerian Secondary School.

Members are segregated into groups of five with books shared to them to read within the time specified. Thereafter, the books are rotated among the members until each has gone through the number of titles given to the group. It is a continuous exercise. Similarly, members of HillTopArts Centre are encouraged to read newspapers and magazines provided by the club or gotten elsewhere. Readers are also encouraged to keep a wordbank. Keeping wordbank is compulsory for all members.

Photography The photography section is the least populated amongst all the sections. Here, members are involved in covering school activities for documentation. However, art photography is the primary engagement where members are taught the Art Photography in its true sense. Individuals also keep personal collections of profound images; undertake group projects on various themes to speak to the public, parents and their peers on the good and bad of their environment. This is achieved through the Annual Photography Exhibition staged during the speech and prize-giving week. Mini exhibitions are also staged when the school has an august visitor, and intermittently shows collections to member of staff and students when enough collections might have been made. Alkasim Abdulkadir an old student of the school is the trainer. He is also the supervising editor of creative writing.

Fine Arts/Craft It is the most populated section of the club. Members undertake painting exercises every Saturday at the HillTopArts Centre under the supervision of Awalu Abdullahi Sakiwa (an ANA member). This section is further subsumed into some sections such as painting, pencil work, graphics, creative arts etc). This enables a member to learn more than one aspect of Fine Art. There are exhibitions across the year, which is usually staged along side photography. Teen Authorship and Creative Writing This is the oldest section of the club. It was incorporated into HillTopArts, which was originally meant to be a photography club only. The culture of writing has been fully established in Hill-Top Model School over the years. The school has been able to produce staff and students who are at the main stream of writing and authorship in Nigeria. A lot more students of the school have become authors in their teen and school age. Some of them are Sadiq M. Dzukogi, Halima Aliyu, Aisha Kolo, Adama Lafarma, Bilkisu Abdul-Azeez, Femi Quartey, Mohammed Awal Abdullahi, Philip Usigbe, Amina Tanko, Fidelis Jonnah, Fati Abubakar, Hassana Yakeen, Zainab Manko, Maryam Bobi, Augustin Adugbe, Suraj King, Aisha Evuti, Amina Jubrin, Aisha Manko, Blessing Gambo etc. Today, it is safe to conclude that, HILLTOPARTS TEEN AUTHORSHIP SCHEME is a model for Nigerian schools. Hill-Top is the leading school with Teen Authors in Niger State today.

Performance Poetry Performance, Read Aloud, Pick and Talk, Song, Cultural Display and Theatre are the types of activities done in this section. This is intended to put life to our words to drum into the society, the values inherent in works of art. Performances are packaged for school events and to also organise special sessions for visitors and for internal consumptions. We also collaborate with ANA to carryout activities. Video Documentary This is the newest section with the primary responsibility as those of photography. While the stories are told in still pictures in the photography, the images come in motion in the video. Apart from documentation of the schools activities, this section intended to start Video Documentary on crucial issues concerning the child either for local or national consumption by electronic media houses. Child right advocacy is one area we also intend to focus on in this section, especially in the area of education. In addition to the above, other activities to be introduced next term include playing of scrabbles and chess. HillTopArts Centre also present members to the school

Kamar Hamza is the trainer. Members are also contributors to newspapers, especially Weekly Trust and Weekly Kiddies of the New Nigerian Newspaper.

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With the full support of the principal, Mallam DanAzumi Musa, whose artistic enthusiasm led to the formation of the club last year, we are simply on the move. New Nigerian Newspaper, 27th August, 2005

Pioneer Members 1. Blessing Gambo 2. Denise B. Noel 3. Saddiq M. Dzukogi 4. Mohammed Kolos 5. Hassana Yakeen 6. Hussaina Yakeen 7. Aisha Evuti 8. Samuel Baba 9. Martins Dung 10. Awal Abdullahi

literary club for contests, on behalf of the school, we produce students ID Card in the school. The first student to win short story category in the history of ASCAFS was from GSS Minna. He was Jideofor Agudosi. Together with Ayuba Pmabi, they stood tall as future poet-philosophers. Perhaps, none of the students we have encountered in this crusade match the robust philosophical writings of Ayuba, perhaps none could be compared to Shagabos entertaining cynicism, wit and satire, both of whom were at different times winners of the Most Valuable Contestant at ASCAFS. G.SS Minna: The Gentle Emerald

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Many students of this distinguished school have also won many laurels at the ASCAFS, a feat yet be attained by any school. From the domineering paintings of Christian Uwani to the Craftsmanship of David Asorise to the array of songsters like Nathan, Kolo, Titus, Emma and Abalaka to story writers like Ilalokhoins, Lamais, the school seem unbeatable. And having succeeded in establishing a firm foundation for literary tradition, they are simply ahead. Their literary club library is the richest in the state. They are the only school to have won ASCAFS for consecutive four times; never beaten in song category since 1997, the result of which is a production of an album by the school.

They composed the famous ASCAFS anthem. Today, they double as contestants and coaches to other schools in song category. The very thing the programme seeks to achieve is brotherhood in creativity. If football (the beautiful game) has Brazil, ASCAFS (the beautiful literary model for teenagers in Nigeria as Otiono would say) also has GSS, Minna. The earlier the school realises this and remain models for others, the better for them and the society.

Refine Your Ignorance

Who has been responsible for all these? He is a man who has spent over four decades in the school doing what Richmond D Egwutuana says: Chase me Here, Chase me There Up I Go, Up I Stay. Rev. Father J.D. OConell has many names in Niger State, including the one by Richmond (White Negro). However, Gentle Emerald is the choice of Collins T. Bannu (JSS 3A), who says: I am a miner Digging through the earth For a gentle emerald Called OConnell Where can I find him? How can I live without him? Gentle Emeralds is the title of this collection. Emerald is a precious resource that beautifies; GSS Minna is one such place. With Rev. Father OConnell around the corner, step into it with your stains, come out pure, and glitter like the stars. Just get ready to run here, run there to dig through the earth.

If a spokesman were to be chosen for Physical and Health Educationists and sports by my academic standing, and under this environment, one wouldnt have come near being chosen in the midst of sound professionals here. However, as a child in training, one is in every respect bound to defend ones interest and professional calling at all times.

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The alarming display of ignorance in respect of the significance of PHE in our society even by academics and in an academic environment has become unpardonably unbearable. To them, PHE is a profession of Jumpers. Some even see it as a discipline of unintelligent people resigned to play primarily because they lack the competence or ability to do other more important courses. This gross misconception has earned us low rating and sometimes disdain, contempt and unholy trademarks. Thus, the preoccupation of this piece will try to annual your stark ignorance and liberate you of the loss from your failure to appreciate the aesthetics of sports for which you silently carry along when you cheer Nigeria to victory either consciously or unconsciously,

In order not to bore you with numerous aspects of PHE, I will like to pick you up right on an area you so cherish to ascribe to us JUMPOLOGY. This popular terminology coined to dismiss PHE profession is as rugged as your refusal to rid yourself of the ignorance stashed away in your head. The term is evidently disdainful but we usually receive it with smiles as a mark of tolerance and the sociable spirit of our being. How many professions can boast of this rare attribute? It is not important if you dont agree with the fact that no profession has so united Nigerians, nay, the world like PE and Sports. Nothing but sport hold the world spell bound, far and near in one singular moment of happiness, the spirit for which politics, medicine, mathematics, language geography, physics, etc failed to give to mankind. Love is what the world lack today. Hence, mans perpetual circle of misery. But, sports and PE gives it instantly with ease and thus promoting love and peace among men. Once PE or sport is mentioned, what readily comes to the mind of most ignorance neighbours is jumping. But we say, it is not, it is motion or movement or mechanical activity of the body. Creation is all about motion. Check out the earth and beyond, even celestial materials,

only to recoil into your self imposed ignorance again after savouring the beauty of the match. Such is the level of your close mindedness that bar you from quality appreciation of others and what they do.

transportation, machine and environment. Their principal activity is motion. Man must move, physiologically, anatomically, reproductively etc to realise else himself. In fact, all man was movement in the beginning without which nothing else would have made any meaning on earth. Even machines created by man had no choice than to move in a mechanical or electronic activation before results. Even in your recitals in places of worship, it is all motion. Check it out, what is the low thing you talk about? Yes, motion, movement or jumping is the hallmark of PE or Sport, the very essence of living. Now tell me what is inferior about this profound artistry, profound attribute of creation and profound aesthetic of being, when as an integral part of the body of knowledge, and of co-dwelling Physical Educationist choose to subscribe to this salient demand of creation in an organised manner organised jumping. Feel free to use the word but not for contempt, but for the fact that among others, PE and sport is about science of motion which is simply the appropriation of your body parts that will make you graceful, powerful, healthful, athletic, romantic, handsome, beautiful and sound to enhance your own area of chosen endeavour. More than this however, sociologist, especially the functionalists believe that society comprises of men playing out their individual roles that together power it to form a whole for the corporate well being of all dwellers. This assertion makes every part-player as

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important as the other for the development of the society. However, physical and health education enables individuals to also quality as Health Educationists. Recreation and Tourism Managers, Nutritionists, Administrators, Psychologists, Computer Analysts, Sport Scientists, First Aiders, Teachers, Coaches etc. All these and many more are daily demands in an increasing versatile world where human resources are in short supply. What then is inferior about PHE or Sport? It may sound very natural and obvious, that those who perceive PHE in low perspective should begin to refine ignorance.

No doubt, information is power. Information technology has made human activities easy. Internet which is the latest and fasted communication channel is at Hill-Top Model School, Niger State, Nigeria. It is a rare privilege. It simply means that, within a small, tiny room, Hill-Top can go to the world and can equally ask the world to come to her. This brings more challenges to the school, teachers, students, parents and government. Before The World Comes To Hill-Top

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School Authority It is interesting to note that, there is great enthusiasm on the part of the school authority to make reforms that will provide good environment for learning. Worthy of note are the renovation of various sections of the school, the internet facilities being installed and computer education programmes for students and teachers, construction of permanent site for secondary section, the fencing of the school and the administrative reforms going on. Wherever these inputs came, the will by the leadership of the school to initiate and actualised them is commendable. They must not relent, especially in the area of quality standard for which is crashing heavily at

the primary section. The causes must be identified and tackled.

The ministry of Education must support the school at all times, especially in the area of admission. Politicians and top civil servants are proving to be a menace to the school by their penchant for breaking admission rules.

Teacher You can collectively resist any unwanted encroachment by any group. Whether acknowledged or not, you are the holder of society. As tender of children, you hold the ace to the character of the nation. So, teach truth and work truthfully. The questions are: Have you done the obligatory measure of the days work? What new thing (idea or action) have you added to the school community? You will be well armed to proclaim truth when you do your job well. At that point, any reckless politician, any un-listening school leaders would have no choice than to contend with the reality.

To my young teachers in the school, you should stop sleeping. Wake up to the realisation of the challenges of being entrusted with the building of the society of tomorrow. Since your arrival, what have you contributed to the school? Or are you just a passenger?
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Parent Have you fulfilled your obligations to the child you gladly received when he/she was born. You remember when you wished fervently that you had him? And that he would grow to be the best in the world? Okay! Have you bought all the books necessary for taking him to that height? What about school fees, weekly inspection of his school work at home, visit to school to find out any developing problem about the child. What way can you assist the school. If you dont do these things, then hold yourself responsible for the wrong of your child. Dont fail in any of the above. Stop making reference to your good old days, it was simply because somebody did his duty to you. Do not be quick in blaming leaders for you are a producer of bad raw material for leadership by being uncaring to the child. What do you think of a society where each home produces good children? PTA has done great projects in recent past. Good. Now, do same to the child by giving him the facilities to learn at home. Student As a boy or girl that is full of energy and hope, what should occupy you are the following: What should I do that will be commended by the society. What should I add to the society to make it anew? Would I become a father or mother? What would I expect from my children; obedience, hard-work and prosperity or the opposite? Read now! Any student that does not READ, would not

know anything. If you dont READ WELL you will not know better than previously known. It is reading/studying well that brings new things. You know what. The general madness in the society today will soon go. And the next question would be; what quality thing do you have at hand or in your head. If you waste your chance now, it would be late when you get old. So do it now. Ask for your right to education from parents and governments. Ask!

KURE: Time to Give Account This is a season for letter-writing; it is a beautiful genre that has not been fully explored by Nigerians. Mandela and great others have at a difficult point in life chosen it has a subtle currier between two wide poles. Of the people who chose to employ it of recent are, Soyinka, Dangiwa and Ogbeh, all to Obasanjo. Abubakar Gimba just did one to the Muslim Fundamentalist in his latest book. Some little imps at the corridors of power rose quickly to condemn the act of letter-writing to a leader. Thank God, a lot more scolded such illiterate politicians who always thought criticisms of their bosses would put a stain on them, thus punctuating their food the next minute. Famous among these praise-singers is one puerile oblator called Fani Kayode. Before, people think I am over ambitiously equating myself with the above letter-writers, which I see as correspondences between Angels of which none could be shut out easily. It is one beauty of democracy that, mortals commune with Angels

Government Nigerian governments have failed to provide functional education to her children. Educational programmes have failed at all levels and the institutions are in a terrible state. I do not think they are ready to reverse the situation. Because, they just keep pretending. However, they will become serious when the NIGERIAN CHILD identifies his right to education and stands up to ask for it. This, they must do quickly because the world is going without them. Lastly, government should remember that, every privilege granted Hill-Top must be given to other schools too. It is a right! KUDOS TO HILL-TOP TEACHERS FOR KEEPING THE TRADITION AND FOR BEING TIRELESS.

My Dear Governor

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too, especially when the Angels sought votes from them to lead. Alh. Abdulkhadir Kure received that gesture in 1999 from Nigerlites. And since democracy permits the right to speak and be heard, I have chosen to write a letter too.

Your Excellency, this is between me and you, a citizen of Niger state with equal rights as you. O sorry, you have the immunity clause while I have deficiency clause, it happens in Nigeria. But, if the equalization would be too demeaning that, a teacher equates himself with his governor, then, I beg to step down to the level of between the leader and the led or father and child, sir, in each of the cases above, a heavy burden is placed on you but that is if you are one who recognizes each of the situation above as noble. Sure, you do, especially for the following reason.
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I have also chosen this title for fear of not looking stupid any longer before fellow writers. On a first choice, I would have said time to begin preparing accounts since you have a few years to go. But in order to minimize the vituperations of Fani Kayodes around you, I chose the above which limits my inquiry to your first stanza in office, the one I cast my vote for you. In the second stanza I was denied the chance to exercise the franchise. Thanks to the general inconsistencies of I.N.E.C many Nigerians students missed the chance too.

Nigerlites knew you were conscripted into vying for the office of the Governor. If any politician told you it was his tricks, wit or treachery that won you the exalted position, nod but believe him not. Before the 1999 polls, you enjoyed goodwill from the people as a gentleman and God fearing. Its true. Therefore, one is tempted to swear any day that you truly won the 1999 polls. Lucky man! Sir, I am not sure you enjoy the same goodwill again. They see you not as a gentleman again. This could be easily discerned from the fact that, the hope they had in a gentleman of God for a good return of the electoral burden of long queues, hoping for a good future for themselves and their children became squashed and aborted; they believed, only a gentleman of God could deliver the beautiful life they sought, only a gentleman of God could be selfless in service. That was 1999. This is where the account I seek as a citizen starts to stop at 2003. For the second stanza, you need not to bother yourself because how you were able to retain the seat I cannot tell. But even with that, as a citizen of the state, you owe me an explanation about the activities of the administration.

In the said discussion I had with colleagues where I looked stupid, a writer from Gombe claimed that his governor was the best in the country as at today. Another one from Bauchi disgraced claiming his was better. A Lagos writer was not sure whether his governor was the best or not but he flatly said he had no problems

with the man. Truly, I did not know what to say of you because I couldnt come up with anything concrete as to what you did. This is the very reason why you would need to come to my aid. Sir, do not send anybody to do the explanation, I want to hear it from you, my leader. I am not seeking to know how much money you have collected or earned on my behalf. Just tell me the physical development of the state and how they have measured up to what you collected from the federation and how your efforts have changed the fortunes of Nigerlites. You see, I dont like comparing a governor to another. I like comparing a governors work with what he collected. It makes much sense to me. Nevertheless, here is what those three writers said of their governors. The Lagos writer boasted that only his State governor was able to construct more beautiful roads than others but the Gombe man would not let him go further, claiming that, his governor had just spent only one and a half years in office and got a title Rambo the Developer. He said the roads constructed in Gombe in the last one year were unprecedented. He said, hospitals were turned anew like they never were the old ones, while new ones were being constructed. I agreed because I saw them on Television. I doubted if Minna General Hospital could compete with some of them. My colleagues further said that secondary schools were being given great life and that the state university was a good gift to the people.

When you arrived, you came with a confused overhaul of secondary schools. Thank God, you later retreated. But even with that, I beg to tell you that, more than 60% of secondary school leavers end up being dumped back to the society annually as roamers, black-marketers, thieves, and thugs, mobile prostitutes in a Sharia state and as time bombs. The teachers are ill-motivated because of poor environment, lack of equipment, so they pretend to teach amidst disinterest. Presently, no effective teaching and learning takes place there. The rural areas are the worst hit. The result is that youth that would have been robust sector for giving the state real power never hoped to further their education beyond secondary school.
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Housing units were being planned, students are enjoying good scholarship, he said. When the Bauchi man finally spoke, it looked like a recap of the Gombe mans story and writers simple concluded that a fierce but healthy competition was going on between the two neighbours in terms of physical and human development. Somebody even mentioned that Sokoto state government was doing better than you in terms of health, education and road sectors. This is where I looked stupid for want of what to say because; your past five years have been seen as a backward activity especially in education sector.

The state polytechnic, college of education, schools of midwifery, nursing and health technology suffer perpetual misery of lack of funds, infrastructural

In the area of health care, perhaps, the fastest way you would have assisted the people was to make hospitals across the state stuffed with drugs regularly and at a subsidized rate. You ought to have made them more habitable and the personnel made more comfortable and competent through training. The hospitals ought to have been equipped with latest machines to take care of modern diseases. Environmental cleanliness ought to have been your priority especially in urban centres but all these were left to lay without any conscious plan for it and your deputy governor is a medical Doctor and commissioner of health (mutilation).

development and dwindling morale of teachers. Sir, I am apprehensive that just like many Nigerlites that, even as deserving as the state is of a university, your genuine commitment to it is in doubt simply because your administration has never shown interest in physical and human development of the state let alone university education rather you let go series of state properties without proportionate income in return to the people. It is needless to recount them for you are the one who sold them out. As for the state university, my only sympathy is with gentleman Abubakar Gimba whose precious time and efforts would be wasted. In the end, he would be frustrated, especially, on the management of finances as P.D.P would soon converge there. Gimba will want things done right, and the right of Gimba and his kinsmen may not be your right and your kinsmen.

Roads that you constructed did not measure up to the need of the state within the time spent. Minna Township roads are being chopped off by rains, they have become narrower and nothing is being done. All parts of the state needs to be connected with good roads and not just a few kilometres leading to Bida and Lapai. This should be in addition to what local governments ought to have done. But what we have as local governments are nothing but empty pipes for financial recklessness where development is at less than 10% since your administration came to power. What did you do to correct this game of wastrels? My fear is that, states like Gombe who came yesterday may soon overtake us while we slumber in jesters of a so called Power State that is practically powerless. Your Excellency, you are aware of the docility at government offices and parastatals, especially works, agric, etc because of the refusal of your administration to empower them due largely to its slow nature and thus, had little to engage the numerous professionals at those organizations. The last time a friend wanted to summarise Nigeria in his story, he merely said once upon looters and lookers You know they love poetry so much.

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Sir, you have always claimed that Niger State is an agrarian state. Right! But this is not due to any systematic agrarian plan of governments like yours. It is purely the efforts of the peasant farmers. No nation can

continue to survive without organized peasantry in agriculture or mechanized farming. But what we get in vogue annually is for government to go buying fertilizers, tractor, etc where contracts could be inflated for the benefit of a few. There should be a systematic growth in agricultural sector for local and international consumption just like the systematic growth in your poultry farm. It is good that your poultry farm provides cheap birds and eggs for local consumption. However, leadership is not about you, it is about us. What stops your administration from opening up such type of farms and identify young graduates and professionals who will form cooperative groups that will own portions in the farm in a loan scheme where government is the chief supervisor. As the farms multiply so would the government keep aligning its policies to accommodate the boom for greater economic gains. These are the kinds of steps expected of ambitious governments not just in one sector but several others like schemes on private school initiative, artisanship, building, tourism, book development, publishing, locally based mechanized engineering village that is more modernized and massive planting of economic trees (cashew and mango) as used to be the case 30 years ago in Gbagi area. Sadly this great heritage of the Gbagis is gradually been lost to idle government both past and present. Rice farming in Nupe area is now an uncertain preoccupation. Who knows what has become of Baddegi Rice mill? Your Excellency, arent we going to devote time to real economic

Similarly, your unconcern attitude in terms of other traditional heritage of the state like book writing and development, sport (hockey, handball volleyball, basketball, and squash) is generally baffling. Who told you that fitness and sport is not part of Sharia? Who told you that preserving our cultural heritage is not good that Niger State council for arts and culture is a scattered organization today? Too many serious people abound in the state that could assist in these areas for development but you would not go to the true practitioners, rather you chose to go with boys who will sing songs that please your ears.
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Niger state practically owned no industry today. No effort seems to be put in this direction. The ones we had have been sold out. Sir, three things make a nation-state powerful today, information technology, strong economy and lastly the military powered by technology. Where do we belong? It is the duty of government to start this sectarian growths, it is the duty of a leader to initiate it even if it will last for twenty years to actualize.

development on a critical level? Arent we going to go to planet Mars too? You can only fly when you have a science based society where manufacturing flourishes. Functional schooling is the answer, sir! This brings me to the question of industries in the state.

The state library complex that could easily house a super cyber caf and an enriched computer centre for students

to access information at a cheaper rate if books cannot be found is ridiculously standing dry a few meters before government house but you wont just do things that will touch directly on them. Be informed that, anytime soon, that complex will collapse because it is presently a massive, unstable block with hundredths of cracks on its walls. Thank God, the place lacks books, let alone gets perished. My fear is for the poor men and women that work there.

Lack of functional media in the state has also largely been responsible for the lacklustre posture of your administration. The electronic media is a monopoly of politicians in P.D.P with operators there as hostages whose professional competence have been reduced to pitiable praise-songs.

speaks and be heard. Elsewhere, politicians are responsible for changing society and the world for their landmark policies. In your administration, leadership and Niger state starts and ends in government house. Your honour, what is leadership to you? If running a newspaper that will give the people voice is too much a burden, empower some citizens to establish some where you can pick a copy and know how the people feel daily. And here, I am talking about young professionals that will seek glory by doing things correctly. In the payment of salary, you have performed excellently. It comes promptly, in fact, very, very promptly. What would not come promptly is Annual Leave Grant. As at 27th December, 2004, teachers, health workers, agricultural development project, have not received their leave grants. Why you chose these essential workers for deprivation is strange. So also, In the face of increasing allocation from federal government you would need to increase the basic salary to the N6, 500 standard. Niger State Transport Authority is still very functional. You need commendation for that. It is a beautiful network and the buses are in good condition. Please, do not wait till they get old before purchasing new ones.

Newsline Newspaper which could have provided you with an angle to feel the pulse of the people about your administration, where you could have drawn from intellectuals who could have constantly reshaped your administration was killed while smaller states float paper where ideas are generated for growth. With the network of N.S.T.A in intra-and-inter state reach, Newsline could have simple been one of the best National Dailies. But yours was to listen to a few politicians only, mostly carrying weird sentiments that are not necessarily in the interest of others. Politics is not a bad thing. It is sweet, especially in places like America, Spain, Georgia, Ukraine, etc where the commonest citizen

Your honour, writing about my disappointment in you is endless. After two years of administration I expected certain things to die seeing your steps in government. However, they didnt. You need to be commended.

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Besides, the Authority should have a good reserve to be able to finance itself. Good supervision is what will make them set higher achievable goals.

Project YES is said to be an NGO. The programme is worth commending too. As a matter of fact, it is one aspect that has given your administration credibility. Truly, youths have been engaged constructively. My grouse with the first lady is that, she was not able to get the wives of the local government chairmen to establish chapters in their localities. They didnt need to start new projects but just an extension of what is going on in Minna. Before she said she tried to do that, in case you showed her this letter, tell her that it didnt work. You may also tell her that, the programme is loosing its original steam because of lack of proper monitoring. Equipment and loans are being channelled to areas other than their original goals. I am not too sure if staff of the project are that committed again. Niger State Television with obsolete equipment is good and serving some purposes but may soon join Newsline on a journey to mortality. And what purpose anyway, when its reach is only Tunga, Paida Kongila all in Minna town, and near the station. Remember, Niger state is the largest in the country. If your plan for it is in phases it is high time you started the next one. Ememwhat else did you achieve? Okay, okay, electrification. Sir, for the past three years, this has been

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Did you deliver justice to citizens of your state in all matters that you decide on their behalf, openly or secretly, corporately or privately?

Were all monies collected on behalf of Nigerlites expended judiciously for them without undue advantage for groups, tribe, religion or self?

Lastly, permit me to ask you the following questions: Just imagine that Nigerlites were at heavens gate on judgment day and God opens a chapter on the TABLET bearing MORTAL KURES ADMINISTRATION (19992007), imagine that you were asked the following questions, what would be your reply, (remember that in heaven there are no footnotes, criticisms, apportioning of blame, contemplation and things like that. It would be I did, I did I didnt do, I didnt do yes No) all in the affirmative to the record before you.

what everybody in your administration sings about. It is boring a song, please sing another song. However, it may interest you to know that one morning, I was in N.S.T.A going to Kaduna, believe it or not, I counted up to 40 poles that fell along the road. I laughed and mused to myself..electrification. Many questions abound as to the motive of the project. It would have been novel if it went along with industrialization whether agro or small scale of any type depending on the rural area enjoying it. Sir, good as the electrification project might be, it is topical at this juncture.

How much of supervision did you do to ensure that your intentions for the people got to them? Did P.D.P win in Kontagora Local Government? Did it win in Doko Local Government, all in 2003 polls?

Did all dues collected by local governments expended for the people there?

Dear fellow mortal, when these questions are posed to you at heaves gate, turned not to any of your advisers on earth, seek not any help from them, for they would be too busy finding answers to their own puzzles too. I too, my hope would be the recompense likely to be awarded me by God, for denials upon denials I suffered on earth, from regimes upon regimes, I encountered there

Niger's Wasted Years

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The Sun newspaper of knew what they wanted, thus, an executive of the paper, Dingba Igwe and another traveller of executive corridors were sent to the governor of Niger , Engineer Abdulkhadir Kure for an interview. Or could it be that, the governor had to invite the sun for a rendition of his stewardship and on other sundry issues of the state? Until now, the governor never thought it wise to give account to the people, perhaps, because he was so enamoured in the all-right of his activities for six straight years, without faltering. Nevertheless, in both ways above, it was right to speak to the people for it provides the ground to assess the government either by agreeing or disagreeing with positions, records put forward. In a democracy like ours, the spirit of the governor might not be the same as those of his lieutenants, thus, information or records they advance to him might not be straight. Governor Kure might have fallen into this trap over the years since he is not that populist in nature to be able to find out if the commissioner of education told him that, before his ascension as the governor, only 200 students were

passing W.A.E.C in it is not true. What is far from true too is the outrageous 4,000 students claimed to be passing it now. My only disappointment in the Sun newspaper (this is not a right) is their inability to send people like Nwosu, that daredevil pen pusher I like very much for his craft, style and literary exposition in journalism. There are a lot of others like him under the Sun.

Perhaps, journalists should be reminded that, it is not enough to be lured by chopethical tendencies and abandon the people who are the helpless casualties of this awkward democracy, where leaders hardly remember their promises let alone deliver such to the people, let alone conform to the dictates of the constitution. Therefore, taking softer angles of safety by newspapers to give credibility to lacklustre administrations such as that of Engineer Kure is dangerously pathetic. It is traditional for Nigerian newspapers to recount briefly how difficult it was sometimes to corner important personalities for an interview, especially hot ones, the fact that, the sun didnt mention that in Kures interview tells of how cheaply they got into government house Minna, it tells of how perhaps, they were merely invited to couple up an image laundering piece. They actually assisted the administration, who knows, even in the language of response such that they disregarded the fact that, the people on the street could have also

provided them with their sides of the stories on Niger State, democracy, education, agriculture, water supply, the so-called electrification and general service delivery, a random assessment that could have given enough material for other stories on Niger. We wait to hear from the Sun newspaper.

Again from the Sun, the seemingly arranged project was littered with photographs of projects purportedly executed by the administration. However, the Suns photo-journalist did a poor job, which the administrators might not take note of; culverts, notice board, a housing estate of eight units only and another of 20 unit said to be 250 units, age long ductile iron pipes that were intended to take water to Lapai alone, regularly sung Minna Bida road of 80km, government house project they did for their comfort were funny pictures of nonissues in a six year old democracy. Thank heavens, no discerning reader would need a prophet to know that, the Sun was merely handed those old pictures by their hosts. The only picture Nigerlites hadnt seen was that of. One big blunder was the pictures of culverts; projects that are synonymous with Zumunta Social Clubs in the north. In the south, they are called community club projects. What is in a culvert when governors in the East, Kebbi and are constructing bridges to connect communities for development? Even the title of the interview was pirated too.
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When governor Dariye said he was re-engineering the

Let us start from the roads. Roads are like veins and arteries not just connecting tissues in the body or country, they carry blood (life) to points, especially economic active areas. Governor Kures argument that he would not want to do poor roads that would wash away soon was good but not strong enough to enable him remain in-active in that sector. In fact, people will argue that knew poor roads are better than old-potholefilled ones. However, nobody elected him to do poor

Plateau in his slumber, he ended up killing peoples engines by causing massive deaths. We too are in deep slumber. This re-engineering in the present dispensation was picked from IBB, which he had said in Kuru, Jos as the hallmark of his administration. I believe he said that for the numerous grassroots programmes people witnessed in DIFFRI, NDE, MAMSER and the likes. So, how do you call this our locomotive administration as re-engineering? Re-engineering is a term used to describe total overhaul of a whole (in this case, society), which had lost life. In administration, it is an overwhelming policy programme that causes functional and massive U-turn from general inertia to a viable physical and character output of society, organizations and actors there-in for the general activation of units for accelerated development. Where is this in the six years of Kures administration? What we had and still have is arbitrary governance where actions are informed by night-dreams. Now, let us look at issues raised by the governor in the interview, one by one.

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It is open that governments in Gombe, Sokoto, and Bauchi are famous for road construction. Even Ngige is busy constructing roads, they have not only said they did, they have all shown them on television. The Nigerian Media have also given them credit. It is escapist to dismiss them where no finer deliveries have been made. IBB had gone to Bauchi to commission some projects too, is suggesting, that IBB went all the way to subscribe to poor jobs elsewhere? You see, I have always watched 2007 with trepidation because I know someone near will soon cause a big blunder. And why wont IBB go to Bauchi when they are underutilized at home due to inactivity of home government. Or is my dear governor

work in any sector in the first place. He also said commissioning them with fanfare was not his preoccupation. Yes, one does not like these senseless fanfares too but until there are good roads built by his administration no commissioning would be necessary. The governor must be told that, the people would not mind fanfare if they had any good roads to celebrate. Flat condemnation of active governments in some states will not help governor, let him mention those poor roads constructed in any state, this is democracy where all is said if done or not. At worst there are Nigerlites in those states whom he would not want to be killed on those poorly constructed roads. Until he comes up with one example he has no case. It is midyear, the N1.2 billion Minna township road he promised to do this year is what he should start.

Hear my governor on his lacklustre performance in infrastructural development of the state. For me, I want to balance it up with developing the people themselves, improving their understanding of one another. There is a mix-up here. Worldwide, developing the people refers to human resource development, where individuals, especially skilled ones are equipped the more with adequate knowledge and skill in either their professional area of calling or other sectors of functionality for efficient, quality output that will bear on the society. Which one is the governor referring to, since he has expatiated further that, improving their understanding of one another, which simply means cooperation of co-exist and work. It is obvious that the governor is referring to the later. But I ask who was fighting whom before his arrival? He ought to make clear-cut distinction between his/their political

insinuating that the federal government that reimburses states like Sokoto and Kebbi for doing federal roads are playing games? If as the engineer who did quality roads of knew these frauds of today, yes, poor roads are fraudulent; he should complain to the ICPC or alert the people of that state. I get disappointed when I see states like Cross Rivers sticking to areas they think they can strive more (tourism) while Niger State remain nondefinitive in what it wants, yet, we have the temerity to accuse governments whose people have endorsed their actions openly. Records of federal allocation to have shown that, we can do many good roads here too.

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However, every Nigerlite knows the basic knowledge that Alhaji Awal Ibrahim was voted by all and sundry in 1979. A Nupe man was widely believed to have won the 1983 election under NPP only to be mysteriously pushed aside (those who crafted the mystery have admitted), Badakoshis strong bases were in the Gwari-speaking areas. In the 1999 elections, himself won clean from all the zones. So where is the polarity he spoke about? Although in the ensuring confusion, he has also said the people hardly disagree. If the people hardly disagree, what sense does understanding themselves make let alone becomes a priority of government? An administration of the best state to live in (obviously not engendered by this government) should be foremost in infrastructural development, because of the relative peace there-in. The man should not confuse voting patterns which normally varies with general tempo of polity of ensuring republics usually informed by distinct variables that are not necessarily zonal differences nor should he confuse in-house party wrangling as representation of a general problem. This is ridiculously alarming. And who says democracy does not encourage

squabbles (PDP only) with people of zones disagreeing with themselves. When have they used sticks on themselves? Similarly, elitist fights that are few arent the fight of the majority poor? I just know that, majority of Nigerlites are unanimous in their disappointment in Kures administration. Even the polity before he came wasnt as sharply divided as he lamented.

I beg to disagree with the governor on the area of water supply in the state, which he claimed to have been solved. It is now famous that for six years, he has not been able to find solution to the perennial lack in pipe borne water in Bosso town, a settlement behind the government house. Maitumbi is another settlement in Minna that, in their life time, pipe borne water has been a reoccurring fiction. At a time, we saw a hut being built supposedly for a pumping machine to take water to Maitumbi only to be abandoned along David Mark Road. Hilltop children are the worst hit, usually staying for weeks without water until a plea that looks like a pay is made. Kpakungu, also in Minna is a dry land, unable to enjoy functional water supply from this administration. The question is, if many wards in Minna, the seat of government cannot enjoy clean water supply, how do we believe the governor that far away towns from Minna do?

disagreement?

In education sector, the story is the same, haphazard activities in the name of policy. I work in one of the schools, and the summary of the governments performance in the last six years was nothing to write home about. Taking Minna for example, where you can find the best of schools owned by the state, not less than hundred students sit in a classroom. As a matter of fact, in schools like Day Secondary School Tunga, Day Secondary School Minna, Army Day Secondary School

Minna, you have over 120 students in a classroom. Mr. Governor, in this type of classes riddled with series of technical problems due to over population, educationists will just listen to your ferry tales about increase in performance and smile. More so that everyone knows that, these schools lack chairs functional laboratory equipment and textbooks. The state library near the government house is a house of rot. On the state university, nobody trusts you on its completion. Be advised that establishment of that university should go hand with a genuine overhaul of the entire secondary and primary schools in the state, even if it means lifting the five model schools in Minna, Suleja, Bida and Kontagora to heights for easy access to cheap but quality education at zonal levels. This should be your goal this year. Next year should see a retouching of other higher secondary and primary school. Assemble Nigerlites who are educationist to do this for us.

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In the area of information, one will only reiterate that, the state owned Newsline Newspaper and other young publishers should be assisted technically for them to attain the feats of the Sun newspaper. If the big machines in News-line are put to use, these smaller, upcoming publishers will have cheaper outlet to enhance their enterprise. By this, you would have needed little from the Sun because based outfits would have taken you to them. To many, Newsline Newspapers should be very, very easy to manage with the necessary funds and commitment.

The agrarian nature of the state has not witnessed any massive programme towards economic boom. On a return journey from Jos recently, the amount of mango fruits being thrown away along the high way was baffling. It was expected that your administration would have taken advantage of federal government policies of ban on importation of certain agricultural produce, to establish juice factories and the likes in but so far it has been a mute game. On being asked why the peasant farmers along the highway throw away fruits for lack of patronage, they returned; what do we do with them? Lastly, I wish to say that, the entire interview did not contain forceful, vigorous and abundant samples of programmes enough to describe the six years of the governors administration as re-engineering. Indeed, it is not.

Your civil service is not generally motivated because you treat them with contempt. It is true that salaries are prompt since your arrival. However, it is also true that the under payment, grossly in short of the standard minimum wage is a big dent on your administration. The 200 million naira revolving loan you promised four years ago has not been implemented. Your promise of N200, 000 to ASCAFS an educational programme in the state in 1999 has not been fulfilled despite series of reminder.

Governor David Mark of Niger State This is a nostalgic epistle. Epistolary write-ups are usually long intimate pieces that are reflectively passionate in tone, cautious in counselling, soothing and extremely truthful. It is a heart-to-heart talk usually with many digressions. Sir, you will encounter such in this letter, for this matter is dear to the grandchild you left behind in Niger. Nigeria 2005 will be a year of letter both secret and open. Letter writing is now a vogue amongst writers in Niger State. We wont stop writing it until the GRAND LETTER OF DEMOCRACY is written. There shall be a letter from B to A, which will finally mark the end of the carnival of the cannibals. Ask me not the content of that letter, but from a distant voice, B will fail the BID NOMINATION. He will tell A It has been torturous years sir! A will warned, Shut up! Remember the BPE, All Africa Games, Local Governments B will say Yes sir! Do you also remember the NNPC, Annual windfalls and their surpluses?

Dear Senator David Mark.

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This grand tsunami of a letter shall bring with it nothing except pointing fingers and guns across walls, rivers, rocks and forest until then, let us write our letters. Your tenure in Niger State

Twenty years ago, you were the military Administrator of Niger State. Then, I was twenty years old. Perhaps, the governor of Niger Sate, Engr. Abdulkadir Kure was 27, 28 or less. Definitely, Abubakar Bawa Bwari, the Chief whip of the Federal House of Representative was much, much less. Today, they decide for Nigerians, especially Nigerlites. And in this brand of democracy, they need not to ask before deciding on their behalf. So, the system is embarrassingly funny. But sir, what I want to draw your attention amongst others to is that, time flies as is always said. It flew with me too to this junction of our lives.

Dear Senator David Mark. Your tenure in Niger State was memorable and always refreshing to account. You are a grandpa. Perhaps, grandparents are the only people who feel deeply and doubly for two burdens; of their children and grandchildren. And in the artistry of nature, they undoubtedly love the later more than the former. Also, in their unwavering compassion of the old, they do not only proffer solutions but share part of the pains of these two types of children. Grandpa, we need a rekindling of that love of yours in Niger State now. Have you started wondering why I call you grandpa?

In the flight of time, twenty years after you left, I did NCE, got married and became a civil servant as a teacher. In what school? The Hill-Top Model School you established in 1985. Be patient sir, I shall tell you a bit of the school in due course. I have spent sixteen years there; fifteen for civil service and the first one for V.T.S. Do you remember, the one year VOLUNTARY TEACHING SERVICE you introduced for NCE graduates that they may have something to do before employment? Papa, it no longer exists. Such is the power of time on visionless men who take our mens affairs. It is the canvas on which life is painted. Things come, things go. My son, your grandchild you never saw would be sixteen by June. You see why you are a grandpa? He is the reason why I write this letter. I would have written it since he was in primary six but my stubborn hope would not permit it. This little boy that was not as tall as his father then had asked some questions I could not provide answers to, hoping quietly that conditions that gave rise to them could abet, thus clearing his curiosity: Daddy, why are Christians and Muslims fighting? Daddy, why do you complain always? Daddy, why does Obasanjo clears his voice anytime he speaks? Daddy, why is Minna not like Abuja? Daddy? Pa, the questions were endless until recently where he doesnt ask me anymore questions. He sits there watching, listening to the lamentations of his father and friends. I am afraid, something may be going on his mind, I am afraid, the things he sees today

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may be reconstructing his mind negatively. I am afraid! So, I am making up my mind to speak to him. But before I sit him down to try to answer his age long questions, I need you to answer mine first. I need to know why you did the things you did when you were a military administrator in Niger State. Perhaps, I would be able to tell him why Minna is not like Abuja, which is the question I intend to answer first. What was your thinking when Gen. Buhari came with WAI and you said it should be TWAI (Total War Against Indiscipline), an action that made Minna the cleanest city in Nigeria those days? The orderliness that ensued was marvellous. Sir, today we are back to our old dirty ways. Could it be that, only leaders have the capacity to change their people and by extension, the society? Even the beautiful drainage systems are now filled up with filth and the leadership in the state isnt doing anything about it, as long as they have mansions built in well secured places for themselves and their children. Others living in cramped places can go to hell.

Do you remember those numerous roads you constructed in Minna, lined with street lights even in the remotest areas? No addition has been made since then. Even in this era of democracy, nobody thought it wise to reconstruct them let alone do new ones. The traffic lights and many street lights have disappeared except the ones that cut across the city centre. Your dream of a modern city, which twenty years could have built, died at

You build the progress housing court near Zarumai Model School, erected the storey buildings from Total to Mobil and gave form to those areas. The beautiful sculptures you did at roundabouts for aesthetics have either been dislodged or distorted. The parks you recreated for rest are a lost heritage. Even the square named after you at the centre of the city is now a big complex called Obasanjo. While the complex is worthwhile, why it did not carry your name was ridiculous. You who did more than Obasanjo in Niger State, now, we have to live with a terrible reminder of Obasanjo 2nd torturous era by the visible imposition of his name at Minna city centre. Pa, do you remember the industrial layouts you created with well layout roads in Bosso, Maitumbi and Shiroro areas? What was your plan sir, to gradually industrialise the state? They would have been sold with ridiculous prices that would take us years to forgive. Presently, no industry is in any of those places. However, some funny ones sprang up there, where people manufacture snoring at night, sit and complain at evening and pay casual visits

your departure. Now I am left with answering questions from your grandchild because, five years of democracy could not reproduce your type, a potent dreamer with aggressive pursuit of dreams to recreate the city as you wished and strove to actualise. They know not the wisdom of having a commercial capital where growth will generate to other parts of the state.

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to their workplace at daytime, so that, work done in one year would ordinarily take only three months to accomplish. I remember when you said Nigerlites must report to work by 7:30am prompt but by 7:00am, they had reported. Now that civil service isnt the machinery of government anymore, who could possibly be doing the work? Or should I conclude that, idle government has produced idle civil service and workers? Sir, do you remember the Niger State poultry farm in Bosso? Pa, you pumped money in there and there were so many birds and eggs to eat. Remember how was beautifully you renovated the place and made the workers functional? You gave them profit-tar-get and they surpassed it annually. Today, that farm you activated for us had relocated elsewhere. It is no longer ours. Down there in Bosso, it is a total struggle to reach the next day. Is it true that, genuine leaders ultimate philosophy is God, others and I? was this what you applied in your administration that you first made good intentions, worked for the people before the glories that came to you? Sir, is it difficult to serve the people diligently? Would you advice anybody who cannot make selfless service to vacate his position? If he doesnt are the people free to flush him out?

Volleyball arena opposite the emirs palace, Hockey pitches, squash and Tennis Courts, Niger State swiftly popped up as a high ranking state in sport. Even Boxing and Badminton put us as a force to reckon with, through your efforts. Coaches gained profundity and through young boys and girls aspired to attain heights Niger State teams attained. Today, what we see of those glorious years are just the vestiges of such facilities with little or no sporting activities. Pa, you were the first to recreate the Minna General Hospital after years of colonial outlook. You made smooth pathways for conveyance of casualties in it, and tamed the roads for easy accessibility; you brought new facilities, built new blocks, theatre and decent fence round it. Today, because of the wretchedness and emptiness of it, you now have to choose between going to a private hospital and get slaughtered or stay at home and die. These are the only credible alternatives left for patients, while those whose responsibility it is to provide modern hospital enjoy numerous alternatives for treatment some of which include a quick flight to Germany, Saudi and elsewhere. Then, you begin to wonder if Germans and Saudis had not put up efficient hospitals, where would they have run to? Pa, you established Intercity Bank as the official Bank for Nigerlites. You made systematic policies that guided its operations, and which formed a strong base for corporate economic activities to pick up in the state. It

Simultaneously with the productive civil service, you sought vigorously to engage the youth effectively in sport. With systematic creation and recreation of sports facilities that saw standard Handball, Basketball and

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may no longer be ours because of the states inability to sustain it, however, the bank is home based and its here with us patronised by Nigerians. Anytime, its story is being written and told, your good name must begin with it. I wonder what would be recounted in this crop of leaders for their mundane ways.

.Similarly, Newsline Newspaper was established by you; very enriching, enlightening and educating. It was gradually, creating an active society due largely to ideas contributed by people. Sir, I debuted as a writer in Newsline, an opportunity your grandchild missed. A lot more Nigerlites did, and today, the state houses such robust young Nigerian writers who are active on the national scene. As a strict military officer, you tolerated the divergent views on Newsline. But, it is not so now. The Newspaper is dead, and there is so much quiet and docility.

Sir, you did a lot more; Niger State Transport Authority, bringing Okada Air to the State, sustenance of Mona Juice factory, establishing the prestigious Hill-Top Model School and the School for the Handicapped. While the School for the Handicapped wallow in wilderness, HillTop School, which still enjoys patronage from Commissioners, Perm. Secs. who had no choice than to bring their wards there, is at best epileptic in output . Sir, I wish to stop here that I may have the time to write to the three other senators, which I appeal to you to help deliver to them. You may wish to confirm about the
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It can be exhumed from a glance, the despair of Nigerians about their country. The re-occurring hopelessness that trailed us ghostly from the bridal allurement, national independence offered in 1960 has since culminated into a huge embarrassment. Their lofty dreams of a prosperous society have ended up as fracture. Happiness has become elusive even at reality. The triple Start-point for Nigerlites

Dear three senators sorry, if I had to continue this letter, it would be fictitious, for there is virtually nothing to write about, especially, if one has to implore the last approach of giving account. There tenure has been a fiction! Presently, the three Nigers slot is vacant. But to fulfill my promise, I have chosen to tell the parable of SIN-ACTORS, A story of a community of the old whose experiences were similar to ours.

retrogressive developments in their state. O sorry, please dont. They have nothing to say. Just take a walk to the Federal House of Representatives, ask of one Abubakar Bawa Bwari (The Chief Whip), he has time on his hand, he has energy to work for the people, and the chance to galvanise the youths of the state towards developing their society. But if he chooses to indulge in influence and affluence in far away land leaving behind the homefront, advice him that men of his age in Europe and Americas dont behave that way, for the position he occupies and the privileges he enjoys are used for tomorrow by wise men. Here is the letter.

ail that ensured that the country remained aground are ethnicity, religious intolerance and the absence of a national leader whose selflessness is total: a national volunteer who will lead others out of the mire of contrived decadence posted on our path to prosperity. Thus, the result is a country of convicted spirits, total fraud, inconsistencies, general madness, greed and deception. Niger State is enmeshed in these concoctions too.

is a massive launch of mobilization of this category of Nigerlites.

There is the need to begin to retract Niger States sleepy posture. Not by force but through gradual replacement of dirt of woes by consciously growing in their places what is agreed to be good by all in the regenerating group that would sprout across it. Ordinarily, the start point for any safe regeneration should be schools, spread over time where children and youth will become directed and functional. But the prevailing circumstance, where the states resources is totally in the hand of idle regime, no redemption could be hoped for in the nearest future. Perhaps, this is the very reason why there is so much quiet by the people in the face of inactivity. But, sitting and mourning over this unfortunate period is not the way. It is standing up and removing stumbling blocks to prosperity. This is the sole responsibility of young graduates, professionals and entrepreneurs within and outside the state. In fact, this movement can be launched from outside. However, there is no reason for that. It should start from Minna. And the start-point

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The first phase is to establish a print medium, where regimes would be monitored in terms of infrastructural development of the whole state, viability of policies, publish such policies for the people to read and assess, publish feedbacks, in which regimes could draw from secretly or openly, that the state may witness a fairly balanced and active movement towards accelerated growth. But more than anything, the medium should focus on the development of people oriented political culture that is not passive and sudden look type. This is necessary because the beginning of development and growth would start from the election of a leader that comes from the people. Like the Bida Local Government episode of 2003 polls, the people must insist that, their choice is the ultimate. We must learn to insist like in Ukraine that wrongs must be put aright no matter how long it takes. It is the only way to forestall reoccurrence of leadership recklessness and arrogance.

The major responsibility of this group is to give Nigerlites a voice through lectures at localities designed for political consciousness, the powers the people have in a democracy to put and uproot elected leaders, peaceful protest against unpopular policies and injustices, and the right to disagree and to privileges as an integral part of the whole called Niger State. This shall be the second phase of the mobilization.

It is not the entire present crop of politicians and leadership that do not mean well for the society. Perhaps, their coldness arouse from the fact that the ordinary people of the state who bear the brunt of maladministration do not render support to such in term of contest between good and bad or the struggle for the actualization of rights. People must be prepared to suffer to gain freedom. Those you think are powerful are actually not. And the reason is simple. A king is a king because the subjects accept that he is a king. On his own, he is nothing and powerless. The moment the subjects gather at his palace and say leave, we have had enough of your bad ruler ship, he goes. His throne is first of all dignified and powerful by the simple accord and willing subscription to the tenets of the kingdom. The moment seize paying allegiance to it, it becomes miserable. How can these be brought to bear on our present day democracy for which this philosophy holds high. This is what this group or newspaper will teach the people. This peoples little paper, apart from carrying many other news items especially fro local government councils, will analyses the recent Bida democratic answer to ruthless leaders, and indeed other good and relevant experience to be able to change peoples live. Not many citizens recognizes that they could at ward and community level help to institute a good leader, and also support him against all odds, which they can only do when they have a voice either at community, local or

state levels. It is when this consciousness is implanted in the heart of the people that genuine politicians could have the space to develop the society.

Truly speaking, it is difficult to say that, Niger State has witnessed any concrete development in the last five years of democracy. More pathetic is the state of education. This is simply attributable to the general lack of focus in the administration in the state. I believe that this passivity prevails for three main reasons: leaders, leadership, and the people of the state.

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For the current leaders, it is their total lack of commitment to national ideals (if any exist at all), selfishness and their evident inability to sacrifice wholly for good name has become a predicament. Many of them hardly know let alone come to terms with the noble characteristics of a good leader. They do not know what burden it is to take the affairs of a community on their head. And more tragic is the fact that they dont read about great leaders to get inspired on how their great thought changed the lives of their people and societies. What these ones spend day and night doing is best known to God. And lastly they hardly recognize the difference between their person and the office they occupy: they hardly can resist the allure of such positions such that God becomes their primary focus then, the people before themselves. This is their major dilemma especially when it comes to resource distribution.

In term of leadership, which is about the general administration across levels in the state, they lack any known developmental plan either to the members of the group or the people of the state. So, what you have is an arbitrary administration prosecuting impulsive actions not necessarily thought out by the governor but some people who didnt allow education to settle in them before they checked out: cockroaches and crickets that have grown canines and now pretend to be the masters of the jungle. Thus what obtains now is a vacuous leadership hawking selective sentiment with good sense of general cannibalism. However, Nigerlites didnt help matters. They dont ask questions openly as if they have no stakes in this business. Let me say here that, whether you as an individual do something or not, the situation will obviously change, for degeneration has limits. It is the law of nature. Therefore, when men refuse to use their God given, senses to manage and halt it, it will get to a boiling point where the consequences would be catastrophic. That day, your siddon look syndrome would not save you. This writer would not be saved too because in times like that the punishment comes in the collective. Events will just unfold from mans animalistic instinct. These boys and girls receiving dysfunctional education, sitting idle at home would be the unfortunate bombs. (May we resolve to change before then). This is just it, we are teachers, and we know their thinking. But

if we refuse to change and this come to pass, thereafter, there shall be calm and senses would return to men who would be lucky to live. They would now seek to do the right things, and rightly too. If you or your child did not schooled well to be functional in that new dispensation, be sure that your seat would be the last, back, back and back, and in helplessness and misery. Therefore, the earlier you demand for good education in the state the more secured you will be in future when this general madness ends. How do you demand for it? The Bida rebellion at the last polls (2003) is one type of answer to inactive governments and leaders. In a democracy, it is not a rebellion; it is POWER TO THE PEOPLE, which they are free to exercise at any time. They dictate the pace in systems like this. And for your information, the Bida Mallam is not safe too if he derails. He too can face similar consequences. This is the only way development can come to the people when you sit there as you claim in the name of God whereas it is actually in the name of the devil, you will die and your children will inherit poverty.

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In the history of the world, only a man usually appears with an idea that he usually claimed was the start-point for redemption. Such men come with uncommon fervour for his belief. They spoke with unmatchable oratory power and conviction. They turn out to be philosophers or poets. The majority rejects them. Half of their listeners in the emergent idea or redemption sit on the fence. If he gets one soul that believes him in the next decade, it would have been through luck or sympathy and not necessarily out of concrete conviction. Kano Censors: Matters Arising Today, Nigeria needs accelerated redemption! It needs a holistic repair including moral armament which is the veiled reason why Kano Censorship Board is tearing out on writer in a claim to halt degeneration in the society. Unfortunately, they chose the artist as the start-point instead of choosing the arts. Let me quickly say that choosing the art means collaborating with the artist in a mutual manner that products shall be deliberately fashioned out, targeting consumers (especially children) for character change and behaviour modification. But to portray the artist in the manner they do now, as an enemy of the society could only be a design of some

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unscrupulous politicians in Kano. So they begin to target the artist. Otherwise, the madness with which the issue of censorship is being prosecuted by a seemingly solo crusader in Kano is not only uncivil but uncreative and lacking tact and sense. Why should a group (Kano writers community) that has brought honour and fame; a group that is responsible for books that are emergent phenomenon in the academia both in Nigeria and abroad become a target of assault by government. You see what I mean. I thought government would call to say writers! Come lets fashion out a strategy that will checkmate degeneration and write to halt it The Censorship Board may want to ask why call them? Who are they? What do they think they are? The unscrupulous Kano politician could even ask worse questions. But, little mortals who just acquire steam of power must be reminded that smarter politicians, in greater societies of old, when power were honour could not get rid of the bearers of great ideas let alone the idea. Why does the Kano Censorship Board think it is powerful dwelling in arbitrariness? In a war condition which they seem to propose now, do the Kano writers need to be in Kano before writing for Kano people. This issue is not about war because this arbitrary Boards and Governments are incapable of winning this kind of war where organised epochal regimes of centuries past surrendered. And to worsen their predicament and helplessness, they are threatening to kill writers. You want to kill a man that has written beautiful works that promoted the society

for years as against the same man accused of an uncommitted sin. What sense is in this? Arbitrariness!

If the Kano politician is afraid of degeneration, the Nigerian writer is, too. We have done more than them to bring honour here. In any case, the society is already at that point of degeneration and it is the writer who naturally has the arsenal to checkmate it. The Kano Censorship Board does not have to believe this. Their warped viewpoint will not change the universal truth. If writers were not useful, God would not have commanded man to Read! and even swearing By the Pen. Kano Censorship Board is not going to be the first to reject the wisdom of creation. They have not read and they will not read let alone teach by the pen. Dont you see the nature of Nigerian Schools? Piggeries! Have you seen what I am seeing? They have left the schools to rot! In the ensuing conflict which is needless since the association is registered with the government and government could hold the association responsible for any default of the laws of the land why ask individual writers to register again. Any serious association should have mechanism to discipline members and this, ANA has, so why the witchery? However, some pertinent questions have bugged my mind since the beginning of the impasse in Kano Government/ writers relationship. Two things are likely to be responsible for the current Kano drive. It is an Islamic society where nudity and vulgarism should not be tolerated. This is appropriate.
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If the reason of decency and morality and vulgarism is the likely excuse for the Kano Censors Board then what about salacious pieces in our newspapers/magazines and soft-sale publications that pervade the environment? We need to know the effective approach being adopted to curb the menace. Remember, they reach out faster, and to many more citizens more than the Kano writers limited copies he produces biannually. Who is regulating the page-girls in the national newspapers that flock Kano in thousands, daily? Who is controlling paintings, local artistes, contemporary musicians and videos (national and international), carvings? Who controls books coming from outside Kano? How is it done? I say all these because Mallam Rabo had shouted in the media that Kano people had the right to know what products they are consuming through the Board. What about the internet? Is the Kano Censors Board aware of the devastating influence of the internet on our youths? Dont tell me those are responsibilities of homes.

Or Kano government could be doing so to forestall any seditious material from being circulated against their party, nation or the cultural setting there. In all of the above, perhaps the most cogent reason is the first one which has to do with moral degeneration. The one on sedition is null and void since governments in Nigeria are mostly irresponsible such that they are the ones who eventually constitute hazards to the nation. So they are the ones guilty of that and not Kano writers.

Homes make the totality of the environment and government must regulate behaviours there-in. There are heavily sex-loaded books on the net. Do you know what they call Night Browsing? Do you really know? What of the cable networks in our homes? Who is controlling the in-flock of the bad programmes filteringin every second? What of the millions of pornographic materials circulated via G.S.M around the world? Broda! This thing must be total and not selective! It must be logical and not arbitrary and disorderly. Where are the codes for ensuring strict observance? How many interest groups have contributed to fashioning them out? Or is it government that knows everything?

the thing ends there. This formal recognition confers on the individual writer, the legitimacy to operate. But for me to take my script to a passing uninitiated- masscommunicator who knows nothing about literary works to vet is not only an aberration, taboo but senselessly meaningless. Writers are not this nothing! In Niger State, the Chief Servant, Dr. Babangida Aliyu has invested over N10 million Naira on the activities of the association, in just a little over one year. The lasted of his engagement with ANA Niger is the forthcoming launch of the pilot scheme of the Arewa Children Literary Series in October 2008. Kano cannot afford to drain away its glorious identity because of an overzealous board chair.

Kano government must be prepared to tackle this degeneration in the most sincere manner and not through assault on the harmless writers in Kano. The only avenue is through a roundtable approach where stakeholders collaborate to rid the society of an identified ill. Why does the government think it is the only one who cares about society? These puerile governments! By their history they lack any capacity for a redemptive tonic that engenders prosperity in the land. I havent seen any since Mallam Aminu departed. He was a thinker and philosopher. He was not a propagandist and loud speaker of a vacuous velocity. Writers in Kano or elsewhere do not need to register with any vacuous board for any kind of approval at all. Associations can register with them including ANA and
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Greed is obsessive desire for more. It makes you want to keep gaining advantage over others above the required gauge for the satisfaction of a need without recourse to what becomes of other peoples well-being. Greed is the architect of selfishness, where the individual look more inwardly of the advantages he gains than what others desire too. Moderation is a balancing mechanism between two extremities- over-action and under-action. The deployment of moderating tendency neutralizes the inherent trait of man to continuously want to gain advantage over others. Man likes to dominate another

The superiority of man is his contemplative competence that ensures the quality of his steps at each point in life, contemplations that espouses harmony of co-habitation and engenders stability in his public and private lives. Refusal to control greed around our decisions is the bane of our predicaments. The quest to gain advantage over others without moderation is the reoccurring element that deconstructs our social and corporate environment resulting in communal fractions. The misappropriation of these natural tendencies in our attitudes has caused catastrophic consequences that regularly destabilize our well-being. The result of which is the perpetuation of instability. Determinants of a Stable Community

Indeed, each mans action is an internal expression of the appropriation or misappropriation of his intention. So there is a perpetual quest in each man to gain advantage of the little space provided by the competitive environment he dwells. Now, the danger is that without moderation, the stage will be set for bestiality and destruction. This nullifies the communal goal of human beings. Moderation means gaps or advantages permitted by the individual in an engagement to enable others fill or acquire a space to function. The permission we give to ourselves enable each individual meet the basic survival needs in the society. The absence of balancing elements like moderation drives humans away from each other thus detaching the web that knit us together as social beings. Therefore, a stable community permits the individual to operate functionally that, each soul draws from it in return to achieve survival. This is as much as
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man. Too bad! However, I cannot stop to think that negative tendencies exhibited by others before our eyes appear to define good tendencies in order to determine when getting over in our actions and retract or when lagging to push to the middle. Their interplay all together makes life meaningful. It also gives relevance to codes of conduct among social human, it defines the basis for rules and regulations in our affairs and establishes the concreteness of the concept that life is activated and sustained through opposing forces.

the fact that only a collective functional individuals form a stable society.

In appropriating each bit of ones intention, options popup in mans internal environment for the personal assessment of results of what he is about to do. Usually, the weighting proposes beneficiaries of the intended action namely: larger group consequence, immediate group consequence, my group consequence, and self. The larger group houses the humanity, the world, the continent and religion. The immediate group comprises of the sub-continent, race, country, and local state. My group takes the ethnicity and tribe, distant biological relations, neighbours, social, business, professional affiliates, and chance-meets. Self, translate to my child, spouse, mother father and me. These perpetual bumps sprout on a mental travellers road that makes him wobble later if greed takes control of him. But, if moderation does, the road becomes smooth even with the bumps.

Therefore, under a universal appeal, the options are one in their essence but locations around the world exert influence to change their forms on their true meaning such that many a time misrepresentations, misconceptions arises to cause frictions. Therefore, humanity, religion, family and education become principal moderators of the dangerous consequences of the mutilations caused. A last, an option is taken!

Each soul encounters these growths when taking decisions. They are discretely sequential and naturally programmed as options that create beauty and ratings. They identify the individual as a good man or bad man, honourable or dishonourable, greedy, selfish or generous after he has acted upon his decision. What individual stands for is moulded by his experiences in life.

Now, if greed represents the height of selfishness, moderation is the deterrent. It is the balance between two extremes of high and low. The interplay of life and the harmony man seek is represented by this force of extremities, it then suggests that the application of moderation in all that we do becomes desirable. Moderation stands for seeking a middle course. It is not indulgence in passivity or a state of dormancy but firmness in the carriage of an action or practice on a middle course. Being on a middle course ensures that both ends are not hurt for continuity. Now, this apply to performance, choice but not in terms of telling the truth or where honesty is required. A greedy individual does not aggrandise, accumulate or amass things because he needs them. He does so for lack of love for others and his inability to understand that the more others meet their basic needs the more stable the community becomes and the happier everyone becomes. In greed, what originally is earmarked for others is cornered for self as public officers do these days in our

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societies or even between two friends. Now could anyone explain why he will take all and refuse to leave some for his friend in need? What becomes of the principles of communal dwelling, which even proposes love for others as much as oneself?

Life is about deep reflection on little occurrences among men. If an individual is to love his neighbour as much as himself, one of which is helping him meet his needs as much as you meet yours, why the greed. Why do you steal? Why do you rob and take away other peoples life, why do you not share? The greatest wisdom here is that, if I will have to share with others what I possess, why bother to accumulate. If I must give part of what I own and you must give me part of what you own, what will we lack? Nobody looses! Everyone will always have since each segment of the community will ensure balance in distribution of the things of life without imposition. A greedy individual deconstructs key values the community in several ways. These are the entrenchment of hatred, suspicion, distrust, disloyalty, official corruption and theft.

GIMBAS LETTER TO HELPLESS NIGERIANS

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To my mind, Achebes quarrel is with the political leadership in Nigeria, which we have witnessed in the course of our life as a nation. Gimbas disagreement is based on his conviction in the positivism of change engendered by regeneration. That is, from small units to the large or from down to top. I am a writer of the fourth order that believes in the principles of regeneration, and this being the point upon which writers in Niger state have based their operations since 1994, Gimbas postulation is not new to us. The principle of the Fourth Order is built on the inducement of a good direction in a child who will grow to be what he was trained to be, until such a time when the bad or the old will be replaced by the developing good throughout the community. This is the fourth order that writers like Denja, E.E Sule and Ismaila Garba claim they do not understand. I think there is nothing ambiguous in this, and this much we have explained in national dailies, close to a decade, now. However, what I think is the faultline in Gimbas

Achebe says the trouble with Nigeria is leadership and Gimba says no, it is the people. This is the argument.

The sharp departure between him and some of us is that, even as potent as the strategy of regeneration in a group could prove to be effective remedy for change, such venture has to be spearheaded by a national leader, a national figure, a rallying point, whose will is not just to provide clear-cut directions for the people but one whose will is to lay down his life for the realisation of the target of change. They usually have the third and the fourth eyes! In Nigeria, most leadership and leaders have proved in the past to be agents of national spoilage and by implication spoilage of the citizenry, so, getting out, will also require a leadership or leader that desires such. In my understanding this is what Achebe means and this is what I subscribe to. To say I am alone in my change for

postulation is the way he tactically wants to exonerate the leaders and the leadership, past, as being responsible for the trouble with Nigeria. And he told the unborn child so, as usual, in alluring and irristible voice. That is the mans power. But the book is protective of the guiltiest ones. We are discussing the road that led us here and he says leaders only get a part of the blame. To say they are partly the problem is a judgment incomplete since a part could be of the whole. But to my mind they should take of the blame in the awkward journey that brought us to the crossroads in our nationhood. Arent we still searching for whom to lead us?

Perhaps, it is important to start with a phenomenon that is natural and simple- the human heart. Indeed, without the heart, all other systems, organs and tissues of the body become dysfunctional and dead. What does the heart do as a leader of the body parts? Although, it is not necessarily the manufacturer of blood, which is the tunic of life for living things, it is the coordinating point whose activities include collection of dirty blood (Deoxygenated) - blood with little or no value, to its chambers, sends it to the lungs for nourishment (Oxygenation) , with value oxygen and nutrients, draws it back to its chambers then sends to body parts (community) for functionality. By the time the systems, organs and tissues come alive (With oxygenated blood) that is when they remember to perform their specific functions for the sustenance of the community (whole body) or the nation as the case is, in this argument. This is what Achebe is saying and Gimba says no. Gimba says the systems, organs and tissues should go on functioning well even if the heart is rotten, all will be well. I disagree. This is what the book suggests.
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good as a small unit within the whole without a connection to the national agenda of change is null and void. Why is good leadership and leader required for attitudinal change of the followers? Could the people go on changing without a leader?

Let me re-state that it is not only humans that function in a communal dwelling with the leader as pilot for operations, animals in the bush do too. Depending on the behavioural pattern of each group, you will find their leaders walking in the middle, some at the back and some in front. Therefore, to underrate the power of the leader in marshaling change across the land in Gimbas latest book is misplaced. Let me clearly state that I know what Gimbas advocacy is about. He seeks to encourage behavioural change or change in attitudes of Nigerians at various small units of the society for the total good of all. And that the result of this, spiraled to the top with the chance of having a good leader tomorrow. This is logical only when it is not left arbitrarily to the people. A simple illustration here will further give the light to his call: If a father makes his home good by making the household good, they will become good citizens and by extension a good society. It is this simple from the authors perspective. But it cannot be. What Gimba should note is that, change engendered by regeneration is a time consuming phenomenon that spans years and years, decades and decades, which only a leader can coordinate and sustain for the eventual good of the society. Again, there are other powerful natural and human factors out there whose presence can destroy, in one bit, your age-long quest for community order sprouting from

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your household; there are powerful basic elements of life only the state (leadership) powered by a good leader can facilitate their availability to citizens and in turn the quest for societal order is enhanced and perfected as an agenda for the nation. Also, the environment outside could be too dangerous (and it is in Nigeria, today) to accommodate your good child (for example) just as the dangerous allures out there could endanger the good citizen willing to be nice. What sustains the individuals quest for good is the presence of good leadership that protects him from the assault of those willing to perpetuate criminality and evil. Also, lack of good roads, functional education, good water supply, food, shelter, employment, clothing are clear factors that lead the human mind, away, into cutting corners, cheating until degeneration sets-in to overtake the entire land. So, is it the citizens fault or the followers when these overtake the land and cause people to behave contrary to norms? Is it the fault of the children or their helpless teachers that schools lack chairs, tables, laboratories, good books? Is appropriate to go on blaming them for failing? Is it their fault if they steal at examinations in a leadership that adores mediocre who did not go to school in other to have a grab of the resources, too? Is it the fault of the parents that they could not afford to take their children to private schools for a fairer education in the face of degenerated public ones while a few affords it? Only a good leader can start the process of eliminating these

dysfunctional occurrences in any society to set the stage for order and prosperity in a larger scale.

If parents run homes or individuals run suborganisations and could therefore be responsible for reshaping the society for good, it is sensible and appropriate. But what one is saying is that, parents and individual sub-leaders draw their spirit from the established norms, beliefs, customs, constitution, national agenda or religion of a country or society, whose custody is in the hand of the super head. I mean if the super head goes nonsensical, every other unit drifts into degeneration. In life, every other thing starts from the beginning to the top. In leadership, the beginning starts from the head. This is the wisdom of creation. Life in a community does not function independent of the other mans action. It is the interrelatedness of occurrences that makes the whole, functional. And in such functionality, the chain must not be broken otherwise friction will set-in to nullify whatever positive efforts made or intended. It is the responsibility of the political or spiritual leader to whom citizens pay allegiance, to balance these occurrences for communal stability and development in each nation. That is why the stand of the leader is primary to the quest of societal functionality. This is why leaders should take the largest

percentage for the collapse of all spheres of Nigerian society; this is what Achebe is talking about. And I, too, see it the same way! Who am I to see a leader take the right step (exemplary) and I, a pitiable living thing does otherwise. The good leader uses the law to catch up with me, simple! So, the question now is where are the good examples? Which is the right step in this general mutilation? Leaders Posses Commanding Influence to Cause Rapid Change In Society

The Nigerian leadership problem is too enormous to be understood at a go. In fact, part of the difficulty it posses is the reason why people are blaming followers. Therefore, it is not surprising that some people are finding it difficult to see the profundity of leadership in the sociological, psychological, historical and anthropological perspectives in respect to the behaviour of man and his environment.

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It is highly unlikely that the people could volunteer, on their own volition, one silent morning and go on changing their bad behaviours in Nigeria without a genuine national call by a selfless caller, at the helms of affairs or any other person assuming such role through other means(constitutional or otherwise). It would not just have to be a call but also unrepentant exemplariness and unalloyed will to sanction deviancy and criminality that sets itself against the new order. This is when the people will give a break, temporarily, to see the

genuineness of the call; if sustained then they will follow. Under this circumstance, the quasi-leaders at various micro-units will have no choice than to conform. Anyone who does not conform gets the sanction. This is how human minds work. So, the issue is not that of a good group is likely to produce a good leader(Of course, this is uncontestable) but, we are saying, a good group degenerates without a good leader, just as we have done between Sardaunas era, which everybody is quick to refer to, and now. Another reason why the call is necessary is that, almost every verse; almost every chapter and paragraph in our holy books is intoned in a call. Who calls? God, the prophets, the leaders and the followers. Why the call? Because there was degeneration and not because everybody was good as Gimba and co wants us to believe. The noble men who came with the scriptures came in a calling tone, and then acted for the people to see, and then people followed. This is the way humankind has worked! It cannot be different now! People; man is always likely to misbehave when there is nobody watching him even if the background training was good. He will do this because there is tremendous link and dependency /interference factor between influences his environment posses regularly and his state of decency, which causes dangerous modifications of original good to the new allures before him. Therefore, laws for which leaders are the custodians works with

such, that changes course, irregularly. This is why the leader is the key to societal order. Key! Lead figure! Direction! Focus! Model! Epicenter! Fulcrum! Life and heart of the nation! I am thoroughly shocked that people think a group of human beings could just go on orderly without recourse to a central agenda. Where has this occurred in history? Even if we are at peace economically, socially, educationally, and all that, any arbitrary state of good is not peaceful without a good leader.

To subject the whole question of leadership to commonplace argument that the passivity of the people; their unwillingness to conform to established value systems and decorum makes their guilt compatible to those of the holders of instruments of societal activation, is misplaced. This view is not only pathetic but hypocritical and unfair to Nigerians who have always yearned for good leaders only for the mandates to be stolen. They do not cry for good leader and leadership to continue their bad ways but for order. They yearn for good leaders for justice, equity, fair play and equal opportunities to function. And now, you blame them, having set bad examples for them to follow. By the way, are we saying that if the people had instruments of coercion at hand, their mandates could easily be stolen?
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The psychology of group function is that members naturally look on to one of them or a few of them to provide direction. In a state of independence, man is not

a lonely dweller. He finds comfort in making relationships for certainty of operations, he finds direction in his leaders for appropriateness of his operations, he finds satisfaction in the similarity of his action with the super-head and he find peace and communion when everyone resolves to behave well at the same time for corporate good.

It amounts to contempt of the natural course of human communities to go looking for blemish spots in the people whose functionality is directly tied to the state resources, and efficient appropriation of such in a way that nobody will need to go queuing up in the house of leaders before becoming functional. For now, let me find comfort in the agreement of Governor Oshiohmole during the Niger State's award night on 2ist December 2008 before Abubakar Gimba's eyes, where the comrade confirmed that Achebe was right to say that the trouble with Nigeria is leadership....

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Richard Ali is a boy from ANA Jos. Many writers thought Richard was too small to warrant a reply when he wrote in the Leadership Newspaper of Friday, December, 25, 2009 that And because northern Nigeria is large, we have had the state and the media more of less pushing certain writers to oracular status simply because they are the regular of the better pack without necessarily being close to distinctive in the scale to the best. For example, in Minna, where the oracle seems to be B.M. Dzukogi who has been hailed with every epithet from ascetic to the philosopher yet when we read is actual works we ask is this the Dzukogi fellow? This is the same scenario we see, and which is consequently read, from Gusau to Maiduguri to Makurdi but I said no, this is Creative Writing; this is literature. And the hallmark of creative writing and literature is discourse, discourse that would be subjected

NORTHERN LITERATURE: EMERGENT TEEN AUTHORS AND JUVENILE WRITINGS

to standards without prejudice. And everyone in it should have a say.

Richard has raised certain issues which technically speaking are not necessarily about Dzukogi but the generality of the northern literary environment. He is probably the only one that is not affected because he didnt admit such even as a budding entrant into the same messy environment he spoke about. He must therefore be better than those he accused of being less distinctive. The other thing that could probably exclude him from the Northern Literary Mess he frowns at is to be a southerner. One reason that would make writers in the north take him seriously is that he must be grounded in literature, must have been around studying northern Nigerian literature and probably have been in ANA (literary circles) to be able to speak in specific terms in matters of northern Nigeria literature and has reached a conclusion as a scholar to call for a general condemnation of the entire literary environment in the north. But more necessary to me should be the evidence that he has produced great literary works that he dreams about for everyone in the north to learn. And I have the

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Richard Ali is not known in Nigerian literary environment, not even in the north and currently needs attention. Therefore, let me give his biography so that readers would have a picture of the boy who wrote: ON NORTHERN NIGERIAN LITERARTURE AND RELATED ISSUES in the Leadership Newspaper of December 25, 2009 where I was his problem. Richard is a boy of about 26, 7 or so years who finished his secondary school about nine years ago and is currently looking for job after a law degree from Kongo. He was appointed the Secretary of ANA Jos in 2007, I think. Thats all! So, where was this pupil when my Midnight Lamp the first poetry collection got a shortlist in 1996 during Odias era? Five titles have been published since then, making a total of six. Dzukogi, the author of these books according to Richard represents the pack of mediocre leading others in Northern Nigeria. He said we strive in one word; mediocrity And who are the other Mediocre? In Maiduguri there is Razinat, Okpanachi or Makurdi Agada, Tsenongo, Ajima, Ovel or Gusaus Yusuf Adamu. In between these cities are a lot more writer-mediocre of post-Gimba he spoke about like Ismaila Garba, Abdullahi Ismaila, Sheme, Ododo, Denja, Maryam, Akanbi, Alkasim,

heart to learn if they exist. So, where are his books? But we know that he has not written any, none!

Omale, Maiwada, Diego, Kankara, Sekula, Umaisha, Audi T. Giwa, Kamar and more. Hear Richard: This is the same scenario we see, and which is consequently read, from Gusau to Maiduguri to Makurdiin one word; mediocrity. Boy! This is juvenile writing! Who are you in this pack? Cockroaches and crickets that have grown infantile canines can still not be called masters of the jungle. Where are your books? You are grossly a deficient watcher to reach this conclusion. If Professors Amali, Obafemi, Alkali, Tanimu or Gimba tells us this we will take but Richard, a starter, to make this declaration amounts to puerile oblation. Who says some works in Northern Nigeria; who says many more are not vulnerable to problems? But a deficient Richard who has not written a book to cause this verbal diarrhoea is a defilement of the order. Go and tell your Teen or Twen authors this!

Literary criticism is not the same as literary delinquency, it is largely about textual evidences from a well read scholar or writer who has spent years investigating texts, trends, styles and all that, about his concern in the products he so set out to look at. When textual evidences are put forward, nobody will hold you responsible for helping art/writers/Dzukogi to grow, even if you are a toddler but to come forward with your limited

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knowledge and as a pretender to literary criticism and Northern Nigerian literature to make declarations as if you were a grounded character in these areas amounts to juvenile yells that will ricochet on you tomorrow. Why dont you just keep holding on to your broken pencil and continue to scribble on your torn exercise books, perhaps, you will attract attention from your juvenilia. But what is actually Richardss problem apart from the juvenile writings associated with the people of his age. Hear what his friend (24 year old Gimba Kakanda) reported in the Leadership Newspaper of November 27, 2009 I m beginning to wonder the power of this Dzukogi man. He always poses as the leader when it comes to ANNiger. Well, I know these tricks. Richard only appeared on the Jos ( not north let alone Nigeria) literary circle few years ago as a fresher from school, meaning, he doesnt even know ANA Niger very well except what he reads in the papers. So, Kakanda who is from Minna is probably the one feeling that Dzukogi poses as a leader. But let us take it that it is from Richard, as the National Treasurer of ANA for which Richard is the current Secretary at Plateau level (a position I held 16 years ago in Niger), am I not their leader? Pose? No, I am their leader! As their teacher, I am their natural leader. In creative writing and creativity, these are mundane issues but since it is an

issue for them as toddlers to take to pages then they need further tutoring.

Richard Ali had said that Contemporary northern writing is now centred on four towns (Minna, Jos, Kano and Kaduna) and this writer (RICHARD) has been sufficiently exposed to all of them to afford a critical address. The above attempt by Richard to hoodwink the reader into believing that he is ripe to comment on Northern Nigerian Literature did not catch for the blunder he commit shortly afterward the 1990s saw the emergence of many Northern writers ranging from Abubakar

I also think Minnas literary height in terms of its functionality and production is a problem for little Richard. Kakanda shares his plight probably because E E Sules occasional blindness inflames the Twen authors egos. Otherwise, what will lead Sule to saying that the only engaging poet he has seen in Minna is Kakanda? The poems written by Abdullahi Ismaila, Kamar Hamza, Alkasim Abdulkadir, AlAmeen Sheikh, NmaHassan, Othman Akanbi, Shagabo Daniel, Pmabi Ayuba Sunday, Awal Idris Evuti, Abba Abdulkareem, Lucky Oghvuwu, Abubakar Gimba, Ezekiel Fajenyo, Desmond Azuwike, Ransome Akale and more are not engaging. This is Madness of the Muse.

Othman, Ismaila Bala and Ahmed Maiwada in Poetry to Maria Ajima and Victor Dugga in Drama. Maria Ajima in drama is an aberration. She might have written some drama pieces but she naturally doesnt fit your insufficient categorization. This is misleading. Richard might have been a distant acquaintance of this writers but not sufficient in the knowledge of what they do. Your listing of poets above is correct but abnormal under the historical context it was done. Year of publishing is an important criterion in categorization and Ajima, apart from being known as a poet could have fit into Othmans group conveniently. Even the lumping of Alkasim with Kakanda in your essay of December 25, 2009 was grossly misplaced. Further to this is your misinformation that contemporary northern writing is now centred on four towns, which is in sharp contrast to Professor Olu Obafemis informed assertion that Northern literature is on the high rise, thanks additionally to the inspiration derived from the award-winning feats attained by the middle and young generation of northern writers like Zaynab Alkali, Abubakar Gimba, Yahaya Dangana and the current literary phenomenon, Helon Habila and the creative writing associations like ABU Creative Writers Club, the Association of Nigerian Authors, which is currently receiving its greatest boom from the northern
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branches in Minna, Kano, Abuja, Maiduguri, Sokoto and now Lokoja. The fact that Richard could glaringly omit Abuja creates a deep hole in his treatment of Northern literary environment. What about Makurdi and Ilorin? Boy, it is not four! And what is contemporary writing that you cannot include Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara? With your type in mind, who will not grow first Professor Tanimu Abubakar of ABU, Zaria provided us with a recipe in identifying whom we should take seriously in creative writing and those we should be wary of their pretentions: The writer is a learned man, a researcher and an informed investigator first, then a craftsman in the second instance. The writer is not a bundle of undifferentiated feeling who appropriates and then shabbily pours out the angst of transitive reality. Good writing is a function of scholarship and practice, of writing within and struggling to excel a tradition. It is not a whimsical matter at ll. Instead, it is an intensive practice Now, the danger with tolerating Richards uninformed statements on Northern literature is to condone ignorance of an issue and propagating it through a medium (Newspaper). Himself, using the media which he mildly castigated for the state and the media more of less pushing certain writers to oracular status simply because they are the better of a regular
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pack The answer to this is that Richard is also seeking such path to draw attention. The fact is that for somebody like him who has not published a book, newspaper is the only channel for him apart from Josana Literary listserve where he makes so much noise. He needs to listen to scholars like Habiba Abbas in her paper at the 1st Northern Nigerian Writers Summit in 2008: The Newspaper as a medium of communication in the world is an important component of literature. This is because through the Newspapers the history as well as other experiences of human endeavour is documented. Thus, the newspaper aids in no small measure in the development of literature in many societies. In Northern Nigeria the New Nigerian Newspaper literary column, The Write Stuff helps in a great deal in the development of literature in the region. Now, this is a scholar speaking but Boy Richard thinks otherwise and we have no reason to believe is shrill cry that emanated from ignorance of the functions of the Newspaper as agent of literary development. This is why we should humour him with a reply to situate issues appropriately; by chance he may get the attention he needs. We wont accept from little voices that seek to rubbish Ibrahim Shemes contribution in creating many literary columns for decades not just of the North but Nigeria neither would we sit back and

listen to petty shouts from Richard seeking to dent The Write Stuff of Umaisha, Diegos Bookshelf or Bookarts (Books) in the Leadership newspaper, all of which Sheme created. These are the columns that sounded Dzukogi as a Philosopher for which Richard appears to have problems with, and indeed more than 80% of the writers that exist in the north today. All the important writers in the North today, minus Abubakar Gimba generation and their predecessors would have been nowhere in the consciousness of the people without these literary columns, and participation in them is determined by quality, energy and time available to the writer. If Richard thinks he can make nasty comments about them, he needs to be told that the editors of those columns he accused of making some Northern writers into oracular status are themselves writers and staunch members of ANA, who have held important positions at state and national levels. They are people of integrity and honour, and standing before them, Richard is naturally incomplete. But, let him tell us what Kakanda, his close pal meant by the piece below with respect your oracular status seeking things, which he published in Leadership Newspaper of November 27, 2009. I must be at the just concluded Association of Nigerian Authors annual convention held in my own town, Minna, I found my
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helpless schedules winded down to the bottom of Nigeria on an excursion that miraculously had me free on the last day of the event. I was twining in hope of meeting some emerging oracles of Nigerian literature The reader may wish to know who the emerging oracles are. But Kakanda is not done yet about their resolve not just to make name through juvenile writings but also in a deliberate group promotion, hear him as he continues: seen in; the electric critic, Richard Ugbede Ali; the master of second person narration

You know, a group of old men walk up to one of their own sitting under the tree, just in front of his house in a village and said to him: Your son said to his mates at their playground that you do not know how to make babies, and the old man smiled casually then remained mute. Arent you disturbed? the chief reporter queried. Disturbed for what? What do you tell a child whose world tells him that making babies in a brothel is the same as doing it in a family? He probably might have produced a lot out there. Suppose he decides to bring What? he replied casually. Have you heard?

them home, they might be more than the ones I have produced. And I hope you have not forgotten that in todays world, anything goes. Those bastards may soon start calling him father before my very eyes At least you can tell him that, when you were a child, you didnt go to brothels to learn how to bear him! One of the old men declared, leaving in fury. The old men didnt do anything afterwards and today, the once peaceful settlement is now a city of brothels and AIDS. We wont take this! It will do the emerging oracles of Nigerian literature no good to be full of themselves, the community will turn against them like what happened to Richard in ABU Zaria, hear him upon running for elective office there: in addressing the students before the election, I said that it is for the best of their interest to vote for me. Do you know that they turned against me? They assumed I was being arrogant Listen Boy Richard, humility is the watch word. Next time, dont make them (or anyone else) look like a bunch of fools who knew not what was good for them. Also, the above is why you need to know what has been happening in Northern Nigerian literary environment since 1994, especially in Minna, is a product of meticulous planning, perseverance, commitment and

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When I was the secretary of ANA Niger, sixteen years ago, we designed the Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs (ASCAFS), we planned the first state anthology in 1997 and followed it up with another one in 2001 then the recently published National ones (Shadows, Fireflies and Breaking the Buds for teen authors), all of which featured writers from all the states of the federation. Niger has a formidable teen authorship scheme, we planned with other branches the 1st summit of writers resident in the North and Niger solely hosted it in 2008. We were not making noises about ourselves rather we built networks among branches, including heavy participation in national ANA. Our activism popped us up. We will prefer to listen to comments from

functionality to the course of promoting creative writing in the region. It is a network of Northern writers effort (the ones Richard tried to bundle into his perforated dustbin) to cause a change. And if Niger becomes a driving force, it is because some of us had to champion it, which is not just a one man business. Secondly, there is nothing oracular about all we do whether it is in Kano, Yusuf Adamu, Ismaila Garba and Khalid or Omale in Jos or Denja and Maiwada in Abuja or Patrick Ogujiofor in Yobe or Aliagan in Ilorin and elsewhere around the north. It is a resolve by all of us that we must act now.

writers like Professor Zaynab Alkali who declared at that summit in 2008 I congratulate the ANA Niger Branch, one of the most vibrant in the country, for the development of teen authorship and her commitment to the promotion of writing in Nigeria. ANA Niger is certainly on the lead and it is my hope that other branches will follow suit Even some branches applauded Niger for her effort: see the concluding part of the position paper at the summit delivered by the Benue State ANA Chairman But today, what I see here in Minna is a revolution that would lay the foundation for the sustainable development of literature in the North. I must particularly commend the chief servant of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu for his wisdom, foresight and blessing as well as support to host prophets in the land. This act will bring good luck and progress ANA Niger notes with humility the acknowledgements by elders of the association, contemporaries and the younger ones across the country of our little efforts in promoting creative writing in Northern Nigeria, including Richards grudging acceptance of the reality of putting us 1st on his list of where writing is taking place in the North today. As the Secretary of Jos level, this is what he should be active in trying to achieve. It does not mean that when Omale AbdulJabar relocated to Abuja, he should allow the fever to die from the Jos end and break

into noise. It will draw the north back. His duty as a starter treading the path we took is to understand the root of the literary boom Professor Obafemi spoke about and come along with measured steps and be active at his Jos level with eyes opened wide. Do not be adventurous by smearing people like Abubakar Gimba when you said I think the influence of Abubakar Gimba is overly exaggerated with Kakanda agreeing when he said anytime Northern Nigerian writing is mentioned, the first thing that crosses peoples mind is him. Honestly, such idolization has to stop. We have to look at our writings from creativity and not the personality behind it. Or at another time you turn to Diego Okenyodo whose poetry give you migraine and is only good at wordplay, often unreasonable. And lastly, you lashed at Maiwada as an egotist but this is what you are, boys!

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