British Council hosts Abuja Nunyi

updated: Tuesday 26-08-2008

Denja Abdullahi,
author of Abuja NunyiON Friday, August 29, wordsmiths in Abuja will converge on the British Council office, Abuja, to hear Denja Abdullahi, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) General Secretary read from his newly published Abuja Nunyi (This is Abuja).

Abdullahi will speak poetically on the many faces of the city of Abuja at the event which is a collaboration between the British Council, Abuja and the Abuja Literary Society (ALS), and which will begin by 4pm.

Abuja Nunyi, which are Gbagyi words for This is Abuja, was published by Kraftbooks, Ibadan,  and was a product of the 2005-2006 British Council/Lancaster University ‘Crossing Border’ on-line writing  mentoring project in which Abdullahi participated.

The project involved writers across Africa exchanging writing ideas and specific creative writing assignments with   UK based mentors over a period of nine months. Abdullahi worked on city poems with   Meg Peacock, a United Kingdom based writer, as mentor and the product are the poems that make up the new collection which examines the city of Abuja in different delightful dimensions.

A statement from Ken Okere, the ALS slam master said of the book: “People who have read the book and who had earlier witnessed the presentation of the work at ANA Abuja July monthly reading at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja were unanimous in their conclusion that never since the time of Mamman Jiya Vatsa has anyone sang so lyrically about the city of Abuja the way Abdullahi did in the new poetry collection.

“In perspective, Denja Abdullahi, with Abuja Nunyi, is on his way to becoming the second poet laureate of the city after Mamman Vatsa who oversaw the growth of the city in the early 80s as a soldier- poet Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.” The first 20 persons to arrive the venue of the reading, Okere disclosed, would get a free copy of the book.

A governor’s vision of hope, development

Updated: Tuesday 26-08-2008

Cover of the bookTitle: 3:2020 - Glimpses of Hope for a Greater Niger. Pages: 289. Authors: Niger State Community in ABU Zaria Editor-In-Chief: Aliyu Abdullahi. Reviewer: Shu’aib Aliyu Bobi.

The book 3:2020–Glimpses of Hope for a Greater Niger is published in a glittering glossy, coloured hard cover form with embossed white letterings on mostly green and red background. The picture of the Chief Servant of Niger State, Dr. Mu‘azu Babangida Aliyu (OON) Talban Minna, cladded in white gown, bold–in–the  face, Nigerian flag, Niger State map and ABU logo superimposed on the Chief Servants‘ picture, all go a long way to tell a story that is either;

•A collaborator’s attempt to raise/rate Talba high for political gains.

•A bootlicker’s attempt to get Talba’s attention for a required favour or,

•Another ploy for/by government’s sponsored agent to shower encomium on the governor in order to sell the government and gain the people’s sympathy. Realistically, the book, if read with an open mind proves to be a “book of reading”, a companion to both;

•Talba’s contemporaries,

•Talba’s admirers, well wishers, friends and lovers, •Talba’s detractors and opponents,

•civil servants, entrepreneurs, academicians, politicians, historians, executive/legislative and judicial arms of governments, as well as other professionals, the youths, women and children.

•Talba himself, for the book would serve as a mirror, sign post or bill board that constantly would be reminding him of his promises: from where he started, where he is now and what next step/stride to take towards achieving his regime’s mission and vision of 3:2020 (Up-lifting Niger State from doldrums to the top three best economic states in Nigeria by the year 2020).

The glossy quality of the paper and the bold letterings, not to talk of the array of highly placed experienced professionals, academicians, administrators, lecturers and students that contributed in producing this book, makes it one among equals in terms of quality, content and context. Interestingly, the tenacity, acumen, persuasion and commitment of the NANISS members that embarked on this book project, are also another source of hope for, they are major positive actors in the actualisation of the vision 2020 dream.

The calibre of the contributors of the articles in this book leaves no room for any reader to find any loophole, fault in terms of depth of research, language, presentation, content or context. Glimpses of Hope for A Greater Niger, succinctly explains in clear terms, the rubrics of the cardinal philosophy, psychology and policy/focal thrust of Talba’s administration that are popularly referred to, as vision and mission 2020. The fact that most of the contributors in this book are professionals that are non-aligned and non-direct beneficiaries of Talba’s administration, but scholars that are mostly concerned with the development of Niger State makes the reader of this book to expect no biases, fear or favour.            
  Handled by scholars of repute, the book 3:2020–Glimpses of Hope for a Greater Niger is indeed competently packaged and tailored thematically to explain the pros and cons/merits and demerits of the reforms and approach to the administrations of Talba’s administration. It is a naked exposition of the expectations of the people on their government and those of the government from the people as the system struggles with both inherited problems from within and outside the State.

  Issues raised in this publication, include among others, issues and areas of “interest and concern” that definitely would in the long run be beneficial in the reforms and style of governance that the vision and mission of Talba’s administration are set to achieve. They touch on the fields and areas of ICT, law and justice, fair play, education, agriculture, youth development, poverty eradication/reduction, health, due process, science and technology, service delivery, sports, public private partnership (PPP), the President’s 7 point–agenda and pension reforms among others.

The vision and mission of Talba’s regime are explained in professionally technical terms in this book, but the x–ray of the regime may, may be needed towards the mid–term of the same regime by/from critics, historians and social scientists to serve as a scale/balance and also to assess and guide or direct the developmental trends of such ambitious visions/mission. The book 3:2020–Glimpses of Hope for a Greater Niger, contains 17 chapters, each of which carries its own sub theme and author, but all linked with the vision 2020 dream and aspirations. This is indeed a book to read, a book to possess and a book to carry along everyday, any where one goes by both individuals in government or outside it.