Nigerian authors blame candidates’ poor performance on Internet browsing

WASCE: Nigerian authors blame candidates’ poor performance on Internet browsing

Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Ebonyi State chapter yesterday blamed the poor performance of candidates who sat for last year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) on too much indulgence on the social media.

The body said that students currently engage more on browsing on the internet, hence there is increasing levels of poor reading culture.

WAEC had last week released the result of Nov/Dec 2017 WASSCE result with only 25 per cent of the students recording pass marks in the exam.

Reacting to the result during his election in Abakaliki, the new Chairman of ANA in the state, Mr. Richard Inya, regretted that students and exam candidates prefer social media to their books and called for change of attitude to arrest the situation.

“Young people should go back to their books, ICT has negatively influenced them. They now place much emphasis on the social media rather than their books which distracts them. With our line-up programmes, I hope their performances will improve very well.

“At various levels, we have launched many programmes to reawaken students’ reading culture. These progarmmes will reinvigorate reading culture in the country”, he said.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/03/wasce-nigerian-authors-blame-candidates-poor-performance-on-internet-browsing/

Pictorial Report of ANA Oyo's A-Book-A-Child Project

ANA Oyo Presentation of book/kickoff of Yusuf Ali Literary Awareness Campaign held alongside the special literary session in honour of Late Prof. Akinwumi Isola

Presentation of book/kickoff of Yusuf Ali Literary Awareness Campaign held alongside the special literary session in honour of Late Prof.  Akinwumi Isola. The programme featured dignitaries such as Prof. Femi Osofisan, Prof. Mathew Umukoro, Prof. Duro Adeleke and Dr. (Mrs.) Ajibola, Zonal Director of National Library. Copies of the book were presented to students of selected schools as well as parents for onward delivery to their wards.

Young ones charged on reading

Young ones charged on reading

Posted By: OUR REPORTER On: April 8, 2018 In: Arts & Life, Sunday magazine

YOUNG ones in Benue have been charged to embrace reading to become useful to themselves and the society. Chairman Association of Nigerian Authors, Mr. Charles Iornumbe gave this charge yesterday during Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA’S A-book, A-child campaign at Temple Gate Academy in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The Chairman who was represented by the Vice Chairman of the Association, Mr. Paul Ugah explained that A-book, A-child campaign was a directive given to all the state chapters of the association to execute in their respective states to boost reading among Nigerian children.

Ugah further added that the campaign was an ongoing programme in the state. Noting that apart from given out books to children, members of the association also read to the children to ginger their interest in reading.

During the reading session, members of the association took their turn and thrilled the pupils with reading from Dog Tales by Regina Achie-Nege, Davidic Harp by Hope Idani, What Goes Around by Paul Ugah and Euphoria of Sophistry by Sam Barki among others.

In their separate remarks pupils of the School, Josiah Yakubu and Vershima Kumawuese thanked ANA for given them the opportunity to interact face-to-face with authors and called for the sustenance of the campaign.

Earlier, in a welcome remark the School Administrator, Mr. Francis Jimeyough thanked ANA for considering their school for such memorable event and promised to partner with the association in future.

In a vote of thanks, the dean of the School, Mr. Hindan Isaiah who was visibly full of appreciation promised that he would ensure that the pupils read all the books given to them.

The highlight of the event was distribution of books to the pupils of the school by the association.

http://thenationonlineng.net/young-ones-charged-reading/

Testimonials from A-Book-A-Child literary campaign

Testimonials from A-Book-A-Child literary campaign

March 31, 2018 Ibrahim Ramalan Arts & Books

Ever since the Association of Nigerian Author (ANA) A-Book-A-Child nationwide project was flagged off in Benue during the association’s 36th International Convention which held in Makurdi, Benue State in October, 2017, pleasing testimonies have been ricocheting from all corners across the country.

A stakeholder in the promotion of literature in the country, who prefers anonymity, told this reporter that the impact of the project is being felt across the country.

According to him, the programme is a success because it has been garnering endorsements from literary enthusiasts, parents and the children alike.

Initially, when the grand for the ANA/Yusuf Ali Nationwide Literary Awareness Campaign was secured in 2017, the President of the association, Malam Denja Abdulahi’s administration decided to channel the fund towards enhancing children’s literary horizon, hence the grant was used to publish three children’s literature titles under the Nigerian Writers Series(NWS).

The beneficiary authors are: Salamatu Sule (Oma the Drummer Queen), Chinyere Obi-Obasi (The Loyal Queen) and Kabiru Abdullahi (The Golden Girl of Galma), who have exhibited a great deal of creative ingenuity in their presentation.

It could also be recalled that last year, ANA organised a manuscript submission competition for possible children-centred books that would be published to power the project. 13 manuscripts were received, which were passed to the series editors, who are experts in children’s literature.

Three manuscripts were adjudged publishable, which we have published under the Nigerian Writers Series (NWS) of ANA through ANA’s publishing outfit, NWS Publishers.

In his remark, the President explained the concept behind ANA’s A-Book -A-Child nationwide project was to get a literarily impact into every school-going Nigerian child from the ages of 5 – 12.

“The books were published with the fund received from Yusuf Ali as part of his annual grant to the association. We are presently distributing the books to bookshop outlets nationwide but our major design is to distribute nationwide through our chapters,” he said.

He therefore expressed his appreciation to Yusuf Ali for the philanthropic role he has been playing towards uplifting literature and literary culture across the country.

The president, therefore, sought the cooperation of corporate bodies and well-meaning individuals to get at least a copy of the book into the hands of the given targeted school-going children.

“Also, government agencies regulating and facilitating the introduction of good books into the school curricula are also our targets. We are doing this because we feel as writers, we have a great role to play in making our children get access to well-written books that will inspire them to be good citizens of this country.”

https://www.blueprint.ng/testimonials-from-a-book-a-child-literary-campaign/

Sule, Obi-Obasi, Abdullahi Herald ANA’s A-Book-A-Child project

Sule, Obi-Obasi, Abdullahi Herald ANA’s A-Book-A-Child project

Nigerian Writers Series 2 books, dedicated to children’s literature, are out. It is a culmination of over a year’s process of competitive call, sifting through manuscripts and arriving at a group of three adjudged publishable by the series editors.

For this outing, a special appreciation goes to Yusuf Ali, whose 2017 grant to ANA financed the publication, the series editors, Prof. Uwemedimo Iweketok, Ikeogu Oke and Omowunmi Segun and Osorobu Igudia, Managing Editor, NWS Publishers, an imprint of ANA. With these books, ANA’s A-Book-A- Child nationwide project is set to run.

The association has also congratulated the three writers, Salamatu Sule (Oma the Drummer Queen), Chinyere Obi-Obasi (The Loyal Queen) and Kabiru Abdullahi (The Golden Girl of Galma), for creative efforts that saw them being found worthy of selection.

President, ANA, Denja Abdullahi, explained the concept behind ANA’s A-Book -A-Child nationwide project as “being designed to get an ennobling general interest book of cultural relevance into the hands of every school-going Nigerian child from the ages of 5 – 12. Since last year, ANA organised a manuscript submission competition for possible children-centred books that would be published to power the project. 13 manuscripts were received, which were passed to the series editors, who are experts in children’s literature. Three manuscripts were adjudged publishable, which we have published under the Nigerian Writers Series (NWS) of ANA through ANA’s publishing outfit, NWS Publishers.

“The three books are The Golden Girl of Galma by Kabiru Abdullahi, Oma the Drummer Queen by Salamatu Sule and The Loyal Queen by Chinyere Obi Obasi. Incidentally, all the three well-illustrated books dwell on the matter of girl-child empowerment and female-oriented issues. The books were published with the fund received from Yusuf Ali as part of his annual grant to the association. We are presently distributing the books to bookshop outlets nationwide but our major design is to distribute nationwide through our chapters.” 

Mr. Abdullahi also said the association has found a worthy partnership with the First Lady of Imo State, Mrs. Nneoma Nkechi Rochas Okorocha, on how to distribute the three books through her foundation.

According to him, “We are presently talking to the First Lady of Imo State Mrs. Okorocha, who has indicated interest in partnering with us on the project through her WODI Foundation for the massive distribution of the books to schools across the country. We are also going to seek out the cooperation of corporate bodies and well-meaning individuals to get at least a copy of the book into the hands of the given targeted school-going children.

“Also, government agencies regulating and facilitating the introduction of good books into the school curricula are also our targets. We are doing this because we feel as writers, we have a great role to play in making our children get access to well-written books that will inspire them to be good citizens of this country.”

IN the same vein, the Association of Nigerian Authors International Convention 2017 will hold in Makurdi, Benue State capital from Thursday, October 26 through Sunday, 29, 2017. It has as theme ‘Canons, Prizes and Boundaries: African Writers and Writings in World Literature.’ The keynote speaker will be Professor Saleh Abdu Kwami, who is currently Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies, Gombe State University, Tudun Wada, where he is serving his Sabbatical Leave.

Kwami was born in 1957 in Kwami, a Bolewa town located to the North-West of Gombe, in North-east Nigeria. He is the founding Dean, Faculty of Humanities, Management & Social Science, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State. Before joining the latter institution in 2012, Kwami was Head, Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano. 

https://dailynigerian.com/sule-obi-obasi-abdullahi-herald-anas-a-book-a-child-project/