Dr. Charles Iornumbe is the chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA) Benue State chapter. He led the state’s delegation to this year’s convention in Enugu. Edozie Udeze encountered him
DELEGATES have been commending the choice of Enugu due to its serenity and quiet ambiance. Is this enough justification to judge this convention?
Oh, first and foremost, let’s talk about the environment and its serenity. Enugu State in the past decades, was the capital of Eastern Region and this indeed is the core of Igboland. So it is homecoming as it is described for all of us as writers across Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. One thing I have discovered is that although the environment is serene, the cost of living is high. The hotels, the food everything here is very costly. One of my colleagues led about eight members of ANA from Benue to sit out yesterday evening.
At the end of it all, they gave them very outrageous bill. The isiewu that is usually sold for N1,500 or N2,000 was sold to them for N3,000. Even in Makurdi, Benue State, where I come from it is not more than N1,500. It generated a lot of issues. The management of the restaurant was invited to intervene. He did not help matters. The hotel that we were camped in, it seemed no one ever visits the hotel, until we arrived. There are so many grasses all over the place, all over the premises. They’ve not been cut or trimmed in years. So that’s the way it has been.
But we thank God; we thank God that we are in Enugu, yes. And I think the chairman of Enugu ANA has justified to some extent the capacity of his chapter even though the state government did not come in to help. We were made to understand that the state government was so adamant. The government did not render any atom of support. Up till now, there has not been any government representation unlike what you people experienced in Benue State, where the state government was fully involved in the hosting of the convention.
So, this is a minus on the part of the Enugu State government. Does it appear ANA is not in partnership with the state government? That is the question some of us are asking. But on the whole we are grateful that we are here. And today is the climax of the convention whereby we will witness the election of new national officials.
So how do you expect the election to go?
Yes, after a thorough general meeting today, voting will take place to elect new national officials. After the election, we will depart. It is going to be a good conduct as usual. But you talked about the issue of accommodation. The issue of accommodation has always been an issue in ANA during conventions. I received so much pressure even from my members on the new development that each delegate has to pay for his/her accommodation. ANA members should pay for their accommodation; yes that’s a new policy. Some members were still negotiating with hotels and guest houses on how to give them discounts and so on. Up till now as I am talking to you, they are still making negotiations. This is to show you that the issue of accommodation should be looked into, should be revisited. But for me, I prefer that once you are preparing for the convention, you get yourself ready, go to where ever the convention is taking place and book for your own accommodation. I think that is the best thing. It is a new idea. But with time, people, many of us, will get over it, over the challenge. I am made to know that some people even paid on line before we got here in Enugu. That is even better for it makes it cheaper, easier and less cumbersome. Some state chapters that got themselves well ahead of time, were able to come together to sort this issue of accommodation out on time.
Now one trend I have noticed about coming here is that the ANA writers, authors, who are the conscience of the society, who should tell the politician the way to go for this country to advance in democracy, I’m made to understand to my dismay, that they are also encouraging corruption.
What am I saying? They want to be bought over. They want to be sponsored by which ever candidate they are chopping from. They insist those candidates should buy them over to come and vote for them. This is not supposed to be the case. It is wrong. If I am coming for a convention, I should be ready for my transport; I should be ready for my accommodation, for my feeding and so on. I should be ready for whatever cost I will incur in a convention and not to rely on a candidate to take care of me. Like I said it is bad; it is wrong. it is not good to depend on a candidate just because you want to vote for him. It is a dangerous trend. ANA is not a political party or a political organization.
Leaders come into ANA to serve and to serve selflessly. The offices they are occupying are not money-spinning offices. There are no budgetary allocations to run the offices. No. Except now, we are telling them that when they come on board the N3 million that Yusuf Ali gives to ANA yearly for literary promotions and for grants should be conduit pipe for them to exploit so that the literary campaign yearly becomes un-successful. Is that what we want? This is so because if I spend like N500,000 in ANA to become an official, or the president, I will be looking for a way to re-cope my money. And now when you get there, you will not trust some people because they will not help you unless you sponsor them to vote for you. So the involvement of money in this matter is in bad taste.
What’s the way forward?
Oh ANA has a long way to go. If we are really writers we are meant to be, we have a lot to do to make ANA what it should be; what it should stand for. We should be the conscience of society; we should write to correct the ills of the society. That is our role, first and foremost. What moral right or justification do we then have to look a governor in the face and say to him you are looting? Or you tell the umpire body in this country; that is INEC, that they are not conducting elections very well? So, we should stand our grounds properly. And when we are seen to be objective and honest and transparent, it will help to make for sanity.
If we do that it will help any writer to be in a position of trust and people will look up to him to show the way; to make the desired impact. This country as a whole has a long way to go. It is not only ANA. This is so because the country has made this condition prevalent in the political system and mainstream when election comes. So, we must correct ourselves; we need to be different. Yes, ANA members as writers have to be different and that is how changes will begin to come in. That’s how we can go forward.
Yes, there is another trend; a very dangerous one indeed. You are contesting for an election and you are busy condemning your opponent. You use divisive sentiments to attack your opponent; see, this is a dangerous trend and we need to also tackle it. We need to ensure such does not permeate ANA. Now, I won’t lie to you. The ANA Benue delegation has come to Enugu to make sure we place Chinua Achebe in the right position.
We have to give him his proper place, having been able to form this great association here in Enugu State 38 years ago. Since 38 years there has never been an Igbo person who came out to contest for the position of the president. I mean a core Igbo person. So, Benue ANA has come here to speak with one voice, to throw our weight behind the emergence of a core Igbo man and I know you understand what I mean. So that’s what we have come here to do, so that with that we begin to talk about an Igbo man being president in 2023. When an Igbo man becomes the president of ANA, it then means that the future of an Igbo man becoming the president of Nigeria come 2023 is brighter.
And we want to start with ANA by electing an Igbo man the president at this particular time. This is my primary purpose of leading our people to this convention. It is not my personal opinion because we discussed it at the state level before we got here. if this election is fair and free they should ensure it goes on without rancour or confusion or bickering. I pray when the voting comes, all ANA members will behave maturely. We have always done it well in the past and we hope this one will also be done well. We should conduct election as brothers and sisters and then set a good record for others to follow and for the country to move forward. So, my prayer for ANA is that we should blossom. Nigeria is celebrating 59 years of her freedom. We have grown; then 38 years of existence of writers’ body, we have to move forward. As the country grows, so should we, so should the writers’ body.
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