Paul Ugah is the chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Benue State chapter.
He is also a poet, novelist and someone whose love for serious authorship has seen him risen to the pinnacle of his writing career. As ANA continues its 40th anniversary programmes, Benue State is wired to host the nation as Ugah harps on the main reasons authors from the state are not only committed but resilient and passionate. He speaks to Edozie Udeze.
WHAT makes Benue State Chapter of Association of Nigerian Authors so outstanding given the sort of accolade it gets all the time?
The likes of Late Justice A.P. Anyebe and Ada Ugah among others who brought the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA to Benue State laid proper foundation for the association to thrive and successive leadership of the association at the state level have contributed tremendously to the development of the association.
Today Benue State branch of the association is one of the most vibrant branches in Nigeria. I’m not just saying it because I’m the chairman, many people can attest to this. To buttress this point further ANA Benue has produced notable officers at the national level of the association. Late Prof. Jerry Anthony Agada was elected National President of the association. Others who rose to occupy offices at the national level of the association in the 80s include Dr. Ada Ugah, General Secretary, Prof. Idris Amali, General Secretary, Barr. Isaac Ogezi, Legal Adviser, Associate Prof. Maria Ajima a former President of Women Writers’ Association of Nigeria, WRITA who is now Board of Trustee member of the association, Maik Ortserga the current national general secretary of the association and Dr. Charles Iornumbe Ex-Officio I. In addition, ANA Benue has many writer laureates at both national and international levels.
In the area of those that have excelled in critics and writing we have the likes of Professors. David Ker, Idris Amali, Peter Agogo, Owojecho Omoha, Leticia Mbaiver Nyitse, Moses Tsenongo, Ada Ugah. Others include Dr. Tartule Tijah, Dr. Elvis Ogenyi, Dr. Raymond Anumve, Dr. Simon Chieshe, Igba Ogbole, Sam Ogabidu and Regina Achie Nege, Sue’edie Agema just to mention but a few.
Another thing that stands ANA Benue out was the hosting of the 2017 international convention of the association in Makurdi which was supported by the Benue State Government and was adjudged to be one of the best in recent time. Additionally, our teamwork as members of the association at the state level have equally stood us out and because of that people are partnering with us to promote reading and writing in the state.
ANA is 40. Why have you not started your own programme of events to ignite the literary horizon?
We are seriously working towards starting our own programme of event soon. We have setup a local organizing committee which consists of serious-minded persons like Mrs. Edebi Adoga, Prof. Moses Tsenongo, Maik Ortserga, Dr. Mrs. Dorcas Obom Otalu, Terseer Sam Baki, Dr. Raymond Anumve, Dr. Mrs. Chic Ochiko, Igba Ogbole among others, the committee is chaired by a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Ortom on culture, Chief Tahav Agerzua. The committee is seriously working to ensure the success of the event in the state. You know many writers are still wishing to come to Benue State because of the uniqueness of the 2017 convention in the state. As a result of that we are taking our time to prepare well for the celebration of ANA at 40. That is why we have not started yet. Finally, we are also waiting for other states to do their own first so that at the end ours will be like a kind of semi-grand celebration before we finally crown it up at the Federal Capital, Abuja.
What are those literary stuffs you are prepared to offer as your tenure as ANA Chairman unfolds?
Before I assumed office as ANA Benue Chairman in 2020 my watchword was teamwork to promote reading and writing. My main target as I continue to pilot the affairs of the association at the state level is to create platform for the associate members to become full members of the association. As it is by our tradition unless you publish a book or your work is published in an anthology you cannot be a full member of the association. Publishing a book in this part of our world is capital intensive consequently, it is not easy for some of our members to publish even when they have material at hand. Hence, my vision in this regard is to publish anthology whereby the budding authors can get their works either poems or short stories published and therefore become a full member of the association.
In realization of the goal of getting associate members to qualify as a full members about three months ago we launched an anthology of short stores and poetry titled season of laurel and thrills where many young writers get their works published among the established authors in the country. Presently we just released another anthology of essays, poetry and short stories titled Fete of Letters in Honour of Tyotom Keghku. We are working towards the public presentation of the book.
Also in the area of promotion of writing among the young ones, in 2020 shortly after the Federal Government eased lockdown, Prof. Idris Amali in partnership with ANA Benue organized an essay writing competition for primary six pupils in Benue State. The title of the essay competition was “My Lockdown Experience and at the end three winners emerged”.
The overall best got twenty thousand naira, first runner-up fifteen thousand naira and second runner-up ten thousand naira and they were also given books and certificate.
Shortly after that Dr. Raymond Anumve also partnered with ANA Benue and instituted a prize for teen authors in Benue State. We setup a committee which equally organized the event for teen authors in the state to send in their works published from 2018 to 2021, at the end of the day books were collected by the judges and three winners also emerged. The winners were also presented with monies and certificate.
Presently, the Executive Secretary Teaching Service Board, Benue State Dr. Frank Kyungun in partnership with ANA Benue again has instituted a reading competition for Senior Secondary School ONE, SS 1 in Benue State to buy a copy of let me die another day, a collection of poems written by Regina Achie-Nege to read during the holiday and then gather at an event which will be together by ANA Benue in September to answer questions from the book. In this ongoing competition the best 3 students will be rewarded with cash prizes as follows: 1st Prize N30,000, 2nd Prize N15,000 and 3rd Prize N10,000.
We also have other competition in the pipeline and we are working out the modalities before we announce it to the public.
In the area of promoting reading among the students about two months ago, we organized a reading awareness campaign at Aveco Model College, Makurdi.
On 2021 ANA/Yusuf Ali Reading Awareness Campaign we have just concluded the campaign in the three senatorial districts of the state i.e. Zone A, B and C which was quite successful.
You can see that I was able to achieve all these goals because of teamwork and the hardwork of the members of the executive committee of ANA at the state level.
How do you grow membership strength in the state?
We grow membership strength in the state by what we do at the state level. In fact, we still have first ANA generation members like Prof. Idris Amali, Prof. David Ker and Maria Ajima, who are always advising us on things we should do to attract membership. And steadily we are increasing in numbers and strength. One thing we are doing that is attracting members is we don’t play with welfare of members especially financial members. And we also rally round members whenever they are presenting their books. We also support them financially.
What lesson has Covid-19 taught you all as writers?
Covid-19 has taught us a great lesson as writers first and foremost it taught us that self-care matters because we need to obey the rules that can keep us away from contracting the virus.
It has also taught us that learning at home through electronic media such as television is possible hence, as writers we should not just stop at publishing hard copy of book alone but also produce electronic copy i.e. e-copy for wider accessibility by our readers most especially and instructors that can stay at home and still have access to your work without necessarily going to a bookshop to purchase it.
Again it taught writers that a bad situation can turnaround for good because during the lockdown a lot of writers used the opportunity of staying in their houses without going to work to write a good number of quality books that are of great benefit to our society.
Today e-learning and teaching via radio and television is now a common thing in our country.
Before the advent of Covid-19 e-learning and teaching was not popular among us however we have all embraced it now.
Between poetry, drama and prose which has enabled the state the more now and before?
As I told us earlier ANA Benue has many writer laureates at national that cut across the major genres of literature poetry, prose and drama. So it is difficult to say that a particular genre has promoted the state more. In fact, in time to come the slogan of the state will change from the Food Basket of the nation to the Basket of Intelligence for the nation due to the quality and quantity of books that are being churned out.
These days it is very difficult for three days to pass without one hearing announcement of one or two public presentations of books on either Radio or Television in Benue. And in most cases the books released are of high quality that can favourably compete with other books anywhere in the world. So God has endowed the state with a lot of talented writers that cut across major genres of literature.
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