The Quest for the Gem of Arubia is a children story that touches on the nerves of morality. It is a book written in a beautiful and well-ordered format to arrest the attention of children and teach them to be better citizens of the nation. What is the real perception of Abinos in a society like Nigeria where some people are seen as abnormal and the like.
The author of the book, Augusta Okon, a lawyer and former publicity secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Lagos State chapter, hints on the imperativeness of this great story told to arrest the attention of children. “Yes, as a child this albino realized that he has all it takes to make it in life. He did not waste time in tapping into what he has to be who he ended up to be in life.”
An inspiring book, it is good for the moral upbringing of children. “Well, adults can also read and appreciate it,” Okon explains. “It is good for adults, for it addresses a theme that borders on our lives as a people. Adults can also draw from the theme. The book presentation will take place on April 28th. May be because of my background as well, I love books being released in a formal way.”
Even then, Okon has been involved in other scripts as a lawyer. She is not only involved in entertainment issues as a lawyer, she is fully occupied as a writer, giving all she can for the welfare of ANA. “However, I focus more on entertainment law. As a publicity secretary of ANA in Lagos, I was able to get deeper into the affairs of writers. And you know ANA, Lagos, is one of the busiest of ANA chapters in Nigeria.”
As a lawyer, Okon discovered that there is no way she could run away from the natural lure to write. “As I was even growing up, I discovered that I could also write. I don’t think it is a question of whether I am a lawyer or not. If you have the passion to write, there is no way you can suppress it. if you discover the talent that you have, why not develop it?
This was why she began from her secondary school days to write. “But for a while, I left writing. Now I have come back to it and it is time to move on. I came back a few years ago to work on this book. I know that children need positive books to help them grow. This is why I have chosen to work on this. This was why too, I didn’t want to tell the usual story of tortoise and the animal kingdom. This is why this book is different and refreshing.”