After many years of dragging its feet, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has finally erected a corporate headquarters befitting of its status. It is called Mamman Vatsa’s Writers Village. It is located at Mpape, Abuja where writers and other interested individuals can always trip to, to work and probably hang out. The property is vast. It has enough rooms and ambiance to satisfy the needs for which it is intended. EDOZIE UDEZE reports.
The story of Mamman Vatsa’s Writers Village, Mpape, Abuja, is typical of a journey of a thousand miles that begins with the first few steps. It is a glorious story often strewn with pleasant and rough edges. It is a development that indeed astounded most people, even those who have given their wherewithal to it all. It began in 1986. That year, the then Federal Capital Territory Minister the late Major General Mamman Vatsa deemed it expedient to allot large acres of land to the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) to build their permanent headquarters, writers enclave inclusive.
Vatsa himself was a soldier poet, a situation that irked most of his colleagues in the military. But he was a deeply committed soldier as well, and one who gave all his all to his literary calling. And seeing how ‘homeless’, ANA had become, he gave that area of land in Mpape to the association to erect its headquarters. Termed Writers Village, ANA officials quickly claimed the land, but did practically nothing to secure it for the sake of posterity.
The lull in properly securing the land for immediate development stemmed from the fact that Vatsa was immediately arrested on charges of coup plot against the government of General Ibrahim Babaginda. Soon after, however, Vatsa and his colleagues, senior and junior officers, were tried and executed. This somewhat shifted attention from the plots of land, from its decisive development.
But beyond that, ANA land remained intact, somewhat sacrosanct. Moreover, leaders came and went. Yet no concrete action was taken to commence meaningful infrastructural development. Moments of lacuna, rancor, acrimony, erupted. Claims and counter claims reared their heads, stunting progress, distorting movement forward. In the meantime ANA rotated, roved and roamed from state to state for venues for its yearly conventions. It became a point of going cap in hand to secure venues, and for states to agree to host this annual ritual.
But like all’s well that ends well, a few years ago, President Denja Abdullahi with his executives in office chose the part of honour, in a very dignifying way as it were, to brush all odds aside for the sake of concerted actions on the land. Then began the very first stages of the development of infrastructure on the property. This was in 2018. By 2019, the efforts had glaringly become visible, more manifested.
A tour of the facilities in 2019, saw a place with big projects, tall dreams that have today resulted to and metamorphosed into a big, gigantic, corporate headquarters for the writers clan in Nigeria. You don’t need to go far or look far afield to see or glimpse the oriental nature of Mamman Vatsa Writers Resort once you are in Mpape, Abuja. It is sprawling; it is arresting. Very clearly defined, designated and planned and executed to suit the urge to want to write and be celebrated, the location is also alluring, remarkably positioned for the necessary allure.
By the way, Mpape is located within the proximity of Abuja towards Niger State. It is a border enclave, with ever growing neighbourhood serving as a gateway to those who pitch their tents there. A real village setting for now, Mpape is breezy, the ample spaces and the curvy nature of the esplanades are typical. Not necessarily hidden, its most attractive nature lies in the hilly-valley outlook. This curvy outlook and ambiance are what appeal to the writers body, in and out of season.
The curvy nature of the premises, has endeared it to all. Inside the premises are many catchy, remarkable edifices. The main building harbours the conference halls. It is big enough to host as many as fifteen to twenty thousand delegates if need be. There are halls of different sizes to complement the main bowl. It has galleries and adjoining compartments that empty also into the main bowl.
It is centrally air-conditioned which has indeed proved that the developer, and builder retired Colonel K.K. Shaw is a man of tact and taste. It is of note that these different compartments can host different programmes simultaneously without interfering with one another. Last year when the centre was used for the first time for the ANA annual convention, delegates were indeed awed. With mouths open and surprises written on their faces, a lot of writers were spellbound at the beautiful sight. The convention held with pomp and ceremony. Delegates, old and young, had splendid moments. A tourist delight, the village is good as an example of an effort in resilience.
The current ANA President Comrade Camillus Ukah is equal to the task. In the past three years or so, he has never relented. A few months ago, he equally called writers together at Mpape to commission yet another portion of the edifice completed forthwith. It is the Professor Femi Osafisan Secretariat, so named because not only that Osofisan is a patriarch of ANA, he is one of its stabilizing forces. That day also witnessed a galaxy of activities synonymous with the usual literary glitz and razzmatazz for which artists are known, recognized and cherished.
There is a library. There is a hall of fame in which are kept pictures of all past and serving presidents of ANA. The room glitters, replete with history. Also there are offices, with the offices of the president and secretary serving as examples of what deep, well-executed architectural masterpieces should look like. ANA has also almost completed the hotel rooms. The rooms come handy for writers who need to unwind or explore once in a while. The rooms are likely going to be named after many writers, iconoclastic authors who have proved their mettle over the years. The rooms have all the necessary comforts of a five star arrangement. Each room is well-ordered, with all its modern facilities to meet the needs of lodgers.
Away from that, is the arrangement to organize writers residency programmes. This will help authors to indulge in the coziness of the environment, enjoy the quiet ambiance of the village to produce classical works of literature. All said, ANA today has one of the best, one of the most modern, stupendous corporate headquarters. Often, even cynics use the efforts of those behind the actualization of this huge project to justify the age-long saying that he who laughs last, laughs best. ANA’s laughter is not just the best, it is glamorous and infectious, glorious and eternal, indeed ever-gregarious.
A laughter that is engineered to reignite steem and spark a push in the minds of writers, it is no longer a moment to lose focus or begrudge yourself for choosing these paths. Nigerian writers and authors are very proud of themselves today because they have achieved what looked utopian before.
