At 16, he wrote an inspirational book. At 18, he is already in his second year at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. What will he do next upon graduation or even before?
It is not the easiest of tasks grasping the phenomenon called Vincent Anioke. When did he start preparing for authorship or even leadership? But this much is clear: the teenage writer looks set for the heights. In his 547-page book, “Whirlwind of Metamorphosis”, he tackles some of the nation’s most distressing challenges: kidnapping, cultism and family tribulations.
He is studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at it he hopes to keep writing in order to help bring about change in the world, starting with his native Nigeria. Vincent was born in Enugu on August 26, 1996. He started writing the book at the age of 15 while in the Nigerian Turkish International College, Abuja where he developed a passion for Mathematics and writing. While in primary school in Enugu, Vincent won prizes for his academic excellence. Twice he represented Nigeria at the International Mathematics Olympiad, and was the overall best student in his school’s graduating class of 2012.
His “Whirlwind of Metamorphosis” was recently presented to the Nigerian public. At the launch, chairman of the event, former Minister of Power, Professor Barth Nnaji, in a recorded message, praised the writer for producing such a monumental work.
“I cannot tell you how impressed I am about this book. For being a matured writer, this is tremendous. For a young man, it is extraordinary,” Nnaji said.
The professor of Engineering applauded the writer’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Uche Anioke who guided their prodigious son to the path of greatness. Nnaji congratulated Vincent, hoping that he would write more books.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bora Farms and former Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area, Hon. Herbert Oji, spoke in a similar vein.
Oji said it is impressive that a young man at the age of 15 started writing such a captivating book, concluding it at16.The former council boss described Vincent as a literary giant and mathematician, pointing out that his achievements across the two fields, is a measure of his intelligence.
“It is amazing and we are very proud of him. It is a credit to Enugu State. He took off from there and came to Abuja. Now, he is in the United States studying at MIT,” Oji said.
Whirlwind of Metamorphosis received more accolades from the book reviewer, Professor Frank Asogwa who is Dean, Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT).
Asogwa said the book makes for scintillating and captivating reading, while capturing the travails and tribulations of the Nigerian society. Although the author would be 18 years this August, Asogwa assured that adults would find the way he captured things in the Nigerian society quite amazing.
“It is amazing in the sense that you pick a copy of the book and you find out that he is somebody who has given a lot of thought to Nigerian society. We take things for granted. Nigerians read a lot but the converse is the case. Nigerians don’t read,” Asogwa said.
On the impact the book would make on the lives of Nigerians, the Law Professor stated: “It will influence people to think twice, He addressed parents. He addressed youths. He addressed Nigerian society and once you read the book, you need to think twice on burning and topical issues he raised in the book.”
Here are excerpts of a telephone interview with the author:
Where did you get the inspiration to write this book?
At times when I am just walking around or sitting at home, I really get ideas about people’s lives and things like that and when the idea comes, I like to write about it. I do like watching television. There was one night I was watching the news with my parents and there was a kidnapping on television, someone who had been kidnapped. So, I was with them when they were talking about it. And I just had to imagine what it felt like to be kidnapped. And so, from there, I wanted to write a story about someone who has been kidnapped and how it will affect the family. From there I felt the passion to write about Nigeria’s problems and how the problems of our country can affect the family. So, it is there on TV that I just became inspired to write about our problems in the country.
At what age did you get inspired to write?
I have been writing short, short stories since primary four. Then I was about 7 or 8, but I wrote this particular book when I was 16.
Do you have other books in the pipeline?
Yes, I have a lot of them. There are some I have begun and have not finished. There are some I am just starting right now. I have a lot on the line.
How do you manage to cope with your studies and then writing?
Yeah, if you just have time, let’s say about two hours in a day, you do it. In just two hours it will accumulate. My writing, I do it about one or two hours every day. I spent the rest of the time, may be about 12 hours or more in a day studying. So, writing is what I do about one hour or two hours a day but over time it begins to accumulate.
Do you have a role model in writing?
Yes, I have two. One is Stephen king. He is an American writer. The other one is Chimamanda Adichie, the famous Nigerian writer. I read her book, Americana and I was so blown away by it.
Are you proud to be a Nigerian?
Yes, I am very proud to be a Nigerian. Most of my stories now are focused on the country. The next book I am going to come out with is different from this one. It is going to talk about poverty. The characters will be broken in that kind of way.
There is this fear that you end up as a writer than an engineer.
Yeah. I hope so. In future, maybe I have a job in an engineering company or along these lines. But on the side, I have always cherished writing. It is a balanced I maintained in the past and it is balance I intend to maintain throughout my life.
Can you tell us the role your parents played in your writing career?
Well, I don’t think I will have the interest or urge to write if I didn’t grow with the kind of books that they gave me that I read. And the more stories that I read, the more I wanted to write my own stories. So, they supplied me with the materials that inspired the passion. They always inspired me.
Does writing run in your family?
I believe so. I know that my father writes a lot too. And ever since the book launch, my younger brother has been trying to write his own book. But I think his own purpose is to make money.
