THE National Executive of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has inducted the Director-General, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Dr. John O. Asein, into the prestigious college of ANA Fellows, following the conferment of the award in recognition of his laudable contributions and value-centred consciousness which has positively impacted the growth of ANA and Nigerian literature.
The DG and 24 other deserving writers and illustrious personages were inducted into the Fellowship during the ANA 41st International Convention at the Mamman Vatsa Writers Village, Mpape, Abuja on Thursday, 27th October 2022.
National President, ANA, Dr. Camillus Ukah, while delivering a speech during the induction stated “I feel honoured to present this year’s Fellows and to induct them into dignity and to service. As we carefully and dutifully build our College of Fellows, let us note that our Fellows are a constellation of stars. They are men and women of integrity and creative excellence. It is our prayer that God will grant them longevity, sound body and mind to enable them to come and constantly bring their greatness amongst us to inspire all of us”.
Commenting on the award sequel to his investiture, the DG, NCC, expressed gratitude to the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of ANA for the honour as “it shows the increased level of confidence in the NCC and its activities.”
In his words, “There is still so much to be done to change the copyright narrative and make authorship more rewarding in Nigeria. It is a task that must be done and I am happy that ANA is joining the campaign with all the iconic voices. This is the partnership that NCC needs. Together, we can bring about that change, one sector at a time, to revamp our creative economy.”
He used the opportunity to restate the Commission’s commitment to sanitisiting the book value chain by continuous engagement with relevant stakeholders to rid the country of piracy and to ensure that authors earned the right remunerations from their intellectual endeavours.
The Chairman, ANA Board of Trustees, Professor Ernest Emenyonu, in his charge, called for inclusion and the need for ANA members to embrace eminent Nigerians who have written in Nigerian languages. He called on the Federal Government to reverse the abysmal neglect of African Literature and make it a separate and autonomous subject in the Nigerian school curriculum. He urged the private sector to help fund publications in Nigerian languages.
The inducted ANA Fellows are expected to provide guidance, institutional support to aid professional development of the association; steer the body in the area of mentorship, supporting it materially and providing its members technical skills; training in sustainable writing discipline, ethics and editing manuscripts; helping younger associations and guild members to develop professional skills, cultivate leadership abilities, gain confidence in writing and realise their writing career dreams.
The Fellowship is conferred upon deserving individuals for dedicated service to the Association and proven contributions to the development of Nigerian literature. Previous ANA Fellows included: Prof. Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, J P Clark, Mabel Segun, Labo Yari, T. M. Aluko, Kole Omotoso, Femi Osofisan, Olu Obafemi, Ken Saro-Wiwa. Others were Elechi Amadi, Zaynab Alkali, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Dora Akunyili, Olusegun Obasanjo etc.
Highlights of the 41st ANA International Convention were the presentation of the keynote address on the theme of the convention: “Literature and National Consciousness: The Story As A Catalyst” by Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’allah; unveiling of: One Child – One Book -One Week Project by ANA Ambassador, Mrs. Bukola Ladoja; and rendition of a song by Copyright Music Legend, Bongos Ikwue.
Amos Abutu
For: Director-General
