Denja Abdullahi, the
current vice president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), is
contesting for the association’s presidency. In this interview with ADEWALE
OSHODI he speaks on why he wants to lead the writers’ body, and what he
intends to achieve if elected. EXCERPTS:
•Denja Abdullahi
YOU are currently in contention to become the president of ANA;
what do you hope to achieve if elected?
I intend to galvanise
the talents, expertise and different pockets of competence the association is
blessed with in its membership to reposition it. In my long period of service
to the association, I have discovered that you can only achieve anything
significant, in the midst of the perennial paucity of funds, by leveraging on
and harnessing the potentials in members and other lovers of literature for identified
aims and objectives. I will also create working synergy between ANA and other
associations and bodies in the creative sector to fight for common goals that
will improve the lot of the sector such as ensuring the establishment of the
national endowment funds for the arts and the like. I will internationalise the
operations of the Associations and stake its claim in the scheme of governance
in Nigeria. I am also going to develop an eight-year strategic plan and
blueprint for the operations of the association from the year 2016 and well
into the future. My manifesto is long on what I will do to reposition ANA
if elected, but these are just a few of them and they are all translatable into
pockets of programmes, projects and activities.
As vice president of the association, what are those things you
have done which could serve as an advantage for you in your quest to lead the
association?
As Vice
President, I have loyally and faithfully served the cause of the association in
very many areas. I was the head of the team that audited the ANA Prizes and
recommended on the streamlining executed. I was ANA pointsman on the National
Transition Committee that ensured that a befitting burial was given
to the late founder of the association, Prof Chinua Achebe, in 2013. I also
played a major role as a member of the committee that celebrated Arrow of
God@50 across eight cities in Nigeria in 2014. I was the co-coordinator of the
Nigerian Writers Series (NWS) of ANA , where I oversaw the publications of ten
fictional titles under that imprint. I also followed to the end ANA’s winning
of its land case at an Abuja High Court in February 2012, having been the sole
and principal witness in the case for ANA between it and Home Securities Ltd,
which ran from 2008-2012. I also at various points stood effectively for the
president of ANA at important occasions and supported him adequately to
administer the association. Before my being elected VP, a position I have held
for close to 4 years, I have been an ex-officio member(2001-2003), Assistant
General Secretary(2003-2005),General Secretary(2005-2009),ex-officio
again(2009-2011) and VP(2011 to date); all at the national level, apart from my
local service to about four state chapters of the association. If these years
of proven staunch service to the Association and the experience garnered do not
stand me in good stead for my quest, I wonder what else will.
You are contesting against Mallam BM Dzukogi, who is your
friend; can’t you both reach a consensus, thereby making one to step down for
the other?
From what I have
recounted above, concession can be reached but will have to be predicated on
the fact of experience, ranking, length of service and widespread acceptability
among members of the association. It is also widely known among ANA members as
far back as even four years ago that I was on the track to becoming ANA
president eventually someday in the near future. I have even been nudged to
give it a shot times in the past, some by even aspirants who later became
presidents. By my nature, I will not go for an office when I feel I am not
ready for it, nor play the opportunistic card just for the sake of occupying a
position. I will rather support someone for an office if I know at a particular
time that the person will be better at it than me rather than going for it
myself. I have done that in ANA a couple of times. Right now as we speak, I am
prepared and ready to lead the association and I know I will not fail. I am not
saying leading ANA is my birthright. It is not, anyone can aspire and even get
there. I am aspiring like any other person and I am ready to present myself to
the congress for election. Let them decide if I am competent to lead the
association or not.
One of the problems ANA is facing is fund generation, and the last
convention in Ibadan almost did not hold but for the intervention of the
Goodluck Jonathan administration. If you are elected, how would you make ANA
rely less on government for funding?
I have said in
my manifesto that I will take the hard-nosed decisions that will wean the
association from over-dependence on government patronage with regards to
funding of conventions and other programmes and projects. We will do this by
actively cultivating individuals, corporate bodies, local and foreign grant-giving
agencies and foundations for institutional supports. We will also ensure that
members live up fully to their responsibilities of membership. I will also
create platforms for the facilitation of creative support to the association
through payment of dues by members at all times and other voluntary financial
contributions for the running of its affairs. I will ensure that the Mamman
Jiya Vatsa Writers’ Resort in Abuja is eventually built and operational with
all the income generating facilities placed on it and subsequently run like
business so that the association will become financially solvent.
It was former Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu who assisted the
association with the take-off grant for the Nigerian Writers Series; what is
the fate of the project now that Dr Aliyu is no more in power?
The project was
designed to outlive the initial grant given by the former governor. The project
was designed to be self sustaining with aggressive marketing and profit from
initial runs and prints ploughed into subsequent releases. We have done the
first phase of the project (call for manuscripts, assessment, publication and
presentation) we are now on the second phase where we will know if the model we
have for it will work or not.
You are a member of the outgoing Remi Raji presidency; how would
you rate the performance of the administration?
The administration has done well. It has
introduced some modernity. quality and order into the affairs and
activities of the association. I rate the Remi Raji’s administration very
well above average. My rating is modest and restrained, let the people we serve
rate us.
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