2017 Scorecard of Pragmatic Deliverables: The Denja Abdullahi’s ANA Presidency at a Glance

SCORECARD OF PRAGMATIC DELIVERABLES- 2017: THE DENJA ABDULLAHI’S ANA PRESIDENCY AT A GLANCE

On November 14, 2015 at the 34^th International Annual Convention of ANA held in Kaduna, the 2015-2017 National Executive Council was elected with Mallam Denja Abdullahi as the President. The following are the delivery of both National Executive Councils under the leadership of Denja Abdullahi in 2017:

• ·        The National Executive Council of ANA in late 2016 and spilling over to February,2017, was able to network with Chevron Nigeria Plc, the sponsor of the long rested ANA/Chevron  Prose Prize on Writings on the Environment , for the redemption of the prize money of $2,000 each for the winning entries of year 2011 and 2014(The Poacher’s Daughter by Prof Jonah Agunwamba  and Oil Cemetery by Prof May Ifeoma Nwoye) respectively.
• ·        Rising from its 2^nd Inaugural meeting of 18^th February,2017 at Abuja, ANA signed an MOU with STRADA Development Initiative establishing ANA Programme on Preventing and  Countering Violent Extremism(ANA-PCVE). The programme has 6 members of ANA drawn from the 6 Geo-Political Zones of the country as members. The programme manager is from STRADA.
• ·        ANA for the year 2017 further streamlined its literary prizes by removing from its array of advertised prizes a few prizes whose endowments have since expired or which no longer received competitive entries.
• ·        ANA National Executive Council in the year 2017 partnered with some of its chapters in the staging of special programmes and events such as the marking of the World Book Day by ANA Bauchi on 2^nd March 2017; inauguration of ANA Kano Executive Council and courtesy call to the Emir of Kano on March 30 ,2017 ; A Day with Wole Soyinka by Bayeslsa State Government with ANA Bayelsa on 16^th July,2017 and a courtesy call to the Governor of Edo State with ANA Edo on 14^th of July,2017,at which event books were donated to the Edo State Library Board.
• ·        The 6^th National Executive Council Meeting with Chairmen and Secretaries of ANA Chapters held on the 4^th of May,2017 in Ilorin, Kwara State to review the annual Yusuf Ali literary awareness project and other developments in the Association with a view to aligning the Association’s future activities in line with the Strategic Plan document of the Association(2017-2022).
•  ·        ANA Donated 100 new titles of books, sourced from its 2016 and 2017 literary prizes entries, to the Justice Mustapha Akanbi Foundation Library in Ilorin in May 2017. The Foundation which was made an honorary member of the Association at the 35^th Anniversary Convention of ANA, has been hosting the ANA National Executive Council Meeting with Chairmen and Secretaries of Chapters since 2012. Earlier on in January,2017, ANA donated some books to the Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Jos, towards refurbishing the University’s burnt Library under the Beauty from Ashes project of the University.
•  ·         In February 2017, ANA National Executive Council in conjunction with the ANA land Development Committee instituted a monthly monitoring scheme of the development on ANA Land in Mpape ,Abuja with specific developmental timelines agreed with the developer. This culminated in the Foundation Laying and Tree-planting Ceremony  held on the land on the 26 of May,2017 with a serving Senator, a member of the House of Representatives, members of the ANA land committee, members of  ANA National Advisory Council and other members in attendance. Work is on-going on the land.
•  ·        ANA in partnership with Poetry In Nigeria(PIN) held a night of Poetry Performance in the Indigenous languages at the Nzeh Mada Festival held in Akwanga on the 14^th of April,2017.This is in furtherance of the promise made for partnering with the Mada Community in bringing in innovation to the Festival events.
•  ·        Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria(REPRONIG), a collection society for copyright owners of literary works paid a courtesy call to ANA on April 2017 in Abuja, led by Chairman of its board, Prof Olu Obafemi, to lay the foundation of a mutually beneficial partnership with ANA. ANA President later attended a workshop on copyright licensing in Tertiary Institutions held by the Society and The Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities in Abuja between 8-9 August,2017. 
•  ·        ANA National in partnership with ANA Lagos hosted the annual Authors’ Groove at the Nigerian International Book Fair Held in University of Lagos on the 12 of May,2017 with a special focus on the National Book Policy. ANA Documentary Film “Dancing Mask: The ANA Story” was screened at the event.
• ·        ANA furthered its linkage activities with foreign literary Associations by cooperating with the Society of Nepali Writers in English, leading to the translation of the poetry of 8 Nigerian poets into Nepali language and published in a bilingual Nepali journal in July 2017. Already, works are on-going in producing an anthology of 25 Nigerian poets in a bilingual Nepali book.
• ·        ANA facilitated the process leading to the honouring of one of its trustees, Labo Yari, by the Kaduna State Government with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening Ceremony of the maiden Kaduna State Books and Arts Festival(KABAFEST),which held in Kaduna on the 5^th of July,2017.
• ·        ANA in its strategic identification with its members, friends and Associates in their times of joys and sorrows was present at the funeral of the son of its foremost benefactor, Haruna Mamman Jiya Vatsa, on  the 5^th Of July,2017 in Kaduna. The President later led a team of ANA members to pay a condolence visit to the family at their residence in Kaduna the next day. Similarly, ANA was at the funeral prayer for the father of its benefactor, Yusuf Ali, held in May 2017 in Ibadan and was on condolence visit to Dr Wale Okediran, Former ANA President, who lost his wife in December,2016. ANA had had cause to release official tributes and obsequies, attend Nights of Tributes on the passage of prominent writers and literary critics in the years under review such as Isidore Okpewho, Buchi Emecheta, Senator Muktari Abdulkarim, Osita Ike, Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo, Charry Ada Onwu, Onuorah Nzekwu, Abiola Irele and Adebayo Faleti.
• ·        ANA activated its publishing outfit NWS Publishers with the appointment of a Managing Editor in the person of Mr Osarobu Igudia in 2016, leading to the processes that eventuality saw to the publication of three (3) new children’s literature titles under the Nigerian Writers Series imprint in August, 2017 that was earmarked to be used to power the A-Book-A-Child nationwide project of the Association.
• ·        ANA in the year 2017 at various times was in secondary schools in Enugu, Abia, and Bayelsa States to inaugurate the Young Writers Mentoring Scheme in furtherance of nurturing literary creativity among teenagers and young persons.
• ·        ANA in Partnership with Federal University, Ndufu –Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi State was scheduled to hold a one day symposium on The Expanding Frontiers in Nigeria’s Creative Writing in the 21^st Century on the 21^st of August,2017 which was disrupted by the nationwide ASUU The symposium  has been rescheduled to hold in November 2017 and the  maiden ANA national annual conference on the criticism of emergent Nigerian Literature  will  hold in 2018.
• ·        In the year under review, the National Executive Council of ANA assisted in the formation of a new chapter in Bauchi State and  revitalized the chapter in Gombe State.
• ·        ANA established a partnership in August 2017 with Bold Scholar Research Nigeria Ltd, an ICT solution company to revamp its website www.ana-nigeria.com; which was remodeled into a dynamic and highly interactive platform to become the best so far in the history of the Association.
• ·        ANA donated 100 copies of its NWS 2 titles to the children of the IDP camp in Kuchingoro, Abuja on 7^th of September 2017 World Literacy Day Celebration.
• ·        ANA got the consent of the Wife of the Governor of Imo State, Ugo Nnenna  Nkechi Rochas Okorocha in October,2017 to be the key facilitator and brand driver of its A-BOOK-A-CHILD Nationwide book distribution project.
• ·        Members of the ANA National Executive Council attended the 3^rd Northern Nigeria Writers Summit which held in Katsina State between 3^rd-5^th October,2017 under the theme: “Literature and National Integration: The Role of Writers as Bridge Builders.”
• ·        ANA in October, 2017 published the book Arrows or Gods? Critical Essays on the Leadership Question in Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God from the proceedings from the celebrations of Arrow of God at 50 in 2014 by The Achebe Foundation and ANA.
• ·        ANA successfully held a well-attended and very memorable 36^th International Annual Convention in Makurdi hosted by the Benue State Government from the 27-30 October, 2017.
• ·        Three distinguished members of the Association (Prof. Sam Ukala,Prof Idris Amali and Prof Akachi Ezeigbo) were inducted as fellows of the Association at the 36^th International Annual Convention which held in Makurdi,Benue State in October,2017.
• ·        ANA National Executive Council led by the President visited Federal University Ndufu-Alikwe Ikwo to meet the Vice Chancellor over the proposed partnership on criticism conference, attended Prof Akachi Ezeigbo’s book launch and to inaugurate the Young Writers Mentorship Scheme within the University from 8-9 November,2017.
• ·        ANA organized a panel in partnership with CORA on the dearth of literary criticism in contemporary literary sphere at the Lagos Book and Arts Festival(LABAF) of the Committee of Relevant Arts(CORA) in November,2017.Three writers of the Nigerian Writers Series 2 books were also sponsored by ANA to participate in the Children’s Green festival component  anchored by Sola Alamutu.
• ·        ANA attended the 2017 Gombe Day of Literature organized by Halimafactor Initiative and sponsored the prizes for the Junior Category Poetry Awards under its Young Writers Mentorship Scheme. The event held on the 23^rd of November,2017 at Gombe, Gombe State.
• ·        ANA participated in the drafting of the MOU between The National Library of Nigeria and The National Library of Norway on the digitization of literary text written in the Nigerian indigenous languages in December, 2017.
• ·        ANA donated 100 volumes of contemporary literary texts to the Library of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State in December,2017.
• ·        ANA participated in the National Conference on Quality Education :Access and Rights Management in Nigeria organized by REPRONIG and Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities in Lagos on 27 November,2017.