SCORECARD OF PRAGMATIC DELIVERABLES-
2017: THE DENJA ABDULLAHI’S ANA PRESIDENCY AT A GLANCE
On
November 14, 2015 at the 34th 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:
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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.
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Rising from its 2nd Inaugural
meeting of 18th 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.
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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.
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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 2nd
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 16th July,2017 and a courtesy call to
the Governor of Edo State with ANA Edo on 14th of July,2017,at which
event books were donated to the Edo State Library Board.
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The 6th National Executive Council
Meeting with Chairmen and Secretaries of ANA Chapters held on the 4th
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).
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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 35th 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.
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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.
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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 14th 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 5th
of July,2017.
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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 5th 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.
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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.
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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.
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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 21st
Century on the 21st 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.
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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.
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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.
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ANA donated 100 copies of its NWS 2 titles to
the children of the IDP camp in Kuchingoro, Abuja on 7th of
September 2017 World Literacy Day Celebration.
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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.
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Members of the ANA National Executive Council
attended the 3rd Northern Nigeria Writers Summit which held in
Katsina State between 3rd-5th October,2017 under the
theme: “Literature and National Integration: The Role of Writers as Bridge
Builders.”
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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.
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ANA successfully held a well-attended and
very memorable 36th International Annual Convention in Makurdi
hosted by the Benue State Government from the 27-30 October, 2017.
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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 36th International
Annual Convention which held in Makurdi,Benue State in October,2017.
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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.
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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.
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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 23rd of November,2017 at Gombe, Gombe State.
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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.
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ANA donated 100 volumes of contemporary
literary texts to the Library of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo
State in December,2017.
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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.
