Bm Dzukogi’s Ana Presidency To Increase Capacity Of Writers In Nigeria
The Association of Nigerian Authors being the largest guild of writers worldwide has over the years remained active towards promoting Nigerian writers and their literatures.
BM Dzukogi, a former National Treasurer and General-Secretary of the Association who has played and is still playing a very significant role towards the development of Literature in Nigeria for over two decades has announced his intention to vie for the Presidency of the association this year in a nation-wide SMS messages to members. He is a versatile craftsman and philosopher par excellence. Presently, he is the Director General of the Niger State Book and Other Intellectual Resource Development Agency; the first and the only of such kind of organization in Nigeria established through his effort and that of Professor Yahaya Kuta by the Niger State government to promote the book in Nigeria.
In his article “Seeking a Path for ANA” published by the Nigerian Tribune of 5th February, 2002, Dzukogi lamented about his wishes for our association thus: “Since the inception of ANA, one's regret has been lack of something on ground for the young writer to climb diligently towards realising himself. The association lacks plans, consciously put on ground for literary development of the young ones. What we see is individualism and reckless display of ego at convention grounds.
As members of the same family, we see only once in a year as if writing is only about convention. As if that is not shameful enough, you hardly can tell what you picked when you go back home except a ridiculous bag whose quality my little boy has contempt for.
Can't we do other things outside convention? Can't we prepare a calendar of literary activities (annual) in Nigeria? Okay, lest I forget, I do know that there is the incessant controversy that has nothing to do with literature but often treaded on such trivialities as who leads ANA. A curse often traded cheaply with ethnic cards and craft. ANA can do better things to enhance the growth of writing in Nigeria and to make her branches happy. We need an agenda, a long-term plan, drawn from branches across the country. This way, we would be able to grow in an organised manner as an Association”. These were genuine feelings of a member who desired to grow in literary art through institutional platforms which were glaringly lacking in ANA at the time. By the time of this lamentation, Dzukogi had already published his first poetry collection which made its way into the five shortlists of 1996 ANA Poetry prize. Others on the shortlist were writers like Chidi Ngangah, Joe Ushie, Pius Adesanmi and Maryln Ogbuwo. If these guys progressed in writing, i doubt if it was because of the existence of structures in ANA. This is not to appreciate the communal platform offered by the association for literary fraternity. At least, that has kept us together. What was there for Dzukogi and his likes to do, sit back and continue to lament about the association's inability to put up structures for the development of young ones? No.
ANA Niger, over the years, has proved to be the most coercive, progressive, passionate, adventurous and ambitious of all the state chapters in the federation. This is evident in her activities and commitments to the young and old in the arts.
Similarly, over the years, Dzukogi has become a person that literary historiography will reckon with aside being a pillar for literary innovation and sustenance in Nigeria, his contributions are visible on the banner of his age-long activism. The Niger Literary fraternity has mothered bunch of great ideas all of which Dzukogi spearheaded as group organizer or as the initiator or an individual. Everything we do in life requires a foundation, the better the foundation, the greater the success story. Dzukogi happily initiates such foundations for the benefit of young writers and group.
The Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs popularly known as ASCAFS has been on for twenty one years; a platform where Secondary school children discover their potential for arts, thanks to Dzukogi who drafted it in 1995 and presented the idea to his colleagues for implementation. Along with other members of the 1994 exco of ANA Niger, a literary movement concerned with regenerative ideals was born to propagate arts. This has since become the abiding philosophy of writers in Niger State – the Fourth Order.
An enabling environment is an essential factor towards the development of the art, discovering talents was not good enough for Dzukogi. The philosopher, in 2004, founded the Hill-Top Arts Centre with the sole aim of nurturing, sharpening and promoting the artistry of the discovered children with the gift of arts. One of those Children today, is the famous Journalist and Writer, Alkasim Abdulkadir. Although the centre took off properly after Alkasim's graduation, himself a host of others were published in the HillTop Anthology as a build-up.
Dzukogi also initiated 'Reading for Life programme (Reading Educational Activities for Development – READ) aimed at encouraging the reading habit of children in schools.
In his strides to give literature a befitting hospitality, Dzukogi saw to the initiation and the passing into law the bill establishing the Niger State Book and Other Intellectual Resources Development Agency. Hear what Dzukogi said when he was asked about the significance of the organisation by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim of Sunday Trust "The significance is the final institutionalization of creative writing in Niger state where annually, we are sure government will provide funds through statutory allocation for publishing our numerous young writers. Similarly, the development now seals the fact that there is recognition of our existence as writers and artists by the state. This act will consciously promote reading and book development at grassroots. Then you can safely say that, as writers in Nigeria, we now have a home we can call ours at the Agency" The Agency has since been the convener of the Nigeria's Apex Literary Discourse Platform, the MBA International Literary Colloquium. The colloquium wouldn't have been recording success story without the projection and consistence of the Chief Designer and Coordinator; Dzukogi who is among the architects of the colloquium in 2011.
Today, the imprint of the Association of Nigerian Authors aimed towards supporting the generation of new writings by new Nigerian writers in practical ways that include big time sponsorships to conferences, workshops, book sales, cannot be called upon without Dzukogi's name boldly written in capital letters. The Northern Nigerian Writers Summit was an initiative of ANA Niger sold to other chapters in the north; Dzukogi and his active writer-colleagues have vigorously pursued the ideal since 2008. He just announced to us that the third edition will come up this year where he promise to route for the introduction of Arewa Children Literary Series, an idea they mooted ten years ago in ANA Niger.
As part of his concern for capacity building initiatives and super-mentoring, the Indefatigable B. M. Dzukogi amongst host of amazing literary innovations in Nigeria, established the MBA Book Hawker Scheme in Niger State, a programme solely aimed at giving easy access to books students in the state. Another is the Minna Literary Series, a unique platform created towards developing creative writing and promoting young authors in Niger State. The joker and the most ambitious of Dzukogi's literary adventure in arts promotion is his idea of a Nigerian Writers Series carried to the 2011 convention upon which he was elected as the General-Secretary. He promised to establish the series and seek for funds for it; Dzukogi did, largely from a big support of N10m from his home governor. Ten titles have been presented to the public in November 2015. Even the National Teen Authorship Scheme of the national body was courtesy Dzukogi where he went further to secure N1m grant to publish five chapters of Katsina, Abia, Kogi, Kano and Abuja in 2012.
Along with Ahmed Mawaida as the sole financier, Dzukogi and Kamar conducted workshops and published seven school-based teen authors' anthologies in Niger State in 2007 to further dig out talents. What do you expect from the author of over seven titles, himself who says two years only is good enough for him to make his final impact as president of ANA on Nigerian literature?
The latest of his exploits is the establishment of the Minna Literary Series under which Paul and Saddiq have already been published. Currently, Origami is publishing Maryam Bobi while Kraftbooks is handling books by Halima Aliyu, Deborah Oluniran and my humble self. All the titles will be out by March 2015.
All for literature sake, Dzukogi has not only contributed tremendously towards its growth but has devoted a substantial part of his fifty years on earth towards the growth of art, voluntarily. He has also ensured that the human capability of those with gifts of the arts maintains balance between morals, discipline, values, ethics, volunteerism, good citizenship, sacrifice under group philosophy of oneness and camaraderie. He is our father, teacher, leader and friend; always with us, under the tree.
B. M. Dzukogi coming to serve as the National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors simply means the revolutionizing of the pen banner of Nigerian Pen Soldiers. I mean if he has been able to record such an overwhelming success as an arts promoter, writer and administrator, then without an iota of hesitation, he should be the next president of the Association of Nigerian Authors because he has lived by one of his famous quotations: 'idea is greater than man'.