By Yinka Fabowale
Oyo State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has inaugurated a new leadership to pilot its affairs for the next two years.
The seven-man executive is headed by Biola Saka Layonu, the association’s immediate past chairman, who was returned for another term in an election held on Saturday, October 15.
A media consultant, Layonu had his mandate renewed with 16 votes to the two garnered by Saka Olaide, a chartered marketer and management professional, who contested the poll, part of the program of activities marking the writers’ guild biennial convention.
He is joined by a mix of new and old officers in the previous exco.
Fresh on board as Vice Chairman and Secretary are Rufus Kehinde, both Chief Lecturers at the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo and Alaba Bridget Oluwafunmilola (Assistant Secretary). Others who retained their former posts are Busayo Fakunle, (Publicity Secretary); Akinwande Funmilayo (Financial Secretary) and Adeogun Olasunbo (Treasurer).
The reelected Chairman pledged to rededicate himself to advancing the growth and interests of ANA and its members, saying his erstwhile achievement-packed tenure would be a child’s play to new initiatives in the offing for the next two years.
The election of the new officers is sequel to a discussion which opened the literary gathering on Friday.
The talkshop, with the theme: “Socio-Religious Conflicts, Cultural Diversity And Social Vices: The Role of The Nigerian Author, was chaired by former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Ambassador Yemi Farounbi.
Dr. Osarobu Igudia, a Lecturer at the University of Ibadan, who set the tone in a Keynote address, urged creative writers to emphasize plays, poems and stories that promote virtues of patriotism, unity, love, peace, good governance, and play down conflicts and other divisive issues as themes.
Such endeavors, he also advised, should target children and youths for positive reorientation.
Also, Igudia urged ANA to partner government, well-meaning Nigerians and other stakeholders to endow literary prizes and organize writing competitions to further encourage the young and promote peace and understanding.
A panel of discussants moderated by a former Chairman of the association, Jared Ajayi and comprising Philomena Ngozi Nwoko, a doctoral student in the Department of Classics, Yinka Fabowale, a media executive and Tiwatope Oluwaseyi, an author of children’s literature, blamed ignorance, prejudice and bias among others as factors fueling ethno-religious conflicts, social vices and insecurity.
They charged writers to be open-minded, fair and objective and promote pace in their writings.
The literary festival climaxes in a gala/awards nite.
