I have lived all my life not to allow money to disturb m -Femi Onileagbon

Onileagbon

The chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State chapter, Femi Onileagbon, in this interview with ADA DIKE, among other issues speaks on the need for writers to register as members of ANA.

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*Among all the projects you proposed to do in your manifesto, which one of

them have you completed?

I was elected as the chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Lagos State chapter in September 2013; my tenure will end in August 2015.

One of the things I promised to do was to ensure that ANA Lagos works as a body. So during last year’s convention in Akure, Ondo State, I was able to get the body of writers to go for the convention as one. We went together and came back together.

I also promised to introduce an end of the year party which we started last year, sponsored by Dr. Tolu Ajayi.

I promised that I would start a programme called Vintage Wine and Fresh Blend. We had the maiden show on January 25, 2013, sponsored by poet, columnist and The Editorial Board Chairman of the Nation, Mr. Sam Omatseye.

One of my manifestos was that they would be a board of directors in ANA Lagos. We have a board of directors, headed by the first chairman of ANA Lagos, Dr. Tolu Ajayi.

*Are you satisfied with all that you have achieved?

No, I am not. I am only at the surface of what I want to do as the chairman of ANA Lagos. Also, one of the things I promised to do which we have secured provisionally is that ANA Lagos will bring the body of Nigerian writers and the world to ANA National Convention in Lagos. We are billed to hold ANA convention in Lagos in 2015, but I am not satisfied because I want ANA to be able to do publish four lectures namely: the Chinua Achebe Lecture, Wole Soyinka Lecture, Akachi Ezeigbo Lecture and Otunba Solarin Lecture plus one international lecture – Kofi Awoonor Lecture.

*Many other states chapters look up to ANA Lagos as their model, but it seems they are a lot of factions in ANA Lagos. How far have you gone to re-unite your members in order to move the chapter forward?

 I really don’t know about factions but I know that there were misunderstandings. Permit me to mention names. We have Chike Ofili who is seen as an enfant terrible in ANA Lagos. He is really not. He is just a man who wants to put his opinion across and if you understand where he is coming from, you will know where he is going.

After my election, the first person to congratulate me was Ofili and when ANA Lagos put up a partnership with the University of Lagos (Unilag) for the Kofi Awoonor memorial which was held at the boardroom of Theatre Arts Department of the University of Lagos,  he was also the first person to send a text message to me to say: “Femi, you are going in the right direction.”

Blessed Mudiaga is another person that is seen as a very controversial figure. But the interesting thing is that, in the cause of the arrangement we made to go to the convention, I think he felt that something new is coming to ANA. He came on his own. It was nice being together at Akure. There are really no factions.

Over the years, ANA Lagos went into a state of stupor and people were doing their things differently. We are trying to bring everybody back into an umbrella body. You can do your readings but let us gather as one body.

*What other things do you intend to achieve before the expiration of your tenure?

We want to run programmes and if we get venues, I will be glad. Venue is usually the problem we always encounter. But we have been able to secure a space from the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts
Practitioners (NANTAP). For the first time, ANA was able to put up a stage production. It has never happened before. We achieve a lot when people pay their dues.

This year we want to do a lot of projects and put at least 40% of its proceeds into our pause. We don’t want to depend only on our dues this year. When I was a secretary some years ago, ANA was lively and many people wanted to come. We want to bring the older writers back and encourage the younger ones to attend. If people like Toni Kan who can afford to donate N100,000 turns up, things will change for the better in ANA.

Moreover, I will be happy if the costs of books are reduced so that young Nigerians can afford to buy and read them. I know a little bit about printing, the cost of publishing books is high. Averagely, printing a book is not supposed to be more than N300.00 or N500.00, but people sell it at N1000,00. Who wants to buy a book at high price?

*How are you people coping with sales since many people find it difficult to read books?

People are reading but sometimes, the prices of books are out of their reach. The essential thing people try to solve is food, clothing and shelter before they think of buying books. That is why ANA Lagos is trying to make sure that people can afford to buy books. The first thing is to bring the prices of books down so that pirates will no longer have a field day.

*How can you bring the prices of books down when the cost of publishing a book is high?

Even if it is N100.00 or N200.00, it makes a difference. One can have two version of a book –high and low quality so that everyone can afford it.

*How can piracy be minimised?

All hands must be on deck before it can be checkmate. ANA Lagos has already reached out to the copyright council. We need people to join ANA. The annual due is N5, 000.00, which is not too much for an author to pay.

* I interviewed a former chairman of ANA Lagos, who among other things criticised and described ANA as a social gathering where writers primarily go to socialise instead of brain-storming, critiquing and editing books. What do you have to say about that?

Nobody wants to go to an event and all you do is critique. People attend events where they are entertained and informed. This executive committee has created a guild of editors. ANA meeting should not be that serious but we can make vital contributions.

I think that that former chairman felt he was going alone and I understand his position. Unfortunately in ANA, we do elections; you will discover that if nine executive committee members were elected, only three or four people will be vibrant in running the affairs of the association. I don’t blame him; all the same, the meetings should not be too serious.

In the past, I was a member of ANA, Oyo State chapter before I relocated to Lagos and joined ANA Lagos. Let’s us have fun and at the same time do a great work in the association. We need to keep with time.  

*What are your challenges as the chairman ANA Lagos?

Primarily, it is finance. I have lived all my life not to allow money to disturb me. We need money. Right now, we supposed to be out with a conference. We need averagely the sum of N1.7 million naira to execute our projects.

We have over 10,000 writers in Lagos and if you multiply it with N5, 000.00, we will not need state or federal government to do anything for us, in fact, the corporate organisations will be begging to sponsor our programmes. ANA has a right as a constitutionally recognised association.

*How come ANA is not pulling weight in the country like other constitutionally recognised associations?

We are too individualistic. We live in our own world, literally. Chimamanda Adichie is not a registered member of ANA. Professor Akachi Ezeigbo pays her dues regularly. We have many authors who are making names from writing. If you are not doing it for yourself, do it for the association under the notion that the body needs help. If few of them donate N50,000.00 each, we won’t even need help from any organisation. ANA supposed to have four readings in a year. The Vintage Wine and Fresh Blend supposed to come up every month.

To the Chimamandas, to the Habillas, whether you like it or not, ANA is your own.

*Shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Anti-Gay Law, someone wrote on the social media that he knew why he was frustrated out of the writers association and added that he knew most of its members were gay. What do you have to say about that statement?

I definitely know about the Anti-Gay Law. I have been very active in social media. My position is that, though the law has been passed, there are other pressing needs President Goodluck Jonathan supposed to look into; roads are bad and electricity supply is not regular.

*So what is your view about the Anti-Gay Law?

Though it is wrong for somebody to marry the same sex, I was expecting Mr. President to tackle other pressing needs.

In Nigeria if anyone comes out and says “I am gay,” his own family will disown him. It is just like saying: “I am an armed robber or a kidnapper,” so there is a need for a law on that in the constitution. The law is okay but all I am asking is: “why do you put the cart before the horse?” I pay N3, 000.00 per month for electricity I don’t use; every month, I pay another N5, 000.00 to buy fuel for my generator.

I don’t like gays and I grade them like men that are into internet fraud or kidnappers. There was a time I read on social media about a senator’s marriage to a 13-year-old girl. There is an allegation that he has dumped that one and married another 13-year-old girl. That senator sits in the senate where laws are made. That means we are a country of pretenders.

*If you were not a writer, what vocation would you have been into?

I would have become an international footballer. I played football up to my youth service level. I also love table tennis, but I love literature which has been part of my life.

*What did you study in the university?

I studied English at Olabisi Onabanjo University and graduated in 1999. I write full time. I have Onileagbon Theatre Group, manage events, compose songs and I am also a theatre director.

I would have been a battery charger or a plumber if I was not doing all the things I mentioned above. When I was growing up, my father took me to learn battery charging and I was there for three years till when I was about writing my secondary school certificate examination.

*Do you have any regrets being a writer?

The only regret I have is that I did not start early enough. I had an uncle who made me to love Don Williams and I bought a lot of Don Willaims’ works when I was in secondary school, without knowing it was part of poetry. I would have been happier if I had started writing from that time.

Apart from that, I have no regrets because God loves me. I never expected to be the chairman of ANA Lagos. When I was a member of ANA Oyo, we regularly talked about ANA Lagos. So when some of my professional colleagues heard that I was elected as the chairman of ANA Lagos, they were happy. They called and congratulated me. So whatever regrets I have, has been washed away by my current position.

*What is your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is writing and publishing. No matter what anybody says, the joy of marriage is having children. The greatest joy of an author is publishing. I aspire to win the Nobel Prize.

*How many books have you authored?

I have published four books including: Igbangaladi –The Enemy Within, Stirring Melodies and so on. I have 22 others that are ready. I am trying to put funds together. I want to publish 22 books at the same time and do their presentation the same day like Acholonu.

*You said that the joy of marriage is having children. How many children do you have?

I have two daughters from two women. Before I decided to get married, I used to think that people who got divorced or separated were wayward people. My first and second relationship did not work out then I decided to have a break.  My first daughter wants to be a teacher while my second daughter drums. I will soon remarry and have five more children.

*In terms of fashion, how do you define style?

Style is what suits you and what is acceptable. I naturally like native attire, I find it more comfortable.

I go on casual a lot. I don’t like Agbada or suit. I hate sagging because it disgusts me. Fashion is an individual thing. For example, I can decide to leave my beard, that is my style.

*What is your advice to young writers out there?

First, let me give advice to the old writers. It is time for us to come together as a body. If government can budget just N10 million naira for ANA, we would do a lot project and even help young writers to publish their works.

For the younger ones, don’t worry, money will come. Soyinka got a million dollars in 1986 when he won the Nobel Laureate. I have not made money but people are inviting me to give speeches at events and they are paying me for it. Write a page of a novel or a poem every day to develop your skill.