BY ADA DIKE
Tuesday,
June 2, 2015 is a day students in a school in a suburb of Lagos will not forget
in a hurry.
It was a day Miss Nollywood Nigeria 2014/2015,
Queen Gwendolyn E. Okutele, visited the second
youngest female published author in the world, Ambassador Oluebube Sharon
James at Beulahfield College Ejigbo, Lagos.
Queen
Gwendolyn, the Okpe
born beauty queen of the Adagbrasa-Amukpe extraction in Sapele Local Government
Area of Delta State, drove all the way from Ekiti, where she is a finale year student
of the department of Business Administration at the Ekiti State University,
Ado-Ekiti to the school that was founded on September 26, 1994 and was approved
by the Lagos State Government in July 1998.
The former Miss ‘Face of the Niger
Delta’ and current Miss Nollywood Nigeria 2014/2015 was welcomed
on arrival by the school principal Mr. Adetunji. Her host Ambassador Oluebube Sharon James is Nigeria/Africa's
youngest published author, and according to the Guinness book of records,
probably the second youngest female published author in the world, after le youngest
author in the world. In 2012, she got a courtesy visit from Professor George
Luchiri Wajackoyah, a Kenyan Presidential Candidate. On December 2011, she got
a special phone call from American based, Nigerian born Computer wizard
Professor Philip Emegwali. She has autographed her book for personalities
including Professor Wole Soyinka, Governor Rotimi Amechi, General Jones
Arogbofa, Professor J P Clark, Chief
and many others. She started writing at the age of 5, but presented her first
published book on her 6th birthday. Myself and Sharon will be chatting with
Chichi on “How parents can help boost the dreams and talents of their children'
after Dorothy Straight author of “How the
World Began” in 1962 at age 4.
Oluebube was assisted by her
younger sister, Ulomachukwu Naomi James, the JSS two student who authored “The Broken Beautiful Pot” - a story
about a young girl given out by her mother for domestic assistant job, but she
ended up into prostitution, unfortunately she got pregnant and died while
delivering the baby.
Ambassador
Oluebube Sharon James wrote her first book "FREEDOM" at age six, in
2006. In December 2011, she got a special phone
call from American based, Nigerian born Computer wizard Professor Philip
Emegwali, who showed great interest in her book and encouraged her to write
more.
On February 23, 2012, she played host
to Professor George Luchiri Wajackoya in her school, when the American based
Professor of Law and Kenya's Presidential candidate visited her school.
On July 17, 2012, she
was awarded with a Certificate
of Recognition form “Shake The Tree” Organisation in America, for her
accomplishment and valuable contribution to the world of literature.
She has
also hosted by former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, Professor Wole
Soyinka, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Ochiagha Reagan John Ufomba, Chief Olu Jacobs,
Professor J. P. Clark and many others.
On July
20, 2013, she was crowned her School Ambassador, “Mercyfield Ambassador”. Sharon
is presently in Senior Secondary School (SS2). She was a special guest at the August 2013, she was Special Teen Guest at “Ten To Sixteen/Coker-Aguda Back
To School Book Fair” held at the Coker-Aguda Development Council.
From November 15 to17, 2013, she was among the
Readers at the “Green
Festival” Green Reading’ young authors of the Lagos book fair
held at the Freedom Park, Lagos.
On February 20, 2015, she won the ‘Youngster of the
Year’ The Ikenna Kalu
Facebook Award (TIKFA) 2014.
She has autographed her
book for personalities including Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor J P Clark, She
has featured in over a dozen book readings in Lagos and has donated over 2000
copies of her book, “FREEDOM’ to schools, orphanages and Non-governmental
organisations.
On Monday
February 10-17, 2014, she was voted the author of the week by the Port Harcourt
World Book Capital 2014. On Saturday April 26, 2014 she featured on 92.3
Inspiration FM. on “Teen Times with
Chichi” and was subsequently appointed to reign for the Monday April 28- May 5, 2014, as tweek as the Teen Times Leading youth, “TEEN OF THE WEEK’ on the 9INETEEN magazine website. She
was the cover page of ‘Life Experience’
magazine for the month of May 2014. She was also invited as a guest at the
World Book Capital in Port Harcourt, where she donated 30 copies of her book
for the program.
Queen
Gwendolyn
donated about 250 copies of her printed exercise books with her photos to
about 200 students who accompanied the host to welcome her in the school. the
principal and teachers were also happy to welcome her as they listened to her
narrate her story of how she carried out vigorous campaign against cultism,
the drive for peace in the Niger Delta Area, and the care for the motherless
babies
while she was 'Face of Niger Delta'.
She
told the students of her roles in movies like ‘Jack
n Jill’, featuring Aki and Pawpaw, ‘Men in love’ featuring Tonto Dikeh, John
Dumelo and Muna Obiekwe, ‘My fantasy’ featuring Tonto Dikeh, Ajibola Dabo, ‘Unthinkable’ featuring Jim Lawson and many
others.
She took 33
different questions from the students and also made donation of cash to some of
the students who asked what she described as excellent questions. During the
questions and answers segment, she was able to clarify the mind of the young
students about 'Sex in Nollywood' when the students wanted to find out if the scenes
are real or mere acting. She took the pain to explain to them that it cannot be
real considering the fact the movies are not recorded behind close days as they
appear on the screen, but that they are recorded in front of a large crowd of
other actors/actress, producer, director and many others. Between the Queen
Gwen and her host Amb Sharon, there was book exchange, while she gave Sharon
250 copies of her excise book for Sharon's school, Sharon in return made a
presentation of about 100 copies of her book 'FREEDOM' to the Queen and Naomi
presented her with 50 copies of her own book “The Broken Beautiful Pot”.
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