The newly elected chairman of Kogi State branch of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Yusuf Jimoh Itopa has pledged to bring creativity into, and run an accountable system in the Association.
Speaking at the inauguration of the newly elected executive officers in Lokoja, the state capital, Itopa praised his predecessors for setting a standard which he promised to maintain and improve upon.
“Our leadership will be transparent. It will be creative and cerebral in its literary activities, honest and just.
“Humility, not empty pomposity and pride will be our guiding principle.”
Itopa called on members to give him and his team maximum support and cooperation for the task ahead.
“My predecessor, Mr. Joel Tope has recorded a number of achievements for ANA. We will consolidate on the gains of his performance. And I thank him and his team for taking ANA this far.
“Just an instance, his advocacies to schools and Radio Stations Reading programme and literary activities will be made more vigorous.
“We will swell ANA with credible and patriotic literary minds. There is strength in number and many legs of ANA members will kill the grass for us to walk on a thorn-free path.”
Itopa acknowledged that there are many established and up coming writers in the state, such as Professors Olu Obafemi, Sunday Ododo, Emmy Idegu, Abdullahi Denja and a host of others, adding that ANA Kogi will identify with them and collaborate with other writers of repute to widen the literary garden of the State the more.
He described literature as “a perfect standing mirror through which the society watches itself to know how good or bad its activities are, in order for her to continue propagating it or in order to make amends, for its own sophistication and advancement.
“We have our peculiar literature here in Kogi State because of our cultures and cherished traditions.
“And it is manifesting in the writings of our writers from Kogi. Through the platform of ANA, we will project the literature of our people.
“And to do this in a digital world, Kogi ANA will encourage its writers to deploy technology to make the propagation of our literature easy and swift.”
He said that his team will creatively enlist the understanding, partnership and support of Government for the necessary enablement to carry out its plans as reeled out.
He appealed to the state governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo to “embrace us like similar Organizations as the platform that is out to bring out literary writers that will bring honour to Kogi, the whole country and even beyond.
“I appeal to Kogi State Government as ably led by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to lift up Kogi to bring out the Achebes and the Soyinkas in the literary firmament of Kogi State. “Encouragement from the Government can quicken my prophecy to come to pass. It is possible.”
Itopa is a pioneer member and Editorial Advisor of the Guild of Interfaith Media Practitioners Nigeria. He is also currently Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Kogi State Newspaper – The Graphic, published by State Government.
