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ANA-NLNG Prize
controversy lingers
By
Chux Ohai
Correspondent, Lagos
The maiden award ceremony of $20,000
prizes for science and literature may have come and gone, but the unsavoury
effect of the final outcome of the literature prize appears to have spurned a
fresh controversy amongst literati. Indications of this emerging development is
the scarcely mentioned crack in the relationship between the Association of
Nigerian Authors (ANA), and the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, sponsors
of the two prizes.
Following the failure of the 2004
literature prize to produce a clear winner at the October 9 ceremony in Abuja,
many Nigerians went home disappointed, bristling with many unanswered
questions. Mindful of the objectives of the prize, listed from the onset to
include, need to reward authors of the best current writing in Nigeria,
stimulate authorship as well as a healthy reading culture in the country, a lot
of people are baffled how the panel of judges’ no-win verdict could
possibly help achieve these objectives.
A lot of people followed the prize
projects with sustained interest because NLNG’s collaboration with ANA
and the Nigeria Academy of Science.
With the no win verdict tongues are
waggling, as members of literary world are demanding to know why they were
denied the privilege of knowing the eventual winner of the literature award.
They have described the sentiment
initially encapsulated by the organizers to positively affect the fortunes of
Nigerian literature mere hoax, after all.
The babble however assumed a different
dimension at annual Patrons’ Day/Dinner Party of the Lagos chapter of
ANA.
National Secretary of ANA Nduka Otiono, in
his contribution to the debate on the no-win verdict of the jury for the
$20,000 literature prize hinted at a continued strain in the relationship
between ANA and the NLNG.
He is the only member of the advisory
committee set up by the NLNG to chaperon the literary prize who wasn’t
invited to attend the award.
Observers say he is being
‘punished’ for attempting to confront the NLNG over perceived
shortcomings in its partnership with ANA.
Otiono’s revelation at the ANA, and
a recent report in The Guardian of October 17, clearly indicate a diatribe
against the writers’ body and the NLNG.
The first sign of crack in the partnership
between ANA and NLNG became visible shortly before the commencement of the
nationwide reading tour organized by the latter to bring 13 short listed
authors and their books to the Nigerian public.
The NLNG, it was alleged, placed an
advertorial in some Nigerian newspapers, describing as misleading copy by a
critic, which clearly implied it had decided to contract the proposed reading
tour to Farafina, an online publishing cum events management outfit, without
ANA’s knowledge and tacit approval. The national executive council of the
association was compelled to write a letter to the NLNG protesting the move.
While the response was being awaited, the NLNG went ahead to print invitation
cards for the Lagos reading event without attaching the name of the event
managers.
ANA retaliatory move was a public
statement dissociating itself from the planned nationwide tours.
Nduka Otiono made the association’s
stance on the issue known at the monthly reading of ANA, Lagos chapter. He read
the contents of the letter written to NLNG in the presence of many writers and
journalists.
Long before he arrived Jazzville, venue of
the reading, Mr. Ifeanyi Mbanefo, Head of Communications and Public Relations
of the NLNG, was already there with his team ostensibly to counter the
‘onslaught’ from ANA. And no sooner had the meeting kicked off than
the claims and counter-claims began.
Otiono was first to address the gathering,
stating ANA’s case quite clearly and concluding with a declaration:
“We are not opposed to the event, but ANA’s integrity should not be
rubbished”. ANA’s contention, he went on, was, having provided
framework for the literature prize, the writers’ body ought to have been
in the know of the planned reading tour and allowed to contribute to the final
decision. Evidently that was not what happened. To further confirm suspicion
that it had a secret agenda, Otiono said, NLNG printed “fraudulent”
invitation cards that “smartly deleted the name of the organizers of the
event from the event”.
Responding to Otiono’s accusations,
Mbanefo recounted the story of the birth of the $20,000 prize to a very
attentive and somewhat, bemused audience. “Initially I was advised by
some people not to leave the literature prize entirely to ANA to
administer” he said. According to him, the advisory panel for the same
prize was constituted to reflect the geo-physical composition of Nigeria, with
each of the seven members representing the seven regional zones of the nation.
Wondering why there should be any
misgiving at all, Mbanefo informed the gathering that every detail regarding
how the literature prize should be executed had been tidied up during an
exploratory meeting held between the NLNG and the advisory committee. However,
a document listing ten resolutions reached during the said meeting was briefly
circulated. A glance at the document, which was signed by all present at the
exploratory meeting, clearly revealed article 8 of the resolutions as
presenting a loophole that could have been conveniently exploited by any of the
parties. The article is evidently the bone of the current disagreement. It
states that “publicity, advertising, press promotion, and national
promotional tours be organised to promote the award” without, of course,
identifying who among the partners should supervise what.
The uncomfortable fact about
Mbanefo’s defense was that it veered off into a verbal attack on
Otiono’s person prompting Austyn Njoku, ANA national treasurer to condemn
it. He said, “It is not fair to launch an attack on Otiono because he is
not ANA. He has only communicated the association’s position, which is a
collective one.”
Responding to a question from a female
writer, Mbanefo disclosed that prior to publication of the newspaper
advertorial he made phone calls to every member of the advisory panel,
informing them about his company’s deal with Farafina, which the
grapevine put at about N3 million.
Observers believe the Jazzville incident
went beyond argument between two parties in a business relationship that
apparently went sour. A Lagos-based writer described it as “a fight
between two elephants.”
Unfortunately Nigerian Literature will be
the proverbial grass doomed to suffer. Already the signs are there and may
linger for a while, as long as veiled altercations in the media continue to
thrive. But literary enthusiasts insist that ANA and NLNG must find a way to
rekindle the relationship in the interest of literary development in the
country.
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