Sola Osofisan
11-17-2007, 12:59 PM
Leadership (Abuja)
ANA president Dr. Wale Okediran tells Henry Ugboaja some of the association's programmes as well as how he intends to facilitate the development of the ANA Writers' Village and the establishment of a publishing outfit for writers in the country
What do we expect from you now that you have been re-elected the ANA president?
I hope to achieve and see to the completion of ANA projects and programmes. To ensure the effective take-off and speedy development of the Writers' Village in Abuja, so as to improve the capital base of the association.
Apart from this, we shall canvass the development of the spirit of volunteer work among our members to enable the association pursues its activities, advocacies and programmes in cost effective ways.
We also intend to embark on international outreach programme and coalitions with other writers' bodies all over the world with the reorganization of Pan-African Writers Association as a top priority.
Amongst other events that we shall be organising, we shall also see to the successful organisation of an international colloquium for the celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart by Professor Chinua Achebe.
More so, building a functional capacity of the state branches and the national secretariat with befitting secretariats and resource centres will be well thought out for onward development. This will improve the quality and activities of our state branches. Members should also have more outlets for publishing because right now, there are many frustrated writers that can hardly get their work published. I want to see how best we can liaison with some publishers as well as online publishers to assist our young creative writers. And to see to the establishment of a publishing outfit and to work out for more writers friendly publishing regime for members of the association.
How do you intend to handle your victory so as to work with your opponent for the progress of ANA and to forestall unnecessary rivalry?
You saw that Dr Emman Shehu and I embraced before and after the election. He has always been my friend, the problem we have over the years, is that of the exuberance of our supporters. And I intend to see him about this so that we can keep them in check.
Of course, I believe things will be better now, because this is my last election in ANA, I am not going to stand for any election again. As such, I don't think there would be any reason for hostility to exist between the two of us.
In respect to what you have just said, what are you going to do about the questioned flexibility on the election modalities? Some contestants seemed to be aggrieved over the nomination of the vice president of ANA in absentia and also about a member who is said to have attended ANA convention for the first time and was allowed to stand in for and won an elective position. What is the position of ANA constitution on these?
In regard to the member who was alleged to have attended the convention for the first time, there were witnesses who said that they saw him in ANA convention in Bayelsa.
But if our investigation on this shows that the member did not attend the Bayelsa convention, I will make a recommendation that the position be given to the runner-up in the election.
As for the nomination of the vice president in absentia, a case was made for him because of his special position. We all know that ANA will benefit with him around as an EXCO member. Most of these positions that we contested for are not for personal gains or reasons but on how to empower ANA. So if we find a candidate who can do a lot for ANA, even though he was not here during the elections, but was here during the opening ceremony and had to leave for other national issues in his capacity as an honourable Minister of State for Education, I think, that is a special case; and should be excused.
What do you think you wouldn't have done or would have done but will do differently now?
The Abuja property is something that we thought we would have been able to have done a lot of work on in the outgoing year but isn't the case. However, the reason why we couldn't achieve much on it wasn't actually our fault. It was the bureaucracy with the Abuja AGIS. All the paper work that have to be done, the concession paper to be signed took the better part of the year and that is why we couldn't achieve much on it.
However, we are committed in making sure that the property is developed in the next 16 months. In that way ANA can be self sufficient financially.
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200711160322.html
ANA president Dr. Wale Okediran tells Henry Ugboaja some of the association's programmes as well as how he intends to facilitate the development of the ANA Writers' Village and the establishment of a publishing outfit for writers in the country
What do we expect from you now that you have been re-elected the ANA president?
I hope to achieve and see to the completion of ANA projects and programmes. To ensure the effective take-off and speedy development of the Writers' Village in Abuja, so as to improve the capital base of the association.
Apart from this, we shall canvass the development of the spirit of volunteer work among our members to enable the association pursues its activities, advocacies and programmes in cost effective ways.
We also intend to embark on international outreach programme and coalitions with other writers' bodies all over the world with the reorganization of Pan-African Writers Association as a top priority.
Amongst other events that we shall be organising, we shall also see to the successful organisation of an international colloquium for the celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart by Professor Chinua Achebe.
More so, building a functional capacity of the state branches and the national secretariat with befitting secretariats and resource centres will be well thought out for onward development. This will improve the quality and activities of our state branches. Members should also have more outlets for publishing because right now, there are many frustrated writers that can hardly get their work published. I want to see how best we can liaison with some publishers as well as online publishers to assist our young creative writers. And to see to the establishment of a publishing outfit and to work out for more writers friendly publishing regime for members of the association.
How do you intend to handle your victory so as to work with your opponent for the progress of ANA and to forestall unnecessary rivalry?
You saw that Dr Emman Shehu and I embraced before and after the election. He has always been my friend, the problem we have over the years, is that of the exuberance of our supporters. And I intend to see him about this so that we can keep them in check.
Of course, I believe things will be better now, because this is my last election in ANA, I am not going to stand for any election again. As such, I don't think there would be any reason for hostility to exist between the two of us.
In respect to what you have just said, what are you going to do about the questioned flexibility on the election modalities? Some contestants seemed to be aggrieved over the nomination of the vice president of ANA in absentia and also about a member who is said to have attended ANA convention for the first time and was allowed to stand in for and won an elective position. What is the position of ANA constitution on these?
In regard to the member who was alleged to have attended the convention for the first time, there were witnesses who said that they saw him in ANA convention in Bayelsa.
But if our investigation on this shows that the member did not attend the Bayelsa convention, I will make a recommendation that the position be given to the runner-up in the election.
As for the nomination of the vice president in absentia, a case was made for him because of his special position. We all know that ANA will benefit with him around as an EXCO member. Most of these positions that we contested for are not for personal gains or reasons but on how to empower ANA. So if we find a candidate who can do a lot for ANA, even though he was not here during the elections, but was here during the opening ceremony and had to leave for other national issues in his capacity as an honourable Minister of State for Education, I think, that is a special case; and should be excused.
What do you think you wouldn't have done or would have done but will do differently now?
The Abuja property is something that we thought we would have been able to have done a lot of work on in the outgoing year but isn't the case. However, the reason why we couldn't achieve much on it wasn't actually our fault. It was the bureaucracy with the Abuja AGIS. All the paper work that have to be done, the concession paper to be signed took the better part of the year and that is why we couldn't achieve much on it.
However, we are committed in making sure that the property is developed in the next 16 months. In that way ANA can be self sufficient financially.
http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200711160322.html