Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo will join elder statesmen and leaders to headline the launch of two new books written by his constituent, renowned poet, journalist and scholar, Tunde Olusunle. Emeritus National Security Adviser, (NSA), General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, GCON; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON and the governors of Sokoto and Zamfara states, Ahmad Aliyu-Sokoto and Dauda Lawal, will equally headline the event. Taraba State governor, Kefas Agbu is equally expected at the event as with the ranking Senator and former Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe and the pre-eminent economist and journalist and pioneer Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC) Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, CON.
A statement signed by Bolaji Afolabi for the Book Launch Planning Committee, said the event is scheduled for Wednesday October 9, 2024, by 2pm at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Central Area, Abuja.
The books on the bill are: Orisirisi: Vistas on Contemporary Politics in Nigeria, a 470-page anthology of 60 essays, while the second, Toasts, Tributes and Wreaths is a 308-page volume of 46 essays. Respected newspaper columnist and former Media Adviser to President Bola Tinubu during his years as governor, Segun Ayobolu who wrote the Foreword to Orisirisi notes that it is a kaleidoscope “of the many ills that incapacitate our country today.” According to him, Olusunle opens up on “leadership ineptness, monsters corruption, pervasive poverty, galloping inflation and escalating indebtedness.”
In her appraisal of Toasts, Tributes and Wreaths, Professor Omotayo Oloruntoba-Oju notes that the volume “masterfully weaves together an embroidery of stories, each thread representing a unique lifetime, a significant milestone and a profound moment in the existence of the narrative personae.” Oloruntoba-Oju who is an expert on African, Caribbean and African-American literatures enjoins readers and literary aficionados to “be prepared to be captivated by the eloquence of Olusunle’s narrations.” This according to her is achieved through a painstaking blend of “research, journalism and prosaic skills.” The collection, she avers ‘is a testament to versatility and depth.”
Other dignitaries expected include former governors of Benue and Kogi states, Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam, PhD, CON, and Captain Idris Ichalla Wada. Senator Ben Obi, CON, Ojeligbo, former Political Adviser to the President, and parliamentarians from Olusunle’s home in Kogi State, Senators Sunday Karimi, Chairman, Senate Committee on Services;
Barrister Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Jibrin Isah, will be at the function. Also expected are Senators Osita Izunaso, (Imo); Okechukwu Ezea, (Enugu); Austin Akobundu, (Abia); Smart Adeyemi, CON and Dino Melaye.
Leke Joseph Abejide, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs, (representing Yagba federal constituency, will lead his colleagues, notably Dickson Tarkighir, (representing Makurdi/Guma federal constituency in Benue State) and Idris Salman representing Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency, also in Kogi State. Orisirisi: Vistas on Contemporary Politics in Nigeria and Toasts, Tributes and Wreaths will be reviewed at the event by Gbenga Ibileye, Professor of English, Member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, (MNAL) and orator of the Federal University Lokoja, (FUL).
Olusunle, an established and widely studied poet has three published volumes of poetry to his name. He also published two volumes of essays, before the pair scheduled for launch. He served on the Editorial Board of the Daily Times and worked with three Kogi State Governors, civilian and military as Director of Information and Chief Press Secretary. He was a closet aide of former President Obasanjo, holds a doctorate in Media Arts and is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja. Dr Olusunle has published dozens of profoundly researched academic papers in peer-reviewed Nigerian and foreign journals, books and festschrifts, to his name.
