The Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Prof Barineme Fakae, led a team of literary giants in Rivers State last Saturday to unveil a new book titled Our Stories.

Represented at the event by Registrar of the University, Dr Daba Odeimabo, the Vice Chancellor who unveiled the book with the sum of One hundred thousand naira (N100,000.00) described the author of the new book, Chief Adi Wali, as a friend of the university and a great writer with skills.

Chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Rivers State branch, Mr Obinna Nwodim, who was also chairman of the event decried the systematic drop in reading culture, saying that such a situation which spelts doom for any society had taken literature to the back seat in the scheme of things in Nigeria.

Remarking that the ugly situation had given ANA great concern, Mr Nwodim  implored Nigerians to reactivate their reading culture by reading at least one book in one month and noted  that one major way to encourage writers was by buying and reading their works .

He said he had taken time to read the new book, Our stories, and remarked that the gathering was to celebrate a great work by a creative writer and journalist.

The book reviewer, Dr Bobo Agava, described the book as a collection of short stories with its setting in an imaginary Ikwerre land with messages on inordinate acquisition of land and its dangerous consequencies, stressing that “greed is destructive.”

Dr Agava, a Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer of Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori, said Chief Wali applied story writing device as most great African writers.

Reading  Our stories’ is not only enjoyable, but also educative, because the issues and ideas couched in the stories are salient with several lessons about life,” Agava said.

In his address titled ‘Challenges and Hope for Young African Writers, the author identified publishers, attitude as an impediment to the growth of young writers and called for publishers’ encouragement to young writers.

According to Chief Wali, most publishers still believe in the old names and treat younger writers as people who do not have much to offer even before they care to has a look at your script.

He recommended hard work, dedication and sincere commitment based on patience to younger writers as strategies to succeed in the challenges ahead stressing that young African writers had a chance.

The author also called on managers of educational curriculum to make literature compulsory for the purpose of engendering learning and reading habit in our children through school system.

Our stories, is a 141 page book made up of four parts; Tragedy of land dispute, Ibeneme and Spirits, Eze Okogbule Amarachi Meets smit and the last part is a collection of Proverbs. No price was fix yet on the book.

Chris Oluoh