Encourage writers, Mantu charges those in authority
By Abba-Eku Onyeka FCT
Though a former senate president in Nigeria, Senator Ibrahim Mantu hailed the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs (FMSDIGA), Senator George Akume for his Ministry’s assistance toward ensuring the authoring, presentation and launching of a book yesterday by his Ministry’s staffer, but he was quick to urge those in authority to as a matter of importance and seriousness assist those who have interest to author books.
A Director with the Ministry, Bassey Ita Erim-Ikang has yesterday presented a book titled: A PLANNER’S PERSPECTIVE ON DISASTER AND CONFLICT; Issues of Forced Displacement of Persons Management in Nigeria to the public for lunching at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday.
The former lawmakers made the appeal to the government at all levels and the stakeholders shortly after the presentation and lunching if the book .
Making his point, he said: “Authoring of this book is a great effort, because it is trying to ensure that the country’s revolutions are documented and then learn from old experience, then strategize and find a solution. The Minister has encouraged the writer. I want to use this opportunity to urge all the people in authority to encourage those that God has given scholarly to please write. If it is being done, it will go a long way.”
The minister himself, while commending the author for the well deserved work said that a research work of that nature shoud be encouraged, even as he called for more of similar works. Akume however advised the young ones to devote time in a research work of that nature, which if done, according to him would go a long way.
Satisfied with the turn out at the event, the author himself said that he was provoked to do the book, due to, among others, the love he had for humanity.
He said, “I am highly excited over the turn out, because I least expected that people will turn out. I am impressed.”
On the motivation, Bassey Ita Etim – Ikang said: “I was provoked to write this book, because of the love I have for humanity; because in this country today, all approaches to solving problems have been carrying on wrongly. They are not substantial. We only go to manage. When should we always want to prevent? This book is telling us that there a need for prevention, instead of managing, because managing is the cause of spending so much money. So this book is telling you that you have to do something that is needful more than what we are doing.”
On the area some of them who are into writing would want the government to come in, he had this to say: “One of the challenges in the writing industry is that, even some of your friends will say that you are wasting time, because people are not reading. But any country whose people don’t read, that country is bound to fail.
“If America can spend the highest if its budget in education, when America is highly developed; then here you say we are not reading, because we go to the social media to click. No! There is knowledge in reading.”
On the areas he would like the government to come in for book reading to be encouraged, he said, “Let the government encourage research. If they encourage research; I am a civil servant. Normally I would have just said that I am a conventional civil servant, it doesn’t concern me. But the knowledge I have, I have to share it. Knowledge – sharing is the best. So this is more than a book. It is very documented.”
When pressed further, the author however said that he made the price of the book to be very affordable, so that it will go round for the benefit of all, even as he advised authors to not relent in thier efforts in the areas of research. He, however, wondered why Nigerian scientists haven’t come up with any positive result on how to curb COVID-19 pandemic, as is being obtainable other countries.
