By Tunde Olusunle
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON, will this week lead dignitaries to the launch of two books written by the renowned poet, journalist and scholar, Tunde Olusunle. The governors of Kogi, Usman Ododo; Taraba, Kefas Agbu; Sokoto, Ahmad Aliyu-Sokoto and Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, PhD, will also be in attendance. Elder statesmen including Emeritus National Security Adviser, (NSA), General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, GCON; Ranking Senator and former Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe and the pre-eminent economist, journalist and pioneer Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC) Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, FNGE, CON, will grace the event.
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.”
The event is scheduled for Wednesday October 9, 2024, by 2pm at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Central Area, Abuja. 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. Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Lola Ashiru, (Kwara) has also been invited to the programme. Also expected are Senators Osita Izunaso, (Imo); Okechukwu Ezea, (Enugu); Austin Akobundu, (Abia); Ned Nwoko, (Delta); Smart Adeyemi, CON and Dino Melaye.
Leke Joseph Abejide, Chairman of 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, to the event. *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).
According to Bolaji Afolabi of the Book Launch Media Committee, 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 elite 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 to former President Obasanjo, holds a doctorate in Media Arts and is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja. He has authored and published dozens of rigorously researched academic papers in peer-reviewed Nigerian and foreign journals, books and festschrifts, especially on literature, media and communication.