News Report: Association Of Nigerian Authors Surrenders To Politicians

Jerry Agada: ANA President

The Association of Nigerian Authors(ANA), an organization founded by the renowned Nigerian novelist, Professor Chinua Achebe and others to protect the interests of Nigerian creative writers have finally surrendered to politicians who now use it for political gains, checks by chidi opara reports have revealed.

ANA insiders informed us that the Association is so broke that each time it has a programme, it would go to politicians for funds. These politicians, according to these insiders are ever willing to "help" but with conditions.

The main condition have always been that these politicians are allowed to install their proteges as members of the Executive committees in the state chapters and the national headquarters.

Another crucial condition, chidi opara reports learnt also is that the Association would not criticize these politicians and their programmes.

The recent ANA convention in Akure, capital city of Ondo state, for instance, would not have held for reason of lack of fund, if not that a renowned writer and former President of the Association had to approach the governor of Ondo state, Mr. Olusegun Mimko for "help" through an Internationally acclaimed writer of Yoruba extraction. This "help", chidi opara reports learnt was granted after assurances of "co-operation" of ANA Executives with the Ondo state administration. The Ondo state government spent about fifty million naira on the convention, the seven million naira donated at the event included.

Checks also revealed that the state chapters were only able to attand the convention through the "generosity" of their governors, whom they had to approach for "sponsorship".

These "sponsorships" requests and grants have been going on in the Rivers state chapter, for instance, for three years now, where the government "donates" funds to the Association through a renowned novelist, known to be one of the governor's godfathers and whose proteges hold the rein of authority in the state Executive committee. Most of these proteges have questionable authorship credentials. Two members of the national Executive committee, one a lady, the other a young man from northern Nigeria are also known to have questionable authorship credentials, but were foisted on ANA by their politician godfathers.

The Associations Executive committee members in the state chapters and national headquarters have reportedly abandoned the systems of revenue generation stipulated in the constitution of the Association "because of  donations. helps and sponsorships from politicians". In the words of a disgruntled member from Imo state, "no one talks about the constitution of ANA any longer".