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The audience at the
Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), venue of the
presentation of two poetry volumes, were not left in doubt of the
brilliance and intellectualism that exist amongst some of the nation’s
political class. The poetry collections titled ‘Mandela’s Bones’ and
‘Dear Baby Ramatu’ – published by Kraft Books and authored by Sam
Omatseye, chair of the editorial board of The Nation newspaper
editorial board – were unveiled on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. The event
was graced by top government officials who all agreed on the vital role
intellectualism has to play in redeeming society.

Intellectuals needed in Government

Representing the
former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed, as the chair of the event,
Dele Alake (a former editor of the now defunct Concord newspaper, and
former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State)
decried the low-turnout at the book presentation, stating that “events
like this give us hope in the darkness that envelopes Nigeria, which
all good men and women must embrace to move us to the light.

“Without a sound
intellectual base, a society, people is lost” Alake said, noting that
“one of the major problems of Nigeria is the lack of visionary
leaders.” He warned that “when we destroy the intellectual base of a
country, the soul of the nation is lost” while adding that
“intellectual works are very important in our national development, for
the elevation of governance from a mundane to something substantial and
concrete.”

Alake congratulated
the author for making this contribution to the Nigerian literary scene,
which he acknowledged “is struggling”, saying that intellectual works
such as Omatseye’s poetry volumes are very important for the country’s
national development.

The Poet Governor

Since the return to
democracy, some Nigerian governors have been identified by different
monikers such as ‘servant leader’, ‘comrade governor’, and ‘labour
governor’. Omatseye’s book launch revealed the ‘poet governor’ in the
person of the Bayelsa State governor, Timipreye Sylva, who was a
special guest. His speech was replete with praise for the author.

Sylva thanked
Omatseye for coming back to write poems, saying, “Thank you for coming
home to poetry, the mother of all literary genres, which is fast
declining. Thank you for bringing back the dying genre to our hearts,”
he said.

The governor also
did not hide his appreciation of the style of writing of the poems. “I
really enjoyed the racy style of the poems, moving on, oblivious of the
existence of punctuation marks.” He likened the seamless writing style
to the Nigerian political scene, which according to him, “just moves
on, without full stop and punctuation marks.” He brought a political
spin into the event in his speech, calling for the nation’s presidency
to be retained by the Niger Delta region, “as a son of the region by
Providence is now the president,” following the death of President
Yar’Adua.

Sylva highlighted
the role the region has always played in Nigerian history, from the
pre-amalgamation era to the independence struggle, and to being the
treasure basket of the nation. He emphatically urged that the region
retains the presidency in the 2010 election.

The governor, a
graduate of English Language, in concluding his speech, identified
himself as a “budding poet” saying that “when I grow up, I aspire to be
a poet.” To great applause, Sylva recited a poem offhand, which earned
him the name ‘Poet Governor’ from the moderator, Jahman Anikulapo
(editor, Sunday Guardian).

According to the
poet governor, the poem titled ‘Jubilations’ involves “playing with
sounds and alliterations, as the harmony of sounds creates a soothing
effect on me”.

Worthy contribution

Reviewing
‘Mandela’s Bones,’ Harry Olufunwa described the collection as “a
convergence of meanings into various meanings” noting that Omatseye
used a few words “to convey a great deal of meaning.” ‘Mandela Bones’,
with the notable name of a global icon in its title, had citations
named after iconic sites and cities in the world such as Tiananmen
Square, and Ibadan, amongst others.

The second book,
‘Dear Baby Ramatu’,- born out of a true life story that encapsulates
“pregnancy outside wedlock, amidst scornful lovers and the unmerciful
laws of religion” in northern Nigeria – was described as a ‘story poem’
by the reviewer, Femi Macaulay. “The poems mirror the raw stuff of
life, although it is an embellished representation. You will find the
joy of language in this work that often stretches the reach of word.”

Macaualy also
acknowledged the writer’s unique style of writing, saying that “his
lines usually run on without punctuations, even for formal questions…
even if it challenges the spirit of the grammar.” He added that the
mechanics of the poetry rests on “sheer verbal delight, it is music to
the ears .”

Both reviewers commended Omatseye for “his worthy contribution to the small cluster of Nigerian poetry.”

Performing Baby Ramatu

‘Dear Baby Ramatu’,
which the author claims he is “most emotionally attached to”, was
performed by Evelyn Osagie, a journalist and poet. Donning the facial
make-up and female attire from northern Nigeria, Osagie gave a
brilliant performance that expressed diverse emotions like expectation,
fear, confrontation, and being lost and helpless, as entailed in the
poem.

In his closing
remarks, Sam Omatseye was full of appreciation for everyone present. He
noted that the zeal to make a stride in the literary world commenced
for him at about the point in time when the nation’s polity was
dwindling towards the end of last year, and now “I have over sixty
collections” he said. One of these, he disclosed, is titled ‘Acting
President’ – a warning to Goodluck Jonathan, the nation’s president
who, as the time of writing the poem, was ruling in an acting capacity.

The poem reads: ”I
don’t wish you dead/As I wish myself health/Though am just a second
fiddle/… /Even if it is crass/I want your palate/I want your palace/I
just don’t want you dead.”

The poem was read by all present at the event.

Omatseye revealed that the poems were written across the Atlantic,
both in Nigeria and the United States, while shuttling between the two
continents. Some of them, he said, were also written on the planes, in
the bathroom, while driving, sleeping, and dreaming.