Southern Minorities Will Not Be Footnotes in Nigerian History, Akpabio Declares as Orok Duke Presents Books
By Missang AKPET
The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has called on Nigerians to document their experiences for history purposes.
Akpabio made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the public presentation and reading of 5 new books written by Duke, tagged "Readings II".
Speaking during the presentation, Akpabio said such books as Welcome to Uyo and Oluchi's Journey need to be recommended for our schools and libraries, so our children could learn the Civil War from the eyes of those who lived it.
Akpabio, who was represented by the Senator representing Cross River Central Senatorial District, Senator Eteng Williams, maintained that the people of Southern Nigeria suffered major materials and human loses which were not documented rather leaving the easterners push forward their own narratives.
The Senate President added threw his weight behind the works stating that he will not let Calabar, Akwa Ibom and other minority southern states who felt a greater effects of the war be footnotes in Nigeria's history.
Earlier in his remarks, the author of the books and member representing Cross River on the board of the NDDC, Rt. Hon. Orok Duke, stressed the need for Nigerians to document their personal and collective histories to preserve national memory for future generations.
The former lawmaker maintained that the failure of Nigerians to tell their stories themselves would give others the opportunity to advance narratives that might not reflect the true realities.
Rt. Hon. Orok Otu Duke - Author of the Books
Hecalled on the Federal Government to consider removing import duties on books and printing materials to improve access to quality foreign and locally published reading materials while lamenting the high cost of importing books, which makes works published outside the country expensive and beyond the reach of students from average-income backgrounds.
He noted that indigenous publishers in the country had been forced out of business by the high cost of importing printing materials, hence the need for government intervention.
"Let me use this opportunity to call for government intervention. Government must step in to remove import duties or reduce them to make this books available to children," Duke stated.
Former Senator representing Cross River Southern Senatorial District, Senator Gershom Bassey, while unveiling the books, re-echoed the importance of documenting history, noting that such works outlive the author.
He revealed that listening to the works being reviewed brought back a nostalgic feeling, reminiscing on the past, especially with the fact that he was mentioned in one of the books.
One of the book reviewers and board chairman of the Federal College of Education (FCE), Ididep, Hon. Cletus Obun, hailed Duke's works, describing them as scholarly, thrilling and suspense-filled.
Obun described the books as a true account of what happened, saying he could relate to some of the events narrated, while re-echoing the need to document one's experience through writing for generations yet unborn.
The books unveiled at Readings II were Oluchi's Journey, Calabar Modern Stories, Welcome to Uyo, Winnowings and Treasures.
The author had earlier in 2018 presented 5 books under Readings I. The 5 books presented in readings I were Clementines, Sentinels, Dances on the Plains (Mandela, Achebe, Angelou and Other Poems), My Song (and Other Poems) as well as Ellipses (Niger Delta, Leaving the Plains, Saratoga).
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