PRESS RELEASE
THE COUNCIL OF THE PAN-AFRICAN WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION
(PAWA) APPOINTS DR.
WALE OKEDIRAN SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Interim
President of PAWA and Chairman of the PAWA Council, Emeritus Professor Femi
Osofisan, on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, announced
the appointment of Dr. Wale Okediran of Nigeria as the Secretary-General
of PAWA.
Dr. Okediran succeeds
Professor Atukwei Okai, the founding Secretary-General of PAWA, who passed away
on July 13, 2018. Dr. Okediran
brings to the position almost
30 years’ experience as a public servant.
He served as a Member of the Federal House of Representatives from
2003 to 2007,contributing to advocacy, regional dialogue
and policy development, leading to improvements in health across Africa. He has
consulted for several international and local development agencies such as
Constella Futures International USA, National Democratic Institute for
International Affairs, USIS, UNAIDS, NPHCDA, NACA, UNICEF, Health Reform
Foundation of Nigeria, andAction Aid.
Dr. Okediran has published till date, fourteen
novels, many of which are on the reading lists of a number of Nigerian universities.His
highly acclaimed novel, Tenants of the
House, which is a fictional account of his years in the House of Representatives
was the 2011 Co-Winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature. A film
adaptation of the novel has just been completed and will be ready for premiering
shortly.
Together
with a few friends, Dr. Okediran in 2010 established the first Writers
Residency in Nigeria, the Ebedi International Writers Residency in Iseyin, Oyo
State. This is an initiative that is building
and motivating teams of writers across Africa and the world at large. Dr.
Okediran is a Fellow of the General Medical Practitioners of Nigeria and Fellow
of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, and a member of the Association of
Nigerian Authors,
prior to serving as its National President between 2006 and 2009. Dr.
Okediran
is currently the Deputy Secretary-General (Africa) for the Union of Writers
from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Dr. Okediran holds BSc (Hons) 1977, MB, ChB 1980
from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). In view of his
prowess in the field of sports where he variously represented his University
and Oyo State, Dr. Okediran was awarded a university scholarship for sports
between 1977 and 1980 at the University of Ife.
NANA KWASI
GYAN-APENTENG
Chairman,
PAWA Steering Committee
