Nothing surpasses joy of writing —Okediran

Nothing surpasses joy of writing —Okediran

By Akintayo Abodunrin On Apr 12, 2020

Writer, physician, politician and debut film producer, Dr Wale Okediran will clock 65 on April 14. He has a new novel, ‘Madagali’ to mark the occasion and speaks about it as well as his other literary engagements in this interview. Excerpts: 

YOU’LL be 65 in a couple of days and a fortnight ago released your latest novel, ‘Madagali’. Is it to mark the special occasion?

Yes, I wanted to use something to mark my 65th birthday. That was why I decided to release the novel, my 15th. It was released two weeks ago, but the presentation has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

It is dedicated to the officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their gallantry in the ongoing war against Boko Haram insurgency. It is a fictional account of the rebellion.

How long did it take, from conception to completion?

The research; interviews and visits to the Army Training Centres as well as the Northeast, the theatre of the insurgency, took 18 months. Another six months were used for the literature review, the writing and rewriting of the manuscript. The book took two years to complete.

Though it is fiction, ‘Madagali’ benefited a lot from many people who were generous with their time and assistance while researching and writing. They include my staff, fellow writers, friends, family members, as well as former and serving members of the security forces.

I travelled to many towns in the Northeast, including Maiduguri, Damaturu, Mubi, Madagali, Gulak, and Hong, among others while researching the book. I also interviewed residents in these areas who narrated their experiences in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents.

I also spoke with serving and retired members of the Nigerian Armed Forces as well as aid workers with international relief organisations. I visited some Internally Displaced Peoples camps where I spoke to some refugees on their plight.

A previous visit to Liberia, many years ago where I interacted with Nigerian soldiers who were members of the peacekeeping force; ECOMOG as well a general view of Monrovia also came in handy.

For a year (2008), I was resident in Liberia, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone and Senegal where I worked on a legislative USAID project. I travelled widely and interacted with the citizens of these countries. Many of my experience during this period came in handy while working on ‘Madagali’.

I also had to read a lot of books about war injuries and the possible consequences, guerrilla warfare, military operations, how to set up ambushes and how to neutralise them, ammunition and mines. Insurgency and counter-insurgency as well as books on previous guerrilla wars in Sri Lanka and Vietnam among other places.

 I might be wrong, but you seem to have become more interested in Northern Nigeria and its cultural dynamics. We see this in ‘Tenants of the House’, and you appear to have touched on it also in ‘Madagali’?

This is very true. My interest in Northern Nigeria began way back in 1997-2001 when I became the General Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). I was opportune to travel to many states, especially the North, where I assisted in setting up new branches in that position.

My interest got a further boost when I moved to Abuja in 2004 as a member of the House of Representatives. During this period, I travelled widely across the country, especially to the North. I also made many friends which necessitated visits through which I got to know more about the cultures and peoples of the region.

My knowledge and fraternity with the North continued when I became the National President of ANA from 2005 to 2008. Apart from winning my election at the national convention which took place in Kano, I got the overwhelming vote from northern writers. My tenure was devoted to the promotion of literature in indigenous languages, and Northern Nigeria benefited a lot. I also used the opportunity to discover new writers across the country, including the North, which I visited extensively.

The more I understood the North, the more I appreciated the region’s unique culture, language, people and literature. That was why it was easy for me to use the area as an appropriate setting for my writings and literary interventions.

After my tenure ended at the national assembly, I remained in Abuja where I took literary, medical and legislative consultancies, mostly in the North for six years. I worked with the National Primary Health Development Agency as a consultant in Nasarawa, FCT and Niger with forays into other northern states. I also consulted for the World Bank, Save The Children, UNICEF, Nigerian Governors Forum and UNAIDS. The extended-stay further deepened my understanding and love for northern Nigeria.

I was more or less a full-time resident of northern Nigeria for close to 15 years. The lengthy stay allowed me to fully understand the culture and the people and by extension, a suitable setting for my writings.

You were mainly a fiction writer until some years ago when you moved into non-fiction, biographies particularly. What sparked your interest, and how has it been as a biographer?

I decided to diversify into non- fiction especially, travel writing and biographies because I believe in the importance of these genres in Nigerian literature.

Writing the biography of famous Nigerians can be nerve-wracking. It can also be fun. Five years and five books down the road, I can write another book on my experience as a commissioned chronicler of the lives of the famous and the rich. A good friend of mine noted for his cynicism suggested a title, ‘Villains and Victors: In the footsteps of fame and fraud.’

As a politician myself, I am very sympathetic to my colleagues. I know where the shoe pinches. As a biographer, I have had to put up with a lot of hassles. From the last-minute cancelled appointment in Katsina to a scary flight to Yola, an interview conducted in the middle of a campaign rally in Enugu as well as an angry wife in Port Harcourt who protested my interviewing one of her husband’s numerous girlfriends! This is apart from the fact that the job takes you away from family and friends and turns you into an antisocial animal who is always cocooned in his writing world.

I have also had some good moments. Apart from interviewing and dining with the high and mighty, my assignments have taken me to Ghana, UK, and the US aside several Nigerian cities where I made invaluable friends. However, nothing in the business surpasses the exhilaration of the writing itself. Hunched over my laptop in the twilight or wee hours, I enjoy the thrill of piecing together the fragments of other people’s stories, drilling into their beings like a surgeon working in the innards of a patient. I am also a historian of some sort for every biography is unique and the art of researching and writing it, a historical journey.

As much as I respect my subjects’ right to set boundaries for their stories, I am no spin doctor and will not embellish facts. I believe in ‘evidence-based’ biographies where friends and foes alike will be interviewed so that a balanced view of the subject will be presented for posterity and history to judge.

In March 2019, Lantern Books published my first volume of travel stories; ‘Tales of a Troubadour’ while the second volume is ready for publication. As for travel writing, I enjoy travelling a lot, and I am also aware that travel writing has helped to shape people’s perception of the world beyond their borders and of history itself. Writing travelogue is a beautiful and immersive experience. I have been writing travel stories for over 40 years, and each time I go back to read one of them, it’s like reliving those moments. But I am not doing anything new, I’m only following the masters.

Do you have a preference between the two? That is, fiction and non-fiction?

Writing biographies and travel stories are more challenging than writing fiction. While you have the freedom to write anything in fiction, you can’t do that for non -fiction. You need to gauge the feelings of your subjects as well as areas of potential litigations before putting pen to paper in non-fiction. Having said this, I enjoy writing biographies. Apart from the good money that accrues, I have through it learnt a lot about human characteristics, struggles, achievements and failures, through which I have become a better person. Indeed, I will love to pay more attention to it in future.

You trained as a medical doctor, but you have been writing for as long as you have been a physician. Are you thinking of dropping one now that you’re getting older?

I find my three interests; literature, medicine and politics very symbiotic. Each has been feeding each other for such a long time that I find it difficult to separate them. Many of the inspirations for my novels such as ‘The Boys at the Border’, ‘Strange Encounters’, ‘Sighs of Desire’, ‘Storms of Passion’ among others came from my hospital experiences.

At the same time, politics played a significant role in ‘Rainbows are for Lovers’, ‘After the Flood’, ‘Dreams die at Twilight’ and ‘Tenants of the House’ among others. Medicine features prominently in ‘Madagali’.

Unlike the famous Russian doctor/writer, Anton Chekov, who claimed that ‘Medicine is my legal wife and Literature my mistress, I run to either of the two when I am tired of one’, I see myself as being ‘legally married’ to literature, medicine and politics. I can, therefore, not abandon one for the other. While age and limitations of abilities may reduce my activities in the tripod, total severance of one for the other may not be possible.

Do you now have support for the Ebedi Writers Residency, what gives you joy about the initiative?

I am quite fulfilled that the philosophy behind the creation of the Ebedi International Writers Residency, which was to give writers an opportunity to complete their ongoing works in a conducive environment has been fulfilled. Since September 2010, when it was established, the Ebedi Residency has hosted about 140 writers and artists from ten African countries, providing them with the needed comfort and space to express their creativity.

Besides, during this period, the writers, as part of their community activities, have mentored several students from secondary schools in Iseyin in the area of creative arts.

For three years the Residency has published ‘Ebedi Review’– showcasing the experiences of writers and artists who have stayed there at one time or the other, their short stories, poems and essays. It has also published works from writers across the African continent.

We have been able to attract some of the financial support for the Residency once in a while, but these have been few and far between. I had thought that by now, ten years since the establishment of the Residency, we would have been enjoying some form of a generous grant. Unfortunately, this has not happened, and the bulk of the financing has been on me. Every time we send out an application for support, we would be commended for what we are doing with the regret that the available funds are not meant for our kind of project. My observation is that many corporate organisations, including philanthropists, are not interested in literature and the arts. Many of them would instead prefer to sponsor events in the entertainment industry, especially the beauty pageants and sports competitions.

All the same, we would not relent in our efforts at fundraising with the hope that sooner or later, something good would come our way. In recognition of my literary contributions to Iseyin, especially the establishment of the Residency, the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Abdulganiyu Adekunle Salaudeen, OlogunebiAjinose 1 honoured me with the traditional title of Onigege Ara (the man with the wonderful pen) in November 2019

What has been the response to ‘Tenants of the House’ as a movie and do you plan any other movie adaptation of your works

From the positive reactions after the premiere as well as other private screenings, it is apparent that we have been able to produce an artistically successful movie. My prayer now is to have a commercially successful film, so I can pay back my ‘gbese’ [debts] and start sleeping normally again.

I am hopeful that some of my other novels, especially those that have addressed societal problems such as ‘Strange Encounters’, ‘The Weaving Looms’ as well as ‘The Boys at the Border’ will soon be adapted into movies.

 When will the public be able to see ‘Tenants…’ in cinemas?

We are still in the process of sorting out some of the logistics necessary for the public viewing of the Film. Hopefully, this would soon be sorted out before the end of the year.

Considering your mixed fortunes in politics, has it been worth it?

History is replete with medical doctors who have also been politicians but despite what you referred to as my ‘mixed fortunes’, I am fulfilled that I dabbled into politics. Apart from the opportunity given me to serve my people at the local level as well as the country at the national level, the experience garnered as well as the legion of friends made during my tenure has enriched my personal life, my writings as well as my entire outlook of life.

What’s the best, most precious birthday gift you would love for your 65th?

Good health and peace of mind among a beautiful company of family and friends. I thank God that He has already given me this precious birthday gift. He added an icing, the joy of a new book, ‘Madagali’. I couldn’t have asked for more.

https://tribuneonlineng.com/nothing-surpasses-joy-of-writing-okediran/

Wale Okediran’s Madagali: Love and Ambush in a Time of War – Ifeanyichukwu Peter Eze

Wale Okediran’s Madagali: Love and Ambush in a Time of War – Ifeanyichukwu Peter Eze

Madagali is a story of love in a time of war. 

Bukar, a young lance corporal in the Nigerian army, born of a Nigerian father and Liberian mother, is injured in a deadly ambush by Boko Haram. At the hospital, it is discovered that the injury has rendered him impotent. But his desire to keep that to himself and stay away from women is not helped by the web of love that confronts him. This pushes him to seek for remedy in between repelling the insurgency and staying in love. He is attracted to Safiya, a humanitarian worker and daughter of a former Boko Haram leader. She helps him secure an herbal remedy from a mallam but blackmails him with a demand for information: to ambush the food going to Biu and pass the food to the starving Boko Haram boys. Else, she would go back to the mallam and revoke the healing. For Bakar, this is a moral decision steeped in his freedom from his erectile dysfunction and the love for his country. 

The Boko Haram movement has been in Nigeria since 2009. The name translates to “western education is forbidden”. It has killed thousands of people. But who is the real enemy? Why is the war still lingering after more than 10 years? 

Told from the eyes of Bukar, the protagonist, the tone is personal and introspective. As an eye witness account, it initiates and ensures an engaging, sincere, and unapologetic exploration of the Boko Haram menace, and as well, confirms the truth hidden in whispers and rumours rather than what we get from official documents. It lays bare the double standards of the Nigeria armed forces, the labyrinths of underhand collaborations between the people in high places, the NGOs, and insurgents. 

Colonel Yusuf Abu is killed by the military top guns in what is documented as an ambush by the enemy, because of his huge potential to end the war. In that same vein, Bukar is wrongly accused, tortured and imprisoned for possessing bomb making materials in a package he is to deliver for Lt Col Humus, and whose contents he knows nothing about.  Meanwhile aid workers act as middlemen for arm dealers. 

Interestingly, the narrative alternates between Nigeria and Liberia where Bukar’s family has arranged a wife for him. Liberia offers a contrasting fortune of peace and calm to the artilleries, bombs, rockets, and death that have become Nigeria’s image. Peace, it seems, is an almost impossible achievement.  

The story flows simply in an unadorned, sometimes raw, but effective language. Most of its strength wears a journalistic verve to give credence to the investigative run of the text with a sense of elaborate history.  As a result, the dialogue is a huge informant. 

The writer’s wealth of travel experiences shines on the pages. He takes us through the terrain of the lingering war: from Madagali to Baga, Katarko to Kano, Kaya to Gulag, Maiduguri to Ngala, military camps, IDP camps, war strategies, hungry civilians, lost children, disheveled women, repentant insurgents, and their likes.

There is an undertone though. And this, I feel is a subtle questioning of the hypocrisy in the system. How do you fight a war you help sustain knowingly? The existence of sympathisers of Boko Haram in both the military and the NGOs undermines the efforts and the moral choices of individuals who are genuinely fighting to end the scourge. 

Wouldn’t Bukar have chosen his options differently instead of putting the lives of his colleagues at the mercy of a deadly ambush? Safiya provides a watershed link to the passage of information between both sides: the military and the insurgents. It suggests, and validly so, that the hands of the humanitarian services are deep in the dirty waters of the matter. 

There is the case of the so called repentant former Boko Haram members who vacillate, exploring whose policies offer better economic well-being and security between the Nigerian government on one hand, and the terrorists on the other. If the government is not forthcoming, they turn their allegiance back to the terrorists. This is the case of Safiya’s father who has gone back to the group. He had initially joined the group to raise money to send his daughter to school. 

Remarkably, the voice behind the novel is urgent; a huge eye opener to the decay in the Nigerian military. The NGO’s in charge of the IDP camps are not left out in the lash that this book is. Ultimately the drive here is to create the right consciousness in the face of deceit. This book holds the light.

(Ifeanyichukwu Peter Eze holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His works have appeared or forthcoming in: Red Coyote, Tiny Essays, Pangoline Review, and The Nigerina Tribune. He is a fellow of the Ebedi International Writers’Residency, Iseyin, Oyo State. )

https://thelagosreview.ng/wole-okedirans-madagali-love-and-ambush-in-a-time-of-war-ifeanyichukwu-peter-eze/

Travelogue; In Ethiopia, Xmas is in January

TRAVELOGUE; IN ETHIOPIA, XMAS IS IN JANUARY

by

WALE OKEDIRAN

          The Karamara is a popular but smoky nite Club in the Bole area of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  About 30 minutes drive from the Sheraton Hotel, its mud wall and thatched roof building gives it an exquisite traditional appearance which makes the Club a favourite of tourists.  It was to this delightful “watering hole” that Fekadu, our amiable taxi driver and guide took our group of Parliamentarians and Civil Rights Leaders that cold December evening a few years ago.

          Having been stuck at the “Sheraton Addis” for the past few days over deliberations on Human Rights and Good Governance, we wanted to air ourselves for a change.  And so when Fikadu suggested going to Karamara to listen to traditional Ethiopian music, we all jumped at the idea.

          As we entered the dimly-lit Club, a strong and sweet aroma of burning incense hit the nostrils while the pulsating beat of Ethiopian music floated around the Club.  Sitting cross-legged in a meditative position amidst a cloud of burning incense inside an alcove within the Club was an Ethiopian lady dressed in white.  All around her on the floor were empty teacups while an aluminium cistern on a stove sat beside her.

          It was amidst this wafting cloud of incense that she poured a steady stream of a rich dark liquid from the cistern into the tea cups on the floor.  “She’s making Ethiopian coffee”, Fekadu explained.  “But, why the ceremony”?  I asked.  According to Fekadu, apart from being the most important agricultural product in Ethiopia, coffee is also valued for its spiritual, social and religious significance which explained the ceremonial nature of its brewing.

          On the band stand was an Ethiopian musician dressed in a white tunic with an electronic keyboard as his main accompaniment.  And as our group settled down on the Club’s low stools and tables, I observed that the Club was patronized mostly by foreigners.  It was a traditionally built Clubhouse with several Ethiopian traditional paintings and crafts adorning the smoky interior.

          Above the din of the noise, Fekadu tried to interprete the various paintings that depicted traditional Ethiopian houses, crafts as well as various modes of dressings to me.  Suddenly, I felt a movement near me and looked up to see a young lady barely out of her teens sidling up to my side.  “Hello, my name is Jane.  You want a friend”?  She asked in halting English.  I was about to shoo her off when Fekadu came to my rescue.  He spoke to the girl in Amharic and she moved away to another corner of the Club.  That was when I looked up and discovered that there were several other “Janes” in the Club, some who were already paired up with some patrons.

          According to Fekadu, the girls were mostly from the war torn Eritrea and had come to Ethiopia in search of education and training but ended up in prostitution due to the poor economy of their host country.  Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by heavy drum beats as the tempo of the music changed and two dancers, a male and a female came onstage.  Moving in tune to the music, the couple started an energetic dance which involved a rapid movement of the waist, the torso and the neck in that order.

          “They are doing the Guraga”, Fekadu explained as the dancers continued the vigorous shaking of the different parts of the body.  And as we all applauded, the tempo of the music changed to a slow one and the couple made their exits.  In their stead, a young lady singer came on stage and started her act in a soft, sonorous voice whichj was accompanied by a slow, gentle dance.  “That is the Onamo”, Fekadu explained.  “It is a song about love, hope and everlasting joy”, he added.

          Much later, as we drove back to our hotel, through the well-lit and well-paved streets of Addis, I was greatly impressed by the simplicity and orderliness of the Ethiopian capital city.  With a population of about three million people, the city was said to have been founded by Emperor Menilek in 1887.  More than 21,000 hectares in area, Addis Ababa is situated in the foothills of the Entoto Mountains and rambles pleasantly across many wooded hillsides and gullies.  This enchanting view of Addis was very different from the picture painted by the International Media of Ethiopia as a land of war, famine and International food aid recipient.  Although this severe food shortage has significantly abated, it still continues to this very day in some parts of the country.

          Old beyond imagining, Ethiopia dates back to Biblical times with a culture and tradition going back 3000 years.  Originally called Abbyssynia, the country is said to be one of the very few African countries that was never colonized in the true sense of it.  This way, it has retained its original tradition and culture which are still well seen in the way of life of Ethiopians.  And like many other African countries, Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic State.  The principal spoken language which is also the official language is Amharic with about 80 other languages and 200 different dialects.

          Legend has it that Emperor Menelik I, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Axum in Ethiopia where he settled and established one of the world’s largest known, uninterrupted monarchial dynasties.  With a population of about 70 million people, Ethiopia covers an area more than the size of France and Spain combined and nearly twice the size of Texas.  About 65 percent of the land is arable with 15 percent greatly cultivated.

          Ethiopia is so steeped in tradition that the country has its own calendar which is seven years behind the rest of the world.  Also, by the country’s traditional time piece, Ethiopian is six hours behind the rest of the world.  More interestingly, while the rest of the world celebrated Xmas on December 25, Xmas in Ethiopia is normally celebrated in January.

          Although not an oil-producing nation, Ethiopia has managed to keep the price of its petroleum products at 5.50 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) which is approximately ₦80.00 (Eighty Naira) per litre.

          In spite of its relative poverty, it was obvious that this poverty has been well managed by the Ethiopian government as could be seen by the adequate and efficient basic amenities in the country.  Apart from the well-lit and paved roads in the Capital City of Addis, the regular and sufficient electricity supply as well as the orderliness and honesty of the Ethiopians I saw in Addis are testimonies to a country which in spite of its poor economy continues to hold its own.

          I was impressed when a taxi driver who took me to make a phone call at the Lagar area of the city rather than sneak away went looking for the parking area attendant in order to pay his parking fees.  It was at the same Lagar area that I chanced upon five Nigerians who informed me that they were actually serving various prison terms in the City’s prison. The five young men who were in civilians clothes had entered the telephone office under armed escort by prison officials.

          According to one of them who gave his name as Bright, the five men were caught at various occasions on their way from Asia with Cocaine meant for the Nigerian market.  Bright who said he had three months more for his sentence said that the prison officials usually allow them to come to the centre to make phone calls home.

          The following day found me in the premises of the Nigerian Embassy near the Semin Hotel in the northern part of Addis.  I had been invited for lunch by His Excellency, Olusegun Akinsanya, the Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia at the time in question.  I was taken round the compound by the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mr. Layi Iyanda.  The Embassy compound which comprised of the Chancery, the residential buildings for the Ambassador and two other officers also had a guest house for about twelve guests as well as the Presidential Lodge for visiting Nigerian Presidents.  Under construction was a Community Centre which according to the Ambassador, will be used to host Nigerians on special occasions such as Independence Day Celebrations among others.  Although most of the buildings which were built during the Babangida regime are overdue for renovations, they have made the Embassy a little bit self-sustaining very much unlike the case of some embassies who are unable to pay their rents.  Even at this, Ambassador Akinsanya was still unhappy with what he referred to as the poor and irregular funding of Nigerian embassies all over the world.  As he put it, “since our foreign missions are the representatives of Nigeria, everything must be done to keep them in the high standard that is befits the status of our country”.

          The Ambassador who observed that the telephone lines to the embassy in Addis were recently disconnected due to the inability of the embassy to pay its bills appealed to the National Assembly to increase the budgetary allocation to all foreign missions as a matter of urgency.  And although the number of Nigerians living and working in Ethiopia are very few being limited to the staff of the African Union and Economic Commission for Africa, the embassy is always in touch with all Nigerian citizens including the few young Nigerian prisoners I had met earlier in the day.  As the Ambassador put it; “although they are in prison, they are still Nigerians and we need to keep an eye on them”.

          The existence of Ethiopia as a Centre in the business of drug trafficking is an unusual one since the country itself is not a major drug-consuming nation.  According to recent documents from the Ethiopian authorities, drug addiction is not a serious problem in Addis since drug use is not common in the country.  What appears to be the drug of recreation among the youths is a leafy substance called Chat (Khat).  It is a mild narcotic which when chewed for several hours at a time produces a feeling of euphoria.  Although it increases alertness, causes excitement and improves concentration, it is also believed to dull sexual desire but rarely causes toxic or schizophrenic reactions.  However, Chat remains banned from many Western countries who consider it to be a drug of addiction.

          What appears to cause what observers call “political split personalities” is the current peace initiative between Ethiopia and Eritrea.  Although the war between the two neighbouring countries is officially over, several issues ranging from free movement of nationalities of both countries as well as boundary disputes still remain unsolved.  It is even believed in many international circles that were it not for the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), hostilities would have commenced again between the two nations.

          And so, when the then Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi proposed a new peace initiative which had the backing of the United Nations and many members of the International community, he never bargained for the kind of opposition the initiative generated from leaders of the Ethiopian’s Coalition of Opposition Parties and the Eritrean government.  According to the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD), the initiative which conceded a number of hitherto disputed border towns to Eritrea was a sellout.  As the CUD put it, “the sudden and unexpected peace initiative is one more example of an untenable strategy of Mele’s administration’s pursuit of lasting peace.  We also believe that the real motivation of the initiative lies in its flagrant effort to prolong its hold on power”.  Also, the Eritrean government in spite of the apparent concession of some border towns to it by the Ethiopian authorities considers this gesture very inadequate and wants a better deal.

          However, with the UN and other major political stakeholders such as the USA, Germany, UK among other countries already in support of the initiative, it is very likely that the agreement will sail through.  Also encouraging are the feelers from members of the Nigerian diplomatic community in Addis Ababa who expect that by the time Nigeria which at that time occupied the position of Chairman of the African Union wades into the matter, the issue will be amicably resolved.  So high is the confidence many African diplomats have in Nigeria’s ability to resolve many nagging political issues on the continent that even when I expressed my reservations over this impression, one of the officials stood his ground.  As the diplomat put it, “Nigeria is well respected by several African countries for her courage and intelligence to resolve international disputes and it is a pity that Nigerians don’t appreciate what they have.  It is a case of a prophet not having the required respect in his home”.

          My last few hours in Addis were spent with my fellow Parliamentarians, Civil Rights Leaders and Judiciary officers putting finishing touches to the Communiqué that outlined the outcome of our Human Rights Conference.  This was very crucial since the officials of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights who convened the meeting insisted on a very practical and realistic time-table of actions on the subject matter rather than mere “political statements”.

          As I made my way to the newly Commissioned Bole International Airport for my final departure to Nigeria, I once again admired some major sights of Addis.  Apart from the Central market, The Mecato, equally fascinating was the Campus of the Addis Ababa University, the Pizza which is the commercial nerve centre of the town as well as the residential area of Kasa.

          A further testimony to the long tradition of Ethiopia were the two palaces, one built by King Menilek (now the residence of the Ethiopian Prime Minister) and the other one by Emperor Haile Selassie before the Italian occupation of Ethiopia (now the official residence of the President).  At a local Cafetaria, Abbysynian Café, I tried to eat a popular local meal of Injera and Wot.  Unfortunately, I found the Injera rather too sour and the Wot too bland.  Perhaps that was the only thing I found unremarkable about this ancient land of remarkables.