ANA Benue launches 2019 ANA/Yusuf Ali Literary Awareness Campaign

ANA BENUE LAUNCHES 2019 ANA/YUSUF ALI LITERARY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

By Gwabo Gwaza Godwin

The Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Benue State Chapter on Wednesday 26th May, 2019, launched the Association's Literary Awareness and Reading Campaign co- sponsored by Yusuf Ali (SAN), an Illorin based Legal Luminary.

The 2019 ANA/Yusuf Ali literary campaign in Benue state focuses on Internally Displaced Persons and Nigerian prison inmates who are expected to participate in literary completions to earn prizes.

Receiving ANA Benue officials at the Abagena and Daudu IDP camps, the Executive Secretary, Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Mr. Emmanuel Shior called on the Federal Government to flush out armed herdsmen occupying some settlements in the state to enable IDPs return to their ancestral homes.

Represented by Information Officer of the Agency, Mr. Dickson Mishi, the Executive Secretary of SEMA lamented the continued stay of thousands of IDPs at various camps in the state which has overstretched the resources of the state and appealed to the Federal Government to make the land safe for the people to return home and continue with their farming.

He commended ANA Benue State Chapter for taking the Association's literary works and reading campaign to the camps, saying the gesture would reduce psychological trauma the IDPs were passing through and equip them academically to achieve greatness in the society. 

On his part, ANA National President, Mallam Denja Abdullahi represented by National Assistant General Secretary, Mr. Maik Ortserga, encouraged the IDPs not to lose hope in their present condition and take the reading and writing exercise seriously to document their plight in a story form. 

Earlier, the State Chairman of ANA, Dr. Charles Iornumbe had explained that the Literary Awareness and Reading Campaign which is supported by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Ali and National leadership of ANA was aimed at promoting literary works and reading culture among the people especially those in prison and IDP camps for this year.

According to Dr. Iornumbe, the exercise was also to enable the IDPs to write their own stories especially challenges in camps to create awareness and actions taken, he urged them to take the exercise seriously in order to benefit from it.

The ANA Chairman and other officials presented writing materials to selected IDPs to enable them write short stories about their experience at the camps and submit to ANA for publication and selection of the best to recommend for sponsorship for higher education while relief materials were also presented to the camps.