By Olayinka Oyegbile
He enjoys true leisure has time to improve his soul’s estate – Henry David Thoreau
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In life, the choices we make define us and the company we keep says a lot about us and what we care about. From May 10-13, 2023, book lovers and stakeholders in the industry gathered at Yard 158 Event Arena, Oregun Road, Ikeja to talk about and savour the aroma of being amid books and lovers of the written word.
It was the 22nd Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF) under the chairmanship of the affable Mr Dare Oluwatuyi, the managing director of the iconic CSS Bookshop. It is a yearly ritual that I have vowed never to miss and thus make sure I am in Lagos anytime it holds. Not because of anything, but just to meet people and show my support in my own little way for the organisers of the event. We are in a society that turns its focus away from anything intellectual or book related.
For the days the fair lasted, it was fun for those who were around, book stands everywhere, school pupils, teachers, writers, artists and so on met from time to time and in different sessions to talk about the survival and promotion of the reading culture, which everyone agrees is dying in the face of technology.
The disruption technology has caused the book world is huge, as many no longer want nor have to read. There are too many distractions and people have turned away from investing in books. They would rather invest in technological gadgets. But was it, not books that produced technology? Well, that is a discussion for another day.
For the four days that the bookfair lasted, unfortunately, even though it was held in Oregun, Ikeja, a whisper distance from the seat of power in the state, not one government representative showed up! In the programme, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was listed as the chief host. He never showed up nor send a representative! None of our big politicians thought it wise to be there or send a word of solidarity to the organisers to identify with them. That is the way we are.
A few months ago, an international online magazine asked me to write an article suggesting five books I think were compulsory for the incoming president to read. Â In writing the piece, I noted that Nigerian leaders are not noted for reading. I, however, went ahead to make my recommendations hoping it would get to the appropriate quarters. Â President Barrack Obama throughout his presidency always had a summer reading list which the media always wait for and publish. He Hs been out of power for home many years now, yet the world media still look forward to his reading list. We have never had such a leader in Nigeria. Imagine what it would have been to have a Governor Sanwo-Olu visiting the bookfair and purchasing books and let the media know the kinds of books that excites him. But our leaders are not Obama. How can they release their reading list? How many votes will that fetch?
Roll down to a few weeks after the bookfair and see how all our leaders were trooping and stepping over themselves to be heard and seeing identifying with Hilda Baci, the chef during her cook-a-thon (that grammar!) at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos State. Birds of a feather. Her kitchen was for those four days turned into a tourist spot where they all visited and encouraged her. Those who couldnât visit sent words of encouragement or twitted and joined the crowd on social media to salute her enterprise.
Let no one misunderstand me, I am not in any way dismissing Baciâs chase of a Guinness World Record. No. It was a noble venture in its own way. But why did our leaders focus their attention more on that than on something more intellectual?
Her chase of a world record lasted almost the same days as the fair, yet none of them said âpimâ!! It was quiet from all fronts.
A list of prominent Nigerians who identified with Baci included the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was reported to have joined her Instagram live video and commented, âIDAN doesnât break, she breaks records. Weâre rooting for you, Hilda.â That was not all, a screenshot of the Instagram Live was shared on Tinubuâs Instagram. She got presidential attention at least.
That was not all. Governor Sanwo-Olu as the chief host, yes, it held in his territory, found it imperative to visit her kitchen and wished her well. He was shown on television grinning from ear to ear and clapping excitedly to gear her on.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a respected professor of law, was not left behind. He put across a phone call to Baci. Not to be left out, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar also sent a Tweet to Baci. His Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi added his voice to the cacophony. He tweeted in her support saying, âThe efforts being made by Hilda Effiong Bassey (Hilda Baci) to beat the current Guinness World Record for cooking for four days nonstop shows the true Nigerian spirit of hard work and resilience.â
Other celebrities such as Tiwa Savage, Spyro, Banky-W among others also visited the venue of the cook-a-thon in support of the celebrity chef. These ones I can understand. It is their world to hug the limelight.
Mr Oluwatuyi, if he followed this event must have green in his eyes and wonder why his efforts and that of others who laboured with him never got a whiff of recognition from all those people. A book fair is not a cook-a-thon. Shoe get size. Never worry, sir. That is the way we are wired. Our choices in life define who we are. See you at the 23rd Fair next year, if the Lord tarries.
