 BY ARUKAINO UMUKORO The regular political drama that unfolds in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly is not exactly fresh news to most Nigerians who are familiar with the business of the Senate and the House of Representatives. But never before has the story been told the way Wale Okediran, a medical doctor and author, has done with his new book, Tenants of the House. Published by Nelson Publishers Limited, Ibadan, Oyo State, Tenants of the House was presented to the public on January 28, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos. The event was graced by dignitaries such as Segun Mimiko Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, senior advocate of Nigeria and president of the Nigerian Bar Association and Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Federal House of Representatives, while Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor, was represented by Ambassador Toyin Akeju. “Okediran delivers a haunting narrative and weaves a complex web that interrogates the (country’s) character, identity and culture today,” said Reuben Abati, chairman of the Editorial Board, Guardian Newspapers and book reviewer. The book, Abati noted, “offers an artistic portrayal of the enduring challenges of leadership, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa…the strong theme is the moral latitude that it has created in a society of compromise.” In a spell-binding narrative that could only come from one who is not only an insider, but also a gifted storyteller; Okediran, a former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, and former member of the House of Representatives, wrote a book that was described by Dabiri-Erewa as a “factual fiction”. “Whether we like it or not, some things are true, there are problems in that House,” said Dabiri-Erewa when she mounted the podium to read an excerpt from the book. She encouraged more professionals to get into politics and help to change things for the better in the everyday governance of the country. Odia Ofeimum, renowned poet and activist, praised Okediran for summoning enough courage to write the book in fictional format. “Sometimes the truth cannot be told as fact but fiction,” said Ofeimum. “The culture predating their entry into the House means that they (politicians) get in there to represent no one but themselves. You cannot be honest in a House where the root and platform of it is dishonesty,” Ofeimum noted. Mimiko agreed with him. “Until we have credible elections, we would just be groping in the dark,” he said. For the author, it was the fulfillment of a six-year project. Okediran, who entered the National Assembly in 2003, said it was an enormous challenge for him to finally be able to pull the book off, especially since it is a fictional account of happenings in the House. “The only anxiety was that I should not use real names and designations,” said Okediran, whose other books include The Boys at the Border, Rainbows are for Lovers, Rescue of Uncle Babs, Dreams Die at Twilight and Strange Encounters. |