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A lawyer and book writer, Osigwe Ahmed Momoh, has captured the Nigerian culture, history and traditions in a book, titled: World we once had. Published in Lagos recently, the book addresses pre-colonial Nigeria and the complexity of relationships. The fiction focuses on an enthralling romance, the test of loyalty, and an intermingling of cultures set in pre-colonial Nigeria.
Momoh said the novel follows the story of Agbe, a sentry in the army of an ambitious king, who failed to sacrifice a young girl at the king’s behest.
“Years later after rising to fame and glory in the King’s prestigious army, his sins caught up with him. Now married to his assignment, Agbe must reckon with his past as the king’s fury haunts his young family splitting them to the farthest corners of the earth, that not even time and distance, nor fame and good fortune, even the birth of their newborn would prevent them from the cruel hands of fate,” he explained.
Fielding questions from journalists, Momoh said: “I feel very strongly that part of the reason I was put on God’s earth was to tell this story, and it won’t be a tenable excuse on the judgment day that I didn’t write this because Nigerians don’t read. This story has been begging to be told, and I’m very honored to be the vehicle.
To him, “beautiful stories abound in Africa; I just love to tell them. This novel is one of such stories and I am happy I’m able to tell it.” Now available across leading bookstores and online, the book is a must-read for anyone who loves good story, enjoys learning about different cultures or wants to experience the beauty of Nigerian literature.
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