At last ANA Bendel was inaugurated – the first and perhaps the only branch in the country to be so inaugurated! The immortal Founder (of ANA) came to Benin, came to the University of Benin, to inaugurate ANA Bendel. Chinua Achebe appeared live at the main auditorium, the Akin Deko Auditorium, to do his literary duty. He did not come to the place that was semi-familiar to him as a solitary guest.

The late Professor Ossie Onuora Enekwe, poet, short story writer, dramatist and playwright and an expert in oral poetics, to boot, accompanied our immaculate Achebe from Nsukka, from the University of Nigeria, to Benin City for the inauguration. Femi Osofisan was also present as the then President of ANA (who had just succeeded Kole Omotoso as President) to lend official imprimatur of recognition to ANA Bendel.

The late Dr. Ikoyo Eweto, who was the Bendel State Information Commissioner, was in the august gathering as Bendel State’s representative. Our chief launcher at the event, the equally now late Itsekiri Sapele-based business tycoon and rubber magnate billionaire, Prince K.B. Omatseye, was present through his eldest son, Sunny Omatseye, who ably represented him. Two of our patrons/trustees (Justice Rufus Ogbobine and Mr S.M.O. Akah) were buoyantly present. The audience was heftily hefty.

Before the inauguration and launching of ANA Bendel that day in 1989 (whose exact date the rememberer’s memory can no longer establish), Achebe, Ossie Enekwe, Femi Osofisan, Odun Balogun, John Agetua and other members now in my dim memory were led by Dr. Ikoyo Eweto to pay a courtesy call on the new Bendel Governor, Colonel Tunde Ogbeha, who had succeeded Brigadier Inienger as governor. Our bringing forth the one and only Chinua Achebe to the Bendel Government House titillated Governor Ogbeha titillatingly.

Maybe I should say that the governor was nonplussed to behold the immortal man of letters who he beheld live for the very first (and perhaps the last) time – the immortal man of letters whose novels he had read and studied in secondary school! The media – print and electronic – made meals that were meals of the visit and later on of the inauguration and launching of ANA Bendel.

Now after the inauguration and launching, we travelled a couple of kilometers away from the Ugbowo main campus of the University of Benin to Saidi Centre, easily the choicest hotel then that had the best restaurant in the city of Benin. It was along Third East Circular Road that has since been renamed Murtala Mohammed Way following General Mohammed’s assassination in 1976 (he was military Head of State who did a coup against his boss, General Gowon). A Lebanese businessman owned Saidi Centre. My neighbour and friend, Mr Mike Negbenebor, the late billionaire-owner of Soccer Pools (now defunct) sponsored, at my behest, the luncheon for between one hundred and fifty and two hundred persons.

I have since breached the ethics, outline and design of the recollection and narration I set for the rememberer. But blame not the raconteur. Or blame him and excuse him his trespasses with patient magnanimity!

The plan and work that went into the labour that eventually fetched us the success and fruit of it – should be brought forth here – albeit briefly and very concisely! This means that I shall withdraw – and I am withdrawing – my temerity to do a comprehensive completeness of how we planned and worked.

It was my destiny to persuade Chinua Achebe to come to Benin City for ANA Bendel’s inauguration. When we learnt authoritatively that he would be at ANA’s Convention in Calabar in 1988, it was decided that I should attend the Convention held at the University of Calabar. Festus Iyayi also attended the Convention, but it was this writing being who curiously was mandated to discuss with ANA’s Founder and First President (whom he quietly called FAFP) the possibility of his coming to inaugurate ANA Bendel.

The simple and straightforward strategy was to extract a date from the FAFP himself which he as a man of honour would commit himself to. Of course, we would cling on to his given date and time and would passionately commit ourselves to what he would give us as the date he would commit himself to – which was what we did. 

Festus Iyayi and I respectively paid for our trip to and fro Calabar. We shared the same room and bed in our first night in Calabar, but we dozed off without the exchange of views and the comparison of standpoints on the real subject that delightfully drove me to Calabar. Let me skip further details and simply state that Chinua Achebe gloriously gave me a date after listening to my story and request from ANA Bendel. He was having a jocular but some excellent discussion patiently with the late novelist Chukwuemeka Ike of the Toad for Supper fame when I cheerfully sought the permission to talk to him briefly before the opening ceremony of the Convention. Nothing mattered to me again throughout the Convention after Chinua Achebe gave ANA Bendel his nod right there in the hall of the opening ceremoiny! I briefed Festus Iyayi accordingly.

Naturally, I made some new literary friends in the persons of Drs Wale Okediran, the ANA Treaturer then and Bode Sowande, then a famous playwright and teacher at University of Ibadan (where is he now?). Niyi Osundare and I bonded again after our very first meeting in Benin in the course of one of our ad hoc ANA Bendel hostings of ANA National.

The late Ken Saro-Wiwa lavishly hosted Osundare, myself and other persons before the Convention at Oku Iboku (now in Akwa Ibom State) in the sweet premises of the Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company (NNMC) where he was a Director – or some post like that. These are delightful digressions the glitterer recalls with glittering joy.

We took ourselves more seriously and banished any wicked levity from shaming us. Swiftly, we – Agetua, Odun Balogun and I – drove in Odun Balogun’s car to Sapele for an audience with our expected chief launcher, Prince K.B. Omatseye aforesaid. He gave us his firm word. I must not digress by way of carving here exciting social excitements in Papa’s land. We followed our Sapele visit with a visit to Professor Grace Alele-Williams, Uniben’s Vice Chancellor at that time.

ANA Bendel wanted her authorisation for the use of the Akin Deko Auditorium to host Chinua Achebe. We also would be grateful to get her commitment to provide accommodation for our visiting august masquerade. The now late Vice Chancellor obliged our request gratis. She cheerfully offered Achebe, her classmate and friend in their undergraduate years at the University College, Ibadan in the 1950s, a posh accommodation at Uniben’s VC’s Capitol. Some other places were found for some of our guests.

By the way, Odun Balogun was our representative who was in contact with the Vice Chancellor during the period I have alluded to. Furthermore, all the appointments and visits to Government House were handled by me through Dr Ikoyo Eweto and my late elder brother, Dr. Olayemi Afejuku, a mechanical engineer and Commissioner of Works Governor Inienger squeezed from Delta Steel Company, Ovwian-Aladja, Warri to his Cabinet. Tunde Ogbeha who succeeded Inienger as governor retained a number of his predecessors’ commissioners. 

John Agetua and other co-opted ANA Delta members were in charge of other logistics. In fact, John Agetua was left with the task, the serious and active task, of bringing to Benin Kole Omotoso, the ANA President at the time we began our delightful plan to inaugurate and launch ANA Bendel. Kole Omotoso and Agetua were mutual friends.

When, however, Femi Osofisan succeeded Kole Omotoso as ANA President John Agetua was encouraged not to relinquish his initial attempt which he should inspire himself to direct at Femi Osofisan who was equally well known to him, Odun Balogun and this rememberer of rememberers – who was also requested to inspire himself to handle press matters. The late Henry Oduagala, our member at NTA Benin, was to be co-opted to the press team by him.

Nnimmo Bassey – who was not with us ab-initio – was equally to be co-opted to the press corps – if my memory is hinting at me very well. Much later on our regular meeting venue was held at his Environmental Rights Action office along Benin-Lagos Road.

Art and memory and memory and art live upon discussions and conversations with one another.
To be concluded next Friday.
Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.