By Oriyomi Anthony
Agreed, writing is an intensely personal and mentally exerting process. In return, writers desire commensurate remuneration, recognition or, at the least, personal satisfaction. Due to several reasons, these returns are not always commensurate with writers’ efforts, sometimes forcing them to pursue other interests. This may be why some authors only have one published book while others have two.
For whatever reason we have not heard from some of Nigeria’s most beloved literary voices one thing’s certain: we’re growing impatient. Some delivered powerful debuts and left us
hanging afterwards while others simply went quiet after a string of brilliance. This is a loving nudge to these 8 authors that readers, like me, are more than ready for what comes next.
1. Sade Adeniran
Adeniran’s Imagine This was published in Nigeria in 2011 (although published internationally in 2008), and it was all book lovers could rave about for months. The award-winning novel
tracks the story of Lola Ogunwole who, though born in London, was sent to live with her relatives in Nigeria. Imagine This ended on a cliff-hanging note, deceiving readers to expect a sequel. Over a decade later, Ms Adeniran has not released a follow-on to this captivating story.
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2. Tanimu Sule Lagi
When Sule Lagi released The Bofak Illusion in 2012, it was a welcome addition to Nigeria’s thriller collection. Subsequently, an expectation of further crime stories was placed on the author which remains fulfilled.
3. Victor Ehikhamenor
Between being a visual artist, photographer and writer, Victor Ehikhamenor must have a busy schedule. That notwithstanding, he has some published works, with a notable one being Excuse Me!, a collection of humorous essays released in 2012. Like the other authors on this list, our question to Mr Ehikhamenor is, when should we expect your next collection of essays?
4. Eghosa Imasuen
Eghosa Imasuen gave readers To Saint Patrick and Fine Boys and shortly after co-founded a publishing company. Since then, his focus has, naturally, been on helping other authors realise their ambitions and of course grow Africa’s literary landscape. This notwithstanding, readers have sure missed Dr Imasuen’s witty style and would love to rediscover it in a new book.
5. Ike Oguine
Oguine details the African immigrant’s story in his debut novel, The Squatter’s Tale, published in 1997. Interestingly, the author has since grown an alternate career as a lawyer and consequently publishing another book appears to have taken second place.
6. El Nukoya
El Nukoya has a gift for telling the stories of the common man, and his two books, Nine Lives and Baron of Broad Street, are evidence of this. However, it’s been a decade since his last
publication, and this is a gentle reminder for him to get on with it.
7. Reward Nsirim
Nsirim’s debut book, Fresh Air & Other Stories, is an anthology which the Nigerian literary space received warmly when it was released in 2013. Alas, no additional books have been published by Mr Nsirim and as a lover of his debut novel I wonder why.
8. Stella Ify Osammor
I discovered Ify Osammor’s The Triumph of the Water Lily through my sister in circa 2009 – 2011. It is a highly captivating and engrossing read and it is where I first learnt about the Biafran War. Osammor wove an exceptional tale of love, motherhood and loss in the book that I kept returning to over and over. Sadly, my quest to read further works from her proved abortive. It was not until I started research for this article that I discovered her second adult fiction, Silhouettes of a Treasured Heritage, which did not catch on so well, at least in Nigeria. Because of my abiding love for Mrs Osammor’s debut adult fiction, I believe she
owes fans, like me, another book.
