News || Provide Concrete Support For Indigenous Literature – Northern Nigerian Writers Task Governors || The Arts-Muse Fair

The Northern Nigerian Writers Summit (NNWS) has at her third summit held recently in Katsina called on the Northern states governments to provide concrete support base for the development of indigenous literature through the teaching of indigenous languages in all primary schools and publication of books in the indigenous languages of northern Nigeria.   

According to the communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the Northern Nigerian Writers Summit will function as an umbrella organization of writers in the north, to strengthen the promotion of literature by incorporating all literary organizations in the nineteen northern states, including Abuja into her fold for a holistic book development project in the region.

The three-day gathering also witnessed the appointment of six member interim committee with BM. Dzukogi chairing. Other members are Alhaji Muhammad Sani Kabir, Aisha Umar, Zaharaddeen Ibrahim Kallah, Kabir Assada and Hajiya Hafsat AbdulWahid. The summit with a theme “Literature and National Integration: The Role of Writers as Bridge Builders” witnessed several paper presentations from writers across the country.

The communiqué further stated that NNWS would liaise with Northern States Governors Forum, multi-national Corporations, Institutions, individuals, governments and organisations in the region with a view to secure financial interventions and provision of facilities that would accelerate the development of creative writing in the North through the establishment of organization for writers and institutions in the North and other places and building young writers in the region through residencies, mentoring, prizes, workshops, training, and conferences.

The body urged entrepreneurs in the north to establish publishing houses and bookstores to facilitate the distribution and development of creative writing in the region.

While noting the role of writers as peace builders in the society, participants called on Northern Writers to always use their power to preach unity and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians for the overall development of the country.

It however, charged other Northern state governors to emulate Niger State by establishing Book Development Agencies as a means of institutionalizing book development initiatives in the region .

Also emphasized at the summit was the need to introduce Teen Authorship schemes and Art Centres for secondary school students in northern states to discover and horn the artistic skills of children as a viable platform for launching the next generation of Northern Nigerian writers.

Participants further charged governments to come up with mobile libraries schemes, book hawker scheme, Neighbourhood Library Schemes in their communities and villages for easy accessibility to books by children in the region.

The summit, through her new structure, will liaise with the Nigerian Copyright Commission to enable the protection of intellectual properties of writers in the region as well as get maximum value for their creative products.