General Secretary B. M. Dzukogi addressing the 2012 Annual General Meeting at the Uyo Convention.

ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN AUTHORS (ANA) 31ST ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 8-11TH NOVEMBER, 2012

GENERAL SECRETARY S ANNUAL REPORT

INTRODUCTION The 2011/2013 Executive Council assumed office after the successful conduct of election at the executive officers: Remi Raji (President), Denja Abdullahi (Vice President), B.M. Dzukogi (General Secretary), Mature Tanko Okoduwa (Asst Gen. Secretary), Joy Esuku (Treasurer ),

30th annual convention of the Association. The election returned the following members as

Chinyere Obi-Obasi (Financial Secretary), Hyeladzira Balami (Auditor), Ahmed Maiwada

(Legal Adviser), Greg Mbajiorgu (PRO, South), Richard Ali (PRO, North), Binta Spikin (Exofficio), Ngozi Chuma Udeh (Ex-officio), Sunday Afolayan (Ex-Officio) and Hyacinth Obunseh (Ex-offico).

INAUGURAL MEETING The year started with the inaugural meeting of the National Executive Council which took place at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan on Saturday 11th, February, 2012. There, the programme of activities for the year 2011/2012 was drawn. This included: harmonization of manifestos of newly elected officers, membership audit, resuscitation of ANA website, literary programmes, sponsorships/partnerships, courtesy calls on individuals, institutions and publications and the 2012 Annual Convention in Akwa Ibom State.

governments, formation of ANA committees, ANA prizes, ANA Writers Village in Abuja, ANA After the handover ceremony by the out-going Executive, the new council deliberated and came up with decisions on the following: ANA Constitution to be ratified in Uyo, ANA Prizes to be reviewed, a firm decision and action should commence on the development of the ANA land, which included the sourcing of fund to defray debts incurred during litigation and/or the selling of a portion of the land to secure the remainder of the property as well as engaging a developer. The council also resolved to commence a Teen Authorship Scheme and Nigerian Writers Series. Other committees were also set-up.

FORMATION OF COMMITTEES The national body set up the following committees in the outgoing year: Constitution Review Committee

Council resolved to set up a committee comprising the Legal Adviser (Ahmed Maiwada), PRO Dzukogi) to complete the review of the constitution for ratification at Uyo. The committee, in conjunction with state chapters has come up with a final copy for ratification today. ANA Prize Review Committee

North (Richard Ali), Financial Secretary (Chinyere Obi-Obasi), and General Secretary (BM

The committee was headed by the Vice President, Mallam Denja Abdullahi. Other members were Chinyere Obi-Obasi and Tanko Okoduwa. After the completion of the committees work, it was resolved that certain prizes be set aside until the endowers could renew the monetary

values. (Please, see the list of shortlist in the ANA Magazine for the approved prizes). In the outgoing year, the council was unable to reach the sponsors of the prizes set aside. However, efforts would be made to reach out to them, especially the ones whose cash values have not been redeemed. For this year, winners of the three primary prizes sponsored by ANA would

receive their cash prizes and certificates, on-the-spot while the Literary Journalist of the Year Prize would come at a later date. ANA Review (Journal) Committee The committee was headed by Dr. Amanze Akpuda (Abia State University). Other members are Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmed (IBB University, Lapai), Dr. E. E. Sule (formerly of the University of Abuja), and Dr. Sola Owonibi (Chairman, ANA Ondo; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba). The publication is out, and chapters have been given additional copies to take to their states. National Teen Authorship Scheme Committee After the donation of One Million Naira by the wife of the Niger State Governor, a national coordinating team for the programme was set up and inaugurated at Owerri on August 21, 2012. It was chaired by Kamar Hamza with Camillus Uka (ANA, Imo), Khalid Imam (ANA Kano), Sueddie Agema (ANA Benue), and Wale Adedoyin of ANA Oyo as the Secretary. The beneficiary chapters are Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Osun, and Katsina. The committee has met and has asked the Exco to disburse Fifty Thousand Naira (N50, 000) to each of the chapters

drawn up the modalities for disbursement, workshop and publishing of titles. The committee concerned at the AGM. The fund would be used for the workshop that would turn-in the manuscript between now and January for publication. In furtherance of the Teen Authorship Scheme, the Executive Committee commissioned two art centres in Owerri in the outgoing year.
3

ANA Land Development Committee This committee is to oversee the future development of the writers' village. Members include Odia Ofeimun, Dr. Wale Okediran, Barrister Ahmed Maiwada, Aminu S. Muhammed, and Remi Raji.

ANA/YUSUF ALI ANNUAL SCHOOLS LITERARY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN (AYASLAC) During the year now ending, ANA secured a grant of three million naira (N3, 000, 000) from a legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Laolu Ali to organize a nation-wide reading campaign in secondary schools. This achievement was chaperoned by the former President of ANA, Dr. Wale Okediran. Subsequently, 16 chapters were selected to organize the school outreach programme. They are: Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Imo, Kano, between June 12- June 28, 2012. The full report of the programme would be submitted to the sponsor in the coming year. This would guarantee the disbursement of funds for 2012/2013 edition, from which other chapters will benefit.

Kaduna, Kebbi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, and Rivers. The exercise took place

ANA COUNCIL OF CHAIRMEN AND SECRETARIES The inaugural council of chairmen and secretaries meeting took place in Ilorin during the AYASLAC programme. The occasion was used to fraternize on how to further make the association more functional. The date for the 2013 meeting will be announced shortly. PARTNERSHIPS/SPONSORSHIPS AND VISITATIONS YSG hubs ANA has entered into partnership with YSG hubs, an indigenous online digital Media Store that makes it possible for users to purchase their favourite e-books, music, videos, event tickets and life style accessories in the convenience of their homes, classrooms, and offices. YSG hubs is a product of YSG HUBS LIMITED. Benefits of YSG hubs to Authors: Instant worldwide markets, flexible publishing (short stories, full length stories), lower retail cost (worldwide availability), Ysghubs will offer authors free tools to build readership, such as dedicated pages for author

profiles and book profiles, author interviews and for on-site marketing, reader reviews, and reader "favoriting.

National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) ANA has secured a sponsorship from NICO of the publication of an anthology of short stories in 2013. Chapters will get details shortly after the Uyo convention. ANA LAND After a court in Abuja ruled in favour of the association as the genuine owners of the land, and subsequent lodgement of a N10 million Naira cheque with the court, the national Exco has commenced action on its development. The developer, who paid the N10m on behalf of ANA, recently concluded the survey of the entire land.

Aware of the need to be proactive and to forestall further loss of the land, the national land and settle the damages awarded Home Securities. The balance of the sales would be used

executive council sought and received approval from ANA Trustees to sell 1.9 hectares of the to process the initial development of the expanse of the land. To this effect, the state Chairmen

were notified to convene meetings of their chapters and inform members of the development. Presently, the association is in partnership with the developer. The exercise is being supervised by the associations Legal Adviser. Details of the journey so far to be rendered by Ahmed Maiwada, the Legal Adviser. ANA WEBSITE The moribund ANA website has been resuscitated. Pages have been created for many units of the association, including the chapters. Chapters are advised to feed their pages through the PRO, North who is the site administrator (richardalijos@gmail.com). Information required are list of members, reports and other literary matters that would be of value to members worldwide. The process for further improvement of the website for interactive relations is underway.

PROPOSED PROGRAMMES FOR 2012/2013 ANA/EFCC Partnership The 2011/13 EXCO is currently in high level engagement with the Economic and Financial keep members posted on this. ANA/MTN Partnership The EXCO has also initiated correspondence with corporate stakeholders, such as telecommunications giant MTN, in order to bring even more concrete ANA Membership will enable ANA to organize three literary programmes in 2013. Nigerian Writers Series Details of the proposed Nigerian Writers Series have been submitted to the Niger State Government, in line with promises made during the 2011/13 EXCO's one-day working visit to disbursement of the fund for the commencement of the programme. During the visit, the EXCO also visited Niger State College of Education, where the provost donated N200, 000 to the association as well as the request to register his institution as a corporate member with ANA. The EXCO also visited the HillTopArts Centre, Minna, and Abubakar Gimba, a former President of ANA. Congress of African Writers The 2011/13 EXCO of the Association is presently articulating a programme for Nigeria's 100th anniversary to be held in the year 2014. It shall tentatively be known as the Congress of African Writers Summit. benefits to our loyal Congress. Three levels of partnership are being sought from MTN, which Crimes Commission [EFCC] to organise an Anti-Corruption Workshop in 2013. The EXCO will

Minna. The Governor has approved the sum of N10m for the project. EXCO is now waiting for

ELECTIONS AT CHAPTERS

In the outgoing year, the national EXCO supervised elections at the following chapters: Kano, Benue, Abuja, Kaduna and Kogi. Currently, Oyo, Taraba, Nasarawa are planning their elections in the coming year. CONCLUSION Members of the association are being notified that all transactions by members with the those who are fully registered with their chapters as the only bonafide members of the association. Therefore, members are urged to make their financial commitment to ANA at chapter level as each of the activities of the national will only be limited to those tendered by the chapters.

national should be through the respective officers of the chapters. ANA national will consider

BMDzukogi General Secretary November 12, 2012