At 84, Eze returns from school

Many people who studied Eze Goes to School when they were pupils will hardly ever forget the story of the village boy’s eventful journey through school. What they may not know, however, is the whereabouts of the author, Onuorah Nzekwu. The good news, is that although now an old man, his pen is still flowing with milk and stories.

The veteran returned to the centre of attraction in Lagos on Thursday when he presented a new novel titled Troubled Dust. The event was held at the News Agency of Nigeria’s complex in Lagos. Incidentally, the book was hitting the shelf as the funeral rites of the late Biafran leader, Emeka Ojukwu, were reaching the climax. 

For the renowned author and journalist, it was celebration galore as he also marked his 84th birthday as well as his 50 years of marriage and publishing. He began writing in 1961 with Wand of Noble Wood, followed by  Blade among the Boys and Highlife for Lizards, written in 1962 and 1965 respectively.

His big break in the literary world however came when in 1964, when he co-authored Eze goes to School with Michael Crowder and its sequel, Eze Goes to College in 1988. Nzekwu, who was also the first general manager of NAN,  has other works  such as The Chima Dynasty in Onitsha (1997) and Faith of Our Fathers (2002).

Troubled Dust tells the story of the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970 – from the perspective of the Biafrans. According to elder statesman, Ambassador Arthur Mbanefo, who was the chairman of the occasion, the novel is a welcome idea since all the veterans of the war,  especially the principal characters,  have seemingly failed this generation  by not documenting the events of the war.

The novel launches Nzekwu into the guarded ‘cult’ of novelists who have written about the war, including Elechi Amadi – Sunset in Biafra; Eddie Iroh – Toads of War; Buchi Emecheta – Destination Biafra and Chimamanda Adichie – Half of a Yellow Sun.

Overwhelmed by the outpouring of praise for his writing prowess, the octogenarian author could only mutter a “thank you everybody for coming to honour me” to the audience. Fellow writers that included Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, however, did much of the talking. To  Ezeigbo – author of Roses and Bullets, which also centres on the civil war – Nzekwu is a stylist and one of Nigeria’s finest writers “whose books depict the cultural interest of his people.”

Other writers who were present to celebrate with Nzekwu included award-winning writer and director of Children’s Literature Documentation and Research Centre, Mabel Segun – who is also Nzekwu’s contemporary; Prof. JP Clark and Prof. Femi Osofisan.

The ‘return’ of Nzekwu further indicates that old Nigerian writers may have lost physical energy to ageing, they are still largely mentally and creatively alert.  That is why at old age, the likes of Mabel Segun and Gabriel Okara emerged winners of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, beating younger folks in the game.

Till they breathed their last, T.M Aluko and Amos Tutuola were still productive. About two months ago, Lagos-based Mobolaji Adenubi presented five books to mark her 70th birthday, while Elechi Amadi, Akinwumi Isola, Adebayo Faleti, among others, are still writing and participating in other aspects of the creative arts.  Similarly, novelist and poet, Omo Uwaifo, has continued to write books.