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| Augusta Ufford receiving the books from Adjekpagbon Mudiaga |
By Ada Dike
The recent donation of 100 specially branded copies of
an award-winning book titled “Rhymes from the Nile,” by a Lagos-based
publishing firm, Bulkybon Publications Company, to Mr. Ben Murray Bruce,
Chairman of Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos, is a new innovation in
branding and publicity of intellectual works for political purposes in Nigeria.
This act prompted Newswatch Times to find out why the
publishing company and the author of the book decided to donate the customized
cover-copies of the book bearing Bruce’s picture with the book’s content to the
Silverbird Galleria boss.
According to the author of the book, Adjekpagbon
Blessed Mudiaga, who personally presented the books to the personal assistant
to Mr. Bruce, Augusta Ufford, for onward delivery to her boss, “This is not the
first time my company is supporting Mr. Bruce with books as souvenirs for
eligible voters in the constituency he is vying for elective position in the
political terrain of Bayelsa State.
“In 2011, we also showed our support to him when he
contested for the governorship ticket of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in
the state, by donating 100 copies of a textbook titled ‘Fundamentals of
Literature-in-English,’ to distribute to the electorate there, after watching
the footage of the poor conditions of learning and lack of facilities being
suffered by the youth of Akassa community in Bayelsa, where the aspirant originated
from. Unfortunately, he was not successful at the party’s gubernatorial primary
that year.”
On a personal level, Mudiaga, who is incidentally also
the owner of the fast rising books publishing firm also told Newswatch Times
that “I wonder why politicians keep giving temporary souvenirs’ to the
electorate. What is the value of face-caps, t-shirts, umbrellas, brooms and
what have you that many political parties have been giving to the electorate
and youth over the years? After a short while, such items lose their value and
are discarded.
“What they call stomach infrastructure is the greatest
fraud the average Nigerian politician has been using to fool many gullible
voters in the country over the years since the beginning of the Fourth
Republic. When you eat rice or beans or a combination of both, after three or
four hours it becomes waste, but you have already been deceived to make up your
mind to vote for the politician that gave you such trash in the name of having
your welfare at heart. But does that stop you from getting hungry again? Will
the politician keep providing your daily meal before and after he is elected
into office?
“The average Nigerian voter tends to reason with his
or her stomach instead of using his or her brain to understand that, such temporary
so called dividend of democracy is aimed at rendering the people perpetually
poor till thy kingdom come.
“This is where intellectual works differ from
temporary gifts. Meaningful things such as good books that would develop the
mindset of the children of the electorate should be distributed to them for
onward delivery to their wards. Useful books like mine that are good for
nursery, primary, secondary and post-secondary school students could be ordered
in bulk by reasonable and intellectually minded politicians to distribute as
souvenirs during campaigns.
“When the electorate and their children are
educationally oriented through sharing of such valuable books, there is no way
they won’t take education and knowledge seriously. But as things are now, the
present mindset of an average Nigerian voter is about money, ankara, face-caps,
t-shirts, rice and beans; and perhaps, ‘guguru’ and groundnuts. It is quite
pathetic. This book is unique because of the moral messages embedded in the
poems and class exercises therein. It can also be passed from one child to
another yearly, as the cover is well laminated for durability.
“So, it is ever useful unlike other short time gifts.
Education with good books is the best legacy any leader worth his salt should
give to his people. That is why I brought this innovation of using valuable my
award-winning book to light up the reasoning power of the brainwashed thinking
pattern of the electorate. If politicians are sincere, they would appreciate
this book-wise political branding technique laced with intellectual and
publicity galaxies. Books are everlasting souvenirs for the electorate.”
The award-winning author/book publisher also said he
and his company are supporting Bruce with their intellectual resources for him
to be further accepted by the electorate in his senatorial district in Bayelsa,
as someone to look up to, in the area of improving the children, youth and the
people's welfare generally both educationally and economically.
Mudiaga further posited that he admires the oratory
prowess of Bruce and his intellectual acumen, which he feels would be very
useful to canvass bills favourable to masses interests on the floor of the
Senate if he eventually wins in the forthcoming April elections. He also said
“With Mr. Bruce’s wealth of experience in business coupled with his commendable
intellect of analyzing and proffering solution to problems and challenges,
there is likely to be favourable passing of bills for the good of all as one of
our legislators.”
It would be recalled that Mudiaga who authored
the book, won presidential recognition on account of the book in early 2007.
‘Rhymes from the Nile’ is among the author’s numerous books currently used by
the Worldreader.org international organization to promote reading culture among
pupils and students worldwide through the use of amazon kindle, otherwise known
as electronic library seriously gaining grounds in many African countries,
promoting literacy in their cities and rural areas. This innovation of branding
valuable books with politicians’ pictures, introduced by Bulkybon Publications
Company and Mudiaga the author/publisher is a welcomed development in Nigeria’s
political terrain and elections campaign, as a way of further enhancing
learning among the electorate and their children
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