SIMPLY A CITIZEN JOURNALIST UNVEILED
Those who gathered in the Oranmiyan Hall at Lagos Airport Hotel were agog on the 25th of October for the public presentation of "SIMPLY A CITIZEN JOURNALIST ", the book of Dr Femi Orebe published to mark his 80th birthday.
PUBLISHER'S REMARKS ON THE BOOK LAUNCH
Mindscope Africa considers it a privilege to be associated with the publishing of the unique book written by one of the reputable, erudite, and very prolific writers in the history of newspaper columns in Nigeria
Dr Femi Orebe is an outstanding, talented, and consistent newspaper columnist with a large followership of devoted readers. Expectedly, his complete work of published weekly articles between 2006 and 2025 is quite huge. It was a real editorial challenge going through over 1,282,200 words to come up with a consolidated 2,285-page in A4 size and thereafter extract the maiden edition, of 300,000+ words book of 7x10 inches size.
His articles over the years, of course, covered a wide range of subjects. Consequently, the contents of this book were structured into sections and subsections to bring topics that bear relevance to the title of each section under the same category, and in order of the dates they were published in the newspaper.
Being a corpus of his weekly published articles in the newspaper column, they were clinically and strategically packaged in a sequence towards making the book more interesting to read.
In all, there are five sections in the book. The first section is about his reminisces on how his journey started as a citizen journalist as well as early working life after graduating from the university and related stories. Section two covers some of his articles classified to be political, which was divided into six categories as subsections. Section three underscores his versatility as an inexhaustible writer; it is a compilation of integrated cogitative articles on contemporary issues of communal and national concern. The majority of his published articles fell in this category, and they were arranged in subsections in order of dates, too.
At various times, he paid tributes to individuals and institutions, which constitute the fourth section of the book. He also had cause to review some books in his column. These reviews constitute the fifth section.
Albeit, the book tells the story of the author, revealing him aggregately as an administrator, technocrat, business manager, politician, business owner, public relations guru, prolific writer, and in fact as a consummate public intellectual. This was done with some vintage pictures to plan the pages, also to further give the compendium a distinct character and complement some of the contents in the book which all together should make the exemplar-literature refreshing to read.
It was indeed a remarkable task working with the author by making sure that every department of his complete published work as a columnist featured in this maiden book of the distinguished citizen journalist.
The humility of Dr. Femi Orebe is exemplary. The 74% (6As and 1B+) he scored in his final result at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), more than qualify him for a First-Class degree, which would have been the first ever to be awarded in the history of his department at the great university.
His brilliance shined in all his writings and published essays over the years. Yet, he will tell you that he is not a trained journalist. This, among other reasons, informed his choice of the title for this splendid literary work; “Simply a Citizen Journalist”.
On behalf of Mindscope Africa, Dr. Orebe is appreciated for giving Mindscope Africa the opportunity to associate with this terrific legendary work.
It is a must-have book in the library of all ranks of schools, colleges, universities, and individuals who want an irresistible reference-trusted-material on integrated contemporary issues (politics, economy, government, history, dramatis personae in the scheme of things etc) in Nigeria and around the world in the 20th and 21st century.
Happy 80th birthday to you, sir, oga Orebe. Ajinde ora a aje o, l'ase Edumare.
Signed
Okan Seye Adetunmbi
Proprietor
Mindscope Africa
The book written by Mrs Bisola Osuntokun-Lewis of Christ’s School fame, is indeed "a bold African narrative of passion, secrets and truth".
I am so happy that my fellow Ekiti writer of the highly cerebral Osuntokun family of Okemesi-Ekiti wrote a book beacuse she writes ✍️ so well. I enjoy reading her articles, commentaries and perspectives at every opportunity.
Her book is a kind of corpus and a remarkably unique novel that you will struggle to let go, the moment you start reading it.
Congratulations on the successful book launchπ You deserve nothing less, my beloved sis.
1
Seye
SPICY DICED WATERMELON
Written by BΓsα»lΓ‘ Osuntokun-Lewis
A bold African narrative of passion, secrets, and truth.
Selling at Roving Heights and Quintessence.
Price: N20,000
You can also get the digital copy at https://selar.com/7527575hv7
Unleashing Prosperity through World Class Capital Markets
By
It is gladening to welcome Ms Arunma Oteh to the 6th floor with the public presentation of her excellent book, titled "All Hands on Deck".
I am particularly very happy because she has put her very rich, tested, and well informed thoughts down in a book for posterity. I consider Arunma to be a principled intellectual, an international technocrat of repute, a disciplined academician, a straight forward character, and a beautiful, bold and brilliant lady of substance. All these her attributes could only be responsible for the calibre of people who graced her exemplary book launch during freezing winter, on Thursday January 23, 2025 at Oxford University, England.
Congratulations. Keep the flag flying.πΎ π π π π₯³
1
Seye
Congratulations on the successful public presentation in Abuja on August 15, 2024, the book of Prof Modupe Adelabu, onetime Deputy Governor of Ekiti-State π
Mindscope Team
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| Prof Modupe Adelabu |
The Vice-President SHETTIMA AT PROF ADELABU’S BOOK LAUNCH: Autonomy For LGs Will Boost Nigeria’s Universal Education System *** Says FG taking urgent action to give every Nigerian child access to education
The Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said the recent Supreme Court judgement granting full financial autonomy to local government councils will enhance Nigeria’s universal basic education system. According to him, the autonomy of local governments, which are directly responsible for providing primary education, will address the financial limitations that have hindered the alignment of administrative units with the government's educational agenda.
Senator Shettima stated this on Thursday during the public presentation of a new book, “Navigating the Politics of Universal Education Policies in Nigeria,” written by former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Professor Modupe Adelabu, held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja. The Vice President noted that on-going reforms initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will address inadequacies and ideologies frustrating universal education in the country. He stated: “As stewards of the nation, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is leading the charge to reform the institutions tasked with overcoming the ideologies and inadequacies that have frustrated universal education in Nigeria.
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| Vice-President Kashim Shettima |
“The lack of autonomy of local governments, which are responsible for delivering primary education, has created significant financial hindrances in aligning administrative units with our educational agenda. “However, the recent Supreme Court judgement empowering local government councils to control their resources brings government closer to the people. It provides new hope for our educational initiatives”. Senator Shettima urged government at all levels to focus on policies that empower “those at the forefront of implementing initiatives that inspire interest in education”.
Noting that President Tinubu’s decision to establish the Student Loan Scheme in the country was to secure the future of Nigerian children, the VP said, “The initiative ensures that every student has access to loans to pay their tuition, and the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has already recorded an overwhelming number of applications. “This is a landmark achievement, signalling the bright future we are building for our youth. Beyond making education universally free, our experience shows that incentivising is the most practical gateway before us. This is why all of us, across all levels and branches of government, must join this campaign to educate the nation”.
VP Shettima pointed out that the realities inherited by the Tinubu administration “are such that demand urgent action to ensure that education is not only accessible but also desirable for every Nigerian child, fostering long-term national development. “Many primary and secondary school-age children are still not attending or completing their education, and a large portion of the youth population lacks basic literacy skills, with notable gender disparities. This is what we must overcome,” he added.
The VP commended the author of the book, Professor Adelabu, for providing answers to some of the most pressing challenges confronting policymakers, even as he said her book “will undoubtedly inspire informed conversations around the state and future of education in Nigeria. “As both a theorist and a practitioner in our education sector, Professor Adelabu's insights are borne out of experience and passion, and I believe this book will serve as a critical resource for all who seek to improve our educational landscape,” he further stated.
Earlier, Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanyi, praised Professor Adelabu's contributions to Nigerian educational development and society. "Prof. Adelabu's life is a testament to the abiding faith of God in our lives. Her quest for excellence and service to humanity is a reflection of her academic excellence and intellectualism,” the governor said.
The book reviewer, Professor Siyan Oyeweso of the Department of History and International Studies at Osun State University praised Adelabu's work. He said, "The author has singled out the politics and financing of education in this book. It's impossible to separate politics, education, and finance, as the major stakeholders are political players."
Discussants of the book, including former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi, highlighted the need to distinguish between school attendance and quality education. "We're spending more money on education than ever before. However, we need to make a distinction between going to school and getting an education," Abdullahi said. He also called for a review of the Universal Basic Education Commission law, just as he pondered the capacity of local governments to handle complex educational reforms.
Former First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, drew attention to the persistent challenges in girl child education. Citing UNICEF figures, Fayemi noted: "Nigeria has about 18.3 million out-of-school children - the highest in the world - with 50-60% being girls." She proposed implementing gender-specific education policies and removing obstacles to girls' education, such as insecurity and conflict.
The book's author, Professor Modupe Adelabu, emphasised the need for a comprehensive re-evaluation of the education system. "We need to reevaluate our education system to meet the needs of our country and prepare our children for both domestic and global environments," Adelabu stated. She called for a focus on not just academic subjects, but also values like democracy, justice, and good governance.
Dignitaries at the occasion include Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; Minister of State for FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.
Others were former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; former Governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; former governor of Osun state, Bisi Akande; a representative of Ewi of Ado-Ekiti; retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olufunola Oyelola Adekeye; Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, and former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, among others.
Stanley Nkwocha
Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
(Office of The Vice President)
15th August, 2024
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