Poetry| At Sixty-Seven | by AbdulHafeez Oyewole

May 19, 2026 TWF Editor 0 Comments

At Sixty-Seven

(for: Col. Oladele Babajamu rtd.)

By: AbdulHafeez Oyewole 

You stand

like a baobab after rain,

medals breathing softly

on your chest of seasons.

Your pen-

a tireless masquerade,

has walked through barracks and books,

teaching words

the discipline of light.

Soldier of duty,

keeper of memory,

you turned poems into bugles

for a waking nation.

Now young voices

gather beneath your name

like birds around water.

At sixty-seven (o'clock),

and time still removes its cap

when you pass.

NPA, ANA Presidents Emerge Nigeria Book Fair Trust Chairman, Vice Chairman

May 17, 2026 TWF Editor 0 Comments

The National President of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Alhaji Lukman Dauda, has emerged as the Chairman of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust (NBFT). 

In the same vein, the National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Dr. Sheu-Usman Oladipo Akanbi, was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust.

This development was contained in a press statement issued by Mr. Abiodun Omotubi, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust. 

According to the statement, the emergence of the two distinguished literary and publishing stakeholders followed an emergency meeting of the NBFT Council held yesterday at Ibis Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State.

The statement further stated that the election of Alhaji Lukman Dauda and Dr. Sheu-Usman Oladipo Akanbi reflects the trust’s commitment to strengthening the Nigerian book industry and fostering greater cooperation among critical stakeholders in the literary and publishing sectors.

Members of the council expressed strong confidence in the competence, wealth of experience, and leadership qualities of both men to advance the vision of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust and enhance its relevance both nationally and internationally.

Members of the council expressed confidence in the leadership capacity, experience, and vision of both men to reposition the trust for greater impact within and beyond Nigeria.

The Nigerian Book Fair Trust (NBFT) is a foremost non-governmental organisation and the official umbrella body for major stakeholders in Nigeria’s book sector. 

Incorporated in 2002, the trust serves as a coalition of authors, publishers, booksellers, printers, and librarians committed to promoting literacy, expanding the local book trade, and improving reading culture across Africa. 

The Trust is also renowned for organising the highly celebrated Nigeria International Book Fair (NIBF) and several regional book exhibitions.

Alhaji Lukman Dauda is a respected Nigerian corporate executive and accomplished publishing administrator. Aside from serving as the President of the Nigerian Publishers Association, he is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Evans Publishers Limited (Evans Brothers Nigeria Publishers Ltd.), making him one of the leading figures in West Africa’s educational and book publishing industry.

Similarly, Dr. Sheu-Usman Oladipo Akanbi is an academic, agricultural economist, and creative writer of notable repute. He currently serves as a Reader (Associate Professor) in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at the University of Ilorin. 

Through his contributions to scholarship and literature, he continues to bridge the gap between academia and contemporary Nigerian creative writing.

Stakeholders at the meeting congratulated the newly elected Chairman and Vice Chairman, expressing optimism that their combined wealth of experience, dedication, and leadership qualities would further advance the objectives of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust and enhance the growth of the Nigerian literary, educational, and publishing sectors.