Malam Denja Abdulahi, President of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), has called on government at all levels to provide intervention fund for authors , to enable them become more prolific and contribute to national development.
He made the call on Saturday during a Media and Stakeholders Tour of construction works on the Mamman Vasta Writers Village in Mpape District of Abuja.
According to him, the Nigerian authors need to have the necessary financial support and enabling environment like other genres of the creative industry.
He said: “The Government has not done enough, our books are being pirated, and authors are not supported.
“Let them put us in their packages and intervention programmes, just as they are doing for filmmakers, fashion designers, musicians and others in the creative sector.
“Where are the interventions for writers, authors and publishers, there is none, and we are saying it is wrong.
“They should also design some intervention package for us, so that we can write and contribute more to national development.
“Government can give us grants, state governments can build structures for authors and name them after erudite writers from their states,” he said.
The ANA president, who led the press and members of the association, including some of its past leaders round the Writers Village, said the first phase of the construction work covered five hectares of land.
He explained that the project had 50 apartments in four blocks of two different wings as well as event centres.
He explained that a ‘Writers Residency’ harbouring six flats of two bedroom each, among others, including a swimming pool, was part of the project.
“This project is being done from our own effort, as both federal and state government had no hand in it.
“The only thing government has done is by providing us this land, which the late Vatsa did.
“When this project is completed and running, this association will become a leading one in Nigeria in terms of infrastructure and a place for creativity.”
Denja explained that the project was being handled by a private estate developer, and that upon completion would serve as a major source of revenue for the association.
NAN reports that a past president of ANA, Emeritus Prof. Femi Osofisan, as well as Sen, Shehu Sani were among stakeholders, who visited the Writers Village.
