Competition winner and five books for the season
1ST PLACE WINNER: City Model College, Ibadan with the essay, ENCOURAGING READING: THE CITY INITIATIVE by Ajisekola, Shamsudeen Yemi, English Literature Teacher, City Model College, Ibadan has shown the greatest strides in how well they have encouraged the pupils of their school to read and write creatively including stocking the school’s library with books worth […]
1ST PLACE WINNER: City Model College, Ibadan with the essay, ENCOURAGING READING: THE CITY INITIATIVE by Ajisekola, Shamsudeen Yemi, English Literature Teacher, City Model College, Ibadan has shown the greatest strides in how well they have encouraged the pupils of their school to read and write creatively including stocking the school’s library with books worth 100,000 naira. They also have a Word Bank to improve vocabulary and Essay of the Month, which challenges the pupils to write better. They have also won lots of competitions including SEC’S 4th National Quiz competition among several other awards. CONGRATULATIONS!
2ND PLACE: PTA/ NADP International College, Lafia, Nassarawa State with the essay, READING: A PANACEA FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL TRANSFORMATION by Okpe Simon Oche, Language and Literature teacher. The school has continually stood in the gap for their pupils with competitions, debates and creative ways of getting books to the students. They have also invited reputable academics to discuss the topic Readers are Laders. They were also first runner up in the Association of Nigeria Author’s competition. Great Job!
3rd PLACE: Winners International school, Onitsha with the essay: SUPPORTING READING AND WRITING AT WINNER’S INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS by Chinonso Nwokelue who is the school proprietress. The essay showed that the school has provided computers to encourage the pupils to study, has been providing newspapers for the students and has won several competitions. Well done!
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR PRIZES
Everyone has won books for their schools and the essay writers also have books for themselves. Of course the winner, City Model College Ibadan carts away more books and a certificate. Please call these numbers to discuss how to access your prize: 08033109820 and 08179966095
BOOKS FOR THE SEASON
As the year rolls to an end, it’s always good to look back and gather some of the books you have bought which you have not read especially those that resonate. Here is a list from my collection which is excellent for holiday reading.
1) The Dictionary of Political Bullshit by David Webb. From the author of Dictionary of Bullshit comes this gem of a book. This is a book that gives us information about how politics is about PR, spin, evading answers, presenting facts and figures, legislation and pretty much everything in some kind of special code. According to Curtis Brown, literary agent for Webb, all this is in language “…so bland, so boring and so utterly drained of responsibility and full of obfuscation and cliché that it washes us over like a comforting warm tide of custard.” Webb takes a wry and irreverent look at what lies behind the spin, clichés and euphemisms used in politics. A great book and an essential tool for looking at modern politics especially as we prepare for 2015. A good book to read before you vote.
2) Dim Sum for the Modern Manager: Advice and Ideas for the Hungry Mind by Adrian Furnham. This is an interesting book as you wind up your year as a businessman or woman. Written by a world renowned business psychologist, he uses the Asian dumpling dim sum, which has a variety of delicious fillings to give advice and tips. There are eighty concise management advice and wisdom in eighty chapters, each complementing each other.
3) Politically Incorrect: Words of Mass Deception, exposed by Michelle O’Regan. Again this is a book for these times where you can’t be too sure what each word you read or see means. It is a book for you if you are tired of the hype and spin that comes from all sides be it administration, media, management or advertising. This book tells you that you need to read through or sift through words from everywhere to get a sense of what is going on as everyone these days is in the art of deception. The key words are; ambiguity, bureaucratese, buzzwords, vagueness, gobbledegook. We live in a world where many play loose with the truth. This is a must read.
4) Any book on Nelson Mandela. Very few persons need to be sold on Mandela. Now that the iconic leader has passed on and everyone is on the gravy train, this is the time to go out there and get a collection of his books and begin to read them. I have tried to finish Long walk to Freedom which I started several times but could not finish and I have read a book on Winnie Mandela titled Part of My Soul. I return to what I call the Mandela collection this season to see just how many I can read before the New Year. Anything on Mandela will definitely help you introspect.
5) All the books on the Etisalat fiction prize 2013/2014 Long list including Abubakar Adam Ibrahim’s The Whispering Trees and Igoni Barrett’s Love is Power or Something like that among others. With Nigeria dominating the shortlist, I am returning to the ones I have read before and picking up the one’s I have not read to see how exciting the stories are before the winners are announced. Nigerian stories are always heart-warming but there are other books on this Long list that needs to be picked up and perused including Caine prize winner No Violet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names.
BONUS BOOKS:
Think Like a Winner by Yehuda Shinar. A book for strategic thinking as the year draws to a close.
COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON TO ALL OUR READERS.