Five books in honour of literary Big Brother Alhaji Abubakar Gimba

This week’s column is an interview Alhaji Gimba gave me in 2012. His erudition shone through. This is why he was sought after in life and why his works will live long after his death. I re-present it with a new posthumous introduction in his honour. Every other thing has been captured as was published […]

This week’s column is an interview Alhaji Gimba gave me in 2012. His erudition shone through. This is why he was sought after in life and why his works will live long after his death. I re-present it with a new posthumous introduction in his honour. Every other thing has been captured as was published at the time.
 
POST-HUMOUS INTRODUCTION
  I was totally thrown aback when my husband mentioned at dinner two days ago that I had lost my literary big brother. The last time I spoke to Mallam Abubakar Gimba was last year at some point when we spoke at length about my writing, his new works and the literary landscape generally. I had visited with him in Abuja in 2013 and he had just recovered from being a little bit ill. As usual we spoke about writing, the health of the writing community and the general wellbeing of writing in Nigeria. A most affable man if ever there was one, soft spoken. His smile belied the strength of his character, his writings profound, proactive and determined. He was his own man in literature, with great convictions in whatever he chose to propagate, prolific and presenting book after book.
Gimba’s professional life was in Economics earning a first degree from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria and a Masters degree still in Economics from the University of Ohio Greenwich. His last public appointment was as an economic adviser to the Senate President Senator David Mark.
But it was his literature that stood him out in the crowd, gave him fame and got him celebrated beyond the shores of Nigeria. My big brother and friend, as you cross over to the land of our forefathers, I celebrate you and pray that God gives you eternal rest Amen.
 
PROFILE:
Alhaji Abubakar Gimba, OFR worked in both the public and private sectors. He served in the Niger State civil service rising to become a Permanent Secretary before departing for the banking industry, where he was Executive Director at two leading banks, at different times before retiring in 1996. He was the chairman, Evaluation and Implementation committee of IBB University, Lapai, Niger State, a former National President of the ABU Alumni association and a former National President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA). He wrote in virtually all the genres of literature and his works included Trail of Sacrifice, Innocent Victims, Sunset for a Mandarin, Sacred Apples, Footprints and Witnesses to Tears (all novels) Inner Rumblings and This Land of Ours (Poetry) He also wrote, Letter to the Muslim Fundamentalist and Letters to my Children (social dialogue) and two books of essays among several others. He has also been a columnist with some Nigerian Newspapers notably The Nigerian Tribune and Weekly Trust.
 
INTRODUCTION: Alhaji Abubakar Gimba is a Financial expert whose success in the writing world is legendary. A multi-genre writer, he recently launched three books, Conversations from the Letterbox, Thoughts of Yesterday and A Matter of Faith at Government Secondary school, Minna, popularly known as Makaratan Fada because of the Principal, Father J.D. O’Connor, a catholic priest who has been there since 1967.I am intrigued by his writing prowess. When I grow up I want to be like this very special writer who addressed me as “a sister like no other” and encouraged me to keep writing. His conversations were profound, his writings thought provoking. When I asked him if he wanted to add The Qu’ran to his list of books, he said it’s like being asked to name his best friends and he begins to add his mother, father and members of his family. “They are classics,” he said. “Your favourite persons will include your friends, but your parents are a classic, they don’t compare with your friends, same with The Qu’ran. I don’t believe it compares with one’s favourite books.” As we seek for peace in the nation, Alhaji Gimba is an important voice at this time. “I read the Bible,” he said. “And I try to compare it with what The Qur’an says and believe me if you remove the titles of the books, they are the same. The Old Testament is the Attaura and the New Testament is the Az’zabura. They preach the same values, no divergence and the content of religion is about values.” How profound! Be enriched by my big brother’s five favourite books.

CURRENTLY READING:
Generally now I read Nigerian papers. Things there are much stranger than fiction, so I want to get all the details.
 
WHAT TIME OF DAY DO YOU READ?  
Mostly in the evenings; after the day’s work. Sometimes I find that I sleep with the book by my side. Even the day’s papers I read them late in the day.
 
WHAT BOOK DID YOU NEVER FINISH?  
The Interpreters by Wole Soyinka. The values he was portraying did not strike me. If it was interesting, I would have finished it. I tried to finish it for the language but I did not find it interesting.
 
WHAT BOOK DO YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN?
Weep Not Child by Ngugi wa Thiongo. I like it because of its historical connection. The author tried to fictionalize East African history. We have a history in Nigeria too and if you have no time to read history books you can read a book like that.

FIVE FAVOURITE BOOKS:
1.     Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. It’s a satire, looks into the future, what the author thought Nineteen eighty-four would be like in terms of the social change. I liked the futuristic approach.
2.     Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It’s a well-celebrated book and people can’t give you the reason why. It’s because you can easily identify certain aspects of your village, if you are Nigerian. It’s about a typical Nigerian village, the traditional council, the culture etcetera. I really loved it.
3.     God’s Bits of Wood by Sembene Ousmane. I read it when I was very young. It left an impression on me.

4.       Weep not Child by Ngugi  wa Thiong’o. I admire the language.
5.     Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd. I enjoyed it largely for language; the intensity of the language. The language of Hardy was impressive in that book.
WHAT MAKES YOU BUY A BOOK IN A BOOKSHOP:
 The title, then the blurb.  If they are interesting then I take it. I am interested in the content as portrayed usually in the blurb. I hardly buy a book for the cover. I don’t buy books on impulse. I don’t drink wine but for wine lovers it’s not about the bottle. It’s the date, the vine and the content. A good book is very much like that.

WHAT BOOK FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD DAYS DO YOU RETURN TO AGAIN AND AGAIN?
Certain books by AL-Ghazali. I particularly like his book The Alchemy of Happiness. I really love the book. It’s about many aspects of life.
 
BONUS BOOKS:
Jane   Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Animal Farm by George Orwell.