Turning pages at a roadside book spot

Christian Ogbu sits on a plastic stool on a sidewalk in Utako. Before him are a variety of CDs and books. Several pedestrians pause, their attention drawn to the story books on the mat.  One is titled ‘Ukwa the Lazy Man’ by Chris Kelvin Ikonne. It is about a young man in search of the […]

Christian Ogbu sits on a plastic stool on a sidewalk in Utako. Before him are a variety of CDs and books. Several pedestrians pause, their attention drawn to the story books on the mat.
 One is titled ‘Ukwa the Lazy Man’ by Chris Kelvin Ikonne. It is about a young man in search of the purpose behind his birth, which leads him to an adventurous journey. Another, ‘The Forbidden Fruit’, tells the story of two lovers, Ugonna and Ruth, who are so in love they are unable to bear separation.
 Many more books like these, including academic books for children and adults, Ogbu sells on the street. Virtually all the books are slim and not more than 100 pages. The story books in particular are mostly below 50 pages.
 Ogbu explains that secondary school students are his major customers. With only N200, students in junior secondary schools grab copies of the easy-to-read books.
 Surprisingly, most of the story books on display do not have ISBN numbers and are written in sometimes awkward English. The language used are either inappropriate for children or editing is very poor. But teenagers eager for a quick read still buy.
 A young man, Job Prince, says he read such books in his early teens. Prince points out that adults who buy story books, such as those Ogbu sells, do so usually to give to their children or siblings.
 The books quickly bring to mind the ‘soyayya’ or romance novels in the north, particularly in cities like Kano. A major firrence is, the ‘soyayya’ novels are written in Hausa and have a strong Muslim and romance theme.
 However, despite the fact that some of the books at this street bookstore have adult themes, they attempt to teach morals.