Why it’s difficult to write a book in Nigeria – Okechukuwu Ofili

What was your drive?  For me as an author, it came to me accidentally. I never set out to write a book. I started writing stories and I started blogging actively and it got to a point where the stories had enough content for a book and so I put them together and I had […]

What was your drive? 

For me as an author, it came to me accidentally. I never set out to write a book. I started writing stories and I started blogging actively and it got to a point where the stories had enough content for a book and so I put them together and I had a book. But the thing that really drove me to write a book was the fact that I wanted to tell the story about people in the Nigerian system that get written off academically, because when I was growing up I was written off academically and that really coined most of my articles which became drafts and eventually became my books.

The titles of your books are quite unique, how did you come about them?

I wanted something different, I didn’t want to write the same old titles. I found out that a lot of books in the Nigerian system were too cliché; too stale. Everybody wanted to be an expert in everything. For me I just felt that my book title should be different, I also wanted it to focus more on myself, while educating people. And that’s how we came up with the first title ‘How Stupidity Saved My Life’. It’s not to say I’m stupid, but just to let people know that intelligence can be misinterpreted for stupidity. And after that, the titles just followed the same pattern.

Do you think your books have inspired or impacted the lives of others?

 Yes I do. There are so many stories as proof! For instance, a woman met me in Lagos. She complained that her son can’t focus on one thing at a time, and then she gave him my book and that for the first time in her life she saw him sit down to read a book. He said the book was quite interesting for a nonfiction and it really encouraged him and pushed him on. She couldn’t believe it that her son could actually sit to read books. You know that feeling when you read a book and start believing in yourself.  

If you weren’t an author, in what other career do you think you would have done well in?

I do so many other things apart from writing. I’m an engineer, an artist, I do motivational speaking and so on. I think that all those are different mediums of communication. You can communicate with art, writing and so on. I think I would have done the same thing; speaking the truth, my occupation would have been different in the medium I choose to communicate. 

What book did you enjoy writing the most?

 ‘How Intelligence Kills’. Although, ‘How Stupidity Saved my Life’ is my favourite.

How did the idea of Okada books come about?

 The idea for Okada books came out of frustration, I think that’s the first thing I will say. It’s not like I was sitting down and out of excitement the idea came, it came out of frustration. When I moved back to Nigeria in 2010, I had just finished writing my first book. I was putting it in book stores; at that time, Konga or Jumia didn’t exist. So, I had to put up my books in stores, and these stores kept owing me money. It got to a point I said enough is enough and so I went to the social media and I did a campaign to expose the companies owing me, and to put pressure on them to pay up. At that point I was writing for “bella naija” and “ynaija”, and I had a large Twitter following. Eventually, I was able to get a viral impact, and these companies called me to their offices to collect my money. 

I learnt from that experience that not every author can fight like I did, not every author has the connection or the time I had to chase after these companies. I realized that if this issue is not addressed, writers will be afraid to write, for fear of not getting monetary returns. So we came up with the idea to create transparency with books sales. You don’t need to be at any bookstore, you can get your monthly report in your email. That’s really what drove Okada books.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

 Everywhere. I’m this sort of person that says it as it is. The problem we have in Nigeria is that we see things that are wrong, but because of ethnicity, tribalism and fear, we keep quiet. We see things that are wrong in our political sphere, in our homes and just keep quiet. I will give you a simple example of what I am saying; you will see a girl that has been abused and instead of looking for ways to help her, they try to cover it up. So, for me I don’t think my inspiration is coming from anywhere specific, I just like to tell the truth.

How would you describe the present reading culture in Nigeria? 

 People claim Nigerians don’t read books, I think that’s a lie. The system in Nigeria makes it so difficult to gain access to books. It’s easier to buy books by Nigerian authors abroad than it is in Nigeria. Books need to be made affordable and accessible for people.

What three books would you recommend for interesting read? 

 The books that really defined me were Malcolm Gladwell’s works. I also like science fiction and social science books. I think people will enjoy them. I just recently read Segun Adeniyi’s “Against the Run of Play”. It’s quite an interesting book.  

For you what is the most challenging part being an author and how do you overcome it?

First, is finding inspiration and the second is marketing. Like with everything else, you just have to push to find a way out. For marketing, you must learn the tricks of the trade. Because if you don’t market, then you won’t eat.

What does creativity mean to you? 

Pulling something out of nothing. It doesn’t mean it needs to be 100% original.  Creativity to me is being able to see things differently from other people. Many people have been seeing the same old things but when you see something quite different, relate it to other things and pull it together to create something unique. The most important kind of creativity to me is the one that solves real life problems. I always push for people to use their creativity to effect change in the society.

What do you think it takes to be a successful author?

 I would say drive. Writing is not an easy thing; you need to have drive, especially in Nigeria. I can tell you that writing a book in Nigeria is 10 times harder than writing abroad. In Nigeria you are writing and in the middle of writing, the power goes off. You have to start making preparations to turn on the generator and all that.  By the time you come back your inspiration has left you. But when you come to a place where everything is settled, you simply explore your creativity.  So like I said, it’s tough but not impossible. You just have to find a way to make it work.