The other side of Eugenia Abu
By HENRY AKUBUIRO (akuhen@sunnewsonline.com)
Sunday, September 30, 2007

•Eugenia Abu Photo: Sun News Publishing

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The mellifluous elocution of Eugenia Abu and the pizzazz of her presentation on NTA have captivated the attention of many TV fans in Nigeria for almost two decades. But her interests go beyond the tube. “Writing has always been my passion, in fact, my first love,” she declares. She has been a columnist in newspapers within and outside the country, as well as a writer.

The jollity of her personality, with her cap worn at a jaunty angle, is intriguing on a close encounter. Our first meeting at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, where Abuja ANA is having a function, is by happenstance. She takes the mic on the occasion to say some flattering things about my work on Sunday Sun.

A couple of hours later at Yets Guest House, Wuse Zone 5. Another surprise is in the offing. “Hello, kids,” she is addressing a group of children participating in her creative writing workshop, where we are scheduled to meet for a chat, “this is Uncle Henry, who writes for The Sun newspaper. I have enjoyed everything he has written for the last two years. He is going to talk to you on how to be a journalist.” Thirty minutes later, my extempore lecture is over, and it is time for her to talk about her broadcasting career and her other side as a writer.

She started writing poetry, short stories and a bit of drama when she was seven years old. Her father allowed her read many books in his library and encouraged her to buy books, too. Little wonder she dedicated her first book, In the Blink of an Eye, to the memory of her dad, the late Mr. Alfred Amodu, “a fantastic man” she owed her passion for writing to, as well as her poetry teacher when she was in Class 3, a white lady called Mrs. Whittle. “Today I am a poet, thanks to her. She made poetry exciting in A.B.U staff school, Zaria, where I finished primary school,” she carols in a quiet lobby at Yets Guest House, Wuse Zone 5.

Eugenia became a broadcaster by accident. She had done some broadcasting in 1979 while waiting to begin her degree programme for about three months on vacation job at the Radio Benue, Makurdi. After she graduated from ABU Zaria in 1981, broadcasting found her again, as she puts it. She did her youth service with the Ogun State Radio, Abeokuta. After her NYSC, she worked at the Benue State Ministry of Information between 1982-1983 before joining NTA Makurdi. “When people walk off the streets whom you have never met and show you warmth and congratulate you on a job well done, that is a Blast!” her voice echoes.

For five years, she had been wishing to write a book, but her hectic job and having to run a home as a mother were a hindrance. “I wished for the book but books are not about wishes,” she says. But, last year, she took a look at most of her writings and decided to compile them. “My husband, of course, encouraged me to ‘do something with them’, especially since they were growing in number, turning up everywhere you turn in my house,” she reveals. The three hundred-page book could have been bigger, but she lost some articles written earlier and, in the run up to press, she missed out one of her favourite articles, the one on her friend and mentor on issues of women in development, Professor Felicia Ekejiuba.

The book is a collection of the articles she has writing over the years on social justice, nationalism, gender, fashion, literature, moral issues, education, travelogues. Most of the articles in the book had been earlier published in The Guardian.
In the Blink of an Eye, is a non-fiction. “I am widely travelled, and it reflects in my writing. Converting the pieces to fiction, I am afraid, just won’t work. But using them as pointers for fictional characters, or a fictional plot, yes, I believe one genre will enrich the other,” she comments on the possibility of writing a fiction out of the travelogues.

She studied English at ABU, and her literary background reflects in her writing, especially in the use of graphic description and conversational style. Should a journalist/writer have a persona style? “I believe a journalist or writer should have a personal style,” she says. “But not everybody has this gift. It’s a special attribute and gift. Some reporters cannot be columnists because of lack of stylistics in writing. But most columnists can report, and this is where I am blessed. I believe am gifted with storytelling skills, and this affects my non-fiction style. I write like am telling an old friend a story. This truly pleases my readers and fans. This is why those who have not yet picked up a copy of In the Blink of an Eye feel like something in their literary life is missing. I feel truly blessed to possess this gift and the fact that am a poet helps to position me as what my friends describe as ‘an elegant writer’. I am honoured.

“As a columnist, you need to have a certain sense of style. Writers are different, so are columnists. Some are more elegant that others. I find that my style is very easy to read, and I have also heard witty comments by people on it. The juxtaposition of words, the conversational style and the knack for storytelling are, I guess, what endears my readers to me. It’s a gift and, again, I am grateful to the almighty. It is good to have a peculiar style as identification for your writing style, but it is also good to be able to break the mould and diversify. Style, I believe, is a personal choice. A consistent style is good but can also label a writer as not being versatile.

“It’s the reason why fiction writers try to write non-fiction, biographies, etcetera, and why poets attempt to write short stories. I am a very lucky writer. I am multi-genred and difficult to pigeonhole. But, in terms of style, I try to keep it simple, give it a twist at the end or a punch line to keep you thinking. I can actually identify reporters by their style of writing both in print and TV if they don’t have their byline. That’s the essence of style,” she says.

In the book, she wrote on the encounters she had with Nadine Gordimer, Ngugi wa Thiongo’, Wole Soyinka and other great writers. What was the experience like and what did she learn from them? She beams a while as she answers the question. With Nadine Gordimer, she learnt that it is okay to write with a manual typewriter. With Soyinka, she learnt that it is okay to hibernate to write. With Ngugi, she learnt that a writer should never tire of writing. Above all, she learnt from them resoluteness.
In her pieces on Soyinka and Ngugi, she hints about their humorous parts. “Most authors are funny, but some are introspective. I love them being funny, because writing is pretty tough and, if you can’t laugh at yourself, then you will become a hermit,” she notes.

Eugenia is currently in the middle of several manuscripts, because she has been writing for a very long time. These include a massive collection of poems (about fifty pieces), short story collection about fifteen pieces and a children’s adventure series. She is also working on several other writing projects. “But certainly I am working on the next book, and I have my eye on next year to get it out, all things being equal and by the Grace of God!” she says.

How does she combine broadcasting, journalistic writing and creative writing? She tailors her mind to whichever one she is working on at each time, she says. Broadcasting takes most of her daytime. Her nighttime is often spent writing when she is not on air. She also writes between 1 - 2 a.m. “I think largely it’s about balance, and they all complement each other, ” she says.

Most of what she does at NTA have to do with writing; reading the news on TV is just one of the many things she does there. “Broadcasting is beyond reading the news. There is production, scripting, editing, research, checks and counter-checks. Unfortunately, it’s on-air presentation that people see and conclude to be broadcasting, because it is the most visible,” she says.

Eugenia is very excited by the literary scene in Nigeria. “We have many young persons with stories to die for. There is brilliant writing from everywhere. It’s a renaissance,” she announces, adding that the numerous prizes (NLNG, Pat Utomi, the Wole Soyinka and ANA) are responses to the vibrant literary scene. Though she admits the literary scene is exciting, she believes there are still gaps. “Good writers are still walking the tight rope; rejections are high because of the dearth of publishers and lack of editors. There is also poor writing skills. Good stories that are badly written. There are too many good writers with nowhere to go. We need to have a group of writers who will form a watering hole for writers to bounce back on, a group that can serve as a link between the publisher and a good writer. Funding plays a major role.”

She would like Nigerian publishers to promote yheir books more: abroad the money publishers put on promotion is phenomenal, so sales will definitely increase and the writers are better off and respected. “If you see a book promo everywhere you go, you will be forced to buy the book,” she says. She is planning a tour of the country with her new book.

She is a fan of Chimamanda Adichie. In the years to come, do we see her as another Chimamanda? She chuckles and says, “I think Chimamanda is a gifted writer.” She not only read her first book, Purple Hibiscus, she reviewed it, as well as predicting that she would be a star with her style of writing. She has read her other works, especially her short stories. “Short story writing, which is one of my favourite genres, is given to only master storytellers.

The skills required are more nimble and they are more difficult to bring to an end and I think she has acquitted herself in this genre. Maybe because I enjoy writing short stories, I am partial to her short stories; they are beautifully written,” she declares.
“I don’t know about wanting to become another Chimamanda. I started writing a long time ago but have only just started pursuing my writing passion with vigour. I admire her tenacity, her ability to devote her time and life to writing, which has paid off. Perhaps one day I might also commit my time and then have the luxury of calling myself a writer and an author who does nothing else but write. Broadcasting may let me go for a while to soak in my favourite thing of all time, writing. Time will tell,” she says.