Recently I received an e-mail from a friend in London, which asked 'Areyou still writing'' 'Do you think people care anymore'' Truly, the questions are most apt at this time.In the past, I have had reasons to reflect on such questions too. It has always been very painful for me, especially as a freelance writer. Sad to imagine how wasteful my efforts are, because no matter how prolific or profiling the writings turned out, they would never become reference points in our today's socio-political and economic determinations.In these days, there are other things that matter and firmly call on our attention, beyond loafing around the contents of any written material for answers; one of such things is to be gazing at the problems. Gazing at the Area boys and their fierce establishments of territorial authority; the growing number of kidnappers and their heart-rending ransoms; the militants and their application of unguided violence in demanding attention; the volatile Boko Haram and the mystery of their demands; the menacing community youths'the misplaced and forceful demand of development levies, by which they ironically underdevelop themselves and their immediate community; the dare-devil armed robbers and the puerile combats of our failing security agents; the young ladies and their application of means approximating to known manner of prostitutions in eking out a living; the young men, who must be politically directed to shift their vengeance from government to the civil society; the political leaders, unrelenting in feathering their political industries at the expense of the masses, who are choking with the burden of survival; and the list is endless.No one is in doubt that these calls for serious attention, as it is also well known that feathers well treated in the ointment of arrogance, do not require other peoples' writing as essential balm. Therefore in all the efforts geared towards contributing to problem-solving, painfully would the writing fast become the aim of smiling in the dark. Even when critical appraisals of such writing are by all means consoling in our unbiased judgment, they still appear as a man, who enjoys masturbating when his wife is dying of sexual starvation.What is it about the paper and the pen that have become a curse' Not even a proper study of the Holy books, Bible or the Holy Quran deserves our attention anymore as much as the desire for church-going or the mosque' Much so has it become a preferred relief to administer any of the Holy books in the oath of office, for their benignantly. The reason members of the ruling class may attend a book launch, buy several copies of the book 'How to fix Nigeria's problems' only to have such books slumbering in one forgotten bookshelf. Perhaps too, it is because the Constitution of Nigeria went through the crucible of a writer, that the Constitution is so disregarded in all spheres. What about the corporate organisations that are keener in sponsoring anything outside the activities of book-clubs'It has always been my belief that people do not only write for writing's sake. At most times, if not all, writing is essentially about attempting or proffer solutions to problems, with the aim of reaching a wider audience; for application, or at the least, for response. This is the moral gratia that a writer gets. Otherwise the futility of such efforts can be avoided by sharing a drink at the beer parlour with fellow escapees, who prefer handing over all personal and collective problems into God's care.However, doing the later when it is well understood that the outcome of such indifference is the darkness supplied by ignorance, which leads to the pit of general disaster; It is the eruption of a fire that could engulf everyone in its wake; It is the fear that troubles a writer's mind and transforms him into a busy-bee, or if you like, a troublesome intruder.Regrettably, public money is being spent on convoking talk shows that churn out memoranda that are never read; the newspapers are nothing short of akara (bean cake) wrappers, and its prime task of guiding all endeavours through the sanctity of moral planks is defeated; the sports pages only come handy as the elixir to replenish our current affairs resources.A friend jokingly told me that if someone were to write a book with the title, 'How to plan and execute a successful coup in Nigeria' it would have reached the sixth edition with a lot of reviews by foreign writers, before the rulers of Nigeria get to know about it.This is how much a failing nation and a failing pen have harmed each other. We cannot assume they are both failing at the same pace; one could be faster than the other. And one would become extinct before the other. However, it is very consoling that Nigeria has since thrown its gate wide open to the influx of counterfeited everything; it would also lend passage to counterfeited writing. Ogbeide-Ihama wrote through mustardaffairs@yahoo.com
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