Social media rant or summarised political narrative?

By Jerry Chiemeke

Books based on the sociopolitical events in a nation tend to be in high demand upon publication. Th is is because people want to see things through the eyes of someone who was privy to sensitive information, someone who was “in there” and “saw it all.” Th en again, people get tired of “newspaper stand” arguments and crave for a more informed treatise.

Th ere is a reason why Olusegun Obasanjo’s “My Watch” and Segun Adeniyi’s “Against Th e Run Of Play” are big hits from a book-selling perspective. Th e author, Reno Omokri is the pastor and founder of Mind Of Christ Centre, and runs a column on Th isday Newspaper.

He also runs the Helen & Bemigho Foundation for orphans, and was one of three spokespersons for former president Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He still remains loyal to Jonathan, as can be easily deduced from his social media interactions.

In “Facts Versus Fiction”, Reno Omokri attempts to debunk what he perceives as “myths” that have held sway against the previous administration, and makes a signifi cant number of assertions which go to the root of the power tussle between Chukwumerije stories she relates is touching. But it lacks objectivity and analysis. Instead of stepping back from a story and refl ecting what this tells us about Chinese society, she’s onto the next example and the next and the next.

Without analysis and refl ection on whether these conditions have changed, it’s hard to comprehend if these are isolated examples or how representative they are of real life. Reading this book left me with too many unanswered questions. Footnotes About the book: Th e Good Women of China: Hidden Voices is translated by Esther Tyldesley.

It was published in 2002 by Chatto and Windus in the UK. About the author: Xinran (the name means “with pleasure” ) was born in Beijing in 1958 and lived with her wealthy family until the Cultural Revolution separated them when she was seven. After working in a military university she became a radio journalist.

Her talk show, Words on the Night Breeze, started in 1988; within three weeks she was receiving 100 letters a day, mostly from women. She moved to the UK in 1997, where she compiled their stories in Th e Good Women of China. Xinran is a columnist for national newspapers in the UK. Why I read this book: I’ve been fortunate enough through my job to visit China and to meet many people from that country.

Th e stories of their culture and how this is under pressure as the country becomes an economic power house and a force in international aff airs, has fascinated me. I thought Th e Good Women of China would help me better understand the people of this country. Th is book is part of my 20booksofsummer reading list. Source: www.bookertalk.com Nigeria’s two major political parties, as well as the complex web of international relations.

In about 33,000 words, he sheds light on various touchy subjects, from international response to the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2013 to the (alleged) resurgence of militancy, from the Chibok girls saga to the 2015 general elections, and even Tuface Idibia’s botched protest gets a honorable mention of sorts. It would seem that Reno Omokri wanted to publish this book in order to ensure that it does not became stale in terms of trending political issues on both the home front and the foreign scene.

Th us, in accusing the Obama administration of colluding with the APC and the Northern elders to oust Goodluck Jonathan, he appeared to try too hard in comparing the events of late 2014/2015 to the current debate on Russia’s involvement in the 2016 U. S Presidential elections. And in the sixth chapter, ample time is spent on describing Dr. Goodluck’s humble background and educational prowess. Reading that part of the book could lead to assumptions of a notso-subtle campaign for Jonathan’s return.

Th ere are also direct jabs swung by Reno on opponents in multiple directions, from Lai Mohammed to Nasir El-Rufai. And while the eff ort to dig up truth is appreciated, one cannot help but ask if there isn’t a more logical, structured way to go about it. At the end of the day, Facts Versus Fiction attempts to shed much needed light on the rarely seen perceptive from the GEJ administration.

Th e book is thus clearly a pro-GEJ piece, but the key question is this “will it give you more information than you already know?” Chiemeke is a lawyer who resides in Lagos. His works have been featured on Th e Kalahari Review, Brittle Paper and Elsie Isy.

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