Ade Ajakaiye pens the ‘Songs of a Naija Man’ poetry series, which he uses to highlight the ills in the society; however, the retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) does not see himself as an activist, but as a Nigerian who is just concerned about the happenings around him. Adewale Oshodi brings the excerpts:
SIR you are already becoming a social crusader with your ‘Songs of a Naija Man,’ poetry series, which you use to speak out against unpopular government policies and issues affecting Nigerians; so has activism been in you all these while, or you are just discovering it after your retirement from the police?
Everybody is a social being; if you are a human being, there is no way you will not be affected by the environment. I wouldn’t say I am an activist, but in truth, there are so many things that are not right in our society. I hate to see the innocent suffer and I am an advocate for justice and equal rights. My poetry is a gift from God through which I express myself. It just occurred to me about five years ago, that how do I contribute my own quota to making Nigerian a better place. So, one day, I just wrote a poem on a negative going on in the country, then I felt I could contribute my own quota towards redefining our country and I decided to look at other aspects of Nigeria and see how I could share my opinions about certain issues. So I won’t call myself an activist, but I am a Nigerian who is deeply concerned by those things that are going on in the country. Justice, for me, is the pillar on which any society rests and where it doesn’t, the result is chaos.
Last year, you said you were already working on your books; how far have you gone with them?
Yes, I am done with the books; one is about my life in the police, the other is about my articles, both published and unpublished, and the last one is my ‘Songs of a Naija Man’ poetry series. I will be presenting them to the public by God’s grace next year and after I do, I won’t work on any book again, I will busy myself with reading, gardening and tending my flowers. Also, I will be striving to be a better Christian.
Since you started ‘Songs of a Naija Man’ series, has anybody ever told you to soften your stance on certain issues?
People respond to my poems and one of such people was my very close friend who commended me for what I am doing. However, the thing is, the way I write, I don’t think I am critical of government or certain government policies. I just write to share my ideas about what Nigeria is and give my judgment or view. I enjoy writing those poems because as Nigeria touches me, I want to touch her as well. Nigeria is going to be a great country.
You said you enjoy writing, but what joy does it give you?
Poetry, in particular, gives me a lot of joy. In all honesty, I love books and most of my time, I spend in my library at home when I am free. I am either in my library or in my garden or attending to some important issues. When I am in my library, I just pick up any book that catches my interest and begin to read, and this gives me immense joy because books are excellent teachers.
But while in the police, you were not this active in writing…
This was because police work is 24-7; when you are in the police, you don’t have time for yourself as all your time is spent on the job. However, I did write some poems when I was still in service. They were published in police magazines and in some Nigerian dailies like The Guardian and few others. But now that I am retired, I have all the time to myself. Sometimes, I will wake up in the middle of the night when an idea comes to my mind and I will quickly go for my pen to put it down. Even when I am travelling, I always go with a notebook and pen, so when an idea comes, I jot it down and when I get home, I develop it.
Have you ever thought of writing a prose?
I don’t think I will ever write a prose; looks like I am not blessed with that literary genre, but while I was in secondary school, I wrote a short play of about 50 pages; unfortunately, I lost the manuscript, so prose is really not my thing. However, I do write articles.
As a concerned Nigerian, going by what Nigerians are suffering as a result of the fuel subsidy removal, what advice do you have for the government?
I have always appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his intelligence and capacity, and he is politically savvy, but during his presidential inauguration, some people just didn’t like the way he announced the fuel subsidy removal. I share their view. He could have been more subtle on the issue as people were already drowning in hunger and poverty, and so that it would not have to create the panic it caused at the filling stations immediately after the announcement. Well, to err is human!
However, before Tinubu took over the reins of government, the country had almost collapsed, so what he is doing now is to gather the debris and it will surely take some time to rebuild this country from the ruins it has been.
Honestly, I really pity him, but I trust something good will come out from his managerial astuteness. However, the solution to all the challenges we face today do not lie in palliatives because fuel is the fulcrum on which the Nigerian engine runs and there is nothing that will substitute for fuel. So something has to be done to reduce the price of fuel and when that happens, I am sure every other thing will fall in place. For sure, Nigeria shall rise again under this administration; that is my strong belief.
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