My Arepo bookseller

I moved house a little over two years ago from Oregun, Ikeja to Arepo, coming to join the ‘growing tribe of Lagosians who live in Ogun state!’

On settling in, I discovered a bookshop within the community and as ‘ontological species of identical plumage congregate to the nearest proximity’ (do not log-off please, it is K.O Mbadiwe, Patrick Obahiagbon’s elder brother talking!), I decided to look it up.

Straight away, I would say that I am not impressed by the range and volume of books on display. The shop only has stationeries, recommended school books, a few children’s story books, Christian and motivational texts on display. I took it a step further and asked a few neighbours too and for those who had bothered to stop by, their comments were not dissimilar.

But then, electing to look at the other side of things, I saw two things that lifted my spirit. One, a few weeks ago, to drive traffic to the shop, the bookseller had put up a banner on the main entrance to the community, advertising his shop, and second, having established and run a bookshop in Ogudu, Lagos myself, I could identify with the tenacity and courage that it takes to set up a bookshop in an essentially rural or para-urban community in today’s largely a-literate Nigeria.

I salute my Arepo bookseller but will yet get back there to engage him on the question of inadequate stock. And if you, my reader should ask me, I will report back to you on progress in this wise.

There is indeed a way to do a bookfair!

Just returned from the first day showing of the week-long LTV Lagos Bookfair event holding at Lagos Television, Ikeja. It was not funny.
Getting there, I found out I had missed out on the opening ceremonies. But then the adverts that ran most admirably for all of two months on Lagos Television neither told us there was going to be as much as an opening ceremony or on what date and time this would be!
I toured the 15 or so stands that were up and concluded that for all of the goodwill and advert support that Lagos Television was putting into the event, more could have been done and seen!
I looked for the organisers to ask what next? 'Nothing,' my informant told me, absolutely nothing until the closing ceremonies. A bookfair! No events! No sessions! Nothing!! It was evident that there was a mistake somewhere.
I left my informant and looked out for some senior member of the organising team and I found two, both LTV staffers.
'You are the ones putting this together?' 'Yes,' they replied. 'So what next?'
'Have you registered?'It was their turn to enquire. 'Yes.' I answered. 'Well, that is it, if you have finished going over the stands, then you can go.'
'I have already done that,'
Then you can go, that is all.'
'You must be kidding me, right, this is a bookfair you know, no events, no sessions, no shows...'
She got my drift and made to save face. 'Ok, by monday, we may have some events.'
'But what exactly would they be so i can plan for them?'
'I do not know."
'Ok, is there a website i can check?'
Turning to her colleague. 'Em, do we have a website?'
'Ok, he can check the LTV website.'
I took my leave.
Rerhaps I should return on Monday. If I do i would keep you my reader posted.
Great weekend.