The is a man of many parts. For over four decades, he has remained a force to be reckoned with in the literary landscape. 70 hearty cheers… widely-acclaimed poet, polemicist, essayist and journalist, Odia Ofeimun is 70.
With the theme: “Taking Nigeria Seriously: A conference in Honour of Odia Ofeimun”, the intelligentsia rolled out the drums to celebrate him with diverse activities even as they revisited the ‘Nigeria Project’.
Born on March 16, 1950 in Iruekpen-Ekuma, Edo State has remained an inspiration to young writers for his consistency. He is a recipient of many awards the latest of which is the prestigious Fonlon-Nichols Award for literary excellence and propagation of human rights, which was conferred on him by the African Literature Association in 2010.
The two-day conference was put together by his committee of friends led by Prof. Wumi Raji. According to him, celebrating the poet whose works have greatly impacted the world of literature was long overdue. “Odia is a force to reckon with.
For years, he has remained consistent and an inspiration. We, his friends to thought it wise to celebrate the highly-cerebral Odia with a conference that would bring scholars and writers from all over the world to interrogate Nigeria, which he is very pa