Two books: From Libya with Tears: The Story of A Trafficked Nigerian Lady and Practical News and Feature Writing, are for presentation to the public on Tuesday in Lagos.
The books, written by a Managing Editor with the News Agency of Nigeria, Dele Bodunde, are works that strive to bring to the fore the ordeals of illegal migrants to Europe vial land routes and teach journalism in practical terms.
“From Libya with Tears: The Story of A Trafficked Nigerian Lady” chronicles the near-death misadventure of a Nigerian lady, Peju Akins, who travelled through the Sahara Desert to Libya in an attempt to seek greener pastures in Europe.
Akins, who was lured to make the ill-fated trip by a human trafficker she met during a church service in Lagos, was kidnapped-for-ransom and imprisoned many times during her 21-month ordeal in her sojourn in foreign land.
On her arrival in Tripoli, her refusal to be forced into prostitution by her traffickers was met with severe torture and detention without food and water for four days.
“I am lucky to be back in Nigeria alive; many died during the one-month trip through the desert, especially between Agadez in Niger Republic and the Libyan capital, Tripoli,” she told the author.
According to Akins, during the desert trip, the driver of the double-cabin Hilux pick-up van conveying her, her friend, her trafficker and 32 others, showed them unmarked graves of unfortunate travellers.
She said: “On the way between Agadez and Tripoli, a 2,793 kilometers desert drive, we saw different things since we (the seven ladies) were with the driver in the air conditioned passenger cabin.
“He showed us graves of people that died of starvation, dehydration or were shot by bandits and rotten bodies and skeletons.”
The book also narrated how ransoms for their release at different occasions after their kidnap ranging from N50,000 to N250,000 were paid, revealing that all these times, at least a Nigerian was involved in Akins ordeal.
Akins regretted her sojourn in slave labour and her last imprisonment that led to her journey back to Nigeria, saying: “Yet a gang of fraudsters found me gullible, put me through slave labour.
“The collected my wages and put my parents in debt. I can only imagine laying my hands on N500,000 right now, the amount I paid to receive punishment.
“Nigerian youths should learn from me and those few who luckily have returned safely.
“I had wasted almost two years of my life and my parents have not finished paying the money they borrowed on my behalf.”
It is reported that almost all the migrants who are mostly aged between 18 and 35 were forced into prostitution and slave labour in Libya.
Writing the Foreword to the book, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhamadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, regretted that in spite of the ordeals, some others were still embarking on the same trip.
Dabiri-Erewa said it further explained why the present administration was hammering on irregular migration, especially through dangerous routes like Libya.
Dabiri-Erewa wrote: “The experience of Peju Akins as chronicled here should be a must-read for parents and young Nigerians. Peju Akins is lucky to be back alive after her near-tragic misadventure in Libya.
“The Federal Government, through its various agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency, the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
“And with the support of the International Organisation for Migration, has evacuated over 2,000 Nigerians from Libya between July 2016 and February 2017 with many more being rescued.”
The second book, Practical News and Feature Writing, gives new insights to the approach of writing feature stories as well as news items in a dynamic field such as journalism.
It adduced answers to how news should be written, the structures of the newsroom and how it should be run, who a journalist is, tools for gathering news and developing nose for news.
The book also addresses the distinctiveness of features from hard news, types of features and the qualities of a feature writer.
It is not only theoretical but deals with the practicalities of news reporting and feature articles.
The book can be best described as in the Foreword written by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, as “an how-to-do-it boo”.
NAN reports that Bodunde has been an active journalist since he graduated from the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1981.
Born to the family of High Chief Sapetu (next in hierarchy to the King) of Isarun-Akure, Ondo State, Bodunde joined NAN as a National Youth Service Corps member in Jos between 1981 and 1982.
He was retained by NAN after the compulsory one year national service and has since then attained several positions in the agency.
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; and Adesina are expected a guests of honour at the books presentation.
Others are Dabiri-Erewa; the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde; and the Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria, Bayo Onanuga. NAN.
Trending
- How FRSC reduced Road Traffic Crashes by 42% – Corps Marshal
- FCCPC uncovers prices in Yen as it grills Chinese supermarket owners + Photos
- Reporters detained for airing music, taking calls from girls
- German police arrest 11 Nigerians laundering money made from dating scam
- Fernandes digs Man U out of hole in win over Sheff United
- Akintoye to Afenifere: Yoruba wants self-determination, not restructuring
- Naira loses 0.64% against dollar at official market
- Re-examining Patriarchy, Faith: Domestic violence, faith integration in Nigeria, by Michael Olatunbosun