Beyond Literature: ANA Challenges Government to Confront Hardship, Insecurity & National Decline

Writers Place Human Welfare at the Centre of Reform Debate

THE Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has challenged the Federal Government to reconsider the human consequences of its economic policies, warning that reforms cannot succeed when citizens experience them mainly through hardship and declining living standards.

At its 45th International Convention, the association linked economic distress, insecurity and deteriorating infrastructure to a wider crisis of public confidence and national hope.

ANA President, Usman Akanbi, delivered the message in his opening address on 30 October 2026, at the Mamman Jiya Vatsa Writers’ Village in Mpape, Abuja.

He acknowledged the government’s willingness to undertake difficult structural reforms and invest in infrastructure. However, he argued that policy success should not be measured only by government announcements or economic adjustments.

Instead, the real test must be whether ordinary Nigerians experience better living conditions.

“Today, many Nigerians are facing an acute economic crunch and a nose-diving standard of living,” Akanbi said.

He warned that even well-intentioned reforms could lose public support if people experienced them as punishment rather than a pathway to improved living standards.

For him, the government’s responsibility extends beyond implementing economic changes. It must also restore confidence, protect vulnerable households and create opportunities that allow young people to believe in the country’s future.

“No nation can grow when its young people have lost hope,” he said. “And without hope, no reform can succeed.”

Invoking Thomas Jefferson’s position on the pursuit of citizens’ happiness, Akanbi maintained that human welfare should remain a central measure of responsible government.

Rural Roads Reveal the Wider Cost of Insecurity

The ANA president also drew attention to the relationship between insecurity, infrastructure and economic survival.

He warned that kidnapping, armed robbery and other security threats continued to expose Nigerians to danger whenever they travelled by road.

His concerns extended beyond major highways to the rural routes that connect agricultural communities, markets and towns.

Akanbi described some journeys through the hinterland towards Abuja as difficult and unsafe, citing deteriorating roads and collapsed bridges.

Although proposed coastal and border highways might deliver long-term benefits, he questioned the relative attention given to rural roads that sustain everyday economic activity.

“The ordinary Nigerian feels that the hinterland roads — the roads that connect farms to markets, villages to towns, and our state chapters to the centre — should have been given far greater consideration and priority,” he said.

His argument went beyond transportation. Poor roads and insecurity can isolate farming communities, disrupt trade, increase travel risks and weaken access to essential services.

That is why he declared: “A nation is fed and held together by its hinterland.”

Literature Cannot Flourish Where Fear Dominates

The convention’s theme, “Literature, Security and the Place of Nigeria in the World,” provided the foundation for Akanbi’s wider argument about the relationship between national stability and creative expression.

He described insecurity as “the greatest censor of the Nigerian imagination.”

According to him, fear restricts the freedom and opportunities necessary for intellectual and artistic development.

When farmers cannot reach their fields safely, traders fear travelling and children cannot attend school without danger, the consequences extend beyond immediate economic losses.

Such conditions also undermine reading, education, artistic production and the exchange of ideas.

Consequently, Akanbi urged writers to recognise their responsibility in confronting national challenges and shaping Nigeria’s identity.

He argued that authors should not surrender the country’s story to international narratives dominated by insecurity and fear.

Rather, Nigerian literature should acknowledge difficult realities while exploring the country’s cultural strengths, possibilities and aspirations.

This responsibility, however, does not require writers to conceal national failures. Instead, it demands honest storytelling that challenges negative stereotypes without ignoring the problems that sustain them.

ANA Calls for Peaceful Politics Ahead of 2027

Akanbi also warned that political hostility could further weaken national cohesion as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.

He urged politicians and their supporters to reject inflammatory language, bitterness and violence.

“We must ensure that the 2027 elections are conducted in an environment devoid of rancour, bitterness and ill will,” he said. “Our politics must not become a war.”

He argued that nation-building requires shared responsibility. Government must provide responsible leadership, while citizens must contribute to the development of a peaceful and functional society.

The appeal placed electoral conduct within the broader question of national security, democratic stability and the country’s future.

Rebuilding ANA After Years of Internal Division

Beyond the national issues, the convention provided an opportunity for the association to reflect on its institutional history and recovery.

Established in 1981 under the leadership of Chinua Achebe, ANA set out to defend freedom of expression, promote literary excellence and use writing to foster national unity.

Since then, the association has established literary prizes, publications and annual conventions. It has also provided platforms for successive generations of Nigerian writers.

Nevertheless, its history has included serious internal disputes.

Akanbi recalled that the crisis following the association’s 2019 convention in Enugu fractured its membership, generated legal disputes and threatened its continued existence as a professional organisation.

He praised the trustees, elders, fellows and state chapters for helping the association overcome the divisions.

“You held the line. You are the true heroes of this renaissance,” he told them.

His remarks presented institutional reconciliation as an important foundation for ANA’s renewed ambitions.

Writers’ Village & Literary Support Feature in ANA’s Recovery Plans

To strengthen the association’s future, Akanbi outlined plans covering institutional development, writers’ empowerment and government engagement.

One major objective is to complete and fully utilise the Mamman Jiya Vatsa Writers’ Village as an international creative resort and sanctuary for writers.

ANA also plans to expand workshops and publishing support for established and emerging authors. In addition, it intends to revive literary clubs in schools to encourage reading and nurture younger talents.

The association wants to contribute more actively to national orientation, cultural diplomacy and the creative economy.

Akanbi acknowledged the Federal Government’s allocation of land for the writers’ village in 1986. He also recognised the Nigerian Copyright Commission’s contribution to efforts that enable authors to benefit from the reproduction of their works.

These initiatives, if effectively implemented, could strengthen the institutional and economic foundations of Nigerian writing.

National Renewal Requires More Than Government Announcements

The convention’s message extended beyond the immediate concerns of authors and publishers.

Economic hardship threatens household stability. Insecurity restricts movement and livelihoods. Poor rural infrastructure weakens agricultural production and trade. Meanwhile, political hostility can deepen divisions and undermine democratic confidence.

Together, these challenges affect the environment in which literature, education and intellectual life develop.

ANA’s appeal therefore placed writers within a wider national conversation about responsible governance, public welfare and cultural development.

Ultimately, literature cannot replace sound economic policies, secure communities or functioning infrastructure. Nevertheless, writers can expose failures, preserve collective memory, challenge public assumptions and help Nigerians imagine a more just society.

For the Federal Government, the challenge is to ensure that reforms improve lives rather than deepen hardship. For ANA, the responsibility is to keep defending freedom of expression and using literature to confront the country’s most difficult questions.