Meet Ogede Ruky Divine, A Gifted Writer, Lecturer And More 

TODAY, we have the distinct pleasure of hosting a luminary of letters on Speak Up Interview (SUI). Our esteemed guest is a gifted writer, a learned lecturer who pensively teaches literature at Western Delta University, Ogharefe, and also brings his discerning eye as an examiner to the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Join us as we embark on a fascinating journey through the realms of his works, challenges, and triumphs.

Question:
Please, can you briefly tell us about yourself?

Answer:
My name is Mr. Ogede Ruky Divine, better known as Oghenerukevwe Divine, or Ruky in abbreviation. I hail from Oghara town in Delta State and am married with four beautiful children; three girls and a boy. As a writer, I also teach literature at Western Delta University, Ogharefe, Oghara, Delta State, and serve as an examiner with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Question:
Can you share a brief overview of your journey as a lecturer and writer, highlighting your areas of expertise and interests?

Answer:
A journey as a lecturer and a writer? Let me start with the first one. I have always wished and dreamt of becoming a lecturer; a sweet dream that has come true. When I was a student in the university, I would sometimes see myself teaching students in a hall full to the brim with students, and it gave me joy. Nothing would have given me such fulfillment if I had opted for another occupation outside teaching. It was a repressed desire then. Sigmund Freud’s theory of dream interpretation is apt here, where he famously says in 1899 in his book, ‘The Interpretation of Dreams,’ that dreams are a form of ‘wish fulfillment’ and a way for the unconscious mind to satisfy repressed desires.
Again, mine is a desire that has truly come through.

Your second question about my journey as a writer is another kettle of fish entirely. Writing is a tedious and arduous task, and anyone who wishes to embark on it must pull up their socks. Metaphorically, one must be ready to read anything in black and white. S.M.O. Aka said years ago that everyone who wants to be a good writer must read omnivorously. We learned in our secondary school days that omnivores are animals that eat anything, and that was my case while growing up. It is said that readers are writers. My desire for reading started in SS1; I began with Christian motivational books and read so many of them then. I devoured books by T.D. Jakes, Ben Carson, and other motivational writers who inspired me with nuggets of wisdom. I hunted for them like a hungry lion after missing several games. This pleasure and desire drove me into reading novels, dramas, and poetry. “The Concubine” by Elechi Amadi was the first novel I read that glued me to novels, fueling my desire to delve deep into the Pierian spring of knowledge in the field of English and literature. I became Oliver Twist thereafter!

The first institution I attended was the College of Education, Agbor, now Delta State University, Agbor. The school library was my second home then. Books were found here and there for students to read. I sometimes stayed in the library reading and writing novels, short stories, and poems until six o’clock. When the library attendants were ready to close, they would walk up to me to inform me that they wanted to lock up. “A Twist in Time” was the first short story I wrote. It’s among the collection of the sixteen short stories titled “Rough Hands of Fate,” published by Bransador Limited, Lagos, in 2024.

Although my area of research is African Drama, I have written more on prose, short stories, and poetry because these were the genres that inspired me the most. I love imagery, rhymes, rhythms, and both implicit and explicit metaphors—these elements open the windows of the mind.

Pivotal Moments and Influences

Question:
What was a defining moment in your life that set you on your current path, and how did it shape your career and writing?

Answer:
(Smiles) As I mentioned earlier, my first academic pursuit was at the College of Education, Agbor. During our first year, a student named Lucky—I can’t remember his surname now—published a novella titled “If Not for Love.” That was a challenge for me in becoming a writer and a defining moment in my life that set me on my current path. I savored his novel with admiration, and after the lecture, I flew home to jot down something, but the ideas were not flowing. Sleep shut my eyes after a while. I stoked the fire with more wood, and with seamless effort the next day, I birthed “A Twist in Time.” I have been writing short stories, poems, and novels since then.

Question:
How did your upbringing and background influence your values, interests, and career choices?

Answer:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The above quote from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” perfectly encapsulates my upbringing and background. Growing up as a child was a survival of the fittest. My dad died when I was in primary one. My mother gave birth to nine children, and I was the third. My mother was a disciplinarian. I happened to be the only child who could stay with her. My siblings were nurtured by surrogates, aunties, and distant uncles. My mum owned a restaurant. I always woke up in the wee hours of the morning to assist her in preparing food before going to school by 7 a.m. She sold food before I returned to prepare another meal for the following day. It was a tremendous task for me, but I had to do it to keep us from hunger. Perhaps that was the discipline and value she instilled in me. Thank God she is still alive. She taught me how to cook, and there is no meal that I cannot prepare. My wife can attest to this. Whenever she gives birth, I am always in charge of the kitchen chores, and my mother-in-law applauds me for that. Whenever she visits, she relaxes in the parlor while I prepare the meal and serve her and my wife when the food is ready.

I knew that the woman I would marry would have less work on her hands because I had been groomed. She made sure I read my books after dinner. I would doze off with my books staring at me, begging to be read. Despite the challenges, I never gave up on studying.

Overcoming Challenges and Celebrating Successes

Question:
What was the most significant challenge you faced in your career or writing journey, and how did you overcome it?

Answer:
Help me, God! (Smiles.) Challenges? I faced many, especially in my academics. I always read omnivorously, leaving me with barely any time for my areas of study. I was not counted among first-class or upper-class students; I was a second-class lower student during my school days. I didn’t know how to “cram,” as used in Nigerian popular parlance. I read to understand and delve deep into the material. When the exam timetable was out, while other students were preparing for the examination, I would be reading something else that was not part of my coursework for the semester. The truth is that I dislike examinations, and I must be sincere with you in this interview. I don’t say don’t read when exams are approaching, but we all have different routes to success; that was my route to success.

Another challenge is that I am a very lazy writer. I kept writing the same thing until I got it right. Someone once said that writing is rewriting what has been written. That was my case; I kept writing until I reached perfection. This has been my challenge to date—struggling with the pen to put something down. Permit me to pause here for the next question for the sake of time.

Question:
What achievement or milestone are you most proud of, and what did you learn from the experience?

Answer:
My novels being analyzed and criticized on social media platforms excites me. I was elated during a conversation with one of my lecturers in Agbor when he told me that he wrote a paper on my novel, Festering Wounds, my second novel published in 2023 by Kraft Books. That was a milestone for me. He offered me a link online. Boy! My eyebrows fluttered in smiles when I got to read it. Behold, Dr. Michael Ejiodu’s essay was a milestone.

Furthermore, I think seeing my novels in Colleges of Education, Polytechnics, and Universities across the country is another achievement for me. Unwanted Shadow, my first novel published in 2021, generated money for me that I used to sponsor myself during my master’s program in 2021. If I had not taken my craft seriously, where would I have gotten such an amount of money to complete the program in this unfavorable economy? Thank God for the gain and a seamless program.

Below are my major achievements, my published works:
(1) Unwanted Shadow (2021)
(2) Festering Wounds (2023)
(3) Orgy in The Garden (2024)
(4) “Rough Hands of Fate”: A collection of sixteen short stories (2025)
(5) “A Drop of Mercy” By Bailout Nigeria Magazine.
(6) “Heavy Cross” Bailout Magazine
(7) “Tears are Still Standing on My Pillow” Bailout Magazine.
(8) “A Harrowing Night” Bailout Magazine.
(9) “Ripples In The Tide” Bailout Magazine.
(10) “Beyond Coffin Beyond Grave” Bailout Magazine.

Passion and Purpose

Question:
What drives your passion for teaching and writing, and how do you see your work making a positive impact?

Answer:
Passion comes from within. My passion for teaching started years ago. I began teaching in 1998. I have taught at different levels: primary schools, secondary schools, WAEC, NECO, and JAMB classes respectively. I enjoy it. The passion for reading and writing are like two Siamese twins. Nigerians, especially the GZ generation, don’t read. I remember a definition of an illiterate person by Fowler: “An illiterate person is not one who cannot read or write but one who is not acquainted with good literature.” Now, if one defines an illiterate person that way, 99.99 percent of Nigerians, including university professors, will be illiterates, and they are not ashamed to say, “I don’t read novels. It’s for children.” Readers are writers. It gives me joy whenever I come across my students who read my novels. They appreciate me and share with me the lessons from the novels.

Question:
What core value do you hold dear, and how do you incorporate it into your work and daily life?

Answer:
Niyi Osundare once said that a writer is a righter. An ideal society has always been one of my core values—a society void of corruption, one that has failed on all fronts, including security, infrastructure, economy, society, and politics. You see this graphically in almost all my stories, especially “Orgy in the Garden,” published in 2024, and my six short stories published by Bailout Magazine.

Future Plans and Messages

Question:
What exciting projects or goals do you have upcoming, and how do you see them aligning with your passions and values?

Answer:
There are three unpublished manuscripts in my archive. I publish every year. “Rough Hands of Fate” was published this year, and you should expect another one in 2026. I will not spill the title—keep your fingers crossed for that popcorn!

Question:
What message would you like to share with our audience through this interview, and what hope or inspiration do you wish to impart?

Answer:
To my audience: stay positive in your craft. Your desires will only come through if you stay focused, no matter the dirt life may throw at you. Life has its own lessons, and there is nothing school can teach you that you can’t learn from life’s lessons. Bye!