Who Owns Nigeria’s Story? Literary Leaders Call For Narrative Sovereignty, National Cohesion & Cultural Renewal
A Literary Convention Takes on the Politics of National Identity
NIGERIA’S struggle with insecurity is also a struggle over identity, language, memory and the stories through which its people understand their country. That was one of the defining arguments at the 45th International Convention of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), where prominent writers and government representatives examined how literature could influence national security and reshape the country’s place in the world.
The convention, held at the Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village in Mpape, Abuja, brought the literary community together under the theme, “Literature, Security and the Place of Nigeria in the World.”
Its discussions moved beyond the conventional boundaries of literary criticism and creative expression. Instead, participants examined the relationship between storytelling and national survival, arguing that the narratives circulating within and outside Nigeria can influence public attitudes, deepen divisions or encourage a stronger sense of shared citizenship.
The central concern was that Nigeria could not build a stable and cohesive society while allowing inflammatory language, distorted histories and exclusionary accounts of national identity to flourish unchecked.
At the same time, speakers warned that the quest for a positive national image must not become an excuse for suppressing criticism. Writers, they maintained, must remain free to challenge government, expose injustice and document uncomfortable truths.
Adedimeji Argues That National Security Begins With the Stories Citizens Tell
Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics, Professor Mahfouz A. Adedimeji, placed the question of national storytelling at the centre of his keynote address.
He rejected the idea that literature should be regarded simply as entertainment or an artistic ornament. Rather, he described it as a resource for national consciousness, social stability, peacebuilding and international influence.
According to Adedimeji, the traditional understanding of security, which focuses on territorial boundaries, state institutions and critical infrastructure, is too narrow to capture the full range of threats facing modern societies.
A nation must also pay attention to the narratives through which its citizens interpret their histories, identities, grievances and relationships with one another.
Conflicts, he explained, are often preceded by stories that encourage suspicion, exclusion and hostility. When such narratives become deeply rooted, they can make prejudice appear legitimate and violence seem acceptable.
Nigeria’s security challenges, including terrorism, violent extremism, banditry, kidnapping, communal conflicts and organised crime, therefore demand more than military responses.
Adedimeji cited an August 2026 estimate by SBM Intelligence, which placed the number of people abducted in Nigeria between July 2025 and June 2026 at 7,825. However, he insisted that the human consequences of insecurity could not be measured only through casualty figures and destroyed property.
Displacement, disrupted livelihoods, declining social trust and the erosion of belonging also affect national stability.
He consequently advocated a broader human-security framework that includes economic stability, food, health, environmental protection, personal safety, community welfare and political freedom.
Within this framework, literature becomes important because it gives human experiences a public voice. It records what communities endure, preserves memories that might otherwise disappear and exposes grievances that institutions sometimes overlook.
For Adedimeji, a novel, poem, play or memoir can do more than describe society. It can reveal the tensions beneath everyday life and help readers understand the human circumstances behind political and social crises.
Narrative Security: Preserving Diversity Without Encouraging Division
One of Adedimeji’s most significant contributions was his introduction of the concepts of narrative security and narrative sovereignty.
Narrative security, as he explained, does not mean forcing Nigerians to accept one official account of the country’s history or identity. Such an approach would ignore the experiences of the country’s many ethnic, religious and cultural communities.
Instead, the concept calls for an inclusive national space in which different groups can express their memories, aspirations and grievances without turning their differences into hostility.
That distinction is important in a country where disagreements over history, religion, ethnicity, political power and resource distribution can easily become instruments of mobilisation.
By encouraging citizens to encounter different experiences through literature, society can develop a deeper understanding of the people with whom it shares a national space.
Adedimeji’s argument also places responsibility on writers. They must challenge stereotypes, interrogate divisive claims and make room for voices that are often excluded from mainstream national conversations.
Nevertheless, such responsibility does not require writers to avoid controversy or soften their criticism. On the contrary, an inclusive national narrative must accommodate difficult questions and competing perspectives.
Narrative Sovereignty & the Battle for Nigeria’s International Image
The second concept, narrative sovereignty, addresses the way Nigeria is represented to the rest of the world.
Adedimeji argued that the country should not surrender the power to define itself to external narratives that present it mainly through insecurity, corruption and dysfunction.
He did not suggest that writers should conceal the country’s problems or manufacture an artificial image of national success. Rather, his argument centred on Nigeria’s ability to tell a fuller story—one that acknowledges its challenges while also presenting its history, achievements, cultural diversity and human potential.
“A nation can export petroleum and import narratives about itself. That arrangement is strategically unsustainable,” he said.
The observation captured a wider concern about the relationship between cultural production and international influence.
Nigeria has produced writers whose works have travelled far beyond its borders. Adedimeji cited Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ben Okri and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as examples of authors whose literary achievements have helped introduce international audiences to Nigerian experiences and perspectives.
Such writers, he argued, function as informal cultural ambassadors. Their books can establish connections, influence perceptions and reach audiences in places where conventional diplomacy may have limited access.
Consequently, strengthening Nigeria’s literary sector is not merely a cultural ambition. It is also an investment in the country’s soft power and cultural diplomacy.
Language Can Become a Weapon When Public Discourse Loses Its Integrity
The question of narrative control also informed the contribution of Sam Omatseye, writer, journalist and Editorial Board Chairman of The Nation.
Speaking during the closing dinner and prize award event, which he presided over, Omatseye warned that language itself could become a serious national security concern.
He argued that inflammatory language in a diverse society could intensify tensions and contribute to the conditions that produce violence.
In his view, the country had paid insufficient attention to the security implications of how public figures, religious leaders, political actors and other influential voices describe events and communities.
Omatseye recalled the rise of Boko Haram, arguing that the distortion of language and religious scripture helped the group pursue a theocratic doctrine and political order.
“We cannot talk about language without the security of language,” he said.
He also recalled former President Muhammadu Buhari’s response to the killing of villagers in Benue State. According to Omatseye, Buhari urged the victims to embrace their attackers as “neighbours”.
That description, he argued, became part of a wider national debate about the appropriate language for identifying armed groups and criminal actors responsible for attacks across the country.
The public discussion included competing descriptions such as “Fulani killer herdsmen”, “Fulani militias”, “bandits” and “Fulani terrorists”.
Omatseye’s intervention highlighted a difficult but necessary distinction. Public language must be precise enough to identify perpetrators and describe crimes accurately, yet responsible enough to avoid assigning collective guilt to entire ethnic or religious communities.
Without that balance, language can deepen the very divisions that national security efforts seek to contain.
Literature Must Remain Independent of Government Propaganda
Adedimeji also addressed the danger of turning literature into an instrument of official messaging.
Although he called for writers to contribute to national cohesion and a more balanced international image, he rejected the idea that government should determine the acceptable boundaries of literary expression.
Writers, he insisted, must retain the freedom to criticise institutions, question policies and expose failures. Their work should not be reduced to promoting a single official version of national identity.
Criticism is not necessarily an act of disloyalty. Indeed, writers can serve their country by drawing attention to injustices and institutional weaknesses that others might prefer to conceal.
To illustrate the point, Adedimeji compared literature to a smoke detector. A responsible householder would not destroy the device simply because it produces an uncomfortable warning.
This argument also found support in the goodwill address of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Akume described literature as a means of preserving national experiences, interrogating assumptions and bringing neglected issues into public view. A novel, he said, could expose hardship, a poem could articulate shared feelings, while a play could reveal injustice.
He maintained that Nigeria needed writers who could examine public policies, question government decisions and expose institutional failures because informed criticism was necessary for national development.
While defending the importance of free expression, however, the SGF warned against deliberately spreading false information and inflammatory messages, particularly on social media.
“Nigeria needs honest voices, not silence,” he said.
His position reflected the tension at the centre of the convention: a democratic society must protect critical expression while resisting deliberate falsehoods and incitement.
Artificial Intelligence & Social Media Complicate the Struggle for Truth
The growing influence of digital communication added another dimension to the debate.
Adedimeji warned that manipulated photographs, fabricated videos and synthetic audio could distort public understanding and inflame ethnic or religious tensions.
Such material can circulate rapidly, particularly when it appeals to existing grievances or reinforces prejudices. As a result, citizens may react to fabricated events before establishing what actually happened.
He therefore advocated stronger literary education as part of the response to disinformation.
Critical reading, interpretation and the ability to question claims, he argued, are no longer skills reserved for students and professional writers. They are essential civic capacities in an environment where technology can make falsehood appear convincing.
Literature can help develop those capacities by encouraging readers to examine context, recognise bias and distinguish evidence from propaganda.
The argument also extended to the country’s young people. Adedimeji observed that extremist organisations frequently recruit through narratives that promise identity, belonging, justice and purpose.
Their appeal, he argued, sometimes rests on the ability to exploit grievances and offer young people a sense of significance.
Alternative narratives must therefore provide more constructive accounts of dignity, opportunity, citizenship and inclusion. Preventing radicalisation requires more than security operations; it also demands a society in which young people can find meaningful ways to participate and contribute.
Indigenous Languages & Literary Traditions Must Shape National Identity
For a country as linguistically diverse as Nigeria, Adedimeji argued, national cohesion cannot depend exclusively on English.
He called for the preservation, translation and wider circulation of literary works in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Nupe and other indigenous languages.
Such traditions contain histories, values, community memories and forms of knowledge that contribute to the country’s cultural identity.
Making them accessible to wider audiences would strengthen cultural understanding and ensure that more Nigerians participate in the national conversation.
The professor also identified drama, poetry, fiction, memoirs and oral traditions as useful instruments for peacebuilding. These forms of expression can provide platforms for dialogue, preserve community experiences and help people confront difficult histories.
As an example, he cited research on community radio in Ife-Modakeke, Osun State, which examined how conflict-resolution programmes and alternative dispute-resolution messages could improve awareness and encourage peaceful approaches to disputes.
The example illustrated how literary and cultural communication could support practical peacebuilding at community level.
ANA Wants Writers to Become More Visible in National Development
ANA President, Dr Usman Oladipo Akanbi, used his opening address to place the writer’s social responsibility within the broader struggle for national stability.
Describing the writer as “a citizen, a witness, and a conscience”, he argued that insecurity threatened the foundations of literary production and intellectual freedom.
He called it “the greatest censor of the Nigerian imagination”, explaining that fear and instability could prevent writers from creating and citizens from reading, discussing ideas and participating in cultural life.
Akanbi recalled the association’s establishment in 1981 by Chinua Achebe and other writers. Since then, ANA has endured harassment during military rule, threats to its property, the deaths of members such as Mamman Vatsa and Ken Saro-Wiwa, and internal disagreements that once threatened its institutional survival.
Nevertheless, the association intends to strengthen its capacity and expand its national role.
Its priorities include completing the Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village as an international literary resort and sanctuary, providing writers with workshops and publishing support, and reviving literary clubs in schools.
Akanbi also called for stronger engagement between government and the literary community, particularly in national orientation, cultural diplomacy and creative-economy development.
He welcomed the Federal Government’s allocation of land to ANA in 1986 for the Writers’ Village and acknowledged its role in enabling writers to benefit from the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria Act 2022.
Economic Hardship & Poor Infrastructure Also Threaten National Cohesion
Although the convention focused heavily on literature and narratives, Akanbi insisted that the country’s material conditions could not be separated from its security and cultural ambitions.
He expressed concern about the rising cost of living and declining living standards, arguing that economic reforms should not leave ordinary Nigerians feeling punished.
Government policies, he said, must produce improvements that citizens can recognise in their daily lives.
He also drew attention to the condition of roads linking rural communities, farms, markets and towns. Poor roads and insecurity along hinterland routes, he warned, undermine economic activity and weaken national integration.
“A nation is fed and held together by its hinterland,” he said.
Akanbi therefore called for greater attention to rural infrastructure and the safety of people travelling across the country. He also urged politicians to conduct the 2027 general elections peacefully, warning against treating politics as warfare.
His remarks reinforced the broader argument that national cohesion depends on more than shared symbols and official statements. It requires functioning institutions, economic opportunity, safe communities and public policies that respond to citizens’ needs.
Federal Government Promises Support for Literary Heritage
In his goodwill address, Akume acknowledged the role of Nigerian writers in shaping the country’s cultural heritage and international reputation.
He recognised the challenges confronting aspiring authors, including limited access to publishers, inadequate readership and the difficulty of earning sustainable incomes from literary work.
Expanding access to books and supporting the creative sector, he argued, would help translate literary talent into wider cultural and economic benefits.
The SGF reaffirmed the government’s willingness to engage professional bodies such as ANA. He also announced plans to launch an anthology in honour of Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed by the Sani Abacha military regime on 10 November 1995 following a widely condemned trial.
The proposed anthology would provide another opportunity to preserve the legacy of a writer whose work confronted environmental injustice and the human consequences of oil exploitation in the Niger Delta.
A New National Narrative Must Begin With Truth & Accountability
The convention ultimately presented Nigeria’s literary community with a demanding responsibility.
Writers must help the country confront its difficult histories, challenge divisive language, preserve indigenous traditions and communicate a more complete account of national identity. At the same time, government must protect intellectual freedom, strengthen cultural institutions and create an environment in which literary work can flourish.
Adedimeji acknowledged that no cultural intervention could replace good governance. Poverty, unemployment, corruption, injustice and institutional failures must be addressed because they contribute to the grievances that insecurity exploits.
That qualification is essential. Narrative sovereignty cannot mean manufacturing a flattering national image while citizens continue to experience violence, hardship and exclusion. Nor can narrative security mean silencing disagreement in the name of unity.
Rather, a credible national narrative must accommodate truth, criticism, diversity and accountability.
By bringing literature into the conversation about security, the ANA convention challenged Nigeria to recognise that the country’s future will be shaped not only by the strength of its institutions and the effectiveness of its security agencies, but also by the stories its people preserve, the language they use and the freedom they enjoy to imagine a more just society.
