‘Dying Voices of Gongs’, A New Fictional Novel From The Niger Delta

A journalist, Tamunobarabi Gogo Ibulubo, the author of ; Dying Voices of Gongs’ novel,  has gained several years of experience practicing in the Niger Delta and has undertaken to write this  book  to recast the pictures he had seen in the course of his journalism duty, to tell a story.  Of the daily agony experienced by a people who feel neglected and isolated from the benefits, the oil and gas business has held forth, without a reasonable investment and plough back of the gains, into improving welfare for them. Isitima, the protagonist, is caught in the mix of  the several interests, craving for a share of the oil resource.He, being an interested party tries to persuade  the collection of militant group leaders to resist the urge to burst oil pipelines, in their struggle to save the environment. He scavenges for every useful forum to elicit international and local support for prompt intervention. But the Ribad Province Authority  considers him, the mastermind of the several insurgencies that has  threatens the peace and seeks him with the law. He keeps running into hiding, away from the authority and some militant leaders, who see him as a bigger threat to their interest.  The more he implores,the more they  pushed their way through into illegal oil bunkering and arms struggles to create jobs for themselves as a way of breaking  the pains, lack of meaningful employment  had caused them. Can Isitima achieve any result?

WATCH DOG JOURNALISM

Journalism practice hinges on an exhibition of great deal of boldeness.To nose around,make a scoop,interview people and report the news or publish an investigative piece on an issues.

This confidence is ‘typifically’ projected as the sword is usually considered to be a mighty weapon.

The christened forth realm of the estate that it occupies is not an elective position that should be subjected to a process of political activities.The executive would,the legislature would and the judiciary, definitely, would.

Journalism  does not belabour itself with particism in a competitive politcal race to take over the mantle of state leadership.

It just watches over the functions of the other arms of government and the society.Where democratic government subsists, the press’ function will be faced with less problem.

But the challenge and threat to life of journalists is enormous where the type of government is a tyrannical one.

ANOTHER WAY A WRITER LIES

A writer is not one who scribbles something down on paper to fill up time and space but cares less about what impact he creates on the mind of the reader.Such a person only make public the streams of his thought as an account of what he remembers of an event or issues.

A soul committal, duty bound and a non-stop propelling is the drive imperative of a writer.Not for purposes of documentation or a show of what writing skill there can be but to uncover going-on’s in the society,despite the care taken to seal it away from public understanding.

The write presents the issues for public x-ray at the public palace.The urge is not just to uncover issues hiden behind the public curtain but to systematically disect and reveal the likely repercursion.

He creates a balance without a misleading bais.He does not query any public observations on his presentations.It is an effort of waking up public conscience to demand justice, and contribute effort that advances society.

If the writer gets bored with this saddled function and rescinds writing he
derelicts his responsibility without the reader knowing that the voice of the writer’s pen has been locked up.

This weakens ThePenPower ability.The reader believe his ‘no- writing’ position thinking that despite the ceaseless societal events and policy mal-applications,they are no issues to wirte about capable to provoke or lead the public discourse.

This way, the writer lies, failing to write.