By Femi Adesina
It was a day to remember for all lovers of books and literature, as Femi Adesina took his memoir, Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, 2015 to 2023, to Ibadan, capital of Oyo State.
Venue was IACD Library, Jericho, and the book reading and signing was organized by Purple Bloom Publishers, Safari Books (Publishers of the fast selling book), Tech Expo, and Wells Radio.
For slightly over two hours, readers and book enthusiasts, in their scores, interrogated the author in a no-holds-barred session. But not before Adesina had read from different sections of the book, to the delight of a rapt audience.
The Conversation was anchored by Michael Olatunbosun, a journalist with Splash FM, Ibadan. And what a great job he made of it. He told the audience at the beginning that he had read every line of the 488-page book. No wonder he was able to engage with the author so intelligently.
No question was considered off limits. The author fielded every one, to the delight of the audience.
A session of book signing followed, as participants wanted to go home with copies of the memoir.
Mrs Joke Oyekan, Managing Director of Purple Bloom Publishers put together a well organized event, which was also used to launch the Purple Bloom Book Club. Kudos.
It was poetic justice that the highly successful event took place a week after a hack writer, obviously a hireling for 30 pieces of silver, had released what he called a review, in which he tried to run former President Buhari, the author, and the book down. He fails, resoundingly.
Like the popular music group ABBA sang, “the winner takes it all, the loser standing small.”
That hack writer is now truly standing small, judging by the pulsating nature of the event.
