In a bid to contribute to promoting the fast eroding reading culture as well as provide healthy literature that entertains as well as teaches true life lessons, Dr Ejiro Otive-Igbuzor is set to launch two books on Saturday June 24 2023.
A statement signed by Dr Agbaji Orinya , chairman planning committee gives the title of the books as The Trophy Husband and The Travails of Ọmọtẹjọmọ .
According to Orinya, “Ejiro’s novels take the romance genre to a whole new paradigm; her books are laced with clear developmental and anti-discrimination messages with an ecclesiastical flair”.
He further says according to the author, “Investing in girls and women to achieve competitive advantage is part of my life mission. I run periodic GESI and M and E Institutes (face-to-face and virtual trainings); I also mentor mid-level professionals to improve the quality of their work and delivery. I have always had a passion for storytelling and my trainings are usually laced with practical life stories and case studies to ground the theoretical perspectives in our reality. I recently started to pay attention to the Novelist in me and I see that people love my stories.”
The Trophy Husband is the story of excruciating pain of heartbreak and betrayal, coupled with the shame of being mocked and scorned by society lead a girl to make an irrational marriage decision. She seeks revenge against her cheating fiancé, Dafe and her backstabbing friend. She seeks ‘escape’ from the mocking eyes of a society that shames and stigmatizes the victim while silently hailing the perpetrator. Vengeance! It turns out to be a war against self. Isio, the protagonist accepts an arranged marriage to Okẹmẹ, the charming and purportedly rich heir apparent to the Irikefe ‘dynasty’. He lives in London. Marrying him should hurt Dafe, and shield her from the humiliation by jesters. And the icing on the cake, she will join the league of revered ladies who have ‘been to the abroad’, inọko, in local parlance. Living in inọko is a huge part of many girls’ dream fulfilment…but whatever awaits her in London? Isio is a metaphor for many girls and their struggles to get the dating game and marriage right. A good number gets emotionally wounded but with unshakeable faith in God, they triumph.
The Travails of Ọmọtẹjọmọ presents the harrowing experiences of a Nigerian girl born into a family that would have preferred a boy, having previously had three girls in a row. Her life is inundated with all manners of demotivation, deprivation and Gender-Based Violence, all traceable to the invisible power of discriminatory social norms in Africa’s patriarchal society. She survives, not without the consequences of mistakes attributable to youthful exuberance. She is rescued by a combination of her dogged determination, destiny helpers and the God factor. The story evokes all kinds of emotions, sorrows, pain, laughter, joy with salient life hacks for the young and old, whether they are female or male. You are likely to see yourself or someone you know in this story.
Dr Orinya urged friends and family as well as the public to join the launch of the two books physically or virtually to support the author.
Ejiro holds a PhD in Microbiology (with specialty in Tuberculosis Bacteriology and TB/HIV Co-infection) and currently works as a Development Consultant with expertise in Monitoring and Evaluation and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI). She is also a seasoned trainer, Pastor and an author with several academic publications to her name.
The hashtag for the event is #EjiroTheNovelist .
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