Dele Oyewunmi, Auditor, Pegases Petroleum Services International Limited; Ganiyu Olowu, Lead Consultant, GO Media Ideaz; Hakeem Adenekan, MD/CEO, Commstrat IMC Group and Tunde Dawood-Akerele, Author, My Child, My Pride at the book launch in Lagos yesterday.
Importance of parental care and the need to give wholesome education to the children came to the fore recently at the launch of a 14-chapter educational novel tagged MY CHILD, MY PRIDE authored by Tunde Dawood-Akerele, a Lagos based PR practitioner and publisher.
The book launch which attracted notable professionals, politicians, school proprietors, students, traditional rulers, clergymen, family and friends was published by IMPH Publication and Multi-M Climax.
Speaking at the book launch, Osun State Chairman of Accord, Honourable Segun Fanibe who doubled as the Chairman of the book launch, described the book- My Child, My Pride as a vital manual to relish how good parental upbringing and the teachers’ can impart positively on a child psychological development. “Reading through the book, the author, through Ola, the main character in the book painted a lucid picture of how having good childhood emotional development can create a great future for a child.
The book also underscores the need for parents to always support their children at early stage, noting that no two children are never the same. As they grow, each learn and unlearn. They will pick up more characters and other values as they grow with teacher and parental guides,” he explained.
Earlier, Managing Director of Commstrat Advertising, Mr. Hakeem Adenekan in his lecture presentation for the event title “Be A David” highlighted key attributes a contemporary entrepreneur must possess to be able to survive challenges of today’s business environment. “A modern entrepreneur must carry with himself 2-Gs. That is, God and Gut. These two key factors are reflective of author Dawood-Akerele just like the legendary biblical David who he shared name with,”Hakeem noted.
Commending the author on the publication, the Royal Father of the Day, HRM Oba Olamilekan Olasode, Alapomu of Apomu reiterated the importance of book writing as a way of protecting our social values and promotion of education. He described the author as a resilient professional and lover of books. The traditional ruler conferred a chieftaincy title Aare Afikalamugboye of Apomu land on the author who happened to be his course mate in the college.
The author, Tunde Dawoo-Akerele, in his speech revealed that his debut novel MY CHILD MY PRIDE was written to remind his readers of their childhood and adolescence. ‘It is an account of my own childhood fictionalised to teach moral, entertain, educate and to remind you of your own childhood.’
He was of the opinion that every situation in life has its inherent advantage but it takes an insightful mind to see it. “Poverty and joblessness prompted me to discover the quality and quantity of talents God endowed me with. I am ready to join the list of well celebrated writers like Chimanmada Adichie.”
The book reviewer Mr. Mike Okhihiemen asserted that ‘in this book, My Child, My Pride, the author uses several chapters to voice his contributions in his assignment to make parents always see the best in their children despite initial shortcomings and give the children their best to change their situation and to fulfil their destinies.
Okhihiemen noted that the book is written in elevated English, enlightened and prosaic. “The book is loaded, written in spotless English, laced with a holy anger against this silent but spreading activity of banal corruption whose purpose is to destroy Nigeria and further enrich the rogues among us. Right from the first page, any reader would easily notice a streak of anger in the author’s voice or style of writing. His sentences, constructed in the most lucid, syntactic flow arranged mostly in what looks like a teta tet .
This easily gives him away as a man who has made a bold research on his subject”.
