Ugochukwu Favour-Mayor: Why my book celebrates distinguished Igbo personalities

Individuals who have made it to the top and are role models should be honoured and celebrated. This is what Ugochukwu Favour-Mayor has done in his third book entitled Most Influential Igbo Personalities (MIIP).more...The young author observes that his latest book, celebrates distinguished Igbo personalities are they serve as role models to the younger generation.
In a chat with Daily Sun, Ugochukwu speaks on the messages in his book, challenges, target audience, role models among others.

Why Most Influential Igbo Personalities?

Most Influential Igbo Personalities, (MIIP) is a designed to celebrate and encourage excellence. It focuses on the some of the qualities of people in Igbo land.  It has profiles of some distinguished individuals from the Southeast states in Nigeria, who have excelled in their professions and endeavour.
Though the motto says Celebrating our own icons, we didn’t limit it on icons alone. We have young people, who have excelled, too. The essence was that we needed to give them a sense of belonging, whereby encouraging them, as well as reminding them that the vacuum occupied by the icons they share pages side-by-side awaits them.

Not just that, we needed to tell them that we the observers are actually watching, and that at the right time we won’t fail to rate. Just like Mr. Femi Adesina, in his foreword stated, I don’t think it is only the old brigade who dominates the book. No, you don’t have to be a Methuselah before you can be a role model. You have them across all the ages: the young, the not so old, and the old. It is a medley that gives you a vivid picture of human society at any given times. Like the good scribe, who takes from both the old and the new, the book gives us a blend of Igbo stars across the generations.

Messages in my book

They are messages of hard work, excellence and honour. I believe that things should be done well. The younger people should apply the right processes to good living. They must not jump into things, because they need a better life; rather, they should go through the right process, they will get there and be celebrated. I believe many people are working so hard to be counted as one of the most influential Igbo personalities.

Difficult situations encourage me to write. The environment must be provoking. And most times, when I take a look at where I am coming from, and to what I want to achieve, I have no choice than to pen down something. And, somehow, I’m working hard to create a reserved environment for what I do, writing.

Challenges
One of the challenges was when I needed materials to makeup the number of profiles we have here. I approached the individuals, alongside their media aides, but they actually took it for granted. I didn’t feel bad, because they never understood the vision and idea. There is also the issue of finance, not just the cost implication to publish, but also through marketing of the books.

Target audience

If you produce an intellectual work without a listening, watching or reading audience, it is absolutely fruitless. My target is for all classes of people. Even a tourist who is visiting Igbo region will need the book as a guide on go-to individuals within his or her stay.

Why I went into self-publishing

It was to be published by a publishing company, but along the line, they weren’t convinced to invest into it. A lot of people never believed in this book, they thought it was the monopolized who-is-who book, but along the line, they have realized that this is like the Igbo’s Forbe book.

Other books published

This is my third book, but what makes this very one special is the fact that it is a project. The rest two are fiction. The titles are: Illegal Gang and The Eucharist and The Hope of the Hopeless.  A popular Catholic priest saw it, and was impressed that he had to recommend it as teaching tool to save souls for God’s kingdom.

Inspiration for the book, MIIP?

I want to improve human lives with it. We have heard of award platforms where Igbo elite get honoured for being outstanding. How about the advanced form of it? In fact, modifications were brought to this book. I thought of documenting processes of hard work, stating real facts of how people who made it to the top came to be, what they passed through and challenges they faced while getting to the top. The book serves as a mirror for the younger generation to read. I want to see a generation driven by purpose and they should be patient in their lives endeavour. I got inspired to document a book that will celebrate excellence and hard work.