The year 2025 might well become the best for the literary community as authors are wasting no time in churning out inspiring works. In addition to an impressive number of books making the rounds on the internet as books to watch out for in the first quarter of the year such as ‘Dream Count’ by award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an evocative piece on life in Nigeria, was launched last week. Titled, “Obalende: A Nation in Motion”, the novel written by a pastor of the Redeemed Church of God, and a former banker, Dr. Wale Adeduro, was presented to the public at the Kongi’s Harvest Arts Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos. The Book launch brought together the ‘Obalendes’, friends and family, and many notable figures including former Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola who was the Chairman of the occasion and his lovely wife; Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA) Secretary-General, Toyin Akinosho, pa Tunde Ojo and many others. ‘Obalende: A Nation In Motion’ passes as a very important addition to literary offerings by Nigerian authors especially as it speaks to issues regarding the girl child, family, etc. More so, it is one of the few books already out in 2025. Through a girl-child’s experience in a developing nation, the book tackles overwhelming issues troubling the Nigerian society. In the book, Dr. Adeduro, a past Acting General Manager of the Musical Society of Nigeria, MUSON and an active board member of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), weaves together themes of social decay, poor parenting and the huge monster- corruption, to produce a most compelling compendium on Nigeria’s developmental challenges. The moving narrative captures the essence of Lagos in the 1980s weaving an evocative tale of nostalgia and societal reflection.

The year 2025 might well become the best for the literary community as authors are wasting no time in churning out inspiring works. In addition to an impressive number of books making the rounds on the internet as books to watch out for in the first quarter of the year such as ‘Dream Count’ by award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an evocative piece on life in Nigeria, was launched last week.

Titled, “Obalende: A Nation in Motion”, the novel written by a pastor of the Redeemed Church of God, and a former banker, Dr. Wale Adeduro, was presented to the public at the Kongi’s Harvest Arts Gallery, Freedom Park, Lagos.

The Book launch brought together the ‘Obalendes’, friends and family, and many notable figures including former Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola who was the Chairman of the occasion and his lovely wife; Committee for Relevant Arts (CORA) Secretary-General, Toyin Akinosho, pa Tunde Ojo and many others.

‘Obalende: A Nation In Motion’ passes as a very important addition to literary offerings by Nigerian authors especially as it speaks to issues regarding the girl child, family, etc. More so, it is one of the few books already out in 2025.

Through a girl-child’s experience in a developing nation, the book tackles overwhelming issues troubling the Nigerian society. In the book, Dr. Adeduro, a past Acting General Manager of the Musical Society of Nigeria, MUSON and an active board member of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), weaves together themes of social decay, poor parenting and the huge monster- corruption, to produce a most compelling compendium on Nigeria’s developmental challenges. The moving narrative captures the essence of Lagos in the 1980s weaving an evocative tale of nostalgia and societal reflection.

The book event officially kicked off with a spoken word performance by Chinyere Ogbonna. Covering critical areas in the novel, young Ogbonna mesmerised the audience with her performance and left everyone pondering which way Nigeria owing to her piercing question on what the future holds for Nigerians.

While recommending the novel to everyone particularly schools, teenagers and mothers, Mr Babalola highlighted the book’s accessible yet sophisticated literary style. He commended Pastor (Dr.) Adeduro who is fondly called Pastor WAO for his dedication, tenacity, and brilliance in creating the literary work. “This achievement speaks to Pastor (Dr.) Adeduro’s prolific and cerebral mind as a literary artist and former columnist. My relationship with him spans over the decades, first as co-pioneers at Zenith Bank and later as co-tenants in the Akoka area of Lagos. He is more than just a friend; he is a true brother. He is a man of many hats: a banking professional, entrepreneur, productivity coach, pastor, columnist, and creative writer, among others. I am therefore not surprised that he has churned out this excellent piece of novel,” he added.

According to him, “The book offers a compelling narrative that deeply resonates, particularly regarding our shared experiences and values during our adolescent years, with a special focus on the girl-child in Nigeria. Your dedication, diligence, passion and love of art is the essence of this book.”

Speaking further he said, “Permit me to highlight a few themes captured in “Obalende: A Nation in Motion” that are particularly relevant and concerning for the Nigerian society to address urgently: poverty, promiscuity, sexual abuse, indecency, adolescent vulnerability, and dysfunctional family structures. These issues have taken on more worrisome dimensions, and our society cannot afford to gloss over them if we are to foster an environment conducive to raising responsible adults and future leaders.

“We must pay greater attention to the family institution as the building block of the society. The more

“We must pay greater attention to the family institution as the building block of the society. The more functional our families are, the better our society will become. This begins with promoting strong African values and ethics, educating the girl-child, hard work, social responsibility, and improved socio-economic well-being.”

The author, a former columnist for several major Nigerian newspapers, said he was hopeful that the book will impact readers greatly. He disclosed that plans were on the way to ensure the book gets to every corner of the nation noting that the aim was to eventually have it as a recommended textbook in all Nigerian schools.

Highlights of the occasion were the author’s performance titled, ‘Guilty As Charged’; reading of excerpts from the book by the author and some guests.