Nigerian booksellers re-elect Oluwatuyi as President

Nigerian booksellers re-elect Oluwatuyi as President

By Ada Anioji

Members of the Booksellers Association of Nigeria have re-elected the Managing Director of CSS Bookshops Limited, Mr. Dare Oluwatuyi as President of the association for a second term in office.

Rising from their Annual General Meeting, AGM that was held on the sidelines of the 20th edition of the annual Nigerian International Bookfair, NIBF at the Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday, the booksellers affirmed that Oluwatuyi and his fellow executives had done a good job in their first term in office and as such deserved to be given a second term unopposed.

The motion for their re-election was moved by Mr Dayo Alabi, a former President of the association and pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian Book Fair Trust, NBFT; and seconded by the former President of the Pan African Booksellers Assocation, PABA, Mrs Oluronke Orimalade. Another industry veteran, Mr. Lanre Damion Adesuyi served as returnng officer at the session.

Other members of the outgoing executive who benefitted from the re-election gesture were Mr. Moses McDaniel, Mr Henry Itauma, Mr Rakeeb Akinyanbi, Mr Michael Adewoye, Dr David Popoola, Mrs. Dorathy Esinaulo, Mr Robert Lawson, Mr. Wilson Moneme and Mr Mohammed Garuba

Responding to the outcome of the elections, Oluwatuyi thanked members of the association ‘very profusely on your electing me as your President for a second term in office, ‘ affirming that he was indeed  ‘greatly humbled.’

In this second term, he remarked that some of the initiatives he would be leading include, ‘stepping up on efforts to enhance capacity building for our members; staffing and equipping our Booksellers Secretariat, embarking on increased lobbying for the right recognition of Booksellers in the award of TETFund contracts for the supply of books and allied materials; and taking more steps to sustain our revenue drive through appealing to members to pay dues and support the association financially.’

The Oluwatuyi-led executive had first been elected at the 2019 AGM of the association which had taken place at the University of Lagos in May 2019.

Other major activities undertaken by the booksellers body at the 2021 edition of the annual fair were a conference on Women in Bookselling in Nigeria: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’ and the presentation of the print edition of The Nigerian Books Directory 2021 that had been edited by Oluwatuyi and the writer-researcher, Mr. Richard Mammah.

Mr. Dare Oluwatuyi, President, Booksellers Association of Nigeria