Proficiently using imagination and expressive language to create verses and conveying deep ideas , Noah Ebije, the Sun Newspaper Correspondent on Saturday 13 Dec, 2025 in Kaduna, North West Nigeria, received accolades from not only his professional colleagues, but from the strata of the society who converged on Bafra Hotel to mark the 2025 Press Week of Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.
The creativity which earned him the acknowledgement and admiration was his two books , Poetry, Like Plantain Plantation and Mosquitoes Sucked Their Blood For Five Years which were launched .
Across section of the audience
Reviewing the book, the Chairman, Association of Nigeria Authors Kaduna State Chapter, Stephen Adinoyi said the book goes beyond a school narrative to showcase a scenario akin to a political situation, where citizens endure prolonged socio-economic hardship.
He said the writer dramatised that among mosquitoes, there are elitist ones and common ones with conflicts between anopheles Mosquitoes and Culex Mosquitoes which have supremacy and selfishness likening to human beings with rivalries such as Political groups and professional bodies struggling to out-do each other during political campaigns where they made a lot of promises.
According to the book reviewer, the book demonstrates a clear dipiction of the country’s political parties that tried to attain political power not necessarily for the interest of the masses, but simply for the interest of politicians.
“They will tell you that when they come to power and form government, the people will be eating fried rice with chicken every day, promised various goodies during campaigns, but most times not even 3% of the promises fulfilled.
The drama by Noah Ebije, the book reviewer said also have human character about Nigerian education system where government treats public schools with kid gloves
Adinoyi described the book as a must-read for all Nigerians to enjoy the fine work of creativity, noting its strong allegorical relevance and social commentary. He added that characters in the book reminded one of the George Orwell’s novel, “Animal Farm”, where both animals and humans are played the major characters.
Launching the books, Kaduna State governor Sen. Uba Sani represented by the Commissioner for Information, Mallam Ahmed Maiyaki poured encomium on the writer and challenged journalists in the State to emulate the Sun Correspondent by also engaging in productive ventures.
Ahmed Maiyaki
In his reaction, the Author and playwright, Mr Ebije attributed the inspiration for his two literature books to his rural upbringing and lived experiences in communities grappling with hardship in present-day Kogi State.
Ebije recounted growing up in a remote rural settlement in the late 1960s and early 1970s, where basic amenities such as health centres, motorable roads, electricity and clean drinking water were nonexistent.
Raised on traditional herbs and cereal-based foods, he said farming, hunting and crafts defined daily life, while evenings were spent listening to folktales by moonlight.
According to the author, his poetry collection draws heavily from these formative years, particularly his childhood experiences working on palm and plantain plantations close to the village, in contrast to the more strenuous farming in distant hinterlands.
He explained that this experience mirrored his academic journey, where he excelled in Literature in English but struggled with conventional English language studies.
“Poetry, like plantain plantations, came naturally to me. The book reflects the simplicity, rhythm and imagery of rural life that shaped my worldview,” he said.
His second book, a play titled Mosquitoes Sucked Their Blood for Five Years, was inspired by the ordeal of secondary school students who studied in a mosquito-infested environment between the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Ebije recalled that the school was located near a forested area, exposing students to persistent mosquito bites and recurrent malaria infections, often forcing them to seek treatment at distant primary health centres.
The book launch was done in collaboration with the 2025 NUJ Press Week, Kaduna State Council.
