By Henry Akubuiro
Yemisi Adetona hasn’t sat for her Senior School Certificate Examination yet, but her fecundity has seen her penning thirteen books already. It was a day to relish for the SS3 student of Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, as her latest book, The Lantern, was presented to the public at Sweet Sensation, Oke Ilewo, in the Ogun State capital, Abeokuta.
It was also the third anniversary of Blessed Child Support Initiative International, Abeokuta, an NGO founded by Mrs. Abidemi Fajobi “with the vision of helping the child to unleash their potentials and putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged, thus, encouraging them to fulfill their purpose in life.”
Mrs. Abidemi, who serves as the Coordinator of the organisation, reeled off some of the achievements of BCSI, including offering the opportunities for many gifted children in the state to showcase their talents. Also, it was “in order to promote teenage authorship,” that made it organise the presentation of Yemisi Adetona’s The Lantern.
Former Vice Chairman of ANA, Ogun State Chapter, Pastor Dotun Adekoya, in his review of the book, said The Lantern “is purely a fictional with its traditional setup at Ujah, purely different from the author’s background” and “it revolves round Ujumma, a woman of substance in the village, widely acclaimed for her in-depth mastery of herbs that cure barrenness. She is also a remarkable woman of faith in her gods –the secret mothers of the land, who she believes hearken to her pleas anytime there is a case at hand.”
Speaking to Daily Sun at the end of the book presentation, the teenage author expressed her delight that the book launch held successfully. She said: “I feel very excited, because it is like a dream come through. I never expected this crowd.
“Writing has always been my passion. This is not the first of its kind. I have written thirteen books. This particular book was inspired by a movie I watched. I got to understand the strong belief of the Igbo in their culture.
“It took me seven months to write this prose. Most times, I wrote at nights. After my secondary education, I will continue to take my writing more serious. It is one thing I like doing best.
“I would to tell all my colleagues to be focused, know what they are doing, and make use of their talents, because there is nobody who doesn’t have a talent. They should know their purpose in life.”
She admitted her parents encouraged her to hone her craft: “My parents encouraged me a lot, especially my dad. He was the one who brought the idea of publishing my works.
“I was actually writing for writing sake, but he initiated the idea of publishing and the book launch. I want to say a big thank you to him.”
