Blessing Efe unveils The Road Once Taken

By Olamide Babatunde
Great things come in small packages, and Blessing Gbudje Efe readily fits in. From the word go, she had been fixated with becoming a marine engineer. This she told anyone, as a kid, who asked her what she wanted to become when she was grown.  But, as the twists and turns of life would have it, she ended up studying Mass Communication at the Olabisi Onabanjo University and, presently, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
The Toad Once Taken is her debut fiction, which was presented for public consumption on April 1, 2017. As she said, the work was a product of sheer hard work, determination and focus. The inclination to write had become exposed when, as a child, she tried to express her feelings to her father on a situation in her home. She decided write about what burdened her on how her father’s decision on the matter at hand would affect the family forever, using her own characters.
Once her dad read the story, he had got the drift, and had asked her what she wanted to become in the future, to which she replied, a marine engineer. Another opportunity presented itself to Blessing in secondary school. Again, she told of the ill-treatment she got from her older siblings who were all boys at that time. Those experiences have culminated into making Blessing a writer dealing with societal ills in her first novel.
She pieces together the story of typical struggles, sorrows and pain of life as witnessed by the averagely privileged Nigerian who strives constantly to break forth into what is perceived as a better light. More often than not, it is the road taken to get to the end of the tunnel where the light appears that gives concern.
For young girls, they get neck deep into being of easy virtue, some get trafficked or, worse still, get stolen away to become slaves before realising what has gone wrong. She also made a point to tackle barbaric cultures still in practise in parts of the country. “These cultures are weighing down on our youths,” she said.
The day was honoured by friends and family of the author who were delighted to have her work finally out in the open. Chairman Aspirant for Ajeromi Ifelodun local council, Arogundade Samsideen, who chaired the occasion, aired his thoughts about the book and the author.
He used the medium to address young Nigerians present at the gathering. “The ball is within your court on how great you want Nigeria to be. You don’t have to complain about everything the government is not doing before you make things happen. All you need to be is to be passionate and, with your voice, you can create something for yourselves.
“We need to find a way to identify and reckon with the intellects among us. It is your duty to support one another. This is the only way we can raise more talents. Nothing is impossible if you embrace your fears and look within you,” he said.
Now in her twenties, having sustained her inspiration to write, she admitted that writing was a time consuming task, and she was grateful to have completed this offering within the shortest time possible.
The effort may be taken for granted owing to size, but Femi Onileagbon, who lent his editorial insight and untiring support to publishing a perfectly detailed story, cautioned against this. He said it was only important to take cognizance of the impact of the story and not its size, urging all to pick up copies and extras for friends, family and acquaintances, and, more important, for young ones who stand to benefit tremendously from the story.