People often ask me why I decided to write this book. In fact, it was the most common question asked during the Toronto launch event.
And that makes sense.
What would cause an engineer living and working in oilsands-rich Alberta to pick up a pen and start making the notes that would lead to this book?
For one thing, I’ve always enjoyed writing. I’ve been reading for as far as I can remember (my Mom says I started reading at three) and writing came naturally from that. Right from the time I was a young boy, I remember penning short stories and using masking tape to ‘bind’ them in book form! More importantly, my stories were largely drawn from the environment around me. Naturally, I embellished and caricatured as I saw fit.
Secondly, I have an avid interest in politics and history. This interest is global, but I have a particular interest in Africa, a large part of which involves Nigeria. Having lived there for over 15 of the first 16 years of my life, this is to be expected.
Third, my interactions with Nigerians both within and outside the country have convinced me that our differences, significant though they may be, are not as important as being able to survive from day to day.
When the three were combined with a need to write and the paucity of fictional works from that period (late 20th century leading up to the millennium) in Nigeria’s history, A Rainy Season was born.
A Rainy Season 