Book Readings - Festival Highlights - Akada Children's Book Festival

Ndidi is a versatile and prolific writer. She writes for both adults and children. Her debut children’s book, I will Always Eat my Food, a picture book, was published in 2006. Ever since, Ndidi has gone ahead to create a niche for herself, displaying mastery in children’s books; from picture books to short chapter books and to pre-teen fiction. Her books are beautifully crafted with themes that children could relate with.
Her best-selling children’s book, A Hero’s Welcome, made the first shortlist of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, 2019. Her earlier book, One Little Mosquito, published in 2008 won the Association of Nigeria Authors prize for children’s writing, 2009.
Stories of our Land is Ndidi’s collation of folktales from different tribes in Nigeria. Her story, Timi and the Barber, featured in the Nal’ibali radio programme in Cape Town, South Africa. The story has also been translated into several African languages. The book is now published and available in Nigeria.
Ndidi was a participant of the 2017 edition of Book Dash workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the programme, participants drawn from different countries of Africa produced 12 new picture books. Mina and the Birthday was written by Ndidi during the workshop.
My Fruits My Alphabet is a book that introduces children to the beneficial world of fruits. They learn about fruits while learning the letters of the alphabet. This book is especially important this year because 2021 has been declared by the UN as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.
For Ndidi, writing stories is an amazing world of raw talent and endless discoveries. She constantly seeks for opportunities to write more beautiful stories. Prose remains her preferred choice of creative expression.

I will be doing a book reading of

My Fruits My Alphabet

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 5-6pm

Oladele & Louisa Olafuyi

Dele and Louisa are both marketers with experience working for top businesses. The couple met in London in 2013 and moved to Cambridge in 2017 where Dele completed his MBA at Cambridge University, Judge Business School, and Louisa worked as a senior product marketer at Cambridge University Press. The MBA sparked an entrepreneurial bug and they knew they wanted to start a business at some point. Whilst they had not published a book before, they leveraged their experience in marketing and business strategy to build a business plan and roadmap for the business.
Kunda Kids is a publishing and creative media studio. We are a team of writers, illustrators, editors, musicians and animators, with a single purpose to inspire the next generation of young people about ancient and modern African history and culture.

We will be doing a book reading of

Shaka Zulu Learns To Dance

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 1-2pm

Olayemi Ejemai PhD

Olayemi Ejemai, Ph.D.; FCCA; FCA; FCIT; is an author of children’s picture storybooks and the CEO of BooksbyEMO. She`s a mother of 3 wonderful children (2 girls and a boy who happen to be special), and a wife to Oluwaseun Ejemai. She is also a fellow of Association of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Chartered accountant of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
She has a day job and lectures on a part-time basis. Her working experience spans over several industries including Entertainment, Oil and Gas, and Public Sector. She hopes to move into academia, full time. Olayemi is at her best when she is reading and writing. She loves to spend time with her family, visiting places, traveling the world, and learning new things.
She recently published two articles titled: Companies Income, Custom, and Excise Duty Tax Gap and Infrastructural Development in Nigeria; and Value Added Tax Gap and Capital Expenditure over Economic Services in Nigeria. Olayemi is passionate about empowering everyone around her, particularly children. She believes in grooming children to be confident, independent and responsible adults.
Her children’s books are morally conscious and inclusive, bearing in mind the Nigerian culture and International environment. They strive to communicate deep messages concisely and in an interesting way. Olayemi presently has fourteen (14) published children’s picture books, including Nigeria’s first picture book trilogy. She also has several unpublished books that she hopes to publish in the nearest future.

I will be doing a book reading of

My Dad Is A Superhero

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 4-5pm

Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi

CONVENER

Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi

Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi is an author; the publisher of Clever Clogs Books; and the convener of the Akada Children's Book Festival. She is passionate about creating visually-engaging, culturally-relevant content for children, and has a desire to see steadily increasing literacy rates within her community and others. Olubunmi is also the immediate past Executive Council Chairperson of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ); the Chairperson, Board of Trustees, of the OA Foundation; and was a Member of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee for the 2019 Nigerian Economic Summit. Olubunmi also sits on the board of Punch Nigeria Limited; Punch Commercial Printing and is a Trustee of the Punch Media Foundation.
Olubunmi has written a number of articles in the areas of commerce, agriculture, resource maximization, sanitation and land use in Nigeria. Her passion for writing developed into collaborating with talented artists to create beautifully-illustrated children's picture books designed to make reading attractive, inspire innovation and excite children, parents and teachers. Her published works include: Tobi Visits the Conservatory; Kob the Antelope; Diary of a Toddler; Tobi Bakes A Cake; Tobi Learns To Swim and Why Do You Wash Your Hands? (www.cleverclogsbooks.com). Olubunmi has read her books and given keynote speeches at numerous conferences; schools; book clubs; and events in various parts of Nigeria and internationally.
Olubunmi, has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from City University London, and has also completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School as well as the Advanced Management & Leadership Program at Oxford University Said Business School. Olubunmi is a member of the Institute of Directors Nigeria; the Young Presidents' Organization; the Corporate Governance Society of Nigeria and the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Nigeria.
Articles written by Olubunmi have been published in several national daily newspapers, such as PUNCH, BusinessDay, Guardian, Nation, Vanguard, New Telegraph, Sun, This Day and others.

I will be doing a book reading of

Kob The Antelope

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 6-7pm

Omotayo Oyetayo

Omotayo Oyetayo is a chartered accountant by profession. She writes fictional stories and novels that help children improve their interpersonal skills and promotes the importance of good morals with the belief that her story books will change the life of one child at a time.
She has written three children's books, namely The Canary That Couldn't Sing, Fudu The Lonely Hedgehog and the recently released title No Color For The Peacock. She draws her inspiration from her children and children around the world that do not have access to quality education.

I will be doing a book reading of

The Canary That Couldn't Sing

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 3-4pm

Sade Fadipe

Sade majorly lived and schooled in Kent with her English foster mother, for the first six years of her life, before relocating to Nigeria with her parents. After a first degree in English (Linguistics) and a bag of cultural accessories, she returned to England. There she attained a Post-graduate in Education and taught at schools within London and Essex. In 1996, a Guest-Author visited her school: the world acclaimed Quentin Blake. Thereon, her inspiration to one day write for children was ignited.
Twenty years later, she released her very first picture book A Fun ABC published by Cassava Republic Press. She has since been a Guest-Author at the prestigious The Royal Festival Hall, Africa-Writes, The British Library, The Malcolm x Centre - Bristol, libraries, children’s book clubs and schools across the UK and Nigeria.

I will be doing a book reading of

A Fun ABC

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 3-4pm

Temiloluwa Adeshina

Temiloluwa Adeshina is a seasoned British Curriculum Teacher and a consultant with more than a decade old experience. She cut her tooth as a teacher while working with other curriculums in the Nigerian system of education. The behavioural patterns of children over the years laced with the rich African culture inspire her works with fun and drama.
She reviews educational textbooks and re-writes them for leading publishing firms in Africa like Learn Africa (formerly called Longman). All of these books have been approved and adopted into the Lagos State Curriculum. She lives in a fairy world where stories are written and flow endlessly from diaries of dreams and pages of excitement. She is a prolific writer and author. This is what she is committed to.
Her published books include Lagos State Approved Bantu the Big Fat Bully, an Award winning Anti-Bullying Book Series, arguably the first Anti-Bullying Book Series in Africa. Her books are usually strategically revolved around moral activities and projects that fix the moral and value system challenges in children. Such activity includes the Award-Winning, Lagos State Approved Anti-Bullying Programs mandated for all schools in the State. Hence the adoption of the book Bantu as the resource material. Other published books include Farmer Bami Series, Happy Jappy Series, Mini Mani Mo, Dark Arises and more. She churns out book day in day out. This is her lifelong passion. Temiloluwa’s style of writing is a creative blend of David Walliam’s and Francesca Simons’ humour and wit laced with Enid Blyton’s mild, fairylike enchanting world yet heavily and deeply rooted in her strong African heritage and culture.
She is the Chief Reading Guide at Love Africa’s Readland Book Club and community Library powered by Vast Vision Global.

I will be doing a book reading of

Risi Recycle

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 8-9am

Tola Okogwu

Tola Okogwu is a British-Nigerian Author, Journalist and Hair Care Educator. Born in Nigeria but raised in London, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. Through her books and wider writing, she constantly seeks to create 'mirrors and windows', allowing everyone the opportunity to read books that are reflective of their own experiences, backgrounds and cultures.
Her self-published picture book series, DADDY DO MY HAIR is a firm family favourite. The books were inspired by the relationship between her husband and daughters and are designed to challenge some of the perceptions and preconceptions around race and gender roles within parenting. Her books have become an excellent way of encouraging diversity and inclusion from an early age.
Tola's new middle grade series with Simon & Schuster is set in a futuristic Nigeria, powered by solar energy, fed by vertical farms and where re-greening initiatives are thriving. Against this backdrop, a young British-Nigerian girl discovers she has mutant powers and must unravel the secrets of her families past in order to save herself and her kind. The first book, ONYEKA AND THE ACADEMY OF THE SUN will be published in June 2022. Tola also writes as Lola Morayo and the first book under this name, AZIZA'S SECRET FAIRY DOOR will be published by Pan Macmillan in June 2021.
Tola lives in Kent, England with her husband and two daughters.

I will be doing a book reading of

Daddy Do My Hair

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 6-7pm

Ugo Anidi

Ugo Anidi's writing career began in primary school where she wrote and illustrated chapter books and sold them to her classmates. Her head basically floats around in the clouds except when she has to act as a referee between her sons and/or work as Regional Advisor of the Nigerian chapter of the SCBWI. She is currently an MFA student of the Writing for Children and Young Adults Program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Lagos with her husband, 3 sons, an imaginary dog and 200+ books.

I will be doing a book reading of

Half Hour Hara And The Case Of The Broken Eggs

Saturday July 3, 2021 — 1-2pm

Chinyere Ifediora

Joseph Aderoju

Lara David-Odufuwa

Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmor

Oladele & Louisa Olafuyi

Olayemi Ejemai PhD

Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi

Omotayo Oyetayo

Sade Fadipe

Temiloluwa Adeshina

Tola Okogwu

Ugo Anidi