DEVAT Books & Publishing Limited

21/12/2023

Only legends will remember this book 🤪

21/12/2023

*HE DIED 60 YEARS TODAY, 7TH DECEMBER 1963 – REMEMBERING DANIEL OLORUNFEMI FAGUNWA (1903-1963), THE MAN THAT MADE THE WHOLE WORLD HIS CLASSROOM WITH YORUBA LITERATURE*

Today, 7th December 2023 marks the diamond jubilee celebration for the Yorùbá world, its patrimony and progenies when lovers of Yorùbá literature shall be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the passing unto eternal glory of Chief Daniel Ọlọ́runfẹ́mi Fágúnwà, who until his death was a sage and icon of Yorùbá literature.
You will all agree with me that 60 years is long time but a short time in the life of a man. It has just rolled by like it was yesterday and today I roll back the stone that guarded the tombstone of a great man and remove his shroud with a eulogy that unmasks the greatness of this man who dominated his literary space like an ogre devouring creativity at its highest in his mother tongue. He was born Oroowole Jaaniini. His father was Fagunwa, the son of Beyiioku from Agbo Ile Asunganga, Okeigbo. Oroowole was baptized as Daniel and adopted the name Olorunfemi when he went to St Andrews Teacher Training College Oyo. There he distinguished himself in music and literature. The Maharishi spoke with his pen like a Pentecostal speaking in tongues at a revival and overwhelmed his readers with his language that weaned you out like a new child sucking his mother's breast. We never had enough of him and indeed the Yorùbá literary world will never have enough of this man who was always speaking to all like an evangelist who trained with the rabbi at the altar call of morals.

DO Fágúnwà was a Yorùbá property and an image of Yorùbá folklore as well as an epitome of its cultural sagacity. He was the first person to write a complete story in the Yorùbá language and until date his writings continue to inspire Yorùbá culture and legacy. He lived most of his later life at Ibadan, the centre of the Yorùbá world and the Yorùbá political paradise.

D O Fágúnwà was an adult educator, he had a non-form

19/12/2023

21/09/2023

Exam Secrets in Literature-in-English for WAEC, NECO & JAMB candidates coming out soon. By Mazi Basil Nwokorie

17/09/2023

A good feat achieved by DEVAT Books: A collection of Essays on Economic Issues of over 50 years compiled (raw manuscripts in tattered papers) by our publishing company. To God be the glory!A good feat achieved by DEVAT Books: A collection of Essays on Economic Issues of over 50 years compiled (raw manuscripts in tattered papers) by our publishing company. To God be the glory!

20/05/2023

Great!

Student's uniform got torn in school, her teacher decided to help her to stitch it. She didn't allow her to go home like that because she's not just a teacher, but also a mother.

She deserves some accolades

19/05/2023

Beautiful! We were part of the process. A feat achieved!

19/05/2023

Do you have a beautiful idea you want to turn into a book? Look no further. DEVAT Books and Publishing Company is your sure plug. Give us your idea and we will turn into a beautiful book.

26/02/2023

Iwe Itan Ogbomoso ( History of Ogbomoso) by N.D. Oyerinde in Yoruba and English versions. Reproduced by DEVAT Books and Publishing. Seemed impossible but it's a great feat achieved from a copy written in 1934 sourced for from the family archive. Available in hard and soft copies with the Ogbomoso Community Foundation.

24/12/2022

REMEMBERING JAMES HADLEY CHASE ON HIS BIRTHDAY TODAY

Bestsellers/Blockbusters is remembering English writer James Hadley Chase on his birthday today (Age 78, 24 December 1906 – 6 February 1985). His birth name was René Lodge Brabazon Raymond. He is one of the best known thriller writers of all time. The canon of Chase, comprising 90 titles, has earned for him a reputation as the king of thriller writers in Europe. He is also one of the internationally best-selling authors, and 50 of his books have been made into films.

Happy posthumous birthday

24/12/2022

Remembering James Hadley Chase On His Birthday Today (Age 78, 24 December 1906). Happy Posthumous Birthday.

How Many Did You Read?

1. No Orchids for Miss Blandish - 1939
2. The Dead Stay Dumb - 1941
3. The Dolls Bad News - 1941
4. Miss Callghan Comes to Grief - 1941
5. Get a Load of This - 1942
6. Miss Shumway Waves a Wand - 1944
7. Eve - 1945
8. I'll Get You for This - 1946
9. Last Page - 1947
10. The Flesh of the Orchid - 1948
11. You Never Know With Women-1949
12.You're Lonely when you’re dead1949
13. Figure It Out for Yourself - 1950
14. Strictly for Cash - 1951
15. The Fast Buck - 1952
16. Double Shuffle - 1952
17. I'll Bury My Dead - 1953
18. This Way for a Shroud - 1953
19. Tiger By The Tail - 1954
20. Safer Dead - 1954
21. You've Got It Coming - 1955
22. There's Always a Price Tag - 1956
23. The Guilty Are Afraid - 1957
24. Not Safe to Be Free - 1958
25. Shock Treatment - 1959
26. The World In My Pocket - 1959
27. What's Better Than Money - 1960
28. Come Easy - Go Easy - 1960
29. A Lotus for Miss Quon - 1961
30. Just Another Sucker - 1961
31. I Would Rather Stay Poor - 1962
32. A Coffin from Hong Kong - 1962
33. One Bright Summer Morning - 1963
34. Tell It to The Birds - 1963
35. The Soft Centre - 1964
36. This is for Real - 1965
37. The Way the Cookie Crumbles-1965
38. You Have Yourself A Deal - 1966
39. Cade - 1966
40. Have This One on Me - 1967
41. Well Now - My Pretty - 1967
42. An Ear to the Ground - 1968
43. Believed Violet - 1968
44. The Whiff of Money - 1969
45. The Vulture Is a Patient Bird - 1969
46. Like a Hole in the Head - 1970
47There's a Hipie on the Highway-1970
48. Want to Stay Alive? - 1971
49. An Ace Up My Sleeve - 1971
50. Just a Matter of Time - 1972
51. You're Dead Without Money - 1972
52. Have a Change of Scene - 1973
53. Knock, Knock! Who's There?
54. So What Happens To Me? - 1974
55. Goldfish has No Hiding Place - 1974
56. Hit And Run - 1958
57. The Joker In The Pack - 1975
58. Do Me a Favour, Drop Dead - 1976
59. My Laugh Comes Last - 1977
60. I Hold the Four Aces - 1977
61. Consider Yourself Dead - 1978
62. You Must Be Kidding - 1979
63. A Can of Worms - 1979
64. You Can Say That Again - 1980
65. Try This One for Size - 1980
66. Hand Me a Fig Leaf - 1981
67. Have a Nice Night - 1982
68. We'll Share a Double Funeral - 1982
69. Not My Thing - 1983
70. Hit Them Where It Hurts - 1984
71. He Won't Need It Now - 1941
72. Lady, Here's Your Wreath - 1940
73. Just The Way It Is - 1944
74. Blonde's Requiem - 1945
75. Make The Co**se Walk - 1947
76. No Business of Mine - 1947
77. Trusted Like the Fox - 1948
78. The Paw in the Bottle - 1949
79. Mallory - 1950
80. But A Short Time To Live - 1951
81. Why Pick on Me? - 1951
82. In A Vain Shadow - 1951
84. The Wary Transgressor - 1952
85. The Things Men Do - 1953
86. The Sucker Punch - 1954
87. Mission To Venice - 1954
88. Mission To Sienna - 1955
89. You Find Him, I'll Fix Him - 1956
90. More Deadly Than The Male - 1947
91 Slipstream : A Royal Airforce Anthology-1946
92.Believe this you’ll believe anything - 1975

30/11/2022

Send us a manuscript and we will give you a beautiful book.

12/10/2022

"According to Psychologists, there are four types of Intelligence:

1) Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
2) Emotional Quotient (EQ)
3) Social Quotient (SQ)
4) Adversity Quotient (AQ)

1. Intelligence Quotient (IQ): this is the measure of your level of comprehension. You need IQ to solve math's, memorize things, and recall lessons.

2. Emotional Quotient (EQ): this is the measure of your ability to maintain peace with others, keep to time, be responsible, be honest, respect boundaries, be humble, genuine and considerate.

3. Social Quotient (SQ): this is the measure of your ability to build a network of friends and maintain it over a long period of time.

People that have higher EQ and SQ tend to go further in life than those with a high IQ but low EQ and SQ. Most schools capitalize on improving IQ levels while EQ and SQ are played down.

A man of high IQ can end up being employed by a man of high EQ and SQ even though he has an average IQ.

Your EQ represents your Character, while your SQ represents your Charisma. Give in to habits that will improve these three Qs, especially your EQ and SQ.

Now there is a 4th one, a new paradigm:

4. The Adversity Quotient (AQ): The measure of your ability to go through a rough patch in life, and come out of it without losing your mind.

When faced with troubles, AQ determines who will give up, who will abandon their family, and who will consider su***de.

Parents please expose your children to other areas of life than just Academics. They should adore manual labour (never use work as a form of punishment), Sports and Arts.

Develop their IQ, as well as their EQ, SQ and AQ. They should become multifaceted human beings able to do things independently of their parents.

Finally, do not prepare the road for your children. Prepare your children for the road."
Ctto🧡👇

04/10/2022

English Literature 🥰

06/09/2022

What inspires an author to write?

05/09/2022

BRIEF HISTORY OF GBAGYI PEOPLE

Gbagyi or Gbari (plural - Agbagyi) is the name and the language of Gbagyi/Gbari ethnic group who are predominantly found in Central Nigeria with a population of about 15million people. Members of the ethnic group speak two dialects.

While speakers of the dialects were loosely called Gwari or Gwagi (an dulterated form of Gbagyi) by both the Hausa/Fulani and Europeans during pre-colonial Nigeria, they prefer to be known with their original name of Gbagyi.

They live in Niger, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Gbagyi is the most populated ethnic and indigenous group in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, Abuja and their major occupation is farming.

Historically, the Gbagyi practice a patrilineal kinship system. The lowest tier of authority is found in the extended family compound led by the oldest male. The compound consists of small huts and rectangular buildings.

The Osu (king) is the highest tier of authority in a Gbagyi settlement and he is assisted by a group of kingmakers and elders.

The Gbagyi people are predominantly farmers but they are also hunters while some are involved in making traditional arts and craft products such as pottery and woodwork like mortar and pestle.

Gbagyi are good with mixing clay to produce decorative household products such as pots.

Significant Gbagyi towns include Minna, Kwakuti, Kwali, Wushapa (Ushafa), Bwaya (Bwari), Karu, Suleija, Abuja and Paiko.

There are some theories that posits the reasons for the scattered settlements and migration of the Gbagyi people. Some historians believe that the Gbagyi were displaced from their original settlements during the Fulani jihad, while some local historians link migration with the need for farmland by the Gbagyi.

Gbagyi settlements can be both large and small. In locations where farming is the dominant occupation, the settlements tend to be small so that enough land is available for farming.

The Gbagyi were the largest (and still remain same) among the ethnic groups that inhabited the land proposed for development when Abuja was chosen as Nigeria's new federal capital. The dislocation led to the removal of people from their ancestral homes and spiritual symbols such as Zuma Rock.

Seeing their ancestral lands being referred to as "no mans land" have continued to hurt the people leading to presentations to the federal government to correct the notion and other anomalies in the public domain of Nigerians.

The Gbagyi people are known to be peace-loving, transparent and accommodating people.

Dominant tribes and other northerners are fond of saying in Hausa language "muyi shi Gwari Gwari" meaning "let’s do it like the Gbagyi" or "in the Gbagyi way".

According to Theotanko Chigudu, the Gbagyi people have emerged as a unique breed among Nigerians: their culture shows how much they have come to terms with the universe. Daily, they aspire to give life a meaning no matter the situation they find themselves.

The Gbagyi language is part of the Kwasub-division of the Niger-Congo language family, however, some researchers such as Kay Williamson put the language in the Benue-Congo family.

The Gbagyi people are adherents of Islam, Christianity and traditional African religion. In their traditional religion some Gbagyi believe in a God called Shekwoi (one who was there before their ancestors) but they also devote themselves to appeasing deities of the god such as Maigiro.

Many Agbagyi believe in reincarnation.

Islam became more prominent among the people after the Fulani jihad while Christianity was introduced to the people by the Sudan Interior Mission (also known locally as Evangelical Church of West Africa, ECWA).

(With supporting text from Wikipedia)

~Sumner Shagari Sambo
Supported by: GalukwoMagazine

03/09/2022

KING SUNNY ADE & CHIEF ABIORO

The Story of the Epic B@ttle Between King Sunny Ade and Chief Bolarinwa Abioro.

It was in 1974 that the news broke. Chief Bolarinwa Abioro, the Balogun of Ipokia, the Chairman of African Songs Limited, had taken his star musician to court! Everyone who knew KSA knew Abioro. Everyone who knew Abioro knew Sunday Adeniyi. Sunny was the son. Abioro was the father. What could have gone wrong between father and son?

KSA was the second artiste to be signed on to the stable of African Songs Limited. Ayinde Bakare was the first. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister was the third. Like most creative people, young Sunny Ade was more concern about his passion and less concern about the business aspect of music. His passion was to play music and to excel as a musician.

It was enough that Abioro – one of the biggest men in the music industry at the time – was ready to promote him. They brought documents for Sunny and his band boys to sign. They called it a contract. It could have been called any other name for all that KSA cared. Won ni ko wa je saara, o ni ojo ti wonu ju. Se ata ni won ni ko mu wa ni, abi iyo. You are invited to a free feast, you are complaining about the short notice, are they asking you to bring salt or pepper? Sunny Ade and his boys didn’t hesitate. It is doubtful if any of them read what the contract said. The most important thing was that they were going to become recording artistes. Sunny signed. His band boys signed. Everybody was happy.

The contract was for 5 years. However before its expiration, KSA had become a household name. His album, Challenge Cup, sold in excess of 500,000 copies. It was certain that King Sunny Ade was going to dominate the music scene for a very long time to come. African Songs Ltd knew a good product when it saw one. The management of the company didn’t wait for the first contract to expire before they brought a new contract.

The new agreement was carefully worded. KSA and his band boys agreed to perform and record exclusively for ASL for a period of five years. ASL had full copyrights to all compositions and recordings of Sunny Ade. ASL was entitled to the sole right of production, reproduction, and use of King Sunny Ade’s performance throughout the world. That was not all. During the period of the agreement, KSA was prohibited from rendering any performance whatsoever to himself, any company or group of persons. The contract also stipulated that ASL had the option to renew the agreement at its expiration for a further term of two years or for any longer period. Sunny Ade had no such right.
That was not all. On the sale of every album which price was then fixed at N6.00, KSA and his boys were entitled to a princely sum of 20 kobo. Yes, you read that right. African Songs would go home with the remaining N5. 80 kobo. Onigegewura’s mathematics has never been good. He is just an amateur historian. You can do the sum yourself.

Still basking in the euphoria of his growing fame, Sunny gratefully signed again. His band boys signed. 20 kobo was still something. Orogun iya re da sokoto fun o, o ni ko bale, melo ni iya to bi o da fun o? You are complaining that the trousers made for you by your step-mother was not long enough, where is the one your own mother made for you? They were expecting their 20 kobo royalty on every album. Well, when the time came for actual payment, it was then discovered that mathematically and arithmetically, it was not supposed to be 20 kobo. They had not factored the cost of publicity and promotion! And since it was the artiste that was being promoted, he must be the one to bear the cost! After the addition and subtraction, Sunny was given 15 kobo per album.

KSA was not Chike Obi, the mathematician. But he knew that 20 kobo and 15 kobo were not the same thing. Compared with his contemporaries in the music industry, KSA realized that he was holding the short end of the stick. His colleague, Baba Commander, Chief Ebenezer Obey was earning as high as 70 kobo per album. Others were earning between 35 kobo and 60 kobo.

That was when Sunny decided to ask Chief Abioro for a raise of the royalty payment. The chairman listened patiently to KSA and his colleagues. He was nodding as they canvassed one reason after another why a raise was in order. When they finished, Chief Abioro flipped open a file he had on his table. He brought out a bundle of documents. Even from where he was seated across the table, Sunny saw that it was a copy of the contract he signed. “An agreement is an agreement. It is a binding contract!” The chief informed them. “This is what you signed. This is what you are entitled to! No more, No less.” He returned the documents to the file. Case dismissed.

But Sunny was not done. “Chief, this is not about contract. You are our father. Our request is for adequate compensation! Let’s leave the contract aside.” Chief Abioro looked at the young star the way a parent looks at a child asking for another candy. “Leave the contract aside? We should leave the contract aside?” The chairman asked incredulously. “You know, it would be nice to leave the contract aside. But you know what? That would be illegal!”
Haba! Illegality ke! . It was then that someone brought up the idea of requesting some of his friends to plead their case. Sunny agreed. After all, Eni ti o mo oju Ogun, ni pa obi ni ‘re. It is the person who is conversant with Ogun, the god of iron, that is usually given the duty to administer its rites. They went to meet Prince Okunade Sijuwade who would later become the Ooni of Ife. They also met with Chief Afolabi Joseph. Even Chief Ebenezer Obey was also requested to intervene as well as Chief Nurudeen Alowonle.

The eminent persons appeared in the court of the Balogun of Ipokia as ‘amici curiae’ on behalf of the musicians. Amici curiae are lawyers invited by the judge(s) to assist in filling briefs that may be helpful to the court in deciding a case. Our eminent persons argued their case like experienced advocates. They cited relevant sections of the unwritten Yoruba constitution. They cited Yoruba proverbs. They made reference to the story of Oduduwa. The presiding chairman listened to their submissions and summarily dismissed the case. Contract is contract!

Chief did not only dismiss the request for a raise. He opened another file on his table and brought out a new set of documents. Your guess is right! A new five-year contract! By now, Sunny Ade had learnt enough law. He had become a professional mathematician. He had obtained his Master of Business Administration from practical experience. He knew the implication of putting pen to paper. He applied for an adjournment.

The King of African Beats found himself in a quandary. His new songs were ready but Chief had threatened not to release any new album until he signed the new contract. And KSA was not ready to sign any new contract until the issue of royalty was resolved.

KSA remembered his grandmother’s proverb. Ti abiku ba gbon ogbon ati ku ni igba erun, iya abiku a gbon ogbon ati sin oku e si etido. If an abiku decided to die during the dry season when he knew that the ground would be hard to dig, his parents would also decide to bury him by the riverside where the ground would not be hard to dig.

Sunny Ade decided to release his record with another company. His plan was to use the album to bargain for a better deal with African Songs. Instead of the measly 20 kobo, he was confident that the chairman would be ready to pay him at least N1.00 per copy. The album was recorded in Nigeria but taken to London for mixing. What Sunny Ade did not know was that Chief Abioro was a master at the game. Before Sunny could get a copy of his own album, Chief Abioro was already in possession of the new record.

Baba Ibeji was composing fresh materials at home when the court bailiffs arrived. They served him with an order of interim injunction! The court order was as comprehensive as it was broad. Sunny Ade was prohibited from sale, distribution, marketing, dealing, etc. etc. of the record. He read the order again. Even without being a lawyer, he knew the implication of the document he was holding.

With palpable emotion, his mind went back to how he came to Lagos from Abeokuta with only one shilling and eighteen pence! He remembered his years with Baba Sala. He recalled how he got stranded with Baba Sala’s travelling theatre in Jebba and Kano. How he did not see his mother for two years whilst he suffered to make it as a musician. He recalled how his first album sold only 13 copies. Now when he was at the threshold of success, this court order! With grim determination, he knew he couldn’t afford to quit.

He remembered his first day at Oshodi when he missed his way trying to locate Moses Olaiya’s house and how he was directed instead to Dr. Victor Olaiya at Tinubu. He recalled how he knelt down in the dust of Oshodi to pray. Immediately he knew what he must do. Sunny went down on his knees and with an emotional voice, he prayed and prayed. It was not the Sunday Adeniyi that knelt down to pray that stood up. He had become empowered. He had become emboldened. That same evening, he established his own label.
Sunny Alade Records was born! He didn’t bother to sit down again. He remembered the threat of Chief Abioro to bring him down at all cost. He needed a lawyer who knew his law and who would be prepared to fight his cause against the Magnate. He went off in search of Gani Fawehinmi.

Gani collected the court papers and looked at the claims. He looked at his client. He looked again at the claims. Chief Abioro was not leaving anything to chance. He knew what he wanted from the court. His lawyer had read the agreement between African Songs Limited and Sunday Adeniyi.

Chief Abioro wanted only four things from the court: a declaration that the agreement between ASL and Sunday Adeniyi and his boys was still subsisting; an injunction restraining Sunny Ade from distributing or selling the record; an account of all sales of the record; and N1 million for breach of contract.
I hope you are not sneering at the N1 million as being ‘chicken change’. Remember this was in 1974. The price of a brand new Volkswagen Beetle car was about N500 at that time. N1 million in 1974 was a princely sum!

On the day of the trial, the court was filled to capacity. Gani Fawehinmi was armed with every conceivable legal authority. The law books he brought to the court were more than enough to open a library. There were books on Contract. There were books on Human Rights. There were volumes on Intellectual Property. Gani even brought some books on Slave Trade.

The first application Gani brought before the court was for an order to compel African Songs to produce its statement of account over the preceding three years. The court granted the order. It was discovered that the company was making almost N900,000 every year from the sale of Sunny Ade Records. It was also discovered that the total sum that KSA received was N62,000 in the almost ten years he was with the company. How can you be asking me what is 900,000 divided by 62,000? I have told you that I’m not a mathematician. Please don’t ask me about percentages or fractions.

Gani did not forget to raise the issue of how 20kobo became 15 kobo. He also cross examined Chief Abioro at length on the onerous terms contained in the contract. Gani put it to the chief that the contract was in restraint of trade and that it was therefore null and void as it amounted to colonization of King Sunny Ade, a free citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a citizen of the Commonwealth!

My Lord Justice L. J. Dosunmu listened patiently to the parties. His Lordship also asked the witnesses some probing cases. The court thereafter adjourned the matter to February 14, 1975 for judgment. It did not even occur to the King of African Beats that the day was St. Valentine’s Day. His only preoccupation was to find out the direction in which the pendulum of justice was going to swing.

On February 14, people started arriving at the court as early as 7am. The court officials had hectic time controlling the mammoth crowd that had come to court to witness the historic decision. In His Lordship’s judgment, Justice Dosunmu held that although some of the terms of the contract were stringent, that was not a ground for holding the contract invalid. In effect, the contract between ASL and KSA was therefore valid. As the court pronounced on the validity of the contract, Sunny looked at his lawyer. Gani signaled to him to be calm, the court had only resolved one issue out of four.

With regard to the second claim, the court held that since the records in question had been distributed all over Nigeria, there was no way the court could order them to be recalled. The court therefore refused to restrain Sunny Ade and his marketer, M. Ola Kazim from distributing the album. A tiny smile crossed Sunny’s face.

You recall that Chief Abioro was asking for N1,000,000 as damages for breach of contract. The court ruled that for recording with another company during the subsistence of the contract, Sunny Ade was liable. He was asked to pay N300! Yes, Three Hundred Naira! From N1,000,000 to N300! Sunny smiled for the first time.

The court having found that the contract was still subsisting, KSA was ordered not to release another album pending the expiration of the contract with Chief Abioro’s company, which was due in six months. Six months! What am I going to be eating? Sunny thought. Apparently, this was the only part of the judgment that Anti Wura, Buroda Alani’s third wife must have heard, and heard wrongly too! As if reading Sunny Ade’s mind, Justice Dosunmu said he realized that Sunny Ade would need to eat and feed his family in the six months that the contract had to run. His Lordship therefore held that the injunction was limited to only recording of albums and that Sunny Ade was free to do live performances for fees. His Lordship said that this was in order to avoid a situation where the King of Music would starve or be compelled to go back to Chief Abioro.

The Judge had hardly risen before King Sunny Ade jumped up to hug his counsel. He was free! He gave Gani a bear hug. He had learnt his lesson. Creativity and Business must go hand in hand. Years later, the King of Music recalled: “The lesson I learnt from the episode is that if an artiste is churning out hit records, he needs to keep an eye on the business side of things. If not, he would be in a mess.

(c) Written by Onigegewura

Nigeria Youth Movement

03/09/2022

Write a book. Change the world.

03/09/2022

An Autobiography in progress

30/08/2022