ABU’s Creative Writers’ Club revives campus literary culture with maiden books, art festival (Pictures)
The Creative Writers’ Club (CWC) of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has set a new benchmark for campus literary culture with the successful staging of its maiden Books and Art Festival, held from August 7 to 9, 2025, under the theme “Room 70: A Homecoming for Art, Literature and Culture.”
Over three days, the university community was transformed into a hub of intellectual and artistic exchange, with workshops, panel discussions, book chats, poetry readings, drama performances, and book sales drawing audiences from across ABU’s literary landscape.
The event affirmed CWC ABU’s position as a breeding ground for the next generation of writers, thinkers, and cultural leaders.
A defining highlight was the formal installation of Baba Mohammed Dzukogi—founder of the Hilltop Creative Arts Foundation and HIASFEST—as Grand Patron of CWC ABU, recognising his decades-long contribution to nurturing young literary talent.
In his acceptance address, Dzukogi described the honour as “a call to deeper service” and pledged unwavering support to the club’s vision. Dr. Abdullahi Ismail, prolific author, Emeritus Chair of CWC ABU, and Director of Communications at the Federal Inland Revenue Service, was also in attendance; both dignitaries donated books to enrich the club’s growing library.
The festival also hosted a memorable Alumni Meet and Greet session and a drama workshop presided over by Dr. Ola Ifatimehin, a CWC alumnus and former Head of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Bayero University, Kano.
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Other headline facilitators included poet Ibrahim Oladeji Tijani, a CWC alumnus whose poetry workshop and stirring performances captivated audiences, and Mujahid Ameen Lilo, author and HIASFEST Star Prize winner, who led the prose workshop.
In one of the festival’s most anticipated sessions, Nathaniel Bivan, former Features Editor at HumAngle, and Lukman Kankia, curator of the Katsina Books and Art Festival, engaged in a riveting book chat on their respective works Boys, Girls and Beasts (Masobe Books) and Tears of Agony.
The session, moderated by Mujahid Ameen Lilo, offered rare insights into the authors’ creative processes and thematic explorations.
Strategic partnerships amplified the festival’s reach and impact. Leading the list was RovingHeights Bookstore Kaduna Branch which offered attendees exclusive discounts.
Other partners included Bookish Alchemy, Paper Thoughts Book Club, the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS) ABU, the Awareness Literary Society, and the Ahmadu Bello University Medical Students’ Association (ABUMSA).
In his closing remarks, Amuda Abbas Oluwadamilola, the 51st Chairperson of CWC ABU and lead curator of the festival, declared the event “a historic milestone that will define the club’s legacy for years to come.”
He emphasised that the club’s vibrant alumni network is committed to ensuring the Books and Art Festival becomes an enduring fixture on ABU’s cultural calendar.
See pictures below:
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