Delta State Govt Endorses Nigerian Journalist’s Book For School Use

The Delta State government through its Ministry of Education has endorsed a book written by a Nigerian journalist, Ejiro ‘LadyE’-Umukoro, for use in schools.

The book titled ‘Distortion’ was recognised and recommended for use in secondary schools by the government.

Announcing this great feat, Umukoro, also the publisher, LightRay Media and a United States Agency for Global Media ChangeMaker Award Winner, in a press statement personally issued by her on Friday, said her book, Distortion, was listed on the recommended textbooks for senior secondary schools (SS1-3) for literature in English, first term, in Delta state.

According to her, the endorsement “was signed by the Director of Education Research Centre, Kelly N. Kentoa, under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Asaba, Delta State.”

Umukoro expresses gratitude, saying, “I was humbled and thrilled by the recognition and honoured that my work will now reach Nigerian classrooms. Children’s voices matter. They are an important demographic that deserves to be recognised, protected, and inspired to greatness.”

It would be recalled that it was through Ejiro Umukoro’s investigative report and exposè on how Female Students in Delta State were being aggressively recruited by cultists, that inspired the Delta State Government’s Ministry of Education to declare a state of emergency on the growing menace.

With the proactive support of St. Patrick’s Church and Principals in secondary schools across Delta State alongside Umukoro, they were able to save over 150 teenagers aged 11 to 17 from being recruited into cultism, while ensuring that the young girls targeted are not used as rape victims for initiation rites.

Speaking about her motivation in writing the book, Umukoro said: “Growing up I experienced how literature of wide varieties can inspire thinking, ignite conversations, challenge prejudices, biases, intolerance, and stereotypes.

“It is my hope that ‘Distortion’ empowers students and adults alike to know that they have the power to say ‘No’ when they’re uncomfortable and have the courage to walk away from circumstances that diminish their worth as individuals.”

The book ‘Distortion’, is a prose that delves into the human mind and challenges, taboos around the Osu caste system, widowhood, baby-making factories, child trafficking, gender-based violence and the issues of mental health in a society that does not protect its own.

Set against the backdrop of Nigeria’s rich cultural belief systems, politics, religion, and family values, ‘Distortion’ is based on Umukoro’s experiences as an investigative journalist and media mentor, weaving together narratives of the individual against the state, a society at the verge of dysfunctionality and strewn with landmines, and ultimately the determination and quest for personal survival and self-fulfilment.

The Ministry’s endorsement of ‘Distortion’ marks a significant milestone for Umukoro, the Delta-born award-winning investigative journalist, whose literary prowess has come to the fore with this novel.

Umukoro explained that as part of the approved curriculum for secondary school students across Nigeria, this literary gem will inspire a generation of young minds to become critical thinkers who are empowered with knowledge on how to critique and not become victims of other people’s whims and manipulation.

“This approval and inclusion in the school curriculum also reflects the ministry’s commitment to fostering awareness on issues of gender-based violence, child rights, human rights, and the global awareness of these and more among students,” she said.