Meet 8-Year-Old Igwe Who Tells Stories

At just eight-year-old, he is already a prolific story teller. His heroes are great African writers such as Professor Wole Soyinka and late Professor Chinua Achebe,  among others.

Kosisochuckwu Kelvin Igwe, currently a Primary four pupil of Twin Pillars Academy, Sokoto , already has a bookshelf of his collection of short fiction. 

He has no fewer than nineteen short stories published in two books. His books tell more of the moral lessons in the society such as good behavior, self-reliance, contentment, seeking for knowledge and hard work.

The stories also depict some form of adventure and a new style of storytelling that is educative, and carefully crafted with simple choice of words that will make it easy for children of his age group to comprehend.

Kosi The Writer

Kosi spoke to THE WHISTLER in Sokoto, and said he has a personal drive to always do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.He described himself as both extrovert and introvert, which is why he was able to produced many stories.

His latest book titled ‘The Arts of storytelling, comprises many stories, out of which is one titled ‘The brave lion ‘.It is about practice, progress and perfection. There is also one called ‘From Rich To Poor’. It is about the way things change.

“Some people could be asking for what they want but in the end things may not turn out well in life the way they envisage. The rich can also be poor while the poor can get rich. The story is about teaching children not to fight others,” he said.

At Seven, Kosi not only developed a passion for writing but also authored his first book as a young writer. “I started writing at the age of seven and my first story was titled ‘Den of Evil’.

On how he matches writing, studying and attending to house chores together, the eight-year-old responded thus: “I usually manage my time in meeting all my responsibilities. I apply slow and steady techniques. In the end, I meet up with my responsibilities both at home and in School. “

Asked if he faced any challenge when writing his book in the past. Kosi recalled how he struggled to put words together at the initial stage. “Like the first story of my latest book titled ‘The Speedy Rider’. It was hard to find the right words that suit the story. “

Kosi wasn’t just developing interest in writing. His mother, Joan Nnena Igwe, is his  main inspiration while his father funds his book projects.

“My parents both motivated me. They are my source of inspiration all the way. Don’t forget that my mother is also a writer. It was when she wrote her second book titled ‘Bake With Me’ that I developed interest in writing.”

A Mother’s Accolades

Kosi’s mother described him as a nice boy that always asks for clarifications in a conversation and test runs an idea.

She said about her son, “He asks questions, he is determined, he’s always close to me, whatever I do he always likes to copy and do so and not only me even when watching on the television he tries to be practical.

“He loves construction. There was a time I constructed cake box for putting cake or snack, he was not there when I made the box but when he came back he picked the pieces and constructed a smaller one. So he is creative and has great passion for knowledge”.

Promoted From Nursery To Primary Two

Mr Adekanmi Ayodeji, the Proprietor of Twin Pillars Academy, Sokoto, where Kosi is currently studying as a  Primary four pupil recalled the momentum of the young writer when he was admitted into the school.

“Kosi was brought to us from daycare. He did his pre-nursery with us. The parents wanted to skip nursery for him to Primary but I advised them not to, so he completed his nursery classes.

“When I saw how good he is, I called the parents and told them we will give him a double promotion from nursery Three to Primary Two and since then, this boy has never disappointed us up to today and we are happy to play this role in his life,”  Mr Ayodeji recounts.

Speaking on the role his school played in Kosi’s ambition to be a writer, the proprietor revealed he groomed him step by step academically.

“We give our pupils dictionaries right from Primary Two up till Primary Four , they use the Longman dictionary. Any new word they come across we advise them to search the dictionary,” he said.

On how the school feels seeing one of their pupils exploring the world of literature, the proprietor said: “We thank God, we feel great, we pray for them and for their parents and thank God. We are seeing good things happening to their lives.

“We advise other children that they can still do better even in other fields, they should read and  remain dedicated to their books and make sure everything is done accordingly.”

At age 8, Kosi has become an inspiration not just for his school, but for other children as well, who he advised to believe in themselves  and pursue their talent.