Mirroring the Society through a Book Called Distortion 

Yinka Olatunbosun 

For Ejiro Umukoro, the journey into writing Distortion was an inevitable one. As an investigative journalist, harrowing accounts of cultism, sexual abuse, religious hypocrisy, and family values have been a common sight on the job. These stories are pointers to a systemic failure in Nigeria, and most contemporary writers of prose do not always have the deep insights that this Pulitzer-recognised journalist, media entrepreneur, and facilitator possesses.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Umokoro knew this book had to be written. But it wasn’t called Distortion at first.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Umokoro knew this book had to be written. But it wasn’t called Distortion at first. “Distortion, as the name implies, is a book that wrote itself on so many levels,” the author, who lives and works mostly in Delta State, explained during a virtual interview. “There is a lot of distortion in our society, in Nigeria. You can see this manifest in the stories that I told in the book, from how we handle gender-based violence to how we treat it as nothing.We normalise bad conduct and say that it is the victim’s fault, or we condone the perpetrator’s actions and hide them.

“There is a lot of distortion in our society, in Nigeria. You can see this manifest in the stories that I told in the book, from how we handle gender-based violence to how we treat it as nothing. We normalise bad conduct and say that it is the victim’s fault, or we condone the perpetrators actions and hide them.

“When they’re important figures, nobody will go after them after they have committed a heinous crime. There’s also the issue of child surrogacy and building baby-making factories. It became so clear to me when I did the investigative story on how our young girls were being recruited by cultists because they are fresh, young, innocent, and very impressionable.”

In her experience while combing the streets for feature stories, she discovered stories of children who were lured into an unwholesome lifestyle and crime by cultists. For her, distortions such as examination malpractice are rife in Nigeria.

“You see, all these children are easily lured, and it became normal for cultism to thrive in Nigeria. Well, we have the concept that Godfatherism is the only way to succeed when mediocrity is the real order of the day and excellence and hard work are no longer rewarded. Instead, you’d see the incidence of a parent writing exams for his own son. That is how distorted we have become as a people, and the other silent killer is the mental health issue. We need to accept that Nigeria is actually doing damage to its own people because the leadership in Nigeria does not want Nigeria to work.”

This argument of hers was further strengthened by the example of failed refineries in Nigeria. She wondered how the non-functioning federally owned refineries still employ and pay salaries to workers.

“Even the nature of religion has become distorted,” she continued. “It is no longer a place where people look for succour, but it has become a place where people are also milked financially. People go to these places, and all they give is tithes.”

She lamented the level of distortion and manipulation and how wrongfulness is normalised.

“That is why you have gender-based violence at its highest at the height of COVID-19. When this book was also inspired to be written, parents turned their daughters into women that they were raping on a regular basis, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of Nigeria, and it’s now a common thing all over the country. You see how we normalise kidnapping and terrorism.”

‘Distortion’ is a captivating literary piece 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.

As a socially committed journalist, she wanted to do more than just write a book. With the Lightray Book and Literary Society that she established, she has been able to encourage a young generation of readers and writers in Delta State.

“Lightray Book and Literary Society is a hub where we teach others how to write. We started with Young Writers, and as the advocate for children that I am, I’ve always felt that children’s voices matter. I’ve always loved to speak about children’s voices. I don’t know if this has to do with something about my childhood; growing up, I knew good and bad and how much I wanted to express myself, but I was denied doing so in a very authentic manner. I realise that parents don’t listen to their children. A lot of havoc is done to them.

“What I’m doing with the literary society is seeing that we have more diverse voices. We read a variety of books, and we encourage people and ask them, What are you reading? Why is this book important?

“Nowadays, we have more smart children and less intelligent children. We can afford to leave our children behind, and literature is a way to build up their intelligence. They now have discernment and the capacity for quick thinking. They also know how to interact with the environment. It’s been amazing how young children are responding to it, and our parents are happy about it. We’re going to be churning out a lot of books under the publishing arm of the company.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has endorsed Ejiro Umokoro’s Distortion for schools. The book has been listed on the recommended textbooks for senior secondary schools (SS1-3) for literature-in-English for the first term and signed by the Director of Education Research Centre, Kelly N. Kentoa, under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Asaba, Delta State.

Umokoro is the recipient of the Distinguished Changemaker Award from the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).