March 10, (THEWILL)- Kosisochuckwu Igwe is a writer, motivator and moral advocate. At his tender age, Kosi, as he is fondly called, is aiming to be a great writer like Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, among others.
To achieve this, he believes that thinking in an extraordinary way could pave the way for his authorship aspiration. The Primary 4 pupil of Twin Pillars Academy, Sokoto has started building a shelf for his short fiction collections.
To date, he has written no fewer than 19 short stories. One of the stories, entitled ‘My Art of storytelling’, is published. The book deals with virtues, such as good behaviour, self-reliance, contentment, search for knowledge and hard work.
The stories also depict adventure and a new style of storytelling that is educative, and carefully crafted in a simple way that will make it easy for children to comprehend.
THE YOUNG WRITER
Speaking with THEWILL in Sokoto, Kosi said it had always been his desire to always do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
He described himself as calm and gentle and having a combination of extrovert and introvert attitudes has a prose of storytelling that has produced lots of story books.
Speaking about his personality, the youngster said he recently published a story book. “I am a boy who does ordinary things in an extraordinary way. I love reading, writing, researching and learning new things while my best subject is Mathematics.
Kosi, who hails from Ishiagu town in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has continued to impact his host communities with educative stories.
STORIES FOR MORAL CHANGE
The boy’s recent works, a compilation of interesting short stories with lots of moral lessons, are the rave of the moment among book lovers.
He said: “My latest book is titled ‘The Art of Storytelling’. It comprises many stories, including 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. I also have ‘The confidence boy. The story is about teaching children not to fight others.”
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 combines 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 had 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. “
Coincidentally, Kosi wasn’t just developing interest in writing. He described his mother, Joan Nnena Igwe, as his main source of inspiration, while his father played the role of a financier, having bankrolled 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,” he said.
A MOTHER’S ACCOLADES
Kosi’s mother described him as a nice boy that always asks for clarification during a conversation and when he test runs an idea.
“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 he 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.’
“He is self-motivated and when he gets motivation from others it is like giving him a trigger. Kosi has a great passion for knowledge.” She told THEWILL in an interview.
Mrs Igwe hopes to see the youngster become a great writer and motivator in the future. “I see Kosi as a great motivator. Someone that his fellows will reach out to for advice. He is a genius.”
KOSI IS A FAST LEARNER
– PROPRIETOR
Mr Adekanmi Ayodeji, the Proprietor of Twin Pillars Academy, Sokoto, where Kosi is currently studying as a primary four pupil recalled when the youngster was admitted to the school.
“Kosi was brought to us from daycare. He did his pre-nursery with us. The parents wanted to skip nursery to primary but I advised them not to, so he completed his nursery classes.
“When I saw how good he was, I told parents that we would give him double promotion from Nursery Three to Primary Two and since then, this boy has never disappointed us. We are happy to play this role in his life,” the proprietor of the school, Mr Ayodeji, recounts.
Speaking on the role his school played in Kosi’s achievements, the Proprietor notes how he was grooming the boy academically and building him step by step.
“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.”
On how the school felt seeing one of their pupils exploring the world of literature, Ayodeji 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.” Ayodeji advises.
Kosi advised young writers to always have confidence in themselves, especially when they are developing a storyline.
About the Author
Tunde Omolehin is an award-winning Journalist with prose in investigative and storytelling that is connecting the dots between the under-reported communities and policymakers to ensure good governance and accountability.
