50th Birthday Special: Azuh Arinze’s Timeless ‘Pills for Self-Development’

NGOZI EMEDOLIBE

If renowned journalist, editor and publisher, Azuh Arinze, was a filled vessel, its contents would undoubtedly be a mixture of tenacity, creativity, and spirit of motivation. He has demonstrated this in his previous books; and ready to do so again with two new works, ‘A Taste of Success’ and ‘Conversations with Showbiz Stars’ due for presentation on March 24, 2022 as he turns 50.

It is easy to know when a writer has his audience in mind. He does not only write for them, but strives to make positive impact on their lives. He does this by leaving lessons as they forage the lines and paragraphs of his works. Many pay little or no attention to this consequential fact, but a few who do otherwise, have always created a special bond with their audience. Incidentally, this is what has given Azuh Arinze an edge, and he has put it to very good use, locking it in like a jigsaw puzzle, and creating not just a niche for himself, but also business.

It started in 2011, when he presented his first book, ‘Tested and Trusted Success Secrets of the Rich and Famous’, a compendium which had the rich and famous explaining their journey to the peak. From the title, it was obvious that the author was focused on inspiring the reader to aim for the heights by emulating what has worked for the role models. Thankfully the secrets were not mere permutations or analyses, but facts from the personalities involved whom the author had interviewed in the course of his duties as a journalist. That phenomenally successful outing has spawned several other publications like ‘The CEO’s Bible (1&2)’, ‘Success Is Not Served A La Carte’, and ‘Encounters: Lessons From My Journalism Career’, all geared towards making the reader a better version of himself.

Azuh is not done yet. As part of his fiftieth, he will be presenting, ‘A Taste of Success’ and ‘Conversations with Showbiz Stars’ at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.  A daunting task, the efforts funneled into simultaneously producing two books can only be imagined and must have come from someone who is passionate about his craft; and to have done it painstakingly, is a soft reminder that the author has been at home with editing and packaging of publications as a young man in his 20s, when he was saddled with the onerous task of editing (arguably) Nigeria’s first movie magazine, Reel Stars, which copiously had his characteristic signature of dramatising story headlines. 

Beginning with ‘A Taste of Success’, the book has all the features of what it connotes in terms of aesthetics and contents. A look at the cover relays the message in a very simple way, with a unique image, which is a silhouette of a champion, brandishing his trophy. Below the image is the book title captured in embossed fonts.  The 300-page affair details Azuh’s enthralling interviews with great personalities across various sectors – corporate world, politics, arts, sports, journalism and religion, making it an interesting package for anyone who desires to have a feel of these personalities. The author also brings to the fore his many years of field work not just as a journalist but a probing ‘interviewer’. In most of the encounters with his subjects, one can see him replicating what Larry King was doing on the electronic medium in print, a confirmation that conducting a press interview is an art indeed. The book opens with a great Nigerian, Olusegun Osoba, who happens to belong to Azuh Arinze’s constituency, journalism, capturing some interesting facts about his life as an editor, and how a little slip on his part, evoked students’ riot at the University of Ibadan. Such accounts will not only be beneficial for the young journalists, learning the art of interviewing celebrities but also the editors on the need to run background checks on stories before publishing. ‘A Taste of Success’ in many ways proves to be a great work for readers save, perhaps, from the ardent feminists, who obviously will pick holes with the image on the cover, which is a man with a trophy. Are trophies and success reserved for the men folk alone? They would also question why only 3 women were featured out of 25 personalities in the book. But that should only be a call for a fairer representation of women in future versions and reprints. 

‘Conversations with Showbiz Stars’ on the other hand, highlights the author’s depth in entertainment journalism. With personalities drawn from entertainment genres like music, movies and comedy, he packed into one book what fans of these entertainers are always on the Internet searching for. From the old to the new, the various segments have representatives who can speak to all generations of fans, without losing touch with the usual thrust of his books, which is getting readers to meet their stars, while learning lessons from them on how they became successful in the entertainment industry. 

Azuh must be commended and supported for achieving many feats under one roof as the books typify. With the books, he has documented history, provided entertainment and above all, offered timeless pills for self-development!

– Ngozi Emedolibe is an author and former editor of Hints magazine.