TITLE: Hold Your Ribs
AUTHOR: Mohammed Tukur Garba
PUBLISHERS: ANA Publishers
PAGES: 80
PRICE: N2,000.00
REVIEWER: Haruna Penni, fANA, FIPA, FIMC
After all, there are advantages in progressive polygyny as against what was handed down to us by our first generation Western masters who skillfully try to proselyte their social value system of “one man, one wife” to the utter discomfort of the shy African elders.
The advantage or otherwise of polygamy cannot be far-fetched. It rids the society of moral decadence, procreate mankind to the glory of God and give respectability to the womenfolk, while enabling the husband get the benefits of second opinion from pillow talks.
The above point was what is aptly demonstrated in Mohammed Tukur Garba’s last work when Alkali, a learned and respected Judge made a sinister bid for power in which he could have risk total public disgrace from seducing a married female friend of his daughter, but for the clever intervention of his wives.
Although, Hold Your Ribs is not all about marriage systems, pristine propinquities, inordinate ambition by public officers, randiness, lecherousness, defense of polygamy, false prophecies, conjugal treachery, connubial alibis, traditional religion, royal leadership, promiscuity and sexual pervasion. But at general level, however, it does say a lot about each issue identified in a highly intricate interplay of characterization.
Just what is the connecting string between bestiality and fame? Can anybody tell us why famous personalities often engage in heinous and scandalous activities like ritual killings, homosexually, paedophile, incest, adultery, sex with mental women and animals as well as witchcraft?
The front cover of the book is colourful and adorns an artistic impression of three native Fulani ladies sporting a hand woven wrapper with their Nono cow milk calabash sitting stylishly on their heads, while a Mallam could be seen in a yoga meditative posture. The ladies are actually dancing members of the Bori spirit cult prevalent among the Maguzawa Hausa traditional religionists and their Chief Priest.
The work is an eye opener to wives because of its witty instruction on how to “handle” their recalcitrant hussies and a lesson for those with vaulting ambition to have every conceivable woman and position of authority under their patronage. It is also a worthy material for those who desire it for stage performance and home video. The publishers are open to talks.
By and large, Hold Your Ribs is a veritable work for film and video producers, students of theatre arts and literature, cinema freaks, culture men and house wives. A copy of the could be picked during the Association of Nigerian Authors’ jointly organized 10th Memorial and Launching of the late MT’s unfinished play work now printed by the widow, launched at the RMRDC Auditorium on Tuesday, October 21, 2008.
The late Mohammed Tukur Garba was, before his triumphant recall in 1998, an Assistant Director and Secretary, Council of the National Authority on Chemical Weapons Convention, Political Affairs Office in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. He had earlier served as book editor, Gaskiya Corporation, Zaria, and the Nigerian Universities Commission as a Chief Publications Officer.
MT was born in 1958 in Funtua, Katsina State, and attended the Ahmedu Bello University, Zaria where he graduated in 1980 with a good Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Hold Your Ribs is Mohammed Tukur Garba’s fifth published work, having earlier released Forgive Me Maryam, Stop Press: Murder, Eye of Eternity and Black Temple.
However, there are other writers who also be credited to have pioneered the attainment of creative excellence in prose genre in Northern Nigeria: Prof Zaynab Alkali, Mohammed Tukur Garba, Mohammed Sule, Abubakar Imam, Labo Yari, Prof Ahmed Yarima, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Yahya Dangana, Ibrahim Sheme, General Mamman Vatsa, Nuhu Bamali, Dan Fulani and Dr Ibrahim Tahir.
