The Code is a debut publication from Patrick Nehi Igbinijesu, a fellow contributor at Connect Nigeria and the writer behind our popular Discover Nigeria series.
A must-read for all aspiring and present-day mothers, the book teaches the principles of successful parenting for the girl-child through a heartfelt story featuring strong female characters.
We recently got to learn more about Nehi in this engaging interview. Here’s what he told us:
CN: When and how did you find your passion for writing?
Nehi: I started writing when I was nine years old. My mum -of blessed memory- would make me read and summarize articles in weekend newspapers as a way to engage me while she was away on her traditional Saturday shopping. Then, I went on to the secondary school and really found writing politics, history and economic policy very enjoyable. I think it was then I realized I had a thing for writing.
CN: What inspired you to write your new book, The Code?
Nehi: Hmm! The Code came to me at a very difficult time in my life. I had just lost a business and a couple of relationships and I was wondering how to snap myself out of the mess. Then, The Code came as a panacea.
CN: Why did you choose to focus on the subject matter of raising young women? Why not young men and women?
Nehi: Girls are under attack and not attending to their upbringing will hurt all of us in the long run. It is commonly said that if you raise a girl, you raise a generation. Pop culture and patriarchy are creating a new type of dysfunctional woman, and The Code is just an effort to stem the tide.
CN: What was the biggest challenge experienced when writing or publishing this book?
Nehi: Writing my thoughts using the avenue of fiction. The Code was originally written like an economics thesis but the audience I wanted to reach aren’t given to behaviourial economics, hence my attempt at telling a story while embedding the ten principles that the book is about.
CN: What has been the general reception received so far from readers?
Nehi: The reception has been fair. A lot of people who have read the book have told me it gave them something to think about. For me, that has been the high point; winning the attention of some mothers in order to get them to begin to adjust their approach to mothering their daughters.
CN: In your opinion, which Nigerian woman would you say most young girls in society should look up to?
Nehi: Well, that’s a tough one because a lot of Nigerian women are inspiring. But in the spirit of one of the principles I share in my book, the Principle of Pointing Out Female Role-Models, I will say Mrs. Ibukun Awosika (for Business Leadership) Mrs. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde (for Service to Community) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (for Self-Expression).
CN: What’s the wackiest thing you’ve ever written about?
Nehi: I have written many things I am not proud of but the wackiest, must be a poem called, Fatality of Complacence.
CN: What book are you reading at the moment?
Nehi: An e-book, Passion to Profits by Anik Singal
CN: If you could go on a lunchdate with a present or past Nigerian figure, who would it be and why?
Nehi: Of course, it would be Chimamanda Adichie. I am a fan of her work.
CN: Why should parents buy The Code?
Nehi: I think it will help stave off the harmful impact of surrogate parents like television, nannies and pop culture. More girls are already associating marriage with the “happily ever after” cliche rather than that marriage is about “till death do us part,” and you can imagine how that works with divorce rates 10 to 20 years from now.
CN: Advice to young writers.
Nehi: Keep writing. Expose yourselves to intellectual intercourse; you never know what brainchild you might come up with.
CN: How can we get the book and for how much?
Nehi: The book can be gotten by telephone order. And it goes for N5,000.00
Find the author on Twitter or Instagram @PNOIgbinijesu.
Phone number: 08053163154.
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