DR. MATHEW UMUKORO SHOULD STOP SPELLING HOME-BASED YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS BACKWARD – HIS INTERVIEW REVISITED
It has become a customary habit of some accomplished writers in Nigeria especially among the academia to be suing faults or mistakes derived from works of the younger writers for their selfish interest (to gain more popularity).
Five percent out of hundred percent accomplished Nigerian Writers can only boast of nurturing and mentoring their home-based young writers. Nowadays, home-based Young Nigerian Writers are now struggling to write, publish their works and even market them without any contribution or support from any accomplished writer.

It is my belief that majority of this so-called accomplished Nigerian writers we are now reading and hearing today got their skills polished and enhanced by their literary predecessors. Prof. Ulli Beier of blessed memory helped Duro Ladipo to solicit for grants for some of his productions and establishment of Mbari Mbayo Writers Club in Osogbo. He also helped Late Kola Ogunmola for some of his theatrical productions.

Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Chinua Achebe, Christopher Okigbo, D.O. Fagunwa, Twins 77, Buraimoh, Amos Tutuola, also gained enormously from Prof. Ulli Beier of blessed memory. The so-called old/accomplished writers are the ones discouraging and diminishing the creative writing interest of some home-based young writers through their crazy, shabby literary philosophy they called literary criticism.
To me, Literary Criticism is a tool use for developing, honing and enhancing the creative writing skill of a writer. It is one of the ingredients of Literature. But some people are misusing and misapplying this literary philosophy. They are using it for their selfish and personal interest. Dr. Mathew Umukoro of Theatre Arts Department, University of Ibadan is one of those people utilizing this literary technique at the disadvantage of home-based young Nigerian Writers. He likes spelling home-based young Nigerian writers backward. What Dr. Mathew Umukoro said regarding home-based young Nigerian writers during a television interview programme organized by a popular television station in Oyo State after a week he launched some collections of his works was very discouraging. Though, that was not his first time. According to one of my friends who watched the television interview, described Dr. Umukoro’s comments as disheartening and daunting. As he was saying that nowadays home-based young Nigerian writers are writing rubbish, jargons and that they are suffering from Grammar and Tenses diseases.
Dr. Mathew Umukoro has been complaining bitterly about these issues for a very long time. I shall accept all his claims if he is ready to answer this following questions.
1. How many home-based young writers has he published or helped since the inception of his career as a Creative Writer?
2. How many collections of Creative Works has he published himself that are internationally acclaimed apart from Nana Olomu?
3. We want him to mention at least three home-based young Nigerian writers he has helped to achieve their vision of becoming a creative writer.
If Dr. Mathew Umukoro do not have any correct answers to these questions that specify that he is lying and not up to the task of contributing to the growth and development of Nigerian Literature. Dr. Umukoro should stop embarazing our home-based young Nigerian writers. If he knows that their grammars and tenses are bad, it is not a bad idea for him to open a creative writing school or English Clinic and even organizing creative writing workshops in correcting their abnormalities and errors instead of going around and spelling them backward.
I am also imploring other old/accomplished writers to desist from spelling home-based young Nigerian writers backward; instead they should find ways of solving their problems.
At this juncture, I will like to give big kudos to Dr. Wale Okediran, Prof. Charles Nnolim, Mrs. Mabel Segun, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, Prof. Remi Raji, B.M. Dzukogi, Prof. Ademola Dasylva, Prof. Bode Sowande, Prof. Niyi osundare, Prof. Akinwumi Isola, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, Dr. Remi Adedokun, Mallam Denjah Abdulahi, Mr. Anthony Ebika, Dr. Bayo Adebowale for creating an enabling ground for some home-based young Nigerian writers to showcase their creative writing talents.