The former Minister of Interior and also former Governor of Osun State, Mr Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola affirmed there is a need for academics to have greater interest in improving the literary industry.

Aregbesola spoke during a book presentation on Odia Ofeimun, titled: “In Search of Common Morality” in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Odia Ofeimun, is a poet, polemicist and polymath.

He was born in Iruekpen-Ekuma, Edo, Nigeria, on March 16, 1950.

Ofeimun is the author of many volumes of poetry, books of political essays and on cultural politics, and the editor of two significant anthologies of Nigerian poetry.

Aregbesola said there should be more literary works by eminent Nigerians instead of importing works from outside the country.

“We should support and promote intellectuals as Ofeimun.

“Ofeimun is a toast of love for some of us who have interest in society on how to tweak it and he represents the best in all of us,” he said.

Speaking, Femi Falana, a SAN and Human Rights Activist, applauded writers who made contributions to the book and thanked the editors for the compilations and for honoring Ofeimun.

Falana described the poet as a man who deserved all the honor that could be given to him while alive for his commitment to the literary advancement of the country.

“I am delighted to be here to celebrate our own wonderful brother, I thank the organizers and hope that we can have regular fora to discuss and celebrate our heroes,” he said.

According to Reuben Abati, the Book Reviewer, Ofeimun is a man known for taking everything he does seriously, it is this single minded devotion to his crafts that has been responsible for his Poetic Genius.

Abati described Ofeimun as one of the most impactful, productive, influential public intellectuals that Nigeria had produced in the last four decades.