‘Caged In’, a novel by William Dumbili, will delight readers of good books. William is a writer to watch out for. His fiction is set to the pulsating rhythms of south London and the riveting echoes of its unending spasms of colourful lives, peoples, intrigues and dark underbelly. A cherished privilege working with this daring and talented 23-year-old on his debut. The future indeed is here!

William Dumbili, like many, pursued the dream of becoming a professional footballer but hung up his boots two years prior to writing this fictional narrative. With football no longer a realistic option, he picked up writing and started this novel only a month after quitting the sport. This is the first novel from the 23-year-old from South London. Caged In is inspired by William’s own involvement and the experiences of those around him.

‘Forward to the Past: Echoes of June 12 and MKO Abiola as pivots in Nigeria's developing democracy,’ is a collaborative project with FocusMedia (PCL) Ltd. Written by Nigerian journalist, Paul Olorih, this is a book of political history, democracy, and civil rights in Nigeria. It documents the June 12 1993 presidential election, adjudged as fairest and most peaceful, and the events following its annulment by the Ibrahim Babangida-led military junta. It also highlights the role of MKO Abiola as a symbol of the struggle to upstage the junta. Sheer brilliance shines through this book by Olorih whose disposition to hard work and excellence has not been diminished by the acute challenges of his recent loss of sight to glaucoma.

Also, a public affairs analyst, Paul has cognate experience in various sections of the mass media. An indigene of Ugheli in Delta State, Nigeria, Paul is an alumnus of Nigeria’s premier citadel of learning, the University of Ibadan. He has worked at various times at Federal Government Press, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Lagos and as the editor of Focus Magazine, published from the United Kingdom. Aside his vast experience in editing and contributing to national news and entertainment journals, he also had a stint as a co-presenter on television, and was National Programme Officer for the Nigeria Network of Non-Governmental Organisations (NNNGO) and GirlWatch. Paul is author of two published books, Africa’s Kindergarten Democracy and Trials and Triumph of the Girl Child.

Taiwo is the CEO of Kish Global Consultants with a global presence in Lagos, London, New York, and Johannesburg. Their core business competencies lie in the areas of Leadership, Culture, Research, Analytics and Strategy. His entire career spanned over 20 years with about 10 years of consulting experience cutting across the financial, ICT, and energy sectors having worked in GTBank, Globacom, Mobitel, Powergies Inc. and Chams Plc.

Dr. Ojo studied Computer Science with a second-class upper division from FUTA with an MBA from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and earned his doctorate degree in Strategic Leadership from Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA, USA in August 2016. He has attended executive education programmes at Harvard Business School, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Oxford and Lagos Business School.

Besides his various publications in professional and academic journals, Taiwo has authored 3 books, and he is a member of the International Leadership Association (ILA), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) and Ikoyi Club 1938.

Dr Taiwo Ojo lectures at the University of Lagos Business School (ULBS) and equally serves as a Senior Scholar of the International Leadership Association. Taiwo is happily married to a family physician; Orobola with three amazing boys; Kiisi, Kiiye and Kiitan.

The bestselling author of ‘Motives for Leadership: Lead Global’ among other titles, Taiwo can be reached at taiwojo@mail.regent.edu and tojo.ulbs@unilag.edu.ng

Dayo Olomu, Chair, Black on Board Community UK; Board Member at Southwark Diocesan Board of Education, and Immediate Past Chair, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) is an Organisational Development Specialist, an international motivational speaker, human capital development expert, corporate trainer, business mentor, executive coach, award winning event host, bestselling author, workshop facilitator, mindfulness enthusiast, mental health champion and keynote speaker on leadership and career progression. He is a strong advocate for mental health, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Dayo is also a people professional with specialist experience and expertise in employee relations, organisational development, learning and development, performance management and EDI.

A holder of 172 awards in 26 categories, he holds an honours degree in Business Information Systems, MSc in Human Resources, and an honorary doctorate. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (MCIPD) and a Fellow of the Institute of Information Management Africa (FIIM) and Member, International Leadership Association. 

His purpose in life is to inspire people to raise and achieve their aspirations; impact the community through his charitable endeavours; influence change in the society through his expertise and improve performance and productivity.

Olomu’s consummate interests in research and writing has culminated in the publication of five titles, the latest book being the Amazon bestseller, ‘The Premium Leader: Leadership Attributes and Strategies for Today’s Volatile World.’

Dayo Olomu’s passion is raising transformational leaders, mentoring professionals, empowering youths, feeding the homeless, supporting the less privileged especially women and children, and encouraging more black people to become board members. A football enthusiast, Dayo is a long-suffering supporter of Arsenal FC.

Nwodu Ebere, one of the sons of Ebere Nwagu, was born in Umu-Ebere village, Chokocho Etche. Like his father, Nwodu is a very industrious person. He is a keen hunter, an avid explorer, seafarer, warrior, and a trader. Nwodu is the main character of this book.

Despite his lack of formal education, he has the wisdom to deal with those crises of the 19th century which took the lives of others; but he escapes all these challenges and lives to an old age till he passes on to join his ancestors.

Nwodu Ebere, popularly known as “Nwodu" or “Wodu”, establishes a trading centre at Igwuruta and a village at Eneka, both in Rivers State, Nigeria. His sojourn takes him to East Africa where he died on an island named after him (Chokocho Island).

Nwodu Ebere is an unknown hero but a man of great wisdom. His survival strategies are hard work, perseverance and deployment of native wisdom. These characteristics appeared to have been passed down on to generations in his lineage. He thus embodies virtues that can be adopted by anyone who is faced with similarly challenging situations.

Julius O. Amadi is a consummate writer and socio-political commentator. He is the author of Africa Without Treaty: A Single Leadership Model Advocated and is currently working on other manuscripts due to be published. The author is a direct descendant of the African hero whose exploits formed the basis of this ‘faction’ (combining fact and fiction) book.