Princess Vivian Funmilayo Adefolaju is a UK trained Chartered Secretary from the Prestigious Pitman college. In this exclusive interview with the Publisher / Lead partner of lagoscityreporters.com, Emeka Monye, she talks about her forth-coming book, ADOLESCENCE and SEX. Excerpt…
Let’s get to meet you, ma: tell us more about your history. background, your academic qualifications.
Thank you. I am Princess Vivian Funmilayo Adefolaju I was born in Ikoyi, Lagos on the first of November 1968. I attended Ireti Primary school, Meckwen Road, Ikoyi, before proceeding to Central College, London for my O Levels. Along the line. I decided to become a Secretary and proceeded to Crown Secretarial & Business Studies College, King’s Cross, London.
In the Eighties, it was the in-thing that if you didn’t go to Pitmans College, you were as they’ll say, not a Top Flight Secretary. Even though, I had qualified from my former College, I chose to enrol with Pitman’s college at Southampton Row, London and got the same Advanced Diploma Pitman Certificate from Pitmans College.
After a while, working with the then Military Attache to the United Kingdom, Gen. Sunny Ifere,now late, at the Nigerian Embassy, Northumberland Avenue, London, I chose to further my Education, then got an admission into Holborn Law Tutors, Fulham where I did my Advance Level in Law and Constitutional Law before proceeding further to Cannaught College in Bath, Avon England where I had my Degree in Public Administration.
One would want to ask why I didn’t become a lawyer. In 1984, there was a promulgation by the Buhari Government stopping foreign exchange to students in private colleges. It affected quite a number of Nigerian students and changed the course of most students. People were arrested and jailed for being in possession of foreign exchange. You dare not disobey Buhari’s Decree unless you want your parents to end up in “Buhari’s Prison!”
Recently, you published a book, tell us more about this book, the title and other details we need to know about it?
Oh, my book is aimed at teenagers transiting from adolescence to adulthood. “ADOLESCENCE and SEX…daring to speak out “ is a book developed out of a series of events and an insight into real life situation, it also sets out to offer assistance and advice to teenagers transiting to adulthood.
It sets out to be a SEX EDUCATION HANDBOOK for the teenagers as well as helping parents in handling teenagers in their difficult period of transition to adulthood because they constitute high-risk group while transiting.
What informed your decision to publish this book?
Two personal life threatening experiences inspired my desire more than thirty years ago to write this book, but for the last six years, the urge to put pen to paper became so strong and the damning consequences of what is happening around me further propelled me to be able to reach a greater and wider audience of youths and parents.
What’s the objective and who are your target audience?
Like Jackie Collins, a bestselling Novelist once said “Sex is a driving force in the world so it’s not unusual to write about it” To me, it is not unusual to speak about it.”
Most parents shy away from discussing SEX with their children; and we know that children want to venture, experiment, feel things you try to keep them away from. It’s that “dangerous ” taboo that children indeed are particularly adventurous of. And after-effect of this experiment could lead to accident, pain, hurt and even death to our inexperienced children because the intricacies of sex have not been given to them. My objective is to make sure that they scale through this difficult terrain to lead a steller life.
How long did it take you to publish this book?
It took me six years.
What has been the marketing like and where can people get to buy this book?
We’ve not started marketing. We’re going to distribute some to schools, Libraries. The aim actually is for philanthropy. We may get organisations to purchase and give out to students.
What was it like publishing, I mean, did you get the support of your friends and family members in the course of publishing?
I started the book without telling my children nor my husband but when I got to the finishing stage, five years frankly, I brought it to the Knowledge of my family. My husband has been very supportive I must say. He is like the song by SEAL, “A kiss from Rose.” He is my pleasure, my pillar….”
What values define your book reading culture ?
Answer: It saddens me that we don’t have the culture of reading anymore. In my time, we read, we spend money buying magazines, newspapers, novels. I remember when I was growing up, I was always competing with my elder brother who reads Hardley Chase, Sydney Sheldon, Fredrick Forsythe, Mario Puzo.
If you read, the tendency is that you’re vastly enriched in vocabularies, you’re grammatically enriched and could argue on topics and could also define your character and influence you positively. You have knowledge.
Where do you see yourself with this book publication?
Answer: I will be fulfilled to see that this book gets into the hands of our teeming teenagers across the country and the globe. This is the beginning. I have my second book in the mill titled “ETCHED ON THE SANDS OF TIME”. I want to be able to meet great writers Wole Soyinka, Ordia Ofemium, Ngugi Wa Thiong from East Africa.
People who may want to reach out to you, how can they reach you?
Am accessible through my email:
vimandy2013@gmail.com
What are your social media handles?
Facebook: Vivian Michael Adefolaju
Instagram: Funfem2019
When do you intend presenting this book to members of the public?
Answer: All things being equal I intend to launch late this year; I mean, 2021. We’ve not been able to speed up as we intend to due to this global pandemic. My plan is to give talks in schools but we can’t do that now because of the new normal.
And finally, what message do you have for the Nigeria reading public?
My advice is that we should encourage our children to read, it’s easier with the social media but unfortunately, so many immoral materials are what attracts our children. We must pay attention to what they do on social media. We truly cannot control what they watch on social media.
