Proudly Nigerian

Toyosi’s fiancèe abruptly ends their engagement three months before the wedding. His heart is shattered; the person he thought would take a bullet for him was the one pulling the trigger. Having mourned a love lost and realizing he is now free from betrayal and ruthless manipulation, he slowly feels ready to re-enter the dating scene, but his search is complicated beyond his control.

After a couple of interesting encounters that lead no where, Toyosi, a British-Nigerian amateur writer by night, pens a hilarious, yet heartfelt memo anonymously to a fictitious bride-to-be to explain how difficult it has been to find her. The memo goes viral among single women all over the globe who are interested in identifying the romantic mystery man behind it. Though this makes up a tiny part of his story, like the rest of his story, he soon realises that life is full of unexpected twists and turns.

This compelling quest of one man’s search for love transports readers from a childhood in a western part of Nigeria, to a successful career in London on a journey that deals with sickle cell, and what we’re willing to sacrifice in the search for love.

In an imaginary Nigeria, a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr Menka’s hospital for use in ritualistic practices. Dr Menka shares the grisly news with his oldest college friend, bon viveur, star engineer, and Yoruba royal, Duyole Pitan-Payne. The life of every party, Duyole is about to assume a prestigious post at the United Nations in New York, but it now seems that someone is deter­mined that he not make it there. And neither Dr Menka nor Duyole knows why, or how close the enemy is, or how powerful.

Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is at once a literary hoot, a crafty whodunit, and a scathing indictment of political and social corrup­tion. It is a stirring call to arms against the abuse of power from one of our fiercest political activists, who also happens to be a global literary giant.

Fearless and authentically refreshing in its narratives, “There’s A Heaven for Bad Girls” journeys into the hearts and minds of young Nigerian women and girls who have often been silenced, overlooked, and made to conform to societal norms. The five captivating short stories are powerful gems that read, at intervals, like secret diaries of their compelling protagonists. Through her fluid storytelling, Adenrele Niyi, a Nigeria Media Merit Award, (NMMA), Entertainment Writer of the Year finalist, skillfully takes us on a ‘short ride in a fast car’.

From the nuanced interplay between individuals and systems, religion and culture, love and desire, to the hopelessness of aborted dreams, the stories offer a youthful perspective on contemporary social issues. There’s A Heaven for Bad Girls delves into identity struggles in a trado-modern society that demands conformity, unveils the raw resilience of teenagers facing daunting odds, and explores the transformative power of love, all while championing the spirit of entrepreneurship and the urgent need for social change.