- Safiu Kehinde
Ayengbe Ebhohimen, the author of the controversial Nursery school English textbook, has reacted to the criticism of the textbook days after being called out by a parent, Mrs. Udoka.
NPO Reported that Mrs. Udoka, also known as Mary Queen, had cried out to Nigerians following alleged threat to her life over a viral video of her criticising the 2nd edition of the Ebhohimen’s textbook titled English Language.
The mother of two claimed she had only raised concern and demanded explanation over a passage in the book which she considered too graphic and disturbing for a Nursery school pupil.
While she had since been summoned by he Zone 2 Police Command in Onikan, Lagos, the author of the book finally opened up over the development.
Ebhohimen, as captured in a video shared on X on Thrusday, slammed his critics for judging him based on the woman’s naratrative without bothering to listen to listen to his own side of the story.
“We have alot of people in this country that when they hear, the next thing is judgement.
“None of them has ever cared to say that let’s even find out from the man what actually happened.
“Everybody is just listening to the lies that the lady is telling the world and I am here. Nobody is asking me anything. Nigeria is a funny society.
“I did not even want to talk at all because the people don’t want to hear my own side of the story. They allow sympathy to blind them.
“I just wonder how gullible we are in this country.” He said.
The author who claimed not to be on social media faulted Mrs. Udoka’s demand fo explanation over the disturbing passage which contained a story about a man and his dog.
The man, as narrated in the passage, punished his dog by burning its nose with a hot rod following the theft of a steak of meat it was directed to watch over.
Ebhohimen maintained that his contacts were provided at the back of the book, stressing that the woman opted to create spectacle on social media rather than contacting her and tender her complaint.
He held that he owes the woman no apology as he accused her of discrediting him and his publisher.
“I’m not a social media man. Social media is not my arena. Afterall, the lady invited me to social media to come and clear some things to her. I did not answer because she did not buy the book on social media.
“My number, address, e-mail, are on the book. She couldn’t get to me through any of those means.
“The next thing is to go to social media and discredited the book, discredited me before inviting me to come to social media to explain.
“She is too small for me to explain to because at the time I started teaching, she was not born.
“I knew how many years I spent in teaching before I resigned to be doing what I’m doing.
“So, if she cannot respect me by calling my line, contacting me through the e-mail, or by coming to my office, then why will I go and meet her on social media.” She said.
Meanwhilez Ebhohimen acknowledged the need to embrace criticism.
He however claimed that Mrs. Udoka did not critise the book but had rather discredited it outrightly amd demanded its removal.
“Anybody that want to move forward should be happy when he is corrected. Whether you are corrected in secret or in public, correction is correction.
“I’m not on social media but some people that know me sent the videos to me. If I play some of it to you now, you will discover that the girl was not doing correction.
“She was criticising and telling the government to ban the book.
“This is a book that has been in circulation for years. So, why will now be talking?
“It is not a criminal book. As I’m seated here, I will still tell you that there is nothing wrong wirh what I wrote.
“If anybody is not satisfied with what I wrote, it is a matter of differences in opinion.
“That I have written something not in line with your own opinion does not make it wrong.” He added.