In 2007, Ibrahim Shekarau as Governor of Kano State in Northern Nigeria publicly burned Hausa romance novels and materials he described as pornography and immoral to the customs and traditions of Northern Nigeria society.
He banned actors and subjected Hausa authors to what human rights campaigners described as heavy-handed censorship board.
Writers in Kano State had to go to court and Mr. Shekarau was forced to settle out of court and slow down on his censorship.
His local enforcers had a field day moralising for writers, authors and those they describe as ‘immoral’.
Kayode Ogundamisi met Mr. Shekarau, who is now Nigeria’s Education minister, at a London event organised by UK based BEN-TV and sought clarification from him on why as governor, he had to personally enforce and lead the burning of books publicly.