Creative writer, Anthony Kan Onwordi is one of the most formidable wordsmiths in the world of journalism, public relations and literature. Better known as Toni Kan, the Master’s degree holder in English Literature from the University of Lagos has to his credit notable works of fiction that have earned him many accolades, including the Ken Saro Wiwa NNDC Prize and a writing fellowship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation. Toni Kan, who is 51 years old this year shares his career journey with the Editor, FOLORUNSHO HAMSAT, including his golden years in journalism where he left to pursue a career in communications and public relations before joining the banking, telecommunications and publishing industries. Enjoy…
Tell us how you’ve fared at 51, regarding the hustle and bustle of life.
I am just 51 years young, thanks. On a serious note, it’s been a good life if you ask me. God has been good to me. People say I talk about God a lot and it’s true because I don’t know where I would be without Him. I was born in a small town called Ibusa and went to school in the old Bendel State but thanks to God and the talent he gave me I have become Toni Kan, the award winning writer, the PR expert, well known journalist and serial entrepreneur. It has been good 51 years.
A science student graduating to become one of the master writers of literature; how was the experience like co-writing your first book, ‘Diana: Princess of Wales’ and how did the reading public receive you?
It is interesting that you talk about the book on Diana: Princess of Wales, at this time when the Netflix documentary by Harry and Meghan is causing wahala. That was the first book I published. It wasn’t the first I wrote though. I co-wrote it with my friend, David Njoku in three days and nights. We just shut ourselves in my office at Hints, reading, writing and drinking lots of whiskey. Dr Ibe Kachikuwu, the publisher of Hints Magazine had bought all these magazines and papers from London, Ok, Hello, Sun, Daily Mirror etc with stories about Diana and we pieced everything together to produce a book of over 100 pages in just three days. Book done, we went to the press and that book was on the streets in less than one week after Diana died. I remember that a journalist, my egbon, Oji Onoko of Thisday wrote a scathing review. He said our book was “history told in a hurry”. It was the best PR we could get and that is why I never get angry with a review of my work, whether positive or critical. Dr. Kachikwu also took out a full page advert in Thisday. Anyway, the book sold 50,000 copies in less than one week and we had to do a re-print quickly. It was mad.
Please, share the success story of your public relations firm, Radi8.
Radi8 is my baby and the vehicle God has used to bless me tremendously. Through Radi8, I have met captains of industry, state governors, ministers and presidents of countries. I started it in 2010 with three of my friends, Peju Akande, Chidi and Williams. We all worked at 234next. They were on my marketing team at 234next where I was Director of Marketing. I remember that the publisher had given us an advertising target of 300m for three months. I told him we couldn’t raise 300m for a new online publication but that I could promise 100m. Anyway, after three months we brought in over 100m as advertising. It was crazy but thanks to my friends in corporate Nigeria like Charles Aigbe at UBA and Celine Loader at First Bank and others at Oando and my former oga, Jim Ovia at Zenith. Anyway, I had good friends. The publisher and his advisers said what we got was too small and tried to play my team against me. He said he would fire me and let them stay. But we all resigned. I had left Visafone and they had left good jobs to come and work with me at 234next. So without a job and with families to feed, I told them. “guys if we can raise over 100m for these people, we can at least raise 10m every three months for ourselves so let’s start our own PR firm.” That was it. Our first name was Illumi8 but that was when Illuminati was reigning so we dropped it for Radi8. Our mission statement was to help “bring your brand to light”. I was PR lead, Peju was advertising, Chidi was design and William was events. Along the line, Chidi and William dropped out and Peju and I soldiered on. Radi8 is 12 years old now. We have worked for clients all over; Seplat, Emzor, GE Nigeria, Oriental Energy, StanbicIBTC, FirstBank, NCC, Shell, LIMGE, Resource Intermediaries, AA Holdings and clients we can’t mention because of confidentiality. Lots of clients. Our core discipline is Crisis Management. When you have a reputational problem and you need it sorted, you call us. We make sure it doesn’t stink to high heavens. This is the main reason why you won’t hear that Radi8 won this PR award or the other. Our award is the money in our account and clients we keep getting from word of mouth. How am I going to enter a campaign I did to save a CEO who was caught in a hotel with his side chick for an award? You get it? Anyway, when it comes to Radi8, our biggest achievement is that in 12 years we have not owed salaries once, we have loyal friends in the press and our staff don’t resign except to move on. Three of our foundation staff are still with us. That for me is the biggest achievement. Staying solvent and keeping staff happy. These days, I have taken a back seat. Peju runs the show and I just advise.
Readers naturally are glued to authors whose books have alluring attractions; inform, educate and inspire. What is the core objective of your writings?
You know, when I write, my core objective is to make sure the reader keeps turning the pages. I want to tell a good story that keeps you engaged. I am not writing to teach or change the world. I have not finished learning so what am I teaching? That would be arrogant. So, my thing is to create good characters, come up with good plots and hold you spell bound. I like to set my stories in the city. Lagos. Jos. Asaba. Those locations are always in my books. So, yes, I like to entertain and inform maybe teach you a new word.
What do you enjoy most about writing books?
I started writing because I read Flowers and Shadows by Ben Okri. After reading that book, I was crying and I said “ha, one day I will write a book that will make someone cry o.” It was shocking because I was 11 years old and by that time I had read over 200 books. So, to read one that hit me hard surprised me. So, that was my motivation. When it comes to writing I want to suck the reader in so much that he or she becomes part of the story. That’s what I like.
Which among the books you’ve written or co-written would you pick as top three?
They say books are like children, you don’t have favourites but the book that has given me the most fame and fortune is “Nights of the Creaking Bed”. It was published in 2009, it has never been out of print, it is used as literature text in over 10 universities but has been used for over 9 PhD dissertations and continued to sell well.
