Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election Peter Obi has attended the launch of Chimamanda Adichie’s latest novel Dream Count at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London.
Mr Obi shared details of his trip to the United Kingdom in a post on X on Monday, revealing that he arrived in London on Sunday, March 2 and made his way to Cambridge for meetings with development experts before attending the book launch later in the day.
“I arrived in London, United Kingdom safely on Sunday, the 2nd of March morning for a busy schedule. I made the trip via Air Peace business class, as is my policy when embarking on long-haul flights, particularly when I have to start work immediately upon arrival,” he wrote.
“On arrival, I proceeded to Cambridge for scheduled meetings with development experts. Our discussions centred on suggested solutions to challenges confronting our nation. Coming back to London later in the day, I attended Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s launch of her latest novel, Dream Count, at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London. The event attracted about 3,000 attendees.”
He praised Adichie’s conversation with journalist and author Elizabeth Day, describing it as “insightful” and engaging.
“The event was not only a celebration of literary excellence but, more importantly, a testament to the immense potential our beloved nation holds if we invest in the most critical measures of development reflected in the Human Development Index (HDI): education, healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty,” he added.
Obi expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future, saying, “Coupled with my earlier discussions on turning around our struggling nation and the exhilarating performance by @ChimamandaReal, I am convinced that with the energy and brilliance of our youth, a collective commitment, and guidance through good governance, the dream of a better Nigeria is within reach. I remain confident that all hope is not lost. A new Nigeria is POssible!”
Adichie’s Dream Count follows the lives of four women—Chiamaka, Zikora, Omelogor and Kadiatou—who navigate personal struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chiamaka, a Nigerian travel writer in America, reflects on past relationships and life choices during lockdown. Her best friend, Zikora, a successful lawyer, faces betrayal and heartache, leading her to seek support from unexpected places. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s outspoken cousin and a financial executive in Nigeria, begins questioning her self-identity, while Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, strives to raise her daughter in America but encounters unforeseen hardships that threaten her progress.
The novel explores themes of love, identity and human connection, marking Adichie’s return to fiction after a decade and reaffirming her reputation for capturing complex emotions and societal issues.
Chimamanda Adichie has written several books, starting with Purple Hibiscus in 2003, followed by Half of a Yellow Sun in 2006.
She released a short story collection The Thing Around Your Neck in 2009 and her critically acclaimed novel Americanah in 2013.
In 2014, she published We Should All Be Feminists, an essay on gender equality and later expanded on the topic with Dear Ijeawele or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions in 2017. With Notes on Grief published in 2021.
