Labo Yari, ‘Climate of Corruption’ author, dies at 83

Labo Yari, the ace writer and pioneer founding member of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), has died at 83.

NAN reports that Haruna, his eldest son, announced that he died at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina on Saturday after a protracted illness.

He, however, did not reveal the nature of the sickness.

The writer will also be buried at his residence in Katsina later today in line with Islamic tenets.

Yari gained widespread prominence for ‘Climate of Corruption’, his novel, published in 1973.

It is understood that the project was the first novel in the English language to be published in northern Nigeria.

‘Climate of Corruption’ is an ironic and amusing story of a group of young Nigerians making their lives in modern times, synonymous with a climate of corruption, in which traditional moral and religious values are withering.

As an author, Yari was famous for his highly imaginative narrative style that portrayed the social realities of the Hausa/Muslim community in Nigeria.

Until his demise, he authored 15 novels and wrote the biography of Muhammad Dikko, the 47th Emir of Katsina, who reigned from 1906 to 1944.

Some of his novels include ‘A House in the Dark and Other Stories’ and ‘The Man of the Moment’.

Yari is survived by seven children — two males and five females.