Three of the 11 books will make the shortlist in September as the judges of the Nigerian Prize for Literature countdown to the winner of the $100000 prize for 2024. Children’s literature is the focus this year.
Two journalists are on the 2024 longlist: Anietie Usen and Henry Akubuiro. Akubuiro’s entry for the drama genre prize in 2023 made the shortlist of three.
The eleven books made it from 163 entries adjudged by a panel of Professor Saleh Abdu of the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, Professor Vicky Sylvester and Dr. Osarobu Igudia.
Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairman of the Advisory Board, who made the announcement, commended the judges for their meticulous selection. She emphasised the importance of Children’s Literature in shaping young minds and stressed the need for quality and relevance in children’s literature. She noted that the subject matter in Children’s Literature must resonate with the future.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly among four literary categories: prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature.
On the long list are A Father’s Pride by Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmo; Bode’s Birthday Party by Akanni Festus Olaniyi; Grandma And The Moon’s Hidden Secret by Jumoke Verissimo; Mighty Mite And Golden Jewel by Henry Akubuiro; Risi Recycle – The Dustbin Girl by Temiloluwa Adeshina.
Others are The Children At The IDP Camp by Olatunbosun Taofeek, The Magic Jalabiya by Ayo Adeliyi Oyeku; The Road Does Not End by Familoni Oluranti Olubunmi, The Third Side of A Coin by Hyginus Ekwuazi; Village Boy by Anietie Usen and Wish Maker by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike.
The shortlist contains outstanding writers. Hyginus Ekwuazi is a multiple award-winning poet, writer, and scholar, a renowned media scholar, and the “dean of Nigerian film scholars”, according to Jonathan Haynes. Onookome Okome described Ekwuazi as “the rallying point of the Ibadan School of Media and Communication Studies.” Ekwuazi’s book, Film in Nigeria, is definitive. Ekwuazi is a former Director General of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Jos.
Anietie Usen is a journalist and technocrat. Village Boy is a coming-of-age memoir chronicling his journey from an orphaned boy in a village to becoming a successful journalist.
Published in 2020, the book offers a captivating look at Usen’s experiences navigating poverty, resilience, and the pursuit of education. It’s described as thrilling and funny, capturing the essence of village life in 1960s and 70s Akwa Ibom State, according to Amazon. Reviewers praised Village Boy for its heartwarming story and portrayal of resilience in adversity. In 2021, it won the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Award.
Henry Akubuiro returns to the longlist after his book, Yamtarawala, the Warrior King (2023), featured in the drama prize race in 2023. Akubuiro, Assistant Editor at the Saturday Sun newspaper, is an award-winning journalist, playwright, novelist, children’s literature author and an unpublished poet.
He is the author of the novella Little Wizard of Okokomaiko (winner of the ANA/Lantern Books Prize for Prose (2009), Adventures of Bingo and Bomboi (2015), and Vershima and the Missing Cow (2020). He is also the author of the critically acclaimed novel Prodigals in Paradise (2016), on the reading lists of five Nigerian universities. Akubuiro was the Jury Chair for the 2023 James Currey Prize for African Literature held in Oxford, United Kingdom.
Akubuiro won the 1998 National Essay Competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sport and the 1998 BBC World Service Young Reporters’ Competition. He was the runner-up for the ANA Prose Prize (2017) and the Nigeria Media Merit Award Arts and Culture Reporter of the Year (2022).
Jumoke Verissimo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada. She teaches and researches creative writing (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction). Her scholarship extends to African literary criticism and literature, memory studies, traumatic effect, and research creation.
Dr Verissimo is a globally recognised author who has published two poetry collections (I am Memory and The Birth of Illusion), a novel (A Small Silence), and a children’s book (Aduke and the Moon’s Hidden Secret), which she also translated into Yoruba. She is co-editor of Sòròsókè, an anthology on police brutality in Nigeria.
Jumoke Verissimo exulted on Facebook: “I am honoured to share that “Grandma and the Moon’s Hidden Secret” has been nominated for the NLNG prize! This book is a labour of love, and it is a delight to have it recognised this way. Thank you to all the judges, the incredible team at Cassava, my talented illustrator, Chinyere Okoroafor and the young readers who have embraced this story. Your imagination is the true magic!
Congratulations to all the other longlisted authors.
#NLNGPrize”.
MY BOOKSHELF WITH FREDERICK APEJI
Mr Frederick Olukayode Onobere Sadare Apeji is a public relations (PR) and event management expert. He graduated in English Language from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, in 1990. Mr. Apeji has diverse and rich career experience in business journalism, press advertising sales, PR consulting, full-time Church ministry, and corporate communications from 1991 to the present.
He is currently the MD/CEO of Alford Conferences Limited, the Publisher of REVENUE magazine, and the convener of Nigerian States IGR Awards, Banking & Finance 100 Awards, Nigeria Food Surplus Summit, World Digital Exhibition (WORLDEX), EMEA Banking Awards, Accra Business Forum (ABF) and other branded events of Alford Conferences Limited. Apeji is on the board of directors of Frases Consulting Limited, Amfire Exhibitions Limited, and Raphos Real Estate Limited. He has regularly volunteered for various Church and other community programs from 1986 till date. He is a public speaker on multiple subjects: globalisation, good governance, branding, entrepreneurship, and host country/host city marketing.
Reading made me who I am today.
What are you reading currently?
How We Did It: The Transformation Story of Ondo State Internal Revenue Service by Tolu Adegbie.
War in the Boardroom by Al & Laura Ries
The Book of Job (Holy Bible)
What informs your choice of a book to read?
My interests and, at times, my curiosity
Which books would you rate as the Top 5 in your reading experience?
The Origin of Brands by Al & Laura Ries
From Third World to First World: The Singaporean Story 965-2000 by Lee Kuan Yew
How We Did It: The Transformation Story of Ondo State Internal Revenue Service by Tolu Adegbie.
What books would you return to again and again?
Those mentioned in 2 & 3 above
Please suggest five essential books in your discipline.
The Origin of Brands by Al & Laura Ries
Could you recommend five general interest books that should be must-reads for young people?
I can’t say.
Do you prefer hard copies or digital texts?
Hard copy
What are the significant differences and appeal of each in your view?
I have this old-age attachment to the hard copy versions of books, even the Bible. I’d rather read the hard copy than the App version.
Any preference between fiction and non-fiction books?
Non-fiction. I can’t remember the last time I read fiction.
Is there any preference between Nigerian and foreign authors?
None
Who are your all-time favourite authors?
Al Ries (He is late now)
What about films and theatre? Could you list your Top Ten films, plays or theatre performances?
No. 1 for me is “The Sound of Music”
Do you do audiobooks? What are your thoughts on audiobooks?
No
What about podcasts?
No. But I’ll try it out someday soon.
Do you share the notion that Nigerians do not read? What informs your response for or against?
Nigerians do read, especially older Nigerians of 50 years or more. But the younger ones (who are digital natives) read too little.
Any thoughts on reading generally and what it contributes to readers?
Reading has made me who I am today, especially in giving me a broad global mindset (yet I’ve not travelled much outside Nigeria in all my 58 years).
Attention: Bibliophiles and professionals
Ten essential books in my profession
Every discipline has core literature that each devotee must read and imbibe.
From Law to Engineering, these books teach the language of the business.
Which are the books in your profession?
Share your Top Ten Books in My Profession.
The list will assist young entrants into each field, enable bookstores to stock the essentials, provide guidance and guardrails, and enable reviews of orthodoxy.
Let’s do this for our professions today and tomorrow.
Send your list today to [email protected].
