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Nigeria Literature Prize: Three Make Final List
The Advisory Board for
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, has approved a final shortlist of three books out of the initial shortlist of six released last month. The books are Eno’s Story by Ayodele Olofintuade, The Missing Clock by Mai Nasara and The Great Fall by Chinyere Obi-Obasi.
Chairman of the Board, Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo, said the eventual winner of the competition will be announced on 10th October 2011 at a world press conference at Eko Hotel, Lagos. The winner of The Nigeria Prize for Science will also be announced at the same occasion.
Eno’s Story is a topical story to combat a raging evil that has condemned innocent children to early death or life-long stigmatisation. The Ibadan born author, Ayodele Olofintuade, teaches Creative Writing at Ibadan International School and is also a freelance book editor. She is married with two children.
Missing Clock by Mai Nasara is the story of Banji, a bright and boisterous four-year-old who made his parents rich. Mai Nasara is the pen name of Adeleke Adeyemi, a journalist and science communicator with interests in TV/film, poetry and leadership studies. Missing Clock is his first children’s book. He is married with a daughter.
Set in present day Lagos, The Great Fall is a modern rendition of the age-old hare and tortoise story. The story is narrated by Mrs Mba with her children interjecting in the classical bedtime story tradition. The author, Chinyere Obi-Obasi, a graduate of English and Law, was called to the Nigerian bar in 1993. She is a banker and author of two other children’s books. Obi-Obasi is married with five children.
The chairman of the panel of judges is Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, a professor of English at the University of Lagos and past co-winner of the prize. Other members of the panel are Prof. Lekan Oyegoke of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Prof. Yakubu Nasidi of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. David Ker, Vice Chancellor The Catholic University of Nigeria, Obehi, Abia State and Prof. Ini-Obong Uko, Department of English, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The other member of the Advisory Board, besides Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo, is Dr. Jerry Agada, President of the Association of Nigerian Authors.
The children’s literature prize does not favour any genre, prose, poetry or drama; only good writing is rewarded. The prize sifts the huge array of children’s books which come out every four years, shortlisting only the outstanding entries.
The judges expressed their delight at the high standard of writing evident in a lot of the entries for the competition this year. They also harped on the need for writers to raise their standards, as many entries were still riddled with avoidable errors of logic, syntax and spelling. Prof. Adimora-Ezeigbo said it was challenging arriving at the final shortlist of three from the initial shortlist.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature has since 2004 rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara, founding father of modern Nigerian poetry, Professor Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner 2005), Ahmed Yerima, for his classic, Hard Ground, Mabel Segun for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre; Kaine Agary for Yellow Yellow, and Esiaba Irobi who posthumously clinched the prize, last year, with his book Cemetery Road.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.