The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature on Wednesday announced Jude Idada’s Boom Boom, Dunni Olatunde’s Mystery at Ebenezer Lodge, and O.T. Begho’s The Great Walls of Benin as finalists for the 2019 Nigeria Prize for Literature, worth $100,000 and sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG).
‘Boom Boom’ by Jude Idada highlights a common health issue in Nigeria, sickle cell anaemia, and the pain, love and bonds of friendship that come with the daily struggles of the victims in fascinating and capturing storytelling.
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The book unveils the world of an eight-year-old boy who tries to find a way of saving his sister from sickle cell anaemia, a disease that claimed the life of his mother.
‘Mystery at Ebenezer Lodge’ by Dunni Olatunde evokes nostalgic thrills of childhood adventures. The book is about the Ilesanmi children who were sent to their grandmother’s aunt for a week only to uncover a mystery of someone entering an old building without using the doors. It is a story about curiosity, riddles and problem-solving.
O.T. Begho’s The Great Walls of Benin brings children’s attention to the myths of origin, set in the ancient Kingdom of Benin. Two children go on a quest after a harmless game of hide and seek, opening up a surreal world of culture and heritage.
The winner of the prize will be announced at an award night on October 11.
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Chairman of the panel of judges for this year’s prize, Professor Obodimma Oha, is a professor of cultural semiotics and stylistics in the Department of English, University of Ibadan. Other members of the Panel include Professor Asabe Usman Kabir, professor of oral and African literature at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto; and Dr Patrick Oloko, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos who specialises in African Postcolonial Literature, Gender and Cultural Studies.
In selecting the works, the judges reported that the books represent a very high degree of creativity. They stated that the books were highly didactic, yet coated in an absorbing and engaging narrative.
The judges agreed that the style of writing exhibited in the three books is suitable for children and helps provide clarity to the vicissitudes of life, spur healthy curiosity, build problem-solving skills as well as promote the role of oral literature as an effective tool for disseminating knowledge to children.
The international consultant to the advisory board for this year’s prize is Kelvin Nyong Toh, Professor of English at University of Bamenda, Cameroun. The international consultant advises the board, alongside the final report by the judges, on the winning entry for the prize.
The members of the advisory board are Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo, two-time Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan; Professor Jerry Agada, former Minister of State for Education/former President of the Association of Nigerian Authors; and Professor Emeritus Ben Elugbe, former President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and President of the West-African Linguistic Society (2004-2013).
Prof. Banjo, while announcing the finalists, reassured that his board would retain the high literary standards the prize, remarking that it remains the most prestigious literary prize in Africa.
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The Nigeria Prize for Literature has since 2004 rewarded eminent writers such as Gabriel Okara (co-winner, 2004, poetry), Professor Ezenwa Ohaeto (co-winner, 2004, poetry) for The Dreamer, His Vision; Ahmed Yerima (2005, drama) for his classic, Hard Ground; Mabel Segun (co-winner, 2007, children’s literature) for her collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre among others.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly among four literary genres: prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. The 2019 prize is for children’s literature. Next year’s competition will focus on prose fiction.
