‘Let’s not re-Villagise the Nigerian debate by relaunching the dichotomy between foreign and home-based Nigerian writers’
(Text of CORA Statement at the Book Party for The Laureates of the Nigeria Literature Prize 2025)
These novels, written by authors who hail from all the corners of Nigeria, east, west, south-south, middle belt, and core north, present fictional accounts that take us on different journeys to the Nigerian heartland. We witness a Nigerian family dispute in South Africa; the stories walk us through the anxieties of a school-minded teenager getting pregnant in Eastern Nigeria. We engage with the frustrations of a visa applicant whose request is dismissed on the basis that he is of a minority tribe
By Toyin Akinosho
A WARM welcome to our guests of honour, the distinguished longlisted authors for the prestigious Nigeria Literature Prize and their families
I crave the indulgence of the Chairman Board of Trustees CORA, Chief Kayode Aderinokun and members of the CORA Board of Trustees, the CORA Governing Board as well as the leadership of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited.
Welcome our friends, book lovers, book readers, literary enthusiasts, plain well-wishers and everyone here present, to the 16th edition of the Book Party organised by the partnership of CORA-The Nigeria Prize for Literature
We are here because a profitable Nigerian gas company decided that a way to spend some share of its profit is to enable the Nigerian reading space.
The last time we got together was August 17 2024, at the Shell Hall, which has found a way to take over from the National Theatre as the primary site for cultural engagement.
I want to congratulate NLNG Ltd, who are currently expanding their factory by 35% for the opportunity that the global market for gas continues to provide them, so that they have the incentive to continue to sponsor the Prize.
The NLNG runs the largest midstream hydrocarbon plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it is a dutiful payer of taxes into the Nigerian treasury.
Perhaps one story that they don’t tell enough is this: almost half of the cooking gas that we consume in this country comes from their plant in Bonny. They would like to supply more, but vandalism of pipelines in the Niger Delta basin has constrained how much gas they can receive at the Bonny factory. And as you know, it is the processing of this gas that gets us cooking gas.
So thank you NLNG
Now let’s get back to the Prize.
This year’s competition is perhaps the most fiercely contested NPL in the Prize’s 22 year history. The best writers in Nigeria’s literary firmament are included among this 11 star writers we are honouring this evening
The list includes Chioma Okereke, who penned Water Baby; Chigoze Obioma, who laid out The Road to the Country; Yewande Omotoso, who examines An Unusual Grief; and Michael Afenfia, whose protagonist warns: Leave my Bones In Saskatoon.
There is Linda M. Masi, who dreamt up Fine Dreams Ayo Oyeku, returns to the Longlist for the second year in a row, this time with Petrichor: The Scent of a New Beginning; Abubakar Adam Ibrahim, who won this award nine years ago, comes back with When We Were Fireflies; Chika Unigwe, is another returnee. She won the NPL in 2012 and we all went to Nsukka to witness her acceptance. This time, her fare is titled The Middle Daughter. We also have on the Longlist Oyin Olugbile’s Sanya.
Nikki May points directly to This Motherless Land and Uwem Akpan has written of New York, My Village.
These novels, written by authors who hail from all the corners of Nigeria, east, west, south-south, middle belt, and core north, present fictional accounts that take us on different journeys to the Nigerian heartland. We witness a Nigerian family dispute in South Africa; the stories walk us through the anxieties of a school-minded teenager getting pregnant in Eastern Nigeria. We engage with the frustrations of a visa applicant whose request is dismissed on the basis that he is of a minority tribe.
Just as you’d encounter deeper, nuanced interpretations of the lives of individuals caught in the middle of fatal raids on farming settlements, and the imagined telling of the spiritual basis for a south westerner deeply entrenched in fighting the Biafran war against Nigeria, you’d also be entertained by historical narratives of the grandeur of old pre-colonial African empires. You’ll read about the adventures of a visual artist painting carcasses of the old railway facilities in the middle of the country. And there are narratives of a simpler, more innocent period in what have become our chaotic overpopulated cities, there are also social enquiries about today’s youth angst against repressive authorities.
Some critics have returned to the old, settled argument regarding the dichotomy between foreign-based Nigerian writers and at –home Nigerian writers. All I can say is that we shouldn’t seek to re-Villagise the Nigerian debate.
Concerns have also been expressed about winners returning to contest. My answer is that those lamentations have not taken cognizance of the advantages of community building.
At the book party last year at Shell Hall, I pointed out that Ndidi Chiazor Enenmor, a short story writer who was on the 2019 Long List with A Hero’s Welcome had returned to the list with A Father’s Pride
Henry Akubuiro competed for the for the 2023 NPL right until the last day, with the text Yamtarawala, the Warrior King. He showed up on the Long List in 2024 with Mighty Mite and Golden Jewel
Jude Idada, whose book, Boom Boom won the Prize in 2019, had been in several rounds of this same competition before he won. So was the 2023 winner of the NPL, the poet and dramatist Obari Gomba. Before Gomba won the prize in 2023, with the political drama, GRIT, his works were longlisted four times.
Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike, who was on the 2023 longlist was also part of the long list in 2011. In 2021, he won the Nigerian Prize for Criticism, which is a newer prize in the Nigerian Prize for Literature system.
The current chairperson of the prize advisory board, Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, and a member of the board, Ahmed Yerima, both professors, have been winners of the award. Ahmed Yerima competed for the prize more than once. He won at the first time he competed and then he tried again.
I have gone to this bit of historical excursion to highlight the fact that the NPL has become an enabler in the Nigerian literary ecosystem.
But at CORA, we see an opportunity for the creation of an entire economy around the book trade. The NPL cannot alone wipe out all the entrenched dysfunctions of the Nigerian publishing sector, but it goes far. And those who are comparing it with book prizes in countries with structured book industries are grossly unfair.
The first Book Party, which took place in the scenic seaside premises of the Goethe Institut on Victoria Island in 2010, was organized after a review of the first five years of the Prize (2004-2009), in response to calls that the prize should do more than a glamourous Gala night in which one author got rich, but the Nigerian book trade and literary scene as a whole didn’t seem elevated.
CORA decided to help out. We asked the question: Why don’t we organise book readings, in which the top laureates come out to engage with audiences?
For what is the worth of the riches when you don’t have an audience?
Nothing beats a Book Reading, an event at which an author sits and discusses his work with readers in the room.
The Book Party is one of the series of events in our Calendar that preface our Annual Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF). The theme, this year, is Change: Imagining Alternatives
This year, CORA has determined three initiatives that extend this book reading to more than today
- CORA has returned to regularly featuring the BOOKTrek, a periodic Book Reading programme at Book stores and culture spaces. It’s a periodic author-audience interface, featuring readings, reviews and discussions of select books of searching historical and contemporary insight. We have had six Book Treks this year and trust me; the texts are all significant. The BookTrek It is part of CORA’s extension services, aimed at deepening Literary Appreciation and Audience Engagement with the published text.
- Regardless of who wins the NPL this year, this afternoon’s laureates are invited to the BOOK TREK segment of this year’s LABAF, to share their work with Festival attendees. They will also be hosted to readings in the week after LABAF.
Permit me to repeat our invitation to you all to participate in the Lagos Book and Art Festival, from November 13-19, 2025, at the Freedom Park in Lagos Island. The theme again, is ‘Change: Imagining Alternatives’. That will be the 27th edition.
We are going to have an exciting time this afternoon, engaging with this star-studded cast of writers. Let us enjoy the moment.
Again, let me crave the indulgence of the CORA Board of Trustees to invite all the laureates here, regardless of whoever wins the prize, to the 27th Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF, November 10-16.
Toyin Akinosho
Secretary General, CORA
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‘Let Nigerian stories be told by Nigerian voices and heard around the world’
(Opening Remarks by Dr Sophia Horsfall, NLNG General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, at the CORA-NPL Book Party on August 3rd, 2025, Lagos)
By Dr. Titi Horsfall
In the past 25 years, the literature prize has ignited dreams, sharpened critical thinking, and inspired a new generation of Nigerian writers now stepping onto the global literary stage. The Nigeria Prize for Literature continues to give visibility, validation, and encouragement to stories that might otherwise go unheard, reminding the world that Nigeria has voices that matter
GOOD Afternoon, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. We are here to celebrate imagination, craft, and the transformative power of literature, courtesy of NLNG and the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA). If you love stories in any form, today is for you. You are welcome.
This Book Party is a testament to NLNG’s enduring belief in Nigeria’s creative future. While we produce energy to power homes, we also believe that stories power hope. In the past 25 years, the literature prize has ignited dreams, sharpened critical thinking, and inspired a new generation of Nigerian writers now stepping onto the global literary stage. The Nigeria Prize for Literature continues to give visibility, validation, and encouragement to stories that might otherwise go unheard, reminding the world that Nigeria has voices that matter.
This year, we received an impressive 252 entries in Prose for the Nigeria Prize for Literature. Today, the NLNG CORA Book Party celebrates the eleven outstanding books on the long list, selected from these entries.
Let us take a moment to applaud the eleven longlisted authors whose powerful voices have brought us together this afternoon. Can I see a show of hands from those who have already read some of these titles? Fantastic! By the end of tonight, I hope even more hands will go up.
In the weeks ahead, our panel of judges will refine this list to a shortlist of three. On October 10, we will crown the winning work of the year. Please mark the date and stay connected with us through this exciting journey.
To our vibrant literary community, let us continue to champion these remarkable works. Share them widely, recommend them on every platform, and let the global community see that Nigerian literature is shaping the future of storytelling.
To young and upcoming writers here tonight, I urge you to see yourselves as the next contenders for this prize. You are among mentors and peers who believe in the power of your voice. Ask questions, soak up the inspiration, and commit to crafting stories that will one day claim a place on this stage.
As our renowned Literary icon Chinua Achebe reminded us, until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter. Let us ensure that Nigerian stories are told by Nigerian voices and heard around the world.
Make the most of this Afternoon. May the conversations you begin here spark manuscripts, collaborations, and movements that outlive us all.
Thank you and have a wonderful Book Party.
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‘The CORA-NPL Book Party is our annual communal feast, let’s uphold it’
(Text of CORA Board of Trustees Chairman’s Speech)
By Kayode Aderinokun
…if you are in this room or watching online, it shows that you are converted already. And what they need most is not only for you to buy the book, but to read the book, because we can only go so far with recording our thoughts and contributions to the store’s knowledge
GOOD evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is the 16th edition of our collaboration with Nigeria NLG. It has been a wonderful journey. We have had such a sweet journey, and I can confirm to you that we could not have had better partners than Nigeria NLG. It is one thing to have a noble idea, a noble project, and it is another thing to have the work done.
People ask me, “What is the meaning of the ‘Book Party”? My answer is: How do you describe a book and a party to an average Nigerian? Our concept of party is Owambe, and it does not resonate with the book. So, I had a lot of problems explaining to my friends, invitees, that we would actually discuss a book, but we would also dance. And what is our medium of dance? Our medium of dance is the interrogation of beautiful ideas that are going to develop a society, book space in the room.
Writers are just a small part of it; they have to engage with these other components in the book space. So, it is almost like going for the Olympic Games final to get here, and what happened there after seems to be a thing of concern… I was telling the GM External Relations of Nigeria NLG (Dr Horsfall) that a new dimension seems to have come up today withing interrogation; that is, people want to know what you are going to do with the money when you have won.
But we are all here; if you are in this room or watching online, it shows that you are converted already. And what they need most is not only for you to buy the book, but to read the book, because we can only go so far with recording our thoughts and contributions to the store’s knowledge. And this place, we are lucky there are so many avenues to do that and not just because it is only printed books. AI has done magical things for us, so we have so many dimensions that we can explore to do whatever we want.
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‘Writers, keep daring to dream, keep honing your craft, and keep telling our stories…’
(Closing Address by Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, NLNG Manager Corporate Communication and Sustainable Development, at the CORA-NPL Book Party on August 3rd, 2025, Lagos)
By Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku
To our writers, I leave you with this: keep daring to dream, keep honing your craft, and keep telling our stories in ways that resonate across the globe. To our readers, publishers, teachers, students, and all champions of literature, your support is what gives these stories wings
DISTINGUISHED friends of literature, what a fulfilling day this has been! We have shared stories, celebrated our brilliant authors, and witnessed the spark of ideas that will continue to shape our literary landscape.
Today was not just about the books on the long list of eleven, it was about the community that nurtures the creativity in literature. Each conversation, each question, each applause tonight reminds us that Nigerian literature is alive, vibrant, and destined for greater heights.
One of the joys of the CORA NPL Book Party is access. You will hear authors read. You can ask them why a character made that choice, how a poem found its form, and what sparked a line.
People sometimes ask, you produce LNG, why invest in Literature? Our answer is simple, development is incomplete without the imagination to envision better futures. NLNG’s mission is to deliver energy to improve lives and inspire a sustainable future. That future requires informed citizens, curious minds, and courageous storytellers. The Nigeria Prize for Literature stands as one of the clearest symbols of this belief, continually pushing the boundaries of our collective creativity.
My sincere thanks to CORA, the Advisory Board, our distinguished judges, the media, and especially the authors and critics who trust this process.
To our writers, I leave you with this: keep daring to dream, keep honing your craft, and keep telling our stories in ways that resonate across the globe. To our readers, publishers, teachers, students, and all champions of literature, your support is what gives these stories wings.
And to our media friends, continue to amplify the narratives in these works so they soar to every corner of the world.
As we look ahead to October 10, when the winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2025 will be announced, let us carry forward the energy and inspiration of this evening. Engage with these books, discuss them, share them, and let them open doors to new conversations.
I invite you now to join me in one final, resounding applause for the authors, critics, and everyone who has made tonight possible.
Thank you all for being part of this celebration. Travel safely, keep reading, and let’s continue to make Nigerian literature so inspiring that the world cannot ignore it.
Thank you and good night.
