It is believed that revival of Nigerian literature would not only create new set of commercial values along the full production chain, it would also sharpen the narrative skills of both writers and readers. It would challenge the imagination of writers and stimulate the readers’ intrinsic capacity for analytical thinking.

Sopuruchi Onwuka

The annual battle of creative ingenuity has reached a fierce dimension as over a hundred writers filed in manuscripts to claim the $100,000 (N70 million) endowed by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited in its 19 year old campaign to revamp Nigerian literature.  

IN the ongoing competition for the Nigerian Prize for Literature, the panels established by the NLNG to manage the process received surprising 156 entries from which they would now select the best works for the year.

According to the Chairman of the Advisory Board, who superintends the selection process, Prof Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, the entry works are split into two award categories: the Nigerian Prize for Literature which has 143 entries, and the Nigerian Prize for Literary Criticism which has 13 entries. Both prizes target separate cash rewards.

The winner of the Nigerian Prize for Literature goes home with $100,000 or N70 million. And the winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism jumps home with $10,000 or N1.0 million. The gap in the size of incentives explains the inclination of participants to walk the full length.

Prof Adimora-Ezeigbo declared that entries for 2023 Nigerian Prize for Literature jumped by significant 61 percent from the 89 recorded in the previous cycle to 143 in the drama genre of the competition.  She pointed at the noticeable increase in the participating interest.  

According to the NLNG, the Nigerian Prize for Literature has produced considerable 2,051 entries for 17 competitions that have so far produced 17 winning works since its commencement on February 2004.

The Oracle Today reports that in the past 19 years, the Nigerian Prize for Literature has incentivized Nigerian writers with ample cash rewards to produce thousands of literary corpuses which are evaluated for quality by the judges.

Peer writers chasing the Nigerian Prize for Literary Criticism also critique current and previous entries for technical gaps. And the excitement about the Nigerian Prize for Literary Criticism is the ancillary role to enliven the intellectual platform for literary debate.

Both prizes, The Oracle Today reports, work in synergy to reestablish the structures that hold the Nigerian literary glory. They work together to restore the level of creative energy required to maintain the gold standards set by Nigerian literary icons who laid African templates in storytelling, using foreign languages to externalize local experiences.

From Chinua Achebe to Flora Nwapa, from Soyinka to Ola Rotimi, and from Chukwuemeka Ike to Chinweizu; Nigeria retains a solid pedigree of excellence in all genres of literary expression. However, whereas the founding generation of writers held the golden scepters of its time, the expected trans-generational transfer of creative prowess proved impalpable. The succeeding generation of writers, except Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, comprised laggards who are incapable of sustaining the grandeur of their predecessors. And until the emergence of Chimamanda Adichie, Nigerian literature receded to historical study.

The broken relay of creative skill, the NLNG Limited said, consequently led to decline in quality of output across industries and sectors that rely on scribbling workforce.

 “The country produced one of the most decorated authors in the world, Prof. Chinua Achebe, whose book, Things Fall Apart, translated into more than 61 languages, has been listed by Encyclopaedia Britannica as one of 12 novels considered the greatest book ever written. Then there are the great legacies of other Nigerian writers such as Ben Okri, Cyprian Ekwensi, Femi Osofisan, Gabriel Okara, Christopher Okigbo, Chukwuemeka Ike, Flora Nwapa, among others, whose writings were compelling and helped positively shape what people know about Nigeria.

 “However, prior to inauguration of the Prize, the quality of writing, publishing, news features and articles in newspapers and magazines, and the quality of film production on television and radio did not paint a picture of the excellence the industry was previously known for.

“It therefore became evident to us at Nigeria LNG that a well-run literary prize with transparent adjudication process, administered by respected academics, writers and lovers of literature, and with respectable monetary reward will spur creativity and contribute to the improvement of the quality of writing, editing and publishing in Nigeria,” the company declared.

General Manager in Charge of Public Affairs at NLNG, Mr Andy Odeh, stated that “with The Nigeria Prize for Literature, it is expected that the quest for a prestigious prize will improve the quality of writing, editing, proof-reading, and publishing in the country with far-reaching positive effect on print, broadcast journalism, film and theatre production.”

“The Prize serves as a stimulus for Nigerian writers to strive for excellence, and we are proud to see an increase in entries this year for drama. We believe that through this Prize, we are promoting Nigerian literature and encouraging the growth of the literary industry in the country,” Mr Odeh said.

Thus, with the challenge and rewards from the NLNG Limited, the muse has been reinvented and creative flow is reactivated, leading to 19 years of annual literary tournament that has produced over 2000 manuscripts.

It is worth reiterating that the flow of manuscripts is sustained by competing writers who primarily target the prize money. But to clinch the prize, however, teeming contestants have inadvertently churned out innumerable print-worthy creative narrations. And whereas only the best works in the annual competitions win prizes, hundreds of entries have been declared excellent jobs by judges.

The life changing prize, the opportunity and spur for creative expression, the quest for recognition in a highly esteemed creative group, and the contribution to preserving the reading culture all combine to transform the Nigeria Prize for Literature into a Nigerian intellectual brand with global standards.

Beyond entries and prizes, the NLNG sponsored literary renaissance has succeeded in restoring the glory of creativity and excellence among writers. The hype and publicity have also created glamour and class around the prize, and restored the dignity of literature.

Moreover, the award ceremonies which pull the worthiest Nigerian celebrities and influencers to interaction with the literary community have attained Oscar status among cross-sectoral stakeholders that pool from all shades of life to grace the annual event every October.

The Oracle Today reports that invitation to the award presentation of the Nigerian Prize for Literature is currently a status symbol, so much so that crowd control has become a major planning challenge for organizers.

Looking around the globe, the Nigerian Prize for Literature and its literary renaissance run with the best international models for rewarding literary excellence.  It is not just one of hundreds of literary prizes in the world. The Nigerian prize comes with the difference in its purpose and. While remaining locally unique in addressing lull in the domestic environment, the Nigerian Prize for Literature maintains similar standards with well ingrained literary prizes around the world.

In line with global standards, selection of winning works for Nigerian Prize for Literature is as painstaking as scripting the books. Panels that take decisions are filled with eminent and respected people of unassailable records in literary society.  And the NLNG’s processes mirror the French Prix Goncourt the prize for which have been awarded by the 10 member Académie Goncourt to outstanding work of imaginative prose every November since 1903.

Acting Manager in charge of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at NLNG, Mr Yemi Adeyemi stated that the Nigerian Prize for Literature has, like the Prix Goncourt, been administered and awarded by independent sets of bodies every October since 2004 to commemorate the first export of LNG cargo by NLNG on October 9, 1999.

Thus, the Prize has actually started delivering on the aspiration to activate the Nigerian literary renaissance. And like the European Renaissance which projected writers like William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton and Dante; the Nigerian literary renaissance is already propelling writers to churn out hundreds of publishable manuscripts annually.

For the participants in the competition, the real prize might be the cash reward. But for NLNG and its partners in the programme, the ultimate prize is the rekindled interest in creative writing. Whereas the winning works would certainly be the best in the entries, they are not by any means the only worthy and satisfactory submissions.

So, while the competitors’ focus on the prize money sustains their interest in churning out tens and hundreds of print worthy manuscripts which lay commercial opportunities for publishers and other interests in the literature market; the key value for the country is the revival of literary and creative writing. The manuscripts form the pre-requisite for replenishment of Nigeria’s obsolete literary corpuses which are fast receding in time and disconnecting from the contemporary digital era. The prize is therefore providing a new Nigerian prism for writers to construct contemporary experience.

It is believed that revival of Nigerian literature would not only create new set of commercial values along the full production chain, it would also sharpen the narrative skills of both writers and readers. It would challenge the imagination of writers and stimulate the readers’ intrinsic capacity for analytical thinking.

Arguments have been advanced about the impact of movies, digital media and devices on the literature market. These arguments attack the commercial propositions for investments in publishing literature. Concerns have also been raised about the weakening market incentives for publication of literature books. But the resounding success and global acclaim contemporary writers like Nigeria’s Chimamanda Adichie have come handy as qualm busters. Bestselling books today are sold on digital platforms and delivered in soft copy. The emerging digital space provides opportunity for every human endeavor.

What was visibly lacking in Nigerian literature space is a kicker: someone who provides the stimulus. And the Nigerian Prize for Literature now provides both the commercial incentive and global prestige for authors. And the response is building.