Follow Us on Google
James Ngwu Eze, Ogaga Ifowodo and Tares Oburumu have been shortlisted for the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature, with one of the three poets set to win the $100,000 prize.
The three emerged from 223 submissions received for this year’s competition, which is dedicated to poetry.
Their works — Unbind Me Now by Eze, Why Does God Need A Gun? by Ifowodo and Flora’s Love Colony by Oburumu — were selected after an 11-title longlist was announced in July.
The Advisory Board said the three collections distinguished themselves in language, originality, form, craftsmanship and literary value.
According to the board, “James Ngwu Eze, in Unbind Me Now, uses language that is fluid and aesthetically captivating. This collection decries the sociopolitical dysfunction of the nation and the world at large, interrogating the human condition, and charting a path for redemption.”
It described Ifowodo’s Why Does God Need A Gun? as a work that explores religious and political violence in Nigeria through allegory.
“Ogaga Ifowodo, in Why Does God Need A Gun?, depicts religious and political violence in Nigeria, couched in a rich allegorical style,” the board said.
It added that the collection uses a tripartite structure of “body, mind and spirit” to examine forces behind some of the challenges confronting the world.
On Oburumu’s Flora’s Love Colony, the board said the collection examines Nigeria’s troubled history while challenging established narratives.
“While Tares Oburumu’s Flora’s Love Colony is written in a densely poetic style on Nigeria’s troubled history. It challenges mainstream narrative and is an inspiring socio-historical collection, captured in lucid imagery and evocative language,” it said.
Chairperson of the Advisory Board, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, said the shortlist showed the strength and quality of contemporary Nigerian poetry.
She said narrowing the field from 223 submissions to three finalists was a demanding task for the judges.
According to her, the shortlisted works stood out for their literary quality, originality and ability to engage readers with issues affecting society and the wider world.
The 2026 competition is the poetry edition of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, which rotates annually among four genres — prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.
Now in its 22nd year, the prize is sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) to promote literary excellence, encourage creativity and support the growth of Nigeria’s literary culture.
With the field now reduced to three, Eze, Ifowodo and Oburumu are in the final race for the $100,000 prize, with the winner to be determined after the final stage of the judging process.
