Tade Ipadeola emerges winner of 2013 NLNG Prize

Ipadeola

Author and poet, Tade Ipadeola with The Sahara Testaments, yesterday emerged winner of the biggest literary prize in Africa, the 2013 Nigerian prize for literature, which comes with $100,000 cash prize. He beat two other poets on the shortlist - Ogochukwu Promise and Chidi Amu Nnadi.

The General Manager of Corporate Affairs at the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Kudo Eresia Eke, announced the winner of this year’s prize at a world press conference held at the Coral Hall of the Ocean View Restaurant in Victora Island, Lagos.

He described Tade as using “The Sahara as a metonymy for the problems of Africa and that of the whole world. It encompasses vast stores of knowledge, demonstrates a striking marriage of thoughts expressed in the blending of sound and sense.”

In his opening remarks, Eke noted that the NLNG by "sponsoring excellence will galvanize our country to be more reverential of excellence. We will also inspire other corporate organizations to do the same."

With this win, Ipadeola becomes the newly minted NLNG Prize winner, a prize that rotates annually around four genres: poetry, prose, drama and children’s literature.

According to Eke, “Dr. Agada and Head of judges, Professor Egudu were supported by the other members of the advisory board and judges; Professor Elugbe, Professor Ogundipe Molara Leslie and Dr. Andrew Aba as well as Professor Kofi Anyidoho who served as this year’s International consultant to the advisory board. Kaine Agary, winner of the Prize in 2008, was also on hand.

“This year’s prize received 201 entries which were first whittled down to 11 and then the 3 that made it to the finals. It featured two female poets, debutante Iquo Eke and veteran Promise Okekwe. Okekwe made it to the finals. There was also a strong showing from writers in the diaspora like Afam Akeh, Obi Nwakanma and Amatoritsero Ede.”

Last year’s prize was won by Belgium based Chika Unigwe for her novel, On Black Sisters Street making her the first foreign based Nigerian writer to win the prize which was hitherto reserved for Nigerian writers living in Nigeria.