Sam Ukala wins Nigeria Prize for Literature with Iredi War

The announcement was made Thursday in Lagos by the panel of judges led by Prof. Charity Angya.Iredi War was selected from the 124 plays submitted for the competition, which focused on Drama this year. The Panel of Judges first whittled the entries to  49, 25, 11 and then 3 from which the winning entry has […]

The announcement was made Thursday in Lagos by the panel of judges led by Prof. Charity Angya.
Iredi War was selected from the 124 plays submitted for the competition, which focused on Drama this year.
The Panel of Judges first whittled the entries to  49, 25, 11 and then 3 from which the winning entry has now emerged. The other two books that were in the final shortlist are: Alekwu Night Dance by Friday John Abba and Oduduwa, King of the Edos by Jude Idada.
In arriving at Ukala’s Iredi War, the judges specifically commended “the masterly handling of vast historical material through the narrative and action method”.
According to Prof. Angya, “The language captures indigenous sensibilities, preserves the profundity of the original, and yet entertains.”
Besides, the Independent International Consultant to the Advisory Board on the 2014 Prize, Prof. MzoSirayi, described the book as, “Poignant, proactive and stimulating”.
In his words: “At no other time in history will the theme of war be more relevant than now given rising provocations and conflicts in different parts of the world.”
For the first time since it was introduced in 2012, the Prize for Literary Criticism was awarded to Isidore Diala.
The Award, introduced to reward literary critics of Nigerian literature from all over the world, attracts one million naira (N1,000, 000) cash reward. Diala’s article “Colonial Mimicry and Postcolonial Remembering in Isidore Okpewho’s “Call Me by My Rightful Name” was adjudged winner from seven entries.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Science are two of Nigeria LNG Limited’s numerous projects aimed at helping to build a better Nigeria.