Ifowodo Wins NLNG’s $100,000 Nigeria Prize For Poetry With Collection On Violence
In a related development, Beyond Tarkwa Bay by Peter Oghenetega Oke and Mara Mania by Feranmi Abiola have emerged as joint winners of the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, which carries a $20,000 cash award.
The winners were announced at the Grand Award Night organised by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) in Lagos on Friday night.
Ifowodo’s poetry collection was selected from 223 entries, while the two winning documentaries emerged from 98 submissions for the Creative Arts Prize.
Announcing the literature winner, Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, described ‘Why Does God Need a Gun?’ as a sensitive portrayal of religious and political violence in Nigeria, narrated through the voice of an imagined victim.
She commended all three shortlisted poetry collections for their technical skill, confidence and mature use of language, noting that they addressed themes extending beyond Nigeria’s borders.
According to her, the collections explored interconnected issues, including identity and belonging, the promises and disappointments of nationhood, the consequences of extremism and displacement, and the enduring impact of conflict on individuals and communities.
She said that, although distinct in voice and style, the works were rooted in the Nigerian experience while contributing to wider global conversations about humanity.
On the Creative Arts Prize, Technical Adviser to its Advisory Board, Joel Kachi Benson, praised the five shortlisted documentaries for challenging perceptions, fostering human connections and drawing attention to communities and experiences that often remain overlooked.
He said the films brought audiences closer to communities whose stories were rarely told and amplified voices that frequently went unheard.
The literature and creative arts awards followed the September 2026 announcement of Mary-Brenda Akoda as the winner of The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation.
Akoda’s winning innovation, GenScan AI (GenMRI/C-MORE), is an artificial intelligence-powered solution designed to accelerate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Her victory marked two milestones: She became the prize’s first-Generation Z recipient and the first woman to win as an individual awardee.
Speaking at the ceremony, NLNG Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adeleye Falade, said the Nigeria Prizes were established to recognise outstanding achievements and promote scientific innovation, literary excellence and creative expression that enrich society and improve lives.
Falade said this year’s winning innovation, which focused on artificial intelligence and information technology, had the potential to transform lives in Nigeria and beyond.
Falade described the Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts as a platform for recognising originality, authenticity and creative excellence, particularly among artists who preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage while reinterpreting it for a new generation.
In his remarks, Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka called for closer collaboration between the humanities and the sciences, describing imagination as a vital link between literature, creative arts and scientific inquiry.
He argued that imagination was not confined to the humanities, noting that disciplines such as mathematics and physics also depended on vision and the ability to conceive new possibilities.
Wale Igbintade
