Obari Gomba’s Grit Wins Nigeria Prize for Literature

The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited, (NLNG) on Friday announced “Grit”, authored by the playwright, Obari Gomba, as the winner of the $100,000 prize for the 2023 cycle on Drama.

Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairperson of the Advisory Board, announced the development at the Grand Award Night ceremony in Lagos, themed “Redefinition”.

This development was contained in a press statement the General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, issued.

She also mentioned Eyoh Asuquo Etim’s “Herstory versus ‘History’: A motherist rememory in Akachi Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones.

Chimamanda Adichie’s “Half of a Yellow Sun” emerged as the 2023 winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, which comes with $10,000 prize money.

The winning book beat two other books on the Shortlist of Three, The Ojuelegba Crossroads by Abideen Abolaji Ojomu and “Yamtarawala – The Warrior King” by Henry Akubuiro. The book competed against 143 plays submitted for the competition in 2023.

Prof Hippolite Amadi, the 2023 winner of The Nigeria Prize for Science, powered by NLNG, was awarded $100,000 for his ground-breaking work on respiratory technologies for keeping Nigerian newborn babies alive.

He was announced the winner in September by the Advisory Board led by Professor Barth Nnaji.

The MD/CEO of Nigeria LNG, Dr Philip Mshelbila, said the event theme emphasised the need for redefinition in a rapidly changing world characterised by pandemics, geopolitical events, climate change, technological advancements, and more.

He stated that redefinition involved looking at things in new ways, whether at a national, communal, or personal level, which often begins with re-evaluation, reassessment, and revision of established positions.

Mshelbila expressed excitement about Nigeria’s prospects in the energy transition journey, particularly with natural gas as an enabler, highlighting NLNG’s support for the Decade of Gas policy.

“In NLNG, we supported the declaration of the Decade of Gas, which the federal government launched in 2021. It was to help Nigeria achieve industrialisation, and economic prosperity, and tackle energy poverty by using gas as an enabler. This aligns with NLNG’s vision to be a globally competitive LNG company helping to build a better Nigeria.

“I have expressed optimism in several fora that the Decade of Gas policy would enable the country to catch up with the industrialised countries of the world if successfully implemented as planned, while at the same time decarbonising our ecosystem.”

The MD underscored their bid for redefinition, which is further contextualised through the sponsorship of the Nigeria Prizes: the Nigeria Prize for Science, Literature, and Literary Criticism.

He added: “This year, the theme of the science prize is Innovation for Enhancement of Healthcare Therapy.

“We need our people to be in their best form—physically, mentally, and emotionally—to tap into the wealth attainable through Nigeria’s reasoned potential.”

Speaking, the special guest of honour, Muhammad Sanusi II, stated that the event’s theme transcends science and literature and that it was time for Nigeria to redefine itself.

“We often lament our image, but what have we done to change it? When will we celebrate scientists like Professor Amadi?

“NLNG is shedding light on such individuals, and I hope more Nigerians will do the same. This is the essence of redefinition,” Sanusi emphasised.

He stated also that NLNG has the potential to redefine the nation’s economy by helping the country transition from oil to gas, which could cut energy costs by 50 per cent to 60 per cent in the country, significantly impacting inflation, people’s livelihoods, and the nation as a whole.

According to Adimora-Ezeigbo, the winning book, Grit, is a dramatic journey into the destructive impact of soul-less politics of power and profit which brings out the beast in man.

She stated that the play builds the motivations for the actions of every character in a lifelike manner “with apt characterisation and purposeful manipulation of plot and conflict.

“The play is filled with conflicts that create the mood of the inevitability of tragedy and the language is full of twists that entertain amid pain”.

Nigeria LNG Limited has expressed its continuous commitment to responsible corporate citizenship. It said The Nigeria Prize for Science, The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism are some of its numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.