Obari Gomba’s ‘Grit’ wins 2023 Nigeria Prize for Literature

Obari Gomba, the author of ‘Grit’, has won the 2023 edition of the Nigeria Prize for Literature.

Gomba, who won $100,000, beat Abideen Abolaji Ojomu’s ‘The Ojuelegba Crossroads’ and Henry Akubuiro’s ‘Yamtarawala – The Warrior King’ to win the prize.

‘Grit’ went up against 143 plays submitted for this year’s competition.

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, chairperson of the advisory board for the prize, announced the winning novel at the award ceremony in Lagos.

Adimora-Ezeigbo described ‘Grit’ as a dramatic journey into the destructive impact of soul-less politics of power.

She said 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 in the midst of pain,” she added.

Eyoh Asuquo Etim’s entry “Herstory Versus History: A Motherist Rememory in Akachi Ezeigbo’s The Last of the Strong Ones and Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun” was also announced as the winner of the prize for literary criticism, with a $10,000 win.

Hippolite Amadi, the winner of the prize for science, was also awarded $100,000 for his “ground-breaking work on respiratory technologies and keeping Nigerian newborn babies alive.”

Philip Mshelbila said the event, themed ‘Re–definition’, emphasises the need for a rapid change in Nigeria and the world as a whole.

“Our bid for redefinition is further contextualised through the sponsorship of the Nigeria Prizes: the Nigeria Prize for Science, Literature, and Literary Criticism,” he said.

“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.

“Likewise, the genre for the 2023 NLNG Prize for Literature is drama. As is apparent, drama has an adept way of communicating themes and messages for our deeper reflection.”

The NPL was inaugurated in 2004 and sponsored by Nigerian LNG Limited.