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By Prisca Sam-Duru

Memory and the Call of Water’ by Su’eddie Vershima  Agema, ‘Nomad’ by Romeo Oriogun, and ‘Your Crib, My Qibla’ by Saddiq Dzukogi have been announced  as finalists for the 2022 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature which focuses on poetry.

The announcement was made by the Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, Friday, August 26, 2022.

 The prestigious literature prize which is sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has a cash award of $100,000.

Announcing the three finalists, in a live broadcast on the Prize’s social media channels, the Chair of the Advisory Board, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo,  said the books were selected out of a longlist of 11, announced recently by the Board.

A total of 287 books were entered for the competition, which is focused on Poetry. According to the Board, ‘Memory and the Call of Water’ “is a collection that consistently uses memory to reflect on life and destiny through the metaphor of water”.

Nomad she said, “has a fresh language and a nostalgic engagement with the themes of exile and displacement, while ‘Your Crib, My Qibla’, translates tragedy into lyrical poetry with pathos and effortless imagery”.

The judges will decide on who emerges winner of the Prize, which will be announced by the Advisory Board on 14th October 2022.

The Board will also announce the verdict on the 2022 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.

The panel of judges include Sule Emmanuel Egya, who is the Chairman of the panel and a professor of African Literature and Cultural Studies at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State.

 Other judges are Toyin Adewale-Gabriel and Dike Chukwumerije. Adewale-Gabriel is a poet and fiction writer. Dike Chukwumerije is a spoken word and performance poet, and an award-winning author. The Advisory Board also announced the appointment of Professor Susan Nalugwa Kiguli as the International Consultant for this year’s Prize.