POET and lawyer, Ogaga Ifowodo, has won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature, securing the $100,000 award with his collection, Why Does God Need a Gun?, which explores religious and political violence.
Ifowodo was announced as the winner at the annual award ceremony organised by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) in Lagos on Friday, October 9, emerging ahead of two other finalists in a competition that received 223 entries.
The other shortlisted writers were author of Unbind Me Now, James Ngwu Eze, and Tares Oburumu, whose collection is titled Flora’s Love Colony.
This year’s competition focused on poetry, one of four literary categories covered by the prize in a rotating cycle that also includes prose fiction, drama and children’s literature.
Ifowodo has previously published poetry collections including Homeland and Other Poems, Madiba and The Oil Lamp. His collection A Good Mourning was shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, while Augusta’s Poodle made the longlist.
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Two filmmakers share creative arts award
NLNG also announced Peter Oghenetega Oke and Feranmi Abiola as joint winners of the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, which carries a $20,000 award.
Oke won with his documentary, Beyond Tarkwa Bay, while Abiola was recognised for Mara Mania. The inaugural competition attracted 98 entries and focused on documentary filmmaking under the theme ‘Identity.’
The prize was introduced to promote Nigerian creative talent and encourage filmmakers and artists to tell stories reflecting the country’s communities, cultures and changing sense of identity.
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Science prize winner announced in September
The literature and creative arts awards follow the announcement of Mary-Brenda Akoda as the 2026 winner of the Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation for her GenScan AI innovation in September.
The science award also carries a $100,000 prize and recognises innovations with the potential to address societal challenges. The category had no winner in 2025.
NLNG established the Nigeria Prizes in 2004 to encourage excellence in science and literature before expanding its recognition of Nigerian creative work through the creative arts category.
The annual awards ceremony is traditionally held in October, around the anniversary of the company’s first shipment of liquefied natural gas on October 9, 1999.
