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143 Contestants Jostle For $100,000 Nigeria Literature Prize
NLNG Sponsored Prize Records 61% Increase in Drama Cycle Entries

About 143 contestants have made entries for the 2023 edition of Nigeria Prize for Literature in Drama category, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG). This is a remarkable 61% increase against 89 entries in the last Drama cycle in 2018. The entrants will compete for a top prize of $100,000.
This was revealed today at a ceremony in Lagos to hand over the entries to judges for the commencement of the adjudication process. NLNG, represented by its General Manager for External Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr Andy Odeh, handed over the entries to the Chair of the Prize’s Advisory Board, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, who, in turn, handed over the entries to the judges.
The Prize rotates yearly amongst four literary categories of prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.
The Advisory Board also handed over 13 entries for The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.
Professor Ameh Dennis Akoh chairs the panel of judges for this year’s Literature and the Literary Criticism competition. Professor Akoh is a Professor of Drama and Critical Theory at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State. He has over 50 publications in refereed local and international journals and books. He is the former Editor of the Nigerian Journal of Indigenous Knowledge and Development, Nigerian Theatre Journal (NTJ), Co-editor of African Nebula and the UNIOSUN College of Humanities Monograph Series (2009-2016).
Other panel members include Professor Osita Catherine Ezenwanebe and Dr Rasheedah Liman. Professor Ezenwanebe is a professor of Creative Arts at the University of Lagos. She has written and produced several full-length plays. Dr Liman is a Senior lecturer at the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, Kaduna State.
Professor Victor K. Yankah from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies, the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, serves as the International Consultant for the 2023 edition of the Prize.
Speaking on the entries received for the 2023 edition of the Prize, Mr Odeh expressed confidence in the judges and Advisory Board. He emphasised the importance of the dedicated website for the three prizes – The Nigeria Prize for Literature, the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, and the Nigeria Prize for Science – being the only platform for information regarding the prizes, winners, and the adjudication process.
“The Prize serves as a stimulus for Nigerian writers to strive for excellence, and we are proud to see an increase in entries this year for drama. We believe that through this Prize, we are promoting Nigerian literature and encouraging the growth of the literary industry in the country. We are confident that the judges and Advisory Board will do due diligence to produce a verdict based on merit and excellence, and we hope to see a worthy winner of the Prize at the end of the cycle,” he said.
In her remarks, Professor Adimora-Ezeigbo emphasised the importance of literature in driving development in Nigeria.
“Literature is a powerful tool that can drive development in our society. As we begin the adjudication process for this year’s Nigeria Prize for Literature, I urge the judges to use this opportunity to elevate literature and bring it to the forefront of the development discourse in Nigeria. The entries we have received are a testament to the vibrant literary scene in the country, and we hope to see a winner that truly represents the best of Nigerian literature,” she stated.
Past winners in the Drama category include Ahmed Yerima (2005) for his play, Hard Ground; Esiaba Irobi (2010) who clinched the prize posthumously with his book Cemetery Road; Professor Sam Ukala (2014) with his play, Iredi War; and Soji Cole with his book, Embers, (2018).
Other members of the Advisory Board are Prof. Olu Obafemi and Prof. Ahmed Yerima.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature is Africa’s most prestigious literary award, and the increase in entries for drama cycle highlights growing interest in Nigerian literature. With this year’s edition particularly competitive, the judges and Advisory Board have their work cut out to select a deserving winner.
Source: The Platform
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Goodbye Saint Obi, Goodbye Tomorrow

Popular Nollywood actor Obinna Nwafor, better known as Saint Obi is dead.
The actor, who was famous for his adventurous roles typical of the American actor James Bond died on Sunday May 7 2023. He was aged 57.
The Nollywood actor, whose body has been deposited at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, died after a protracted illness.He was said to have died in the home of one of his siblings, where he had relocated to and was receiving treatment at JUTH.

According to reports the reason Saint Obi’s demise took so long to be made official was as a result of an alleged disagreement between the siblings

The Actors Guild of Nigeria are yet to make an official statement because it has not gotten full information from the family yet.The movie star came into prominence in his role in Zeb Eiro’s ‘Sakobi’ and was featured in over 250 movies. He is also well known for his roles in Candle Light, Goodbye Tomorrow, Heart of Gold, among others.

Saint Obi was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on November 16, 1965. The only son of his parents – he had eight sisters – he grew up in Jos, Plateau State where he had his primary, secondary and tertiary education.He attended Zang Secondary Commercial School and in 1991, graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Jos.

He was married to Lydia Saint Nwafor and the marriage was blessed with many children.
Source: pmnews
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Angola is African’s Top Crude Oil Producer, Overtakes Nigeria

Angola has now emerged the topmost crude oil producer in Africa, upstaging Nigeria as the latter’s output level hits a new low.
The direct communication data in the April 2023 monthly oil market report (MOMR) of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) shows that Angola recorded 1.06 million barrels per day (mbpd) crude production in April 2023.
Despite initial optimism, Nigeria’s oil output dropped 23 per cent, month-on-month, MoM, to 999,999 barrels per day, bpd, in April 2023, from 1.3 million bpd in the preceding month of March 2023.
Also, on year-on-year, YoY, Nigeria’s output level indicated a drop of 16.7 per cent to 999,999 bpd in April 2023, from 1.2 million bpd recorded in the corresponding period of 2022.
After a steady decline to about 1.1 mbpd in the second half of 2022, due majorly, to oil theft, Nigeria’s oil output began to recover after a nationwide outcry in the fourth quarter of 2022 hovering at 1.3 million bpd in the first quarter of 2023.
At less than 1.0mbpd, this is the lowest production rate Nigeria has recorded in the year 2023 while Angola’s output shows steady increases.
The OPEC figure is close to that of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the regulatory authority in Nigeria’s petroleum industry, which shows that Nigeria produced 998,602 barrels per day during the period.
The OPEC report further stated that total OPEC-13 crude oil production averaged 28.60 million barrels per day in April 2023, lower by 191,000 barrels per day, month-on-month. Overall, the report showed that crude oil output increased mainly in Saudi Arabia, Angola and Iran, while production in Iraq and Nigeria declined.
OPEC noted in the MOMR that Nigeria’s economy faced challenges in gaining momentum in the first quarter of 2023, with business activity and consumer spending remaining subdued, in addition to high input-cost inflation and lower employment levels compared with 2022.
Source: All Africa
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FCT Residents Sue For Extension of Buhari’s Tenure

As legal tussles continue over the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s President-elect, some residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, have asked the Abuja Federal High Court to extend President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure and stop Tinubu’s inauguration over failure to secure 25 per cent votes in the nation’s capital.
In a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/578/2023, the plaintiffs applied for an order, restraining “the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, other judicial officer and any authority from swearing in any candidate as President or Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, until it is judicially determined in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution that such candidate has fulfilled the requirement of Section 134(2) (b) of the Constitution.”
According to the suit, “the plaintiffs and other FCT residents have a legal interest and constitutional rights to be heard on the question of whether a President elect must secure at least 25 per cent of votes cast, on the first ballot, in the FCT, Abuja.
“Among other prayers, FCT residents want the court to extend the tenure of President Buhari until the controversies surrounding his successor in the 2023 general election is determined.
“A declaration that no state of the country is at the same time the FCT for any purpose whatsoever, including, in particular, under section 134 (2) (b) of the Constitution.
“A declaration that no candidate in the February 25th presidential election may validly be declared elected President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria without obtaining at least 25% of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja.
“A declaration that following the February 25 presidential election and until a successor is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and sworn in, the term of office of his Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCON, as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria subsists and endures in accordance with the provisions of section 135 (1) (a) of the Constitution.”
Also, “An order setting aside any declaration and issuance of a Certificate of Return to any candidate in the February 25 presidential election in the country as having been elected, save and except it is judicially determined with finality that such candidate fulfilled the conditions stated in section 134(2) (b) of the Nigeria Constitution.”
The CJN and Attorney General of the Federation were cited in the suit as 1st and 2nd defendants.
Source: Daily Post
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