Ogaga Ifowodo wins $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature

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Nigerian poet, lawyer, and activist Ogaga Ifowodo has won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature for his poetry collection, Why Does God Need a Gun? He will take home a cash prize of $100,000.

Mr Ifowodo was announced as the winner at Nigeria LNG Limited’s Grand Award Night in Lagos on Friday night.

At the event, filmmakers Peter Oghenetega Oke and Feranmi Abiola also won the inaugural Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts. They received the award for their documentaries, Beyond Tarkwa Bay and Mara Mania, respectively.

The filmmakers shared a $20,000 prize for their category.

Ogaga Ifowodo, winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature 2026, receiving his prize.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature started in 2004 and is sponsored by NLNG. It rotates yearly among prose fiction, poetry, drama, and children’s literature on a four-year cycle. The $100,000 prize is one of Africa’s biggest literary awards. It aims to celebrate outstanding works by Nigerian authors and to support creativity in the country’s literary scene.

This year’s edition focused on poetry.

From 223 entries

Why Does God Need a Gun?, published by Masobe Books, was chosen from 223 poetry entries submitted for the 2026 prize.

The competition was narrowed down to an 11-title longlist in July. By August, Mr Ifowodo, James Ngwu Eze, and Tares Oburumu were the three finalists.

Mr Eze was shortlisted for Unbind Me Now, while Mr Oburumu made it to the final stage with Floral’s Love Colony.

Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, described Mr Ifowodo’s winning collection as a sensitive look at religious and political violence in Nigeria. She said it is told through the voice of an imagined victim.

She noted that the three shortlisted collections showed technical skill, confidence, and a strong command of language. They addressed issues that go beyond Nigeria.

“Equally compelling is the conversation that unfolds across the three books. Though distinct in voice and style, they engage with related concerns: questions of identity and belonging; the promises and disappointments of nationhood; the consequences of extremism and displacement; and the enduring impact of conflict on individuals and communities,” she said.

“These are works deeply rooted in the Nigerian experience, yet they reach far beyond our borders.”

Mr Ifowodo’s poetry often looks at Nigeria’s political history, violence, displacement, memory, and the human impact of oppressive systems.

He previously reached the final stage of the prize in 2017 with A Good Mourning, when Ikeogu Oke won with The Heresiad.

Mr Ifowodo has also won several poetry prizes from the Association of Nigerian Authors.