11.10.2025
Nigerian-born author and cultural storyteller, Oyindamola Olugbile, has won the 2025 NLNG-sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature, defeating Chigozie Obioma and Nikki May.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature, established in 2004, is one of the country’s most prestigious literary awards.
The advisory board for the prize, chaired by Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, announced Ms Olugbile’s victory at the award ceremony held on Friday night in Lagos.
Ms Olugbile clinched the coveted prize with her debut novel, “Sanya”, beating Ms Obioma’s “The Road to the Country” and May’s “This Motherless Land.”
A graduate of the University of Lagos with a B.A. (Hons) in Creative Arts, Ms Olugbile also holds postgraduate certificates from Lagos Business School, Harvard Business School Online, and the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG).
She earned an MSc from King’s College London and works as a social impact management consultant.
Her debut novel, “Sanya,” explores themes of love, loss, and redemption against the backdrop of a mystical empire enchanting even to the Òrìṣà.
She is also the chief curator of the Experience Factory, an education enterprise that curates out-of-classroom learning experiences for young people.
Ms Adimora-Ezeigbo described the adjudication process as intense and meticulous, noting that the eleven longlisted books were all remarkable.
“The challenges faced by the judges this year were both daunting and unprecedented,” she said. “Each work distinguishes itself through masterful plotting, characterisation, and language that transports readers into imagined worlds.
“These are not merely stories; they are carefully woven realities, compelling in beauty, stirring in emotion, and unflinching in their engagement with urgent societal issues.
“Our task was clear, to choose the most deserving laureate. This cycle has been one of the most competitive yet, and every entry stretched our judgment to the limit,” she added.
Olubunmi Familoni won the 2024 edition of the prize with his book, “The Road Does Not End”.
In his remarks, the chief executive officer of Nigeria LNG Ltd. (NLNG), Philip Mshelbila, said the Prize underscores the enduring power of literature to shape identity and deepen understanding.
“Winning the Prize is recognition of scaling the highest heights of literature. All the shortlisted books are of the highest calibre,” he said. NAN