The poets compete for the 100 million naira prize money.
Eleven Nigerian poets have been shortlisted out of over 200 to compete for this year’s CORA/NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature.
The President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Remi Raji, said on Tuesday in Lagos that the winner would receive a prize of $100,000 (about N16 Million).
Some Nigerian poets competing for the prize are: Iquo Eke; Amu Nnadi; Promise Ogochukwu and Remi Raji.
Mr. Raji described the competition as very engaging and involving.
He urged young poets to study hard if they must live up to the billing of being a poet.
“Many people pretend to be poets but it does not work that way.
“If you really want to come up, you must listen to people who teach about what you do, you must read and you must be ready to be influenced.
“There are many people who appear on Social Media, they will just write one or two lines and say that they are poets.
“Or they think that poetry is just a reality show; it takes a lot of work to be there,’’ Mr. Raji said.
He said that for those ones that wanted to come up, some of them were really hard working and were doing well.
“I know we have many others spread all over the country but I wish them the best,’’ Mr. Raji said.
He appealed to all tiers of governments and corporate organisations to support and encourage writers in the country.
“As a body, we constantly engage governments at all levels, urging them to encourage writers by instituting workshop, residence programmes and seminars to help make youth interested in writing,’’ he said.
(NAN)
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