Ogaga Ifowodo wins 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature

Ogaga Ifowodo has won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature for his poetry collection, ‘Why Does God Need a Gun?’. The announcement was made during the NLNG Grand Award Night in Lagos on October 9, 2026. Ifowodo, a Nigerian poet, lawyer, and human-rights activist, will receive a $100,000 prize for the work.

Published by Masobe Books, the collection was selected from 223 entries. The winning work was shortlisted alongside James Ngwu Eze’s ‘Unbind Me Now’ and Tares Oburumu’s ‘Flora’s Love Colony’. The collection explores themes of religious extremism, terrorism, and political violence in Nigeria. A central element of the book uses the experience of Leah Sharibu, the schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram, as a poetic foundation to portray the suffering of victims.

Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chair of the Prize’s Advisory Board, described the collection as a “sensitive portrayal” of violence in Nigeria, presented through the perspective of an imagined victim.