Nigerian poet, lawyer and activist Ogaga Ifowodo has won the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature and its $100,000 award with his poetry collection, Why Does God Need a Gun?, which explores the human cost of violence in Nigeria.
Published by Masobe Books, the collection examines religious and political violence through the perspective of an imagined victim. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, chair of the prize’s advisory board, described the work as a sensitive portrayal of the devastating consequences of violence.
Ifowodo emerged winner from 223 entries submitted for this year’s poetry competition, beating two other finalists: James Ngwu Eze, whose shortlisted collection is Unbind Me Now, and Tares Oburumu, author of Floral’s Love Colony.
The victory marks another significant milestone in Ifowodo’s literary career. He was previously shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2017 with A Good Mourning and has received several poetry honours from the Association of Nigerian Authors.
His win was announced on Friday at Nigeria LNG Limited’s Grand Award Night in Lagos. The annual prize rotates among four literary categories: poetry, prose fiction, drama and children’s literature.
The ceremony also featured the debut of the Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts, with filmmakers Peter Oghenetega Oke and Feranmi Abiola sharing the $20,000 award.
Oke was recognised for his documentary, Beyond Tarkwa Bay, while Abiola received the honour for Mara Mania. Their films were selected from 98 submissions exploring the theme of identity.
The introduction of the creative arts prize further expands the awards’ recognition of Nigerian creative talent, extending the spotlight beyond literature to documentary filmmaking and the exploration of social and cultural identity.
