Sanya by Oyin Olugbile has emerged winner of the 2025 edition of The Nigeria Prize for Literature, clinching one of Africa’s most prestigious literary honour valued at $100,000.
The announcement was made on Friday, 10th October 2025 at the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Grand Award Night in Lagos by the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Prize, Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, who revealed the winner out of 252 novels submitted for the NLNG-sponsored Prize.
According to Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Olugbile’s mythology retelling approach was distinct and daring for casting Sango as a female and for the projection of Yoruba mythology through a story that captivates and meanders into a fantastical world. She stated that Olugbile achieved this through lucid and straightforward language, making for easy reading.
“We were impressed by the quality of the shortlisted books written by three writers with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The books, Sanya by Oyin Olugbile; The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma, both published by Masobe Books; and This Motherless Land by Nikki May, published by Narrative Landscape, indicate an improvement in the quality of local publishing.
“After much careful assessments and deliberations, we concluded that very little separates the novels, and each is a potential winner of the award. However, Oyin Olugbile’s Sanya slightly takes the edge and is therefore our pick as the winner of the 2025 The Nigeria Prize for Literature,” she stated.
She further announced Okwudiri Anasiudu as the winning entry for The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism. Anasiudu won for his submissions titled Afropolitan Identity and Afrodiasporic Otherness in Selected African Novels; Allegorical Conjectures in Helon Habila’s Measuring Time; and Mimetic designs in Helon Habila’s Oil on Water. The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism comes with a $10,000 prize money.
In his opening remarks, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Philip Mshelbila, highlighted the enduring influence of literature, describing The Nigeria Prize for Literature as “a reminder of the power of words to shape identity and deepen understanding. Winning the Prize is recognition of scaling the highest heights of literature. All the shortlisted books this evening are works of the highest calibre,” he said.
