Between prizes and the pen profession

While many writers say prizes and awards are not the essence of writing and do not define the best of literary works, CHUKS OLUIGBO reports that these reward mechanisms, nevertheless, have remained an incentive to the writing profession

When asked, in a recent CNN interview, about her literary awards, Chimamanda Adichie, multiple award-winning Nigerian-born writer, answered that prizes, in general, are good but are never the final arbiters of good writing. “It’s lovely to win,” she told CNN. “But that isn’t why I write. If I hadn’t won anything I would still be somewhere today probably unemployed but writing. What matters the most for a writer, I think, is to be read.”

Many writers have also echoed this same opinion in diverse ways. Yet, every day, literary prizes are springing up in the country, and these prizes are recording innumerable entries. The ANA (Association of Nigerian Authors) literary prize has been on for many years now and has seen uncountable entries and produced many winners along the way. So has the Nigeria Prize for Literature sponsored by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, which 10th edition held this year. Etisalat, a telecoms company operating in Nigeria, introduced its short story prize earlier this year. Its online flash fiction contest, which came later, recorded over 400 entries.

But the biggest prize so far has remained the NLNG Prize. The prize, which was instituted in 2004, aims at bringing Nigerian authors to public attention and celebrating excellence in literary craftsmanship in the nation, according to its organisers. At inception in 2004, the prize was worth $20,000. This was increased to $30,000 in 2006, $50,000 in 2008, and $100,000 in 2011. It thus became the largest African literary prize and one of the richest literary prizes in the world.

The prize, which rotates among the four genres of fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature, was awarded to Gabriel Okara’s The Dreamer: His Vision and Ezenwa Ohaeto’s Chants of a Minstrel in 2005. They were followed by Ahmed Yerima who won the prize in 2006 with his drama entry Hard Ground. Mabel Segun’s collection of short plays Reader’s Theatre and Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s My Cousin Sammy emerged joint winners of the prestigious prize in 2007. The 2008 prize went to Kaine Agary for her novel Yellow, Yellow. In 2010, Esiaba Irobi, who died of cancer earlier that year, won the prize posthumously with his play Cemetery Road.

In 2011, Mai Nasara (real name Adeleke Adeyemi) won the prize with his book The Missing Clock, beating fellow finalists Ayodele Olofintuade and Chinyere Obi-Obasi to the top prize. Chika Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street won the 2012 prize. On October 9, 2013, Tade Ipadeola, an Ibadan, Oyo State-based lawyer and poet, was announced as winner of the 2013 prize. Ipadeola won the $100,000 prize with his collection of poetry The Sahara Testaments. There were no winners in 2004 and 2009.

Everyone may agree that some progress has been made, through these literary prizes, in giving a boost to the writing profession. Yet, not everyone will agree that award-winning works are always the best entries in a category. Chika Unigwe, winner of the 2012 NLNG Prize, says because literary prizes and awards are judged by readers with particular tastes – and tastes are subjective because the judges are human – “not everyone is going to agree that a particular book is the best book to win any award”.

But that does not in any way diminish the place of a literary prize in a writer’s career. Because the writing industry is a very tough one, in Nigeria as well as elsewhere, Unigwe tells me, coming up to be recognised becomes a difficult task. “Do you know how many books are published every year? In the USA alone, a million books are published every year. In Nigeria, there are many independent publishers churning out books every day,” she says.

“To be able to stand out,” she adds, “one needs a podium. Oftentimes, that podium is a well-recognised prize. It guarantees that your name is remembered. It doesn’t mean that your book is the best, but it means that people are more likely to have heard of it, and therefore to want to read it.”

That seems to be what the NLNG Prize has done for her. “I am not a confident writer,” she says. “I never think that anything I’ve written is good enough. Winning a competition like this gives me the confidence I need to continue pursuing this dream. Personally, I need that kind of validation to be able to continue writing. I am grateful I got it. The NLNG award is very well publicised within Nigeria, and winning it has brought me more to the consciousness of Nigerians.”

So, what impact does she think literary prizes, especially NLNG Prize, have had on Nigerian literature? “I think the competition is making Nigerian writers less complacent,” she replies. “Our writers know that to stand a chance, they have to send in their best. I have been reading works by as yet unknown Nigerian writers, and I assure you, Nigeria has got amazing talent.”

For Uche Umez, who has won several literary laurels (He was the runner-up for the 2007 Nigeria LNG Prize for Literature, where he was shortlisted alongside Mabel Segun and Akachi Ezeigbo, and his Runaway Hero also made the shortlist for the 2011 NLNG Prize.), issues bordering on literary awards will remain contentious as long as writers keep entering their works for prizes.

Umez, who once told Henry Onyema in an interview that he doesn’t think prizes define the strength of Nigerian literature, maintains that he thinks that in matters of arts and aesthetics, one’s view is largely defined by his subjectivity, experience and knowledge, and for anyone judging a literary prize, his definition of what stands for good literature depends on the criteria of evaluation with which he is obligated to work.

He adds, however: “If any writer enters his work in a competition, I think he should be gracious enough to accept whatever decisions, however controversial, the prize committee comes up with. As a famous literary critic one said, Shakespeare never won any prize, but every learned person has heard his name more than thrice.”

Umez agrees that many writers remain relatively unknown until propped up by one award or another. “This is often the case in countries with relatively low reading culture and institutional support for humanities,” he adds.

On what the literary prizes he has won have done for him as a writer, he tells me: “Using the cliché, literary prizes tend to make you feel much validated as a writer, because writing is not only a solitary practice but mostly a depressingly tough practice to pull off. So, I think the few prizes I’d clinched along the writing way had quite spurred me to shake off the pull of despair, which happens to be inhibiting much of creative life in Nigeria.”

Like Unigwe, Umez thinks literary competitions have impacted on literary output from Nigeria, one way or another. “Writing draws on motivation; it could be intrinsic or extrinsic. So one can say quite confidently literary competitions have stimulated literary output in Nigeria of late,” he says. “With the LNG prizes, you now get to know that many writers are blossoming out there. The recent Etisalat prize for flash fiction drew over 400 entries…who would think that no less than four hundred Nigerians would be participating in a literary competition?”

As for what the future holds, Umez says he is ambivalent, “mostly because we are not getting our socio-economic and political bearing right. Anyhow, optimism doesn’t cost a kobo”.

In Lagos Nigeria, the bicycles are back

Across Lagos State, there is a growing interest in the use of bicycles by residents, as a form of recreation and a means of transport, discover CHUKS OLUIGBO, OBINNA EMELIKE and ANNE AGBAJE

It is Wednesday, July 18, 2001. Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, is in its usual busy mood. Residents are up and about their daily affairs without let or hindrance. At Aso Rock Villa, the nation’s seat of power, President Olusegun Obasanjo and his cabinet are getting set for the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. Ojo Maduekwe, the minister of transport, who has just launched a campaign for Nigerians to adopt the use of bicycle as a means of transportation, is yet to arrive at the venue. Fully decked in white flowing Agbada and red cap, he steps out of his Mabushi residence, shuns his official car, climbs his bicycle named ‘Champion’, and hits the road leading to Maitama and the Villa, heading for the FEC meeting. His intention is to popularise the use of bicycles. As transport minister, he feels strongly that he should lead by example; he should not just tell Nigerians to ride bicycle to work, he should show them how.

About 50 metres from the minister’s residence, however, at the Banex intersection, disaster strikes. Our dear minister, in full regalia, is knocked into a ditch by a reckless bus driver. Without a second thought, he abandons the bicycle, jumps into his official car which is trailing him, and off he goes. That unfortunate incident – together with an outburst of criticisms from many Nigerian – seals the fate of the bicycle-as-a-means-of-transport policy that many simply described as a silly idea.

Today, more than a decade later, there is a growing interest in cycling by Lagos residents. Without any transport minister nudging them, residents of Nigeria’s commercial capital, the highly-placed as well as the lowly, are, on their own, adopting the use of bicycles. While some residents, especially artisans, say they use it as a means of transport, especially for short distance journeys, particularly since the ban, in August 2012, on motorcycle operations in some parts of the state, others say they are embracing it for recreational purposes to improve their wellbeing, particularly in this era of health consciousness.

Ibiwari Abel, an independent courier agent who lives in Ajegunle, had been using bicycle to commute to work in Costain, Iganmu Lagos, every day in the last eight months. “I opted for bicycle because of the ban on motorcycle. I have seen a number of young people too on bicycle within the metropolis and I believe it is a trend now in Lagos,” he says.

Demola Ogunlusi, who earns a living delivering food to bank staff while on break, was almost run out of job when the ban on Okada hit him early this year. But he has since resorted to bicycle and is enjoying the ride without any disturbance from police, LATSMA, local government and all manner of law enforcement agencies. “I earn more now because I don’t buy fuel, engine oil, and servicing of my bicycle is almost at no cost.”

Dealers on bicycles also confirm that business is on the rise. “I sell an average of 10 bicycles in a week, sometimes less than that, but recently sales have really increased and per bicycle the rate differs, depending on how new and strong it is. Sometimes the price is also determined by the type of bicycles. For instance, we have Front Shock, Raleigh, Chevrolet, among others,” says Emmanuel Akachi, who sells bicycles of different types at Apapa, Lagos.

“I started by repairing bicycles, and then I started selling children’s bicycles, now I have added bigger bicycles for adults. It is not an all-new bicycle market but imported used bicycles, and so far sales have really been good since I started with high patronage in the used bicycles. Only a few customers ask for new ones,” he adds.

Indeed, in virtually every corner of the metropolis, assorted brands and designs of bicycles adorn supermarkets and even open spaces, where their dealers exhibit them to attract willing customers. The bicycles on display in many of these locations range from children’s to adult sizes. Many importers too have added the item among their list of imports. The prices of these bicycles, says a dealer, range from as low as N7,000 to as high as N20,000 depending on the brand and whether it is new or fairly used.

Of course, the many bicycles on the road mean good business for the dealers. Chikwe Agu, a motor spare parts importer, has added bicycle to his list of imports. Since March this year, Agu has cleared two 40-ft containers of bicycles.

“An operator of a major shopping mall once came to my warehouse to buy spare parts for their delivery trucks. On seeing about 30 pieces of bicycles rotting away, he checked and bought all. But I started importing when the demand from him became unbearable. It was later I discovered that bicycle is no longer bought for fun but for transportation, and at least 5 million out of 20 million people in Lagos are involved. It is good business,” Agu says.

Alongside the growing interest in the use of bicycles, bicycle repair shops have also sprung up in many parts of the state. And the patronage too has been very high. One of the repairers at the Ojo area of the state, who had up to 20 bicycles in his shop as at the time of visit, says on a good day, he repairs as many as 15 bicycles since most of them have very minor faults.

“If many shops now deal in bicycles, and if importers are increasingly adding bicycle to their import list, it tells you one thing: that there is a huge market,” says an economist who does not want his name in print.

Bicycles, according to studies, are the fastest-growing and predominant mode of access to express public transportation services in many Western communities and some parts of Asia. Naturally, bicycles are inexpensive, and they are good for keeping the body healthy. They are also environment-friendly as they liberate the owner from oil consumption and free the environment from the resulting pollution. With over 1 billion of them worldwide, twice as many as automobiles, the bicycle is the number one vehicle in the world and also the principal means of transportation in many developing countries.

In many parts of rural Nigeria, especially in the South-East, the bicycle is still a part of life, as it has been for many decades. People still ride to the farm, market and stream on bicycles, and almost every household has one.

Apart from transportation, bicycle is also a popular form of recreation and has been adapted for such uses as children’s toys, adult fitness, racing, postal and courier services. “It can be used as a vehicle to promote healthy lifestyle, recreation, and as a socio-cultural programme to speed up productivity,” says Emeka Ezeugo, former Super Eagles player.

But while it may be convenient to ride bicycles in the countryside where the roads are not too busy, there are inherent dangers in cycling on the busy, chaotic, almost mad, roads of Lagos without the provision of dedicated bicycle lanes.

Tunmise Kuku, a radio presenter, says because the roads are not clearly marked, it can be very dangerous for bicycle riders. “In addition, most vehicles on Nigerian roads do not meet the globally acceptable standards as they emit too much carbon monoxide. But then, real road education will also be needed, especially in the areas of wearing the appropriate gears and helmets. People must understand it has to be safe!”

For Obinwanne Okezue, a banker, bicycle transportation in Nigeria is a no-no. He says because the value system is skewed, the average Nigerian believes that the bicycle is for the down-trodden. As such, he adds, most people will rather spend all their savings getting a fourth-hand car than buying a bicycle.

More importantly, he says the infrastructure to encourage the use of bicycles as means of transportation is not in place. “Bicycles are designed for good and smooth roads, which make the effort of the rider reduced to the barest minimum. However, our roads are very bad and not ideal for cars, not to talk of bicycles. Have you ever wondered what a cyclist would look like when he’s caught up in one of those flooded areas in Lagos, for instance?” he asks. “Besides that, the construction of our roads did not make provision for bicycles.”

Afolabi Gambari agrees with Okezue, saying he does not feel the environment guarantees safety for bicycle riders. “They will need their own pathways on the roads because of their nature, as it obtains abroad. I wish we had started the culture from years back. But as it is now, bicycle riders ride at their own peril because there is lack of protection from the system,” he says.

It is perhaps in response to the growing interest in bicycle usage that the Lagos State government is pioneering a road infrastructure in which cycle lane will run concurrently with vehicular lanes, as obtainable in some developed economies of the world. The state is using the 1.8 kilometre Wempco Road in Ogba, Ikeja, which is to be dualised and upgraded, as a pilot project.

Contract for the project, which is to be delivered in 18 months, is said to have already been awarded to Arab Contractor. The project is being supervised by Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), a World Bank-assisted agency of Lagos State government, which also pioneered the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme in the country. Incorporated into the road project which work began in August this year will be traffic and streetlights, road markings, road safety signs as well as bus stops, zebra crossings.

Funsho Oyelade, director of road and traffic management, LAMATA, says the government intends to use this as a pilot project and, upon its success, it may be replicated in other parts of the state. He adds that the cycle lane was designed to accommodate residents who may choose bicycles as against cars and motorcycles for short journeys within their neighbourhoods.