ANA Mourns Ikeogu Oke, winner of 2017 NLNG Literature Prize

ANA Mourns Ikeogu Oke, winner of 2017 NLNG Literature Prize

Mallam Denja Abdullahi, ANA National President has condoled with the Late Ikeogu’s family on the death of one of their sons and one of the staunch members of the Association,Ikeogu Oke, winner of 2017 NLNG Literature Prize.

ANA’s condolence message was issued and made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday.

According to the Message, ANA National President, Mallam Denja Abdulahi affirmed that the Late Ikeogu Oke, who was well respected for his poetic sagacity and resourcefulness, would be long remembered for his literary contributions to the country. 

ANA also paid tribute to his enduring commitment and legacy to the development of indigenous poetry and his active participation in several notable activities of the Association in recent times.

ANA finally prayed that almighty God would comfort his family, friends and literary associates in this period of grief and grant the soul of the departed eternal rest.

Ikeogu Oke was a Nigerian author, journalist and award-winning poet. In 2017, he won the Nigeria Prize for Literature for his first collection of poetry The Heresiad. 

Ikeogu worked as a journalist in Nigeria, writing columns for a number of national dailies. 

In 2017, Oke's debut collection of poetry The Heresiad (KraftGriots, 2017) was nominated for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, along with work by Ogaga Ifowodo and Tanure Ojaide. It won. In his acceptance speech, he describes poetry as "healthy narcotics." " I am happy to be addicted to it as shown by my refusal to be swayed by such concerns. I have invoked the poem here hopefully to arouse the contemplation of how one’s resolve to pursue one’s dreams in spite of such concerns is the best decision that can lead to a fulfilled life," he wrote in his acceptance speech.

The book has been described as "a work that speaks to an intense commitment to innovation, tenacity, joyful experimentation and social commentary in a way that provokes delight and engagement." The Prize judges described it as "a bold and wonderful experiment whose great strength also could have been its great weakness."

Oke died on November 24, 2018 at the National Hospital in Abuja where he had been receiving treatment for an ailment that has kept him out of circulation for a while.