The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria
LNG Limited, today announced Boom Boom, authored by Jude Idada as the
winner of the $100,000 prize for the 2019 cycle on Children’s Literature.
The book edged out Mystery at Ebenezer Lodge, by Dunni Olatunde and The
Great Walls of Benin, by O.T. Begho, entries in the Shortlist of Three, to clinch
the prize. The book had competed against 173 books submitted for the
competition in March 2019.
The announcement was made at NLNG’s 20-30 Anniversary Ball and Award
Night in Abuja by Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo, Chairman of the Advisory
Board. The event commemorates NLNG’s 30 years anniversary of
incorporation, 20 years of safe and reliable production and delivery of LNG
from its six-train plant on Bonny Island and 15 years of sponsoring the Nigeria
Prize for Literature.
The event was graced Senate President Ahmed Lawal; the Amanyanabo of
Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III,
Perekule XI; NLNG’s Board of Directors, led by Chief Osobonye R. LongJohn,
the Board’s Chairman; NLNG’s past Managing Directors and Deputy
Managing Directors of NLNG; NLNG’s Management Team led by Tony Attah,
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer and Sadeeq Mai-Bornu,
Deputy Managing Director; as well as other dignitaries.
Also at the event, Professor Meihong Wang and Dr. Mathew Aneke were also
awarded $100,000 as joint-winners of The Nigeria Prize for Science for Year
2019. Wang and Aneke were announced as winners in September 2019 by
the prize’s Advisory Board for their work on Carbon Capture, Carbon
Utilization, and Biomass Gasification and Energy Storage for Power
Generation.
Speaking during his welcome address, Tony Attah, NLNG’s Managing
Director and Chief Executive Officer, said the management and staff of NLNG,
inspired by the Company’s vision of being a global LNG company, maintained
international best practices in operations and safely & reliably delivered LNG
cargoes around the world without harm to humans or the environment to earn
a prominent place in the global market.
“We are here to celebrate the successes of this unique Nigerian brand which
has recorded notable global recognitions, first, as the fastest growing LNG
company in the world, in 2008 when we grew from a two-train plant complex in
1999 to a six-train plant just within nine years after start-up. At that time, we
were also the fourth major supplier of LNG, contributing 4% of the nation’s
GDP, until recently when our contribution was estimated at 1% following the
rebasing of the nation’s GDP.
“Only last year, we were ranked first worldwide in plant reliability and we
currently hold the fifth place in global market share, a position that we risk
losing soon if we do not expand our capacity with the addition of more
volumes. We are Africa’s leading supplier of LNG and the single largest
industrial complex in the continent, 3rd largest in the world, doing global
business with a workforce that is more than 95% indigenous and a wholly
Nigerian Senior Management Team,” he stated.
He added that NLNG has lived in blocks of 30 years, stating that the first 30
years involved efforts of the company’s founding fathers to keep the dream
alive. He remarked further that the second 30 included the 20 years of safe
and steady operations, adding that NLNG was looking ahead into the future
for the third block of 30 years.
“We must plug into the opportunities for more economic growth and for a more
central role in global LNG supply as we look to increase our capacity with
Train 7 on board. This will further reduce gas flaring in the country and assure
our continued supply of LPG to the local market,” he said.
On the prizes, Attah remarked that the company was also celebrating 15
years of successful administration of the Science and Literature prizes, saying
“these past years has been an arduous journey but most definitely very
fulfilling for us and I believe for the country as well. I say so unequivocally
because thanks to the prizes, our nation now boasts of scientific
breakthroughs and famous works on Poetry, Prose, Drama and Children’s
Literature that have earned the prizes a reputation as the most prestigious
prizes in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Deputy Managing Director, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, in his remarks, expressed
appreciation to all the company’s stakeholders for the successes recorded
over the years, adding that through partnership with all the levels of
government, NLNG has been able to progress towards achieving Train 7, as
well as the advancement of Corporate Social Responsibility goals.
While delivering the judges’ report, Professor Banjo said “based on standard
criteria such as literary merit, appeal of content to the target audience, social
relevance of the subject matter explored, and a unique capacity to
communicate pain and its relief as a human social and natural experience in a
way that children can understand and relate with, Boom Boom, was declared
as the winning entry.”
Earlier in September, the science prize Advisory Board, led by Prof. Akpoveta
Susu, Chairman of the Board, had announced that the winning work of
addressed core environmental issues notably deforestation, carbon
production, associated climate change and the resultant effects such as
erosion, drought and desertification. The Board added that The Nigeria Prize
for Science is open to non-Nigerians and Nigerian scientists.
The award to Wang and Aneke highlighted the international nature of the
Nigeria Prize for Science as it involved a joint research between a Nigerian
and a non-Nigerian, both collaborating on works which precipitate great
potential for solutions to the global issue of climate change.
The Board also announced “Innovations for Sustainable Food Security” as the
theme of The Nigeria Prize for Science for Year 2020.
The Nigeria Prize for Literature rotates yearly amongst four literary genres:
prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature. 2020’s competition will
focus on prose fiction.
Nigeria LNG Limited remains committed to responsible corporate citizenship,
and The Nigeria Prize for Science and The Nigeria Prize for Literature are
some of the company’s numerous contributions towards building a better
Nigeria.
