Friends and family members have sent their congratulatory messages to Jude Idada. Following the announcement of his book, ‘Boom Boom’ as winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited, for the 2019 cycle on Children’s Literature.
From 173 submitted for the competition in March 2019, to a shortlist of 3 (Boom Boom, ‘Mysteries at Ebenezer’s Lodge’ by Dunni Olatunde and ‘The Great Walls of Benin’ by O.T. Begho), your book emerged winner.
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.
Also at the event, Professor Meihong Wang and Dr. Mathew Aneke were also awarded $100,000 as joint-winners of Nigeria Prize for
Science for the 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.
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 a 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.
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 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.