ANA President Denja Abdullahi is yet to pay 18-year-old student the N100,000 Prize Money He Won, despite appeals from teachers and concerned Nigerians.
In October 2018, at the prize ceremony at Preston Hotel, Ikeja, 18-year-old Nigerian writer Ernest O. Ògúnyemí was announced the winner of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA)NECO/Teen Prize for Prose, for his 60-page collection of stories. The prize money was N100,000, and he had travelled from Abeokuta to Lagos to attend the event.
This young man received a plaque and a bag containing a copy of ANA’s annual publication, ANA Review, with assurance from the Association’s President Denja Abdullahi that he would soon receive his prize money. Meanwhile, Ògúnyemí was surprised that his poem had been published in ANA Review without his knowledge or permission.
Months passed, Ògúnyemí called and texted Denja Abdullahi, but the latter’s tune continuously shifted. “We don’t have the money!” Abdullahi shouted at Ògúnyemí on one of the calls. When Ògúnyemí asked why Abdullahi was treating his query as unimportant, Abdullahi told him: “You are very rude. Never call me again.”
Eighteen and fearing for his starting career, Ògúnyemí spoke to his teachers, who called Abdullahi, who then told them to “give us two weeks.” The two weeks elapsed a week ago and Ògúnyemí did not hear from Abdullahi. Despite his non-payment, the 2019 edition of the same ANA prize was announced.
At the time of his win, Ògúnyemí was an SSS3 student of Baptist Boys’ High School, Abeokuta. This great school produced former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Bashorun MKO Abiola, former Ogun state Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel among others. Now he has just sat for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificate.
A US-based Nigerian writer, Roland Ikhide and a friend just paid N100,000 to this Abeokuta-based young writer and Dare Lasisi, UK-based Nigerian blogger also sent N10,000 to support this young writer.
Mr Abdulahi Denja has vowed not to pay the N100,000 prize money except a well-publicized apology from this motherless young man.
Mr. Michael Akinniyi, a former teacher of this young writer said during a telephone conversation with Dare Lasisi Online, “May God bless you for shaming this Denja guy. If you see the way he was ranting on the phone with me, he swore on Ramadan that the boy would receive no dime from him. He was playing god with this serious matter. I appealed to him but he bragged that he’s a senior lecturer and he knows how to deal with boys who are rude. Rude over his entitlement? Nonsense.”
If you wish to assist this young writer, please contact this blogger via email address (darelasisi@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
OGUNYEMI ERNEST OLATUNBOSUN, 0434779782, GT BANK.
Ogunyemi lamented on Twitter :” Why won’t we seek validation outside Nigeria, when our literary space here is a big mess? A literary space that is fraud/scam!
