Literature

My experience in the 2011 NLNG Literature Prize Competition - Obi-Obasie

Chinyere Obi-Obasie, a runner up in the 2011 Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Literature Competition, narrates her experience

Life throws things your way to make you stronger and to get you better equipped for the future. I arrived at this conclusion while ruminating on the best way to describe my experience in the Nigerian LNG literature Award competition for 2011 which could at best be described as some sort of reality show. As a way of introduction, the Nigerian LNG literature award comes up every year in different genres. The 2011 edition was for children literature and the prize money was increased from 50,000 dollars to 100,000 dollars. According to the selection process as confirmed by the judges in their various reports, a total of 126 books were received out of which there was an initial selection of 40 books which was later thinned down to 20 then 13 before shortlist of 6 books in July 2011; Runaway Hero by Peter Umez, Missing Clock by Thelma Nwokeji, Eno?s story by Ayodele Olofintuade, Missing Clock by Adeyemi Adeleke writing under the pen name of Mai Nasara, Auntie Felicia goes to school by Philip Begho and my book ?The Great Fall? for Chinyere Obi-Obasi and final shortlist of 3 books in September 2011; Eno?s story, The Great Fall and Missing Clock, and announcement of Adeyemi Adeleke eventual winner in October 2011

The panel of judges were 5 Professors;Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo(Chairman), Lekan Oyegoke, Yakubu Nasidi, David Ker, and Ini-Obong Uko, while the Chairman of the Advisory Board was Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo.

I am a fan of reality shows like Maltina Dance All, Celebrity Apprentice, America, West African and Nigerian Idols and Gulder Ultimate. Prior to July 2011, I watched reality shows without any consideration of what the participants were going through psychologically. I was always somehow ?manipulated? into voting by the anchor persons who said repeatedly, ?vote now; don?t complain when your favourite does not win?. My attitude; somebody has to be evicted for a

winner to emerge. When my children shouted ?e ya? for the person being asked to go, I ask them, ?if you don?t want anyone to go, how will the eventual winner emerge??

I watch in admiration depending on the reality show as thousands of people who go for auditions thin to hundreds, then tens and then last three and finally a winner. The family has been looking forward to our oldest daughter Adaeze turning eighteen and auditioning in a singing reality show or Maltina Dance All or even Gulder Ultimate and going all the way to the top and not Mummy. Little did we realize that, it will be Mummy?s who will before she ever does, travel from the road of 126 books from Nigerian writers in Nigeria and in Diaspora to last three standing.

LESSON NO. 1

You just never can tell. Always do keep an open mind.

Most Nigerian writers living in Nigeria are aware of the NLNG award. It has come to represent our own reality show and with the unprecedented massive advert and publicity programs, it made it all the more interesting for the public and increased the anxiety in the minds of the participants. Reading tours and the interviews were held for us being the hottest thing happening in literature and every other day there was something about the award and us in one newspaper, magazine or online blog. The result; calls from long time friends, colleagues and relatives all wishing one thing; that I win.

LESSON NO 2:

Success has many relatives.

As they featured the stories, the shortlisted were left to their fate and I couldn?t help thinking; ?o ho. Is this, what happens to those people I watch on reality shows?? There was of course a lot of anxiety and all. Different thoughts run through your mind but thanks to firstly my bank work that kept me occupied during the day and my wonderful family and friends, who were very supportive. One day my daughter, Adaeze came to where I was sitting and held my shoulders and said lovingly, ?Mummy whether you win or not, it does not matter. You are our Mummy and we love you.?

Most writers told me that they would be pleased to receive an honorary mention. For them, if their books can pull through from 126 books to final three then it was all the endorsement they needed (reminds me of my NYSC. We said then, ?who wants an award. Let these people release us joo. I couldn?t forget how the governor shook the hands of some corpers who distinguished themselves. It was a sobering moment for all of us. When I think of honourary mention without any monetary reward, I remember the story of the Abiriba Professor who got up to make his donation in a fund raising occasion and instead of announcing an amount told the Abiriba people that he was giving them moral support. An old woman turned to her neighbor and asked, ?moral support ogbara okpe o ole?? meaning ?what is the monetary value of moral support). So don?t let us kid ourselves when these writers get to the last three, they will hope to win (sounds like Oliver Twist right) sure but that is human nature for you.

LESSON NUMBER 3.

Be true to yourself all the time. Express your innermost desire even if it does not come to pass.

I recall attending Chimamanda Adichie?s workshop 2011 and I was amazed at the quality of writing from these young brilliant writers selected from over 600 applicants. These friends of mine (we network very regularly on facebook are literarily hot). I met 19 of them in the workshop for the first time. The presence of these brilliant minds humbled me. Two of the participants; Wame and Lauri were from Botswana. Another Nigerian writer Olumide, a lawyer came from US. It dawned on me that Nigeria is a vast country where all manners of talents abound and in large numbers, therefore as a writer, if you think you are a super writer, just be ready to have a rethink.

LESSON NO 4

Talents abound and the best thing you can do for yourself is to be the best in your craft.

So it was that when I heard someone was nominated for any kind of award, I looked at them with a lot of respect. I recall at the workshop how we looked at Lauri who was on the Caine short list like she has already won. As for our Chimamanda, she looked so superhuman. Wame said sitting with her the first day; she didn?t hear a word she said because she was busy admiring her intelligence, poise, beauty and humility. In 2010 when a friend of mine, Ahmed Maiwada was nominated for the NLNG long list for poetry, I was happy for him. I called him every other day asking him how he felt. How he received the news? What his chances were and I prayed with him. Then the following year 2011 I was nominated for children?s literature. It was a huge surprise for me, how come I wondered and that was when lesson number 5 hit me.

LESSON NUMBER 5.

You are not just a number. You are also programmed to succeed. Be genuinely happy and celebrate fellow writers who have made it because you also have as much chance as they have.

It is always good to recall the beginning of pleasant things like the experience of first baby, how one met her husband etc. My nomination was so fairytale like. I got to know about the competition three weeks to end of the call for entries for children?s literature category. It was an opportunity to publish this work which I had polished till there was nothing to polish. My publisher suggested that we should postpone publication. I refused and we forged ahead and at long last, two days to the close of entries, I took delivery of the book. I looked at this gray and purple book and fell in love with it. I held it up to my colleagues in the office and promptly declared, ?this book is an award winning book.? This statement was made by faith. I had done my best.

LESSON NO 6:

Believe in yourself. Be positively minded. Do not be intimidated by imaginary contenders. God is no respecter of any person. He will determine who will make it.

The printers sent only 12 copies to me. I sent off 6 to NLNG and my husband who all along knew I was writing but trusted my publisher and I read the book and spotted one mistake. It was such a big mistake in my eyes (I have since corrected it in a subsequent edition). I sank into the bed and tears filled my eyes as I remembered how so hard I worked on the book trying to bring it up to a perfect level. How could I have made such a mistake? How? Maybe I should have heeded my publisher?s advice.

Then I mentioned it to my friend, Elfrida Igebu who said to me, ?I beg leave me alone. Do you know the legions of mistakes that are in other people?s books? Except the bible, I am yet to see a perfect book, magazine or newspaper.? Of course that was the truth.

LESSON NO 6:

No situation should make you think it is over for it is not over yet until it is over. Surround yourself with positively minded persons.

A few months down the line, I was on way to Banana Republic with two of my friends Emeka Akparah and Elfrida Igebu to celebrate my promotion at work after a fairly long period of waiting. (These two friends of mine insisted that they wanted more than the general small chops and drinks I shared). Then Maiwada called, ?Madam what book did you put in for NLNG? I screamed out of excitement. I thanked him. That became one of the high points of my life.

I remembered one man who lived in Aba but travelled to the village frequently. He was always the one bringing news of dead people to their loved ones. He was the one that brought the news of the death of my mother?s sister and mother to her. Till she died whenever my mother saw the man she would say, ?onyema ihe nwoke a gi bia? meaning, ?who knows what bad news this man is bringing now.?

LESSON NO 7:

Always be the harbinger of good news as people never forget those who gave them the news in the first place.

While writing this piece, I cast my mind on how it all began. I remembered that after reading English first degree, I read law and then practiced law for 7 years. I spent, most of it in Tayo Oyetibo & Co. Some of my colleagues made fun of me because of how hard I worked considering the pay. They said it was like working there was one of the best things to happen to me. Practice was a lot of hard work. I took files home woke up in the midnight or early hours of the morning in crazy Lagos to prepare my submissions for the next day in court. I was never bothered that the court might not sit due to the judge taking his child to hospital, judge being summoned to Alausa, no power, strike or the judge deciding on taking only the cases of the senior advocates or not being in the mood to sit. The list of reasons why courts did not sit in those days were many some serious, some frivolous (it was all these factors that drove me away from the court to the Bank). After preparing the submissions I rehearsed before an imaginary audience or my husband as he drove me to work. Going to court was almost an everyday affair.

How can I forget Mondays; call over days. Each of us in the chambers took home not less than five files. Somehow I always attended all of them. All it entailed was for this fat woman to ?run from up to down, north to south, east to west? until I attended to all the cases. I had two out of my 5 children in the chambers. I attended ante natal classes on Saturdays so as not to disrupt schedules. My boss knew I was pregnant for the second baby when I was 7 months gone. He thought I was only getting bigger. A doctor told me that pregnancy was not a sickness and I believed it. When I got a job in the bank I converted all those nights of preparing for submissions into writing. The virtue of hard work I imbibed in those years of practicing advocacy in Tayo Oyetibo & Co, 5 days a week have come to be a blessing. Despite where I work and having 5 children, working hard is no big deal to me.

During my send forth after I got a job with the Bank, my boss said to everyone?s hearing including my husband that I treated the chambers like my personal chambers.

LESSON NO 8:

When you are working for people, work with all your heart for one day you will own your own business.

While the ?dance? lasted from July 2011 to January 2012 when the prize was presented to Adeyemi Adeleke, I made it a point to enjoy myself thoroughly. I gave interviews and attended readings. I thought of the prize money but again I knew that the last three standing had equal chances. Supposing i was never nominated in the first place?? I always told myself. I prayed all manners of prayers until I began to pray aright because the result gave me peace. I prayed to my chagrin as follows, ?God give the prize to the one who would best utilize it. God if you think I am not ready for this prize now, don?t let me win?. I was under tremendous pressure too with relations, friends and colleagues either requesting for a cut or giving me advice on how to spend the money. My father, kind by nature, was on hand to exhume all the people who have been a blessing to me and the entire family. When eventually Adeleke Adeyemi won, I was left alone. Nobody came around to give me suggestions on how to cope with the loss! Reminds you of success having many friends.

I took time to read the judges reports (I advise every writer to google and read them) and after reading the glowing tributes of the judges on my book, I knew I lost gallantly but most importantly that God?s will has been done.

I made a quality friend in Emma Nwatu of the NLNG who was so professional in dealing with us and advised me to launch deep with the platform created by NLNG and think of how to reach the ?proverbial NTA?S 150 million Nigerians.?

LESSON NO 9

Remember to always have fun as life is too short. Pray even though difficult for God?s will to be done all the time.

I am running with Emma?s advice. The book is being introduced to schools and the reception is high. I am giving occasional talks to school children. I refused to give up my writing despite working in a bank, having 5 children, being in my 40?s. I write without fail at least 5 times a week from 2am to 5am. I am now giving inspirational talks to middle aged women who think it is over for them and writing harder than I did the first time and doors hitherto shut are opening up to me. I thank God.

LESSON NO 10

If you had the opportunity of being in a reality show; God has given you a platform it is what you do with the platform that matters. Many participants given the platform, have gone on to great things. Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, Omawunmi Magbele?s and Temitayo George. Some winners burn out and develop the ?I have arrived spirit?. As you have not arrived ,work hard to arrive.

Chinyere Obi-Obasi can be reached on 08023122793

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