BN MAGAZINE is delighted to announce its 2018 TOP TEN YOUNG NIGERIAN POETS TO WATCH.
The names includes: prize winners, published poets, unpublished poets and performance poets.
Please be informed that the names are listed in no particular order and more importantly, selections were made based on recommendations/citations.
1. RIDWAN ADELAJA
RIDWAN ADELAJA, Winner, 2017 Ken Egbas Poetry Prize and 2nd Runner-up, 8th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Prize, is a media personnel and language instructor with professional certificate courses in Business Management, Digital Marketing, Corporate Grant Writing, Product Growth Hacking, and Workforce Development.
He graduated from the prestigious Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso with a second class upper division in Pure and Applied Physics, and moved on to join Africa’s number one leading business news reporter and publisher -Ventures Africa as a graduate intern where he sharpened his news report-writing skills and content development expertise.
Before graduation from the university, as a content developer and skilled freelance writer/marketer, he worked briefly for six months as a news correspondent for MC Report, a newspaper based in the New York, covering community news around Africa.
Ridwan is a digital enthusiast, scientist, youth developer, event moderator, and a content writer with many years of demonstrated practical leadership skills. In April, 2018, he also emerged as the winner of the 2018 Tony Fernadez Poetry Prize with his poem titled The Cyclist.
Ridwan is working on his debut collection of poems. He is equally working with the co-founder of Pronto Africa, Yusuf Adeyemo, to build African’s largest writers’ most sophisticated, free and easy-to-use web-publishing platform. With the development of a first-class model website, they will be bridging the gap that has suffered a number of writers the access to top-notch online features to increase visibility and reach via building a unique online presence for users.
In his unquenchable quest for knowledge and hunger for technical know-how, Ridwan Adelaja has just completed his industry qualification diploma in Broadcast Journalism from James Pike International, UK.
2. Akwu Sunday
Akwu Sunday Victor hails from Etutekpe, Olamaboro LGA Kogi State and is a graduate of English and Literary Studies from Kogi State University, Anyigba. He has publications in national and international journals.
3. Ololade Akinlabi Ige
Ololade Akinlabi Ige is a young Nigerian poet, he is a graduate of OAU. He hails from Ibadan. He was a nominee for Nigeria Writers Award 2017 and a two time winner of Poet in Nigeria 10-day poetry Challenge. He emerged as second runner up in Youth Shades international poetry contest in 2017. He was one of the finalists at Bppc August, 2018 monthly poetry contest. He was shortlisted for Albert Jungan poetry prize same year. He emerged as second runner-up in Eyitayo Adeosun Memorial poetry contest. His poems have featured in anthologies such as Irawo poetry anthology, Muse for world peace anthology, Atelewo anthology, 84 delicious bottles of wine for Wole Soyinka and Citadel of Words by WRR.
4. Akinwale Peace Akindayo
Akinwale Peace Akindayo, best known as Philip Peace is a sophomore student in the University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. He expresses himself on matters of the heart, rape, existence, state of the nation and every other thing that concerns him and his society — as an entity he lives in, an entity he cannot separate himself from. — he believes the world would be so boring if everybody is like him. He’s a lover of music, he has a flair at acting but has never tried it, he as well adores beauty, that which is not altered; beauty in all sense. He loves solitude. He doesn’t have a favourite colour. He loves so many things he hasn’t seen, like seeing the sunrise and set…. He believes everything matters in this world only if we see it the way it’s conceived.
5. John Chizoba Vincent
John Chizoba Vincent is a cinematographer, filmmaker, music video director, poet and a writer. A graduate of mass communication. He believes in life and the substances that life is made of. He has three books published to his credit which includes Hard Times, Good Mama, Letter from Home. For boys of tomorrow is his first offering to poetry. He lives in Lagos.
6. Iberiyenari Godstime
Iberiyenari Godstime is a 400-level student of Chemical Science at Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island, Yenagoa. In 2018, her poem “Deep Dreams” won the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) organized by Poets in Nigeria, PIN.
7. Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto
Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto is from Owerri-Nkworji in Nkwerre, Imo state, Nigeria and a lover of literature. He has won the Mazariyya ANA Teen Poetry Prize of the Association of Nigerian Authors, 2009; Speak to the Heart, Inc. Poetry Competition, 2016. He became a runner-up in Etisalat Prize for Literature, Flash fiction, 2014 with I Saved My Marriage. Recently, he won the Castello di Duino Poesia Prize for an unpublished poem, 2018. And some of his works have appeared in Lunaris Review, AFREADA, Kalahari Review, Praxismagazine, The Rising Phoenix Review and Raffish Magazine.
8. Kechi Nomu
Kechi Nomu was born in 1987. She grew up in Nigeria under two Nigerian dictatorships. Her poems have appeared in Saraba Magazine, The ANA Poetry Review, Expound Magazine, Sentinel and Brittle Paper. She writes film and theatre reviews for Olisatv. Her short stories have been workshopped at the Farafina Creative Writing Workshop and the Caine Prize Short Story Surgery. Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared online and in print.
9. Graciano
Graciano
10.ZAINAB KABIR TALATA
ZAINAB KABIR TALATA is a poet , fiction and creative non-fiction writer presently studying Law at Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK). Born in Lagos but raised in Abuja where she still lives, Zainab took interest in writing quite early, and has several writing, including two unpublished novels to her name. She believes that writing is not just a hobby, but also an avenue to express emotions and beliefs without interruptions.
BN MAGAZINE 
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