General
9 Authors Make Etisalat Prize for Literature 2016 Longlist

By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Chair of the judging panel of the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature, Helon Habila, has announced the 2016 longlist of nine books.
The longlist is made up of entries from first-time authors whose books were published in the past 24 months.
The longlisted books are Mr and Mrs Doctor by Julie Iromuanya (Coffee House Press, USA), The Yearning by Mohale Mashigo (PanMacmillan, South Africa), Piggy Boy’s Blues by Nakhane Toure (Blackbird Books imprint of Jacana Media, SA), The Peculiars by Jen Thorpe (Penguin Random House, USA) and Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John (Cassava Republic, Nigeria).
Others are And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile (Farafina an imprint of Kachifo Limited, Nigeria), Dub Steps by Andrew Miller (Jacana Media, South Africa), The Seed Thief by Jacqui L’Ange (Umuzi Publishers, South Africa) and Nwezelenga: The Star Child by Unathi Magubeni (Black Bird Books Imprint of Jacana Media, South Africa).
Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, endorsed the judges’ carefully moderated selection process, saying, “The novels in this year’s longlist represent a good number of African publishing companies. Each novel reflects a very interesting and dynamic perspective that will provoke intense conversations about different personal and societal issues.”
The judging panel, comprising Nigerian novelist and poet, Helon Habila (Chair), South African writer/activist Elinor Sisulu and Ivorian writer and Africa39 laureate Edwige Rene Dro, now has the task of selecting three authors for the shortlist, which will be unveiled in December.
The winner of the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature will be announced in March 2017 and will receive £15,000, an engraved Montblanc Meisterstück pen, and an Etisalat-sponsored fellowship at the University of East Anglia to be mentored by renowned Professor Giles Foden, author of The Last King of Scotland.
Nigerian-born Helon Habila is an award-winning author and an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University, USA. His novels include Waiting for an Angel (2002), Measuring Time (2007), and Oil on Water (2010). His current book is a work of nonfiction, The Chibok Girls. His novels, poems, and short stories have won many honours, including the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Novel (Africa Section), the Caine Prize, The Library of Virginia Annual Literary Award for fiction and most recently the Windham-Campbell Prize. Habila has been a contributing editor for the Virginia Quarterly Review since 2004, and is a regular reviewer for the Guardian, UK.
Elinor Sisulu is a Zimbabwean-born South Africa writer and human rights activist. Elinor Sisulu combines training in history, English literature, development studies and feminist theory from institutions in Zimbabwe, Senegal and the Netherlands.
She is the author of the award-winning children’s book The Day Gogo Went to Vote. Her biography on her parents-in-law, Walter and Albertina Sisulu: In Our Lifetime secured her the prestigious 2003 Noma Award for publishing in Africa.
Elinor’s involvement in book promotion and literary development efforts for many years has culminated in her work with the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation. She has been a judge for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, the Sanlam Youth Literature Prize and the Penguin Africa Writer’s Competition.
Edwige-Renée Dro is an Ivorian writer who is passionate about getting the Francophone voice into the mainstream. She translates for PEN International as well as Global Voices Online. She worked on the translation of Les Cités Fantastiques (The Fantastic Cities), a coffee-table book featuring poems and paintings by Werewere Liking. Edwige has her own blog at africanmusings.wordpress.com and runs a book reading group in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. She won the 2015 PEN International New Voices award and was shortlisted for the Miles Morland Writing Scholarship in 2014. She was also one of the featured writers in the Hay Festival’s prestigious initiative Africa39.
General
BREAKING: Awujale of Ijebuland Sikiru Adetona Dies at 91

By Dipo Olowookere
The Awujale of Ijebuland, Sikiru Kayode Adetona, has died at the age of 91, reports reaching Business Post say.
It was gathered that the prominent Ijebu monarch died on Sunday on a day one of his longtime allies, Mr Muhammadu Buhari, died in a London clinic.
The traditional ruler was not present at the popular Ojude Oba held in Ijebu Ode last month, as he was represented by his wife.
Born on May 10, 1934, he became the Awujale on April 2, 1960, making him one of the longest reigning monarchs in Nigeria.
General
Tinubu Orders Shettima to Accompany Buhari’s Corpse to Nigeria

By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigeria’s Vice President, Mr Kashim Shetima, has been directed by his boss, President Bola Tinubu, to travel to the United Kingdom to accompany the remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigeria.
This directive was announced by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Mr Buhari died in a London clinic on Sunday and in the statement, Mr Tinubu offered his deep condolences to the family of his predecessor, especially the window, Mrs Aisha Buhari.
“President Tinubu has spoken with Mrs Aishat Buhari, the former President’s widow and offered his deep condolences.
“President Tinubu has also ordered Vice President Kashim Shettima to proceed to the United Kingdom to accompany President Muhammadu Buhari’s body back to Nigeria,” a part of the statement said.
President Tinubu has ordered flags at half-staff as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
General
JUST IN: Former President Buhari Dies in London

By Dipo Olowookere
The immediate past president of Nigeria, Mr Muhammadu Buhari, has died, his former spokesman, Mr Garba Shehu, has confirmed.
The Katsina State-born former military officer and politician breathed his last on Sunday after he was admitted in a clinic in London, the United Kingdom.
“The family of the former president has announced the passing of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, this afternoon in a clinic in London. May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus, Amin,” Mr Shehu announced on Sunday evening.
The deceased first ruled the country from 1983 to 1985 as a military Head of State, and then elected as a civilian president from 2015 to 2023.
After he left office on May 29, 2023, he moved to the UK and later relocated to Kaduna State from Daura, Katsina.
Some days ago, it was reported that he was ill and was taking treatment in a London health facility. He could not attend the book launch of Mr Shehu on Wednesday in Abuja.
On Friday, Mr Shehu, during a programme, Politics Today, aired on Channels Television and monitored by Business Post, the former presidential spokesperson said his former boss was recuperating in London.
While in office, Mr Buhari was a frequent visitor to the UK for medical treatment.
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