FOUR NOTABLE POETS IN NIGERIA

By Nnachetam Calista Chinonye

There is an endless list of poets around the world, both known and unknown.  In this post, we are spotlighting few of Nigeria’s notable poets. 
     
CHRISTOPHER IFEKANDU OKIGBO, a Nigerian poet, Librarian, and teacher was born into a Catholic family on the 16th of August 1932, in Ojoto, Anambra State. He is popularly recognized as a modernist writer of the 20th century and a post-colonial (English Language) African poet. Although, his father was a devoted Christian, Okigbo believed the soul in him was the reincarnated soul of his grandfather; a Priest of Idoto, an Igbo diety. He was an assistant Librarian at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and cofounded the ‘African Authors Association.’ 
During his short life span, Okigbo had some literary works such as, ‘Heaven’s Gate,’ ‘Limits,’ ‘Elegy for Alto,’ and many others. After his demise, he received honors and awards including the National Order of Merit of Biafra.

Christopher Okigbo

JOHN PEPPER CLARK-BEKEDEREMO (6th April 1935-13th October 2020), popularly known as JP Clark was a Nigerian playwright and poet. He attended the University of Ibadan and after graduation, worked as a Research fellow and as an Information Officer. JP Clark taught English at the University of Lagos for several years and was the Co-Editor of a Literary magazine; ‘Black Orpheus.’ In 1982, he and his wife, Ebun Odutola founded the PEC Repertory Theatre in Lagos. Under the leadership of Wole Adedoyin in 2015, the JP Clark Literary Society was founded, and it was aimed at promoting and reading Clark’s works. He is well recognized for his poems which are still studied at secondary and tertiary levels in Nigeria and beyond, and is more famous for his poem titled, ‘Abiku.’ He was one of the four literary giants who pioneered Modern African Literature in Nigeria and received many awards including an award for literary excellence in 1991.

JP Clark

BEN OKRI (15th March 1959) was born in Minna, Niger State to Grace and Silver Okri. He spent his earliest years in London and relocated back to Nigeria with his parents on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War in 1966. After his Secondary School education, he decided to study Physics to become a Scientist but was denied admission into one of the Nigerian Universities as he was just fourteen. Okri began writing articles and fiction in 1976, and later moved to England to study Comparative Literature at the University of Essex. At twenty-one, he published his debut novel, ‘Flowers and Shadows.’ He also served as Poetry Editor of West-Africa Magazine from 1983-1986. His novel, ‘The Famished Road,’ won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1991, making him the youngest winner at age twenty-one.

Ben Okri

TITILOPE SONUGA, was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1985. She is a poet, Civil Engineer and Actress. She spent half a decade working as an Engineer while also pursuing her interests in poetry. She is the author of three collections of poetry: Down to Earth (2011), Abscess (2014), and This Is How We Disappear (2019), two spoken word albums, Mother Tongue (2011) and Swim (2019), and several plays. 
Sonuga won the 2011 Canadian Authors Association Emerging Writer Award and the 2012 Maya Angelou Poetry contest and is the first poet to appear at a Nigerian Presidential inauguration.

Titilope Sonuga

The next set of notable poets have applied to our ZODML Mother’s Day Poetry Challenge and winners will be announced on Mother’s Day in May, 2023.