On July 18, 2019, The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature announced the shortlist of 11 books, taken from 173 books entered for the 2019 edition of the prize.

The 11 books on the shortlist of 11, in alphabetical order by title of book, are: 

  1. A Hero’s Welcome, Ndidi Enenmor
  2. Boom, Boom, Jude Idada
  3. Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
  4. Double ‘A’ for Adventure, Anisa Daniel-Oniko
  5. Ginika’s Adventures, Nnena Ochiche
  6. Igho Goes to Farm, Anote Ajeluorou
  7. Mystery at Ebenezer’s Lodge, Dunni Olatunde
  8. Obioma: A Girl’s Journey to Self-Discovery, Nkiru Uzoh
  9. She Calls Him Daddy, Oladele Medaiyese
  10. Spurred Surprises, Lami Adejoh Opawale
  11. The Great Walls of Benin, O. T. Begho

The list was presented by the chairman, panel of judges for this year’s prize, Professor Obodimma Oha, professor of Cultural Semiotics and Stylistics in the Department of English, University of Ìbàdàn. Other members of the panel of judges include Professor Asabe Usman Kabir, professor of Oral and African Literatures at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto and Dr. Patrick Oloko, a Senior lecturer at the University of Lagos Nigeria who specialises in African postcolonial literature, gender and cultural studies.

A shortlist of three is expected in September, and a winner will be announced by the Advisory Board in October.

Today, Sunday, July 28, 2019, there will be a Book Party with the 11 shortlisted writers, to discuss their work and interact with the public. The event will hold at Shell Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, at 2pm.