The National Secretary General of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr Denja Abdullahi told Sunday Trust last night that the decision of the company was not constructive, and dismissed their view as unfair. Earlier, our reporter, who was at the event, was denied access to the venue by heavily armed security operatives. “They are deliberately trying to bring down Nigerian literature. They are simply rubbishing our works because of their lack of interest in indigenous literature. We are going to distance ourselves from their fraudulent activities,” the ANA scribe said.
Also, one of the nominees, Mr Diego Okenyedo, who was earlier refused entrance into venue, said that he was denied access “to attend the Grand Ball Dinner tonight as the winner of The Nigeria Prize for Literature will be announced in a poorly organised event at Transcorp going on right now. Most fellow nominees aren’t attending, too, because we were not invited. We can get these things right if only artistes refuse to be insulted by shoddiness.”
