The Nigerian Prize for Literature 2025 conversation – Businessday NG

Orchestra Of Fishermen Of The Country: The Compelling Ouvre Of Chigozie Obioma

By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

The novels of Chigozie Obioma demand critical attention. It is indeed uncommon for the first two novels of a new author to be shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize. Chigozie Obioma has impressed the world with his talent, particularly after his debut novel, The Fisherman, was nominated for the Booker Prize in 2015. He achieved a similar success with his second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, in 2019. His third novel, The Road to the Country, has recently become a finalist for Africa’s most esteemed literary award, the $100,000 Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG.

Chigozie Obioma’s novels belong to what he calls “mystical realism,” a realm that interweaves the world of the living, the dead, and the unborn. It first occurred to me that Chigozie Obioma was poised to be a strong voice in world fiction for years to come when, back in 2015, I received a call from BBC London in the early hours of the night to contribute some words on Obioma’s debut novel, which was then all the rage. When the book eventually lost out to *A Brief History of Seven Killings* by Jamaica’s Marlon James, one felt that both books were indeed worthy of the coveted prize.

The Fishermen is a coming-of-age novel that can be compared to classic works like Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The touching story of four brothers – Ikenna, Boja, Obembe, and Benjamin – in Akure is infused with mythic elements. The transfer of their father, Mr Agwu, from the Central Bank of Nigeria, from Akure in the Southwest to Yola in the North, upsets the lives of the young brothers, aged nine to fourteen. The drama begins on the ominous day in January 1996 when their father drives his Peugeot 504 out of their Akure home, commencing the long journey to Yola. Nine-year-old Benjamin acts as the first-person narrator of the story.

Boys will be boys, as the saying goes, and with an absent father, the Agwu brothers are destined to influence and be influenced. Over the course of six weeks, the boys shake up the town by becoming fishermen at the mysterious Omi-Ala River and teaming up with M.K.O. Abiola’s campaign team. It is by the river that they encounter Abulu the Madman, who prophesies that Ikenna, the eldest brother, will be murdered, leaving the other brothers uncertain about who among them will commit the act. It is similar to King Oedipus hearing that he will kill his own father and marry his mother.

The lost paradise of Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma reminds me of the 1954 novel by William Golding, in which some English private schoolboys, aged from six to twelve, luckily escape from a crashed plane over the Pacific only to find themselves on a deserted island, which they turn into a hellish slaughterhouse. The young Benjamin in eventually has his day in court, where he begins with the words, “We were fishermen. My brothers and I became,” the exact words that opened the novel. The verisimilitude in a nine-year-old standing trial can only surprise a critic unaware of a country stranger than the strangest fiction known as Nigeria.

In the Bible, Matthew 4:19, Jesus told the fishermen Simon Peter and Andrew: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The calling of Chigozie Obioma is original. He has followed the promise of The Fishermen with his equally accomplished second novel, titled An Orchestra of Minorities, in which the long-suffering poultry farmer Chinonso prevents Ndali, the lady, from taking her own life by jumping off a bridge on a fateful night. Chinonso then sells all his possessions and travels to Northern Cyprus to pursue the golden fleece of education, hoping that Ndali’s wealthy parents will accept him as her husband. He suffers greatly, gets scammed, and is imprisoned, such that life becomes a bridge too far for the searching man. The novel is expertly narrated by his Chi, in accordance with Igbo cosmology, and recreates Homer’s Odyssey with contemporary flair.

Chigozie Obioma’s latest novel, The Road to the Country, offers a groundbreaking depiction of the Nigeria-Biafra war of 1967-70 from the front lines of combat. Kunle, a Law student at the University of Lagos, is consumed by guilt, never forgiving himself for causing the injury that crippled his younger brother, Tunde. Kunle was with his girlfriend, Nkechi, and wanted Tunde to leave the room. He threw a ball for Tunde to catch in the open road, where a car accident then occurred, crippling the young Tunde.

Traumatised, Kunle becomes almost a recluse. When Nkechi takes Tunde to the East in 1967, at the outbreak of the civil war, Kunle journeys into the heartland of the nascent Biafran republic as if seeking atonement. He is recruited into the Biafran army and fights a war he does not fully understand. Kunle recounts his story, while an Ifa seer, “from the back of beyond,” to use Biyi Bandele’s phrase, narrates as well, calling Kunle by Fela’s alter ego, Abami Eda—meaning one who would die only to live again.

Chigozie Obioma is sui generis, as he writes in The Road to the Country thusly: “He picks up the papers and begins to go through the ‘story’ he has just written. At once, he is surprised by how many of the details about the accident have remained in his mind, even after all these years.

It was only this morning that he’d walked into the auditorium near the Law Building and heard a lecturer speak about writing to free oneself. He’d rushed home, picked up a pen and the foolscap notebook. And now, pieces of his childhood – blown in from remote corners of the past – are gathered in these few sheets of foolscap paper.”

Chigozie Obioma’s skills of narration are of the first order, and his vision is indeed vast. He is deserving of any prize in the large canvas of world literature.

Masobe Books is the premier imprint for the Nigerian edition of the Nigerian Prize for Literature books.

In the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature, one publisher has unequivocally dominated the field: Masobe Books. The independent Nigerian imprint has proven itself the premier publisher of contemporary Nigerian fiction, securing an impressive five of the eleven spots on the prestigious longlist and placing two titles on the final three-book shortlist.

The shortlisted works from Masobe Books are:

• Sanya by Oyin Olugbile
• The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma
The third shortlisted title, This Motherless Land by Nikki May, is published by Narrative Landscape Press

This remarkable achievement underscores Masobe Books’ crucial role in nurturing and promoting the most prominent voices in contemporary African literature.

The Vision Behind the Success: Othuke Ominiabohs

Masobe Books was founded in 2018 by Othuke Ominiabohs—a distinguished author, poet, and entrepreneur. His journey is one of remarkable resilience. After a life-threatening battle with kidney disease, Ominiabohs was driven by the regret of unpublished manuscripts to personally distribute his debut novel, Odufa, from the boot of his car across Nigeria. This direct encounter with the industry’s challenges—poor distribution, subpar production quality, and author disillusionment—inspired him to create a publisher that prioritises African writers.

The name “Masobe,” derived from the Isoko language meaning “Let us read,” reflects this mission. In just a few years, the company has published over 100 titles by more than 96 authors, selling over 100,000 copies.

Beyond Publishing: Innovative Strategies for a Challenging Market

Masobe Books tackles the endemic problems of Nigerian publishing with innovative solutions:

• Creative Distribution: The company has forged strategic partnerships, including a unique distribution arrangement with the national pharmacy chain Medplus, ensuring books reach readers directly across the country.

• Focus on Quality and Appeal: Masobe invests in high-quality production and striking cover art, complemented by savvy social media campaigns, to make books desirable objects and reading an engaging, modern experience.

A Catalog of Contemporary Classics

Masobe Books’ influential catalogue includes critically acclaimed titles that have become bestsellers, such as:

• I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
• A Broken People’s Playlist by Chimeka Garricks
• Nearly All the Men in Lagos are Mad by Damilare Kuku
• Ogadinma by Ukamaka Olisakwe
• Dreams and Assorted Nightmares by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim

The dominance of Masobe Books in the 2025 Nigeria Prize for Literature is not a coincidence but a validation of a deliberate, author-centric, and innovative model. By successfully tackling distribution, quality, and marketing, Othuke Ominiabohs has built a publishing house that is not just printing books, but actively shaping the future of African literature.

Masobe Books is an independent Nigerian publishing company. It was founded in 2018 by Nigerian author Othuke Ominiabohs and has since become one of the leading publishers of contemporary African writing on the continent.

Masobe is a word derived from the Isoko language of the Isoko people, who hail from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. It means ‘Let Us Read’. The first book published under Masobe Books was Othuke Ominiaboh’s debut novel, Odufa. Other imprints of Masobe Books include Makere and Oremaha, according to Wikipedia and Google.com.

Background

Othuke Ominiaboh is a distinguished Nigerian author and the founder of Masobe Books, a fast-growing publishing company that has become a significant force in African literature. His personal experiences deeply inspire his writing and publishing work.

Ominiaboh is a writer, poet, dramatist, publisher, and entrepreneur.

He has stood on podiums: Shortlisted for the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature, ANA Prize for Prose Fiction, and named Brittle Paper’s Literary Person of the Year (2024.

Masobe Books addresses common issues in Nigerian literature, including poor distribution and marketing, subpar production, especially for self-published books, readers’ apathy and scepticism, and authors’ disillusionment with securing proper publication, recognition, and exposure for their work.

Othuke Ominiaboh’s journey is a remarkable story of resilience and passion for storytelling.

After graduating with a degree in Computer Science, Ominiaboh’s worked as an English teacher when he faced a life-threatening diagnosis of end-stage kidney disease. During this period, his regret over leaving his manuscripts unpublished strengthened his resolve to share his stories with the world.

Following a successful transplant and recovery, he self-published his first novel, Odufa, and personally distributed it by driving across Nigeria with copies in the boot of his car. This direct experience with the struggles faced by local writers led him to establish Masobe Books in 2018.

Beyond Publishing

Omniaboh has implemented innovative strategies to overcome industry challenges, such as distribution and funding.

• Creative Distribution: Leveraging partnerships has been key to Masobe’s success. Notably, the company has distribution arrangements with a national pharmacy chain (Medplus) and key bookstores, enabling it to reach readers across Nigeria directly.

• Focus on Quality and Appeal: The company invests in high-quality, striking cover art and runs creative social media campaigns to make books visually appealing and engage a younger audience, helping to make reading “cool” again in Nigeria.