United Nigeria Airlines pledges N20m to sustain Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction for 10 years
United Nigeria Airlines (UNA) has pledged N20 million to sponsor the annual Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction for the next 10 years, in a move aimed at securing the future of the prestigious literary award.
The airline’s Executive Chairman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, announced the commitment following discussions with the President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Dr Usman Akanbi.
Under the sponsorship arrangement, United Nigeria Airlines will provide N2 million annually to ANA for 10 consecutive years, bringing the total commitment to N20 million.
The sponsorship is expected to provide greater financial stability for the prize and ensure its continuity irrespective of changes in the Anambra State Government, which initially established and funded the award.
The Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction was instituted in 2021 by the Anambra State Government in partnership with the leadership of the Association of Nigerian Authors to honour the literary legacy of the late Nigerian novelist, essayist and intellectual, Prof Chinua Achebe.
However, the award has faced financial uncertainty in recent years following the reported withdrawal of the state government from its sponsorship. The administration of former Governor Willie Obiano commenced the sponsorship with N1 million.
When Governor Chukwuma Soludo assumed office in 2022, his administration continued the funding and subsequently agreed to ANA’s request to increase the annual sponsorship to N2 million, citing inflation and rising administrative costs, including payments to judges.
According to the organisers, the state government continued the sponsorship for two years but subsequently failed to sustain the arrangement despite several letters from ANA reminding it of its commitment.
The development reportedly placed the future of the annual prize in uncertainty, prompting United Nigeria Airlines to intervene with a long-term funding commitment.
Announcing the sponsorship, Akanbi quoted Okonkwo as saying that Achebe’s legacy was too significant to allow the award established in his honour to suffer from inconsistent funding.
“Prof Achebe is too precious in our consciousness for the award to continue to suffer the current epileptic funding,” Okonkwo was quoted as saying.
Explaining the rationale behind the airline’s decision, the UNA chairman said Achebe’s contribution to African literature and the global recognition of the black race deserved sustained institutional support.
Okonkwo described Achebe as one of the few literary and cultural figures in recent history who had brought enormous attention and honour to Africa and the black race through his writings, lectures, speeches, intellectual activism, ethical conduct and interventions in public affairs.
He described the late author as “an authentic conscience of the Nigerian people”, stressing the importance of preserving his legacy for future generations.
Reacting to the sponsorship, ANA President Akanbi expressed appreciation to Okonkwo and United Nigeria Airlines for what he described as a patriotic intervention.
Akanbi noted that Achebe was not only a world-renowned novelist, essayist and raconteur but also the founder of the Association of Nigerian Authors.
According to him, Achebe established ANA in 1981 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and accepted to serve as its first president, helping to establish the credibility and platform that have enabled the association to gain recognition beyond Nigeria. The ANA president also pointed to Okonkwo’s longstanding efforts to preserve and promote Achebe’s legacy.
He cited the businessman’s role in financing the construction of a statue in honour of the late literary icon. The statue was unveiled in July by Governor Soludo at the Ugwunwasike Roundabout in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Achebe’s hometown.
Akanbi said the latest sponsorship commitment represented another significant step by Okonkwo and United Nigeria Airlines towards preserving Achebe’s name and contribution to Nigerian and African literature.
The airline had, in June, further honoured the literary icon by naming one of two Boeing 737-800NG aircraft it acquired after Achebe.
The second aircraft was named after His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha.
The naming of the aircraft after the late author and the traditional ruler, according to the airline, reflects Okonkwo’s determination to uphold and celebrate the values and contributions of both men.
With the new 10-year sponsorship commitment, the Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction is expected to have a more predictable funding structure, potentially reducing its dependence on government sponsorship and providing greater continuity for one of Nigeria’s notable literary awards.
The development also underscores the growing role of private-sector organisations in supporting Nigeria’s literary and cultural institutions, particularly at a time when public funding for cultural initiatives has come under pressure.
