TY Buratai Literary Initiative Unveils Ambitious 2025 Agenda, Boosts Young Writers’ Rewards
By Auwal Ahmad, Gombe
The TY Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) has kicked off its 2025 activities with a renewed push to enhance literacy and creative writing among Nigerian youths.
The flag-off event, held on Thursday at Adam’s Pages Bookstore, Abuja, coincided with World Read Aloud Day 2025 and the 56th anniversary of Cyprian Ekwensi’s literary classics, “The Drummer Boy” and “The Passport of Mallam Ilia.”
The ceremony brought together students from various Abuja schools for a read-aloud session of Ekwensi’s works, reinforcing TYBLI’s commitment to fostering a reading culture among young Nigerians.
TYBLI Chairperson, Dr. Elizabeth Ben-Iheanacho, outlined the organisation’s 2024 achievements and unveiled ambitious plans for the new year. She emphasized that TYBLI founded and sponsored by former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. T.Y. Buratai (Rtd) remains steadfast in promoting literacy through book placements and literary competitions.
“In our maiden outing in 2024, we placed the TY Buratai Book Box in three schools one in Nasarawa State and two in the FCT. We also introduced the Forerunners and Illustrators Award to honor pioneers in Young Adult Literature (YAL) in Nigeria,” she stated.
Among the key initiatives announced for 2025 are:
Publication of an anthology featuring the top 10 entries from the 2024 Young Adult Literature Prize (YALP) competition, to be distributed to secondary and tertiary institutions nationwide.
Expansion of the TYBLI Book Box program to five new schools across Kaduna, Nasarawa, and the FCT.
Increased literary prizes, with the grand prize for YALP rising to ₦1.5 million (up from ₦1 million in 2024), courtesy of Amb. Babagana Kingibe, GCON.
Zonal prizes doubled, with winners from each of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones now receiving ₦500,000 each presentation of the TYBLI Forerunners and Illustrators Award to Kola Onadipe and Frances Effiong.
Publication of Volume 2 of the TYBLI Young Adult Literature Anthology, featuring the best 10 2025 entries.
Dr. Ben-Iheanacho announced the organisation’s 2025 timeline, with:
Call for submissions opening in April, book placements scheduled for May, Grand award ceremony set for November 1, 2025.
Speaking at the event, TYBLI Vice Chairman, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad Sani, urged stakeholders, educators, and corporate organizations to support TYBLI’s vision for a more literate Nigeria.
He also encouraged students to embrace reading as a habit, reminding them that “readers are leaders.”
With bigger rewards, broader outreach, and renewed enthusiasm, TYBLI is set to make 2025 a milestone year for young Nigerian writers and readers.
