By Emmanuel Uffot
A University Don Dr Eyoh Etim from Akwa Ibom State,has joined the number of indigenes of the state that have put the name of the state in the global map by excelling in their different endeavours.
Dr Etim bagged the Nigeria National Liquified Gas( NNLG) Prize for Literary Criticism last week in Lagos.
The coveted prize of the oil and gas giant which is the 2023 edition was held at Eko Hotel. For his feat, he went home with $10,000 dollars.
Dr Etim has a rich academic resume, having bagged Bachelor of Arts in English and Master’s of Arts from the University of Uyo and Doctorate In Literature from University of Ibadan.
His latest award of the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, came from three published academic papers which illustrated his meticulous examination and insight into literary works.
Also honoured alongside the Akwa Ibom born scholar were two other scholars, Dr Obari Gomba and Professor Hipolyte Amadi.
While the former, won the NNLG Prize for Literature the latter went home with the coveted prize of Nigeria Prize for Science.
Commenting at the award ceremony, the Chairperson of the Advisory Board for the Nigeria Prize for Literature and Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism Akachi Adimora- Ezeigbo, expressed her delight at the accomplishment of Dr Etim and his fellow awardees.
She further praised their exceptional contributions and commended the NNLG for their unwavering commitment to literary and scientific excellence.
The occasion provided a platform for the organisers and sponsor of the literary works to announced the focus of 2024 edition which it said will celebrate the world of children’s literature.
The call for submission of entries for the literary works is slated for February 2024.
The laurel won by Dr Etim, swells the number of Akwa Ibom indigenes that have excelled themselves in different endeavours in recent times.
It could be recalled that in the last World Teachers Day celebration, a Physics Teacher at Comprehensive Secondary School Ediene Abak in Akwa Ibom State Mr Ephraim Jacob Inyangudo won the best teacher in Nigeria award.
Similarly, 14 year old Ketimfom Ndayongmong, a JSS 3 student of Beulah International School, in Ekom Iman, Akwa Ibom State won the 2023 edition of Heirs Life Assurance Essay Competition which goes with N2 million scholarship grant.
Apart from the duo, two others put their names and that of the state on the global by breaking Guinness Book of Records.
First was Ms Hilda Bassey who wrote her name in the Guiness Book of Records for engaging in individual marathon cooking for 100 hours.
Following the foot steps of Hilda just last month was Mr John Obot, a teacher. The teacher did a 145 hours marathon reading that span six days in Uyo.
In doing that, he surpassed the previous record of 124 hours set by Kyrgy ztan and Ryshai Isakov in Bursa, Turkey in September 2022.
Obot read from varieties of books from mostly Nigerian authors.
Some of them were, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Civil War Child by Nestor Udoh, Ibibio Nation History by Otobong Uwah, Eze Goes to School by Michael Crowder and Onuora Nzekwu and Echoes of Traditional Society from a veteran journalist Akpanadem James.
