Ikeogu Oke, the 2017 winner of the NLNG Prize for Literature is dead.
The 51-year-old poet reportedly died at the National Hospital Abuja after losing the battle to an undisclosed ailment.
His poem, The Heresiad, was declared winner of the coveted prize from among 184 entries received from across the country for which he was presented with a cheque of $100,000 (N37m) by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited.
His works have been published in international journals, anthologies and other publications worldwide.
Oke, who wrote his epitaph on his Facebook page before his death, performed his poems at various fora in Nigeria, South Africa and the US, including as a special performance poet guest of Brown University in 2014.
He graduated with a BA in English and literary studies from the University of Calabar and an MA in literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
