The Alika Ogorchukwu 2023 International Poetry Competition has been concluded and winners have emerged. The judges assessed the entries submitted by the contestants and three persons emerged as winners.
The performance of the contestants was determined by impartial judges including Dr Melafa Omotola a senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Divine Ngwang, and Itohan Luca, a writer.
Gordon Egonu came first with his poem, ‘The Street Vendors’ Farewell’. He won 1,000 euros and a plaque. Peculiar Olujobi came second position with her poem titled ‘Hearts of Pure Red’, she won 400 euros and a plaque. Ekpenisi Nwajesu came third position with his poem titled, ‘Breaking Down Colored Walls’. He won 200 euros and a plaque.
About 50 poets participated in the competition and those who didn’t make the first three positions were appreciated for their literary skills. The contest is in honour of Alika Ogorchukwu a Nigerian. An anthology of all standard poem entries will be published and presented on 29th July 2023, in remembrance of the one-year anniversary of his demise.
The contest is an initiative of Onuzulike Babatunde, a poet who gained recognition both at home and abroad, a Nigerian-born diplomat who has won awards in poetry at the international level.
Onuzulike is a staunch believer in driving and implementing the Federal Government’s policy of Citizen Diplomacy. Thus he doesn’t mind if the resources to enforce such policies would come from his pocket.
While serving the government of Cameroon in Buea, he made provisions of food, drug, clothes, mattresses and bibles for Nigerians who are victims of the tension between Nigeria and Cameroon over the Bakassi Peninsula.
One of his humanitarian services is handling the case of Mr Apkan Okon, who came to the Mission blind and begging. Onuzulike sponsored his eye surgery in order for him to regain his sight. He also helped him secure a job after regaining his sight.
After serving in Buea for years he was posted to Kinshasa, Congo. There he sponsored the repatriation of a destitute Nigerian, subsidized fee for the issuance of passports for some Nigerians to return home, paid courtesy visits to several orphanages in Kinshasa and donated humanitarian aid to the orphanages.
In Nigeria, he contributed facilities to ‘The Potters Wheel Foundation’, a Non-governmental organization, jnvolved in vocational skills training. He donated furniture and take off grants for the organization. This helped the organization train over four thousand youths across Nigeria on different skills and provided them with materials to start their own business. This is to ensure they are self-independent. He has also provided clothes and shoes to Nigerians in detention in Rome.
He initiated the ‘Alika Ogorchukwu International Literary competition 2023’, to amplify demands of justice for Alika, immortalize him and provide a source of economic sustenance for his widow from the sales of the anthology of poems.
He adopted a de-tribalized approach to community and national development. This earned him the award of ‘Tribal Peace Ambassador’ from ‘The stay alert Initiative’, an Abuja-based Human Rights Organization, and has always played a voluntary role and support in assisting Nigerian residents in his present appointment with the Nigeria Embassy in Rome. Italy