Winners emerge at 8th Korea/Nigeria Poetry Feast

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Winners have emerged on Wednesday in Abuja at the 8th Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast for adult and student category respectively.
The feast was organised by the Korean Cultural Centre in Nigeria (KCCN) to mark the World Poetry Day.
While three winners emerged from the adult category, three students also emerged winners from the secondary school category with 14 others going home with consolation prizes, seven from each category respectively.
In the adult category, the first prize of N100,000 went to Miss Roseben Anyanwu for her poem ‘Roma’.
Mr Oko Owoicho with his poem “We will sing water” came second and got N75,000 while the third prize of N50,000 went to Ridwan Adelaja for his poem “The Cyclist”.
However, seven other poets from the category got the sum of N25,000 each as consolation prizes.
However, from the secondary school category, Miss Ameerah Adunola from Government Secondary school, Dutse emerged overall winner for her poem, “Path Way” and was awarded N50,000.
Also, while Miss Praise Acha, from African Child College Abuja emerged first runner up with her poem “The Path” was given N30,000.
Miss Gift Ngwuli clinched the second runner up position with her poem “Lyrics of Old” and got N20,000.
More so, seven other students got N10,000 each as consolation prizes.
Speaking earlier, Mr Han Sungrae, the Director of the KCCN said for eight years in a row, the centre had offered Nigerians the platform to express themselves and show their talent using poetry.
Sungrae, who was represented by Ms Jee Meeyoun, a Cultural Consultant at the centre, said the 2018 response to the call for entry into the poetry competition was positive.
“This year, we received a record submission in the adult category with 505 poems; from the secondary school category, we got 78 poems from seven schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The best 10 poems from each category have been carefully selected by independent judges for the awards.
“We thank all poets that have sent in entries especially those whose poems were not selected, we implore you not to relent in your quest to excel,” Sungrae said.
Meanwhile Alhaji Oladimeji Hassan, Secretary of FCT Social Development Secretariat, in his keynote address said the poets were creative, imaginative and can forecast both human and natural happenings.
“I have no doubt that this poetic exercises is not only intended to be enjoyed but also to spur the creative ingenuity among writers that will produce powerful poets that will build the future of this nation.
“I will continue to encourage and support these creative minds in which lies the root of our collective growth and development as a nation,” Hassan said.
High points of the event was poetry recitation and spoken words performances on stage by some students and poets.