
Izunna Okafor
He had his secondary school at Community Secondary School Ebenator. He is graduate from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, where he studied Public Administration. He also holds O.N.D in Public Administration from the same school.
A published and best-selling author, Izunna has written globally applauded books. He is the author of: 'Ikem's Adventure' (his first book) published in Nigeria in 2012, during his secondary school; 'The Curse of A Widow' (his second book), published in 2013; 'The Faithful Children' (his third book), published in 2014, and received outstanding recognition in the Ezenwa Ohaeto Prize for Young Nigerian Novelists 2015; 'Ajo Enyi,' his debut Igbo novel and fourth book, published in 2015.
With 'Ajo Enyi', he won the 2015/2016 Nigerian Writers Award/Indigenous Writer of the Year; the 2015 Society of Young Nigerian Writers Award/Pita Nwanna Award for Igbo Literature; and also got shortlisted for The 2015 Young Nigerian Writer of The Year, and the 2017 Nigerian Writers Award.
His other books include "African Blood" (A Short Story), "Nzúzù M Egbuo M," (Igbo novel), "Educated Illiterate," and "Teach Me Grammar."
He has been published in many anthologies, both nationally and internationally; has thousands of articles/essays as well as poems and short stories published online to his credit.
A diglot writer, Izunna writes perfectly in Igbo and English languages, and has published widely in both languages.
He has won and been nominated for a plethora of awards which include:
The Nigerian Writers Award/Indigenous Writer of The Year 2015/2016
Pita Nwana Prize For Igbo Literature 2015
Society of Young Nigerian Writers Award Nigeria
Heritage Icon Award/Young Writer of the Year Federal Republic of Nigeria 2016
Merit Award from The Society of Young Nigerian Writers (2016)
Award of Recognition From Students Union Government, Unizik (2017)
Nigerian Writers Award/Young Writer of The Year 2015/2016
N.Y.S.C. Essay Competition 2012
SLAM Hero Youth International Award/Innovative Youth of the Year 2016
Anambra Exclusive Youth Choice Award/Youth Writer of the Year 2016
Award of Academic Excellence from The National Association of Public Administration Students (2016)
Inspire Award /Outstanding Youth in Academics 2017
NAPAS Academic Icon of the Year 2017
Anambra Campus Award 2017/Campus Writer of The Year 2017
Award of Excellence from The Society of Young Nigerian Writers 2016
Anambra Exclusive Youth Choice Award/Outstanding Youth of the Year 2017
Youth Writer of The Year 2016 NAPAS Essay Competition 2017
Starlett Entertainment Award/Creative Writer of the Year 2016
Young Author Award, 2018
Creative Crew Africa/Young Talent of The Year 2018, among others
Campus Best Writer 2018/Campus Best Journalist of the Year 2018
Best Secretary General of NAPAS (2018)
Young Achievers Award/Best Young Writer of the Year 2019
National Light Staff of the Year 2019
Anambra Media Excellence Award/News Reporter of the Year 2019
Recognition Award, Anambra Through A Lens, 2020
He also has numerous Certificates of Merit, Award, Recognition, the most recent of which include:
Certificate of Recognition From The ImpactField Global Initiative (2018)
Certificate of Award from the Applex Art and Creative Crew Africa (2018)
Certificate of Completion for the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship, 2020
Certificate of Participation, Naija Haiku Poetry Workshop, 2020, among others.
At the age of 21, Izunna was nominated for The Future Award Africa 2016/African Prize For Education, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious African youths awards.
He has been published in many literary magazines, anthologies, websites, and newspapers, and many other platforms.
Aside being a creative writer, Izunna is also an Igbo Language Activist who has played and continued to play great roles in sustaining and promoting the Igbo Language and culture. He preaches and takes the 'gospel' of Igbo language and the need for its sustenance to ever nook and cranny, ranging from schools to churches, Radio/Television Stations, and to other public places, being part if his own contribution and strategic measures to ensure that the Igbo Language does not go extinct as predicted by the UNESCO in 2012.
He has also been featured in many radio and television stations across the country on this mission.
Some of his debut articles like 'Say No To Igbo Extinction' and 'Asụsụ Igbo Amaka' among others, have also contributed immensely in this cause and in peaking the clarion call for Igbo Language sustenance.
In addition to these, Izunna is also a renowned journalist and columnist currently working with the Anambra Newspaper and Printing Coporation, the publishers of National Light Newspaper, Ka Ọ Dị Taa —which is the only Igbo Language Newspaper in Nigeria —and Sportslight Xtra.
He also writes for Igbo Radio which is an online Igbo Language news hub with its headquarter in Canada, as well as freelance for other media/publishing houses, both the online and print media.
Izunna is the Coordinator of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers, Anambra State Chapter (since 2014). He is also the founder/initiator of the "Chinua Achebe Literary Festival," which is an literary event he annually organizes (since 2016) in memory and honour of Late Prof. Chinua Achebe, under the umbrella of Society of Young Nigerian Writers, Anambra Chapter.
He is the Editor-in-Chief of Chinua Achebe Poetry/Essay Anthology which is an anthology annually published in honour of Nigerian literary star, Late Prof. Achebe, and which attracts entries and submissions from different countries of the world. The most recent of these anthologies is the "Arrows of Words" which was published in 2019, during the year's edition of the Chinua Achebe Literary Festival.
In April, 2020, he was appointed the Project Coordinator, Writers Against COVID-19 Movement; and he was also the editor of the COVID-19 Poetry/Essay Anthology, titled 'Ripostes of Locked Down Voices', which is an international anthology of poems and essays on COVID-19.
He is also an alumnus and 2020 Fellow of the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship, being championed by the SprinNG Literary Movement.
He runs an annual Special Valentine Poetry Collection, which (in its second year now) has birthed two poetry anthology –"My Love For My Love" and "My Love, My All" —also edited by him, and available online for free.
During his undergraduate days, Izunna was part of the editorial team of the FAMASSA Magazine.
He is Ambassador of TFA Africa in Nigeria; the ambassador of Read Across Nigeria in Anambra State.
An alumnus of Unizik, he is also a former Secretary General of the National Association of Public Administration Students (NAPAS), as well as the current National Secretary General of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers.
In 2019, Izunna met and discussed literature with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, at a literary evening that climaxed the 2019 Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop, organized by the international literary figure, Adichie.