
Izunna Okafor
He graduated from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, where he studied Public Administration. He also holds O.N.D in Public Administration from the same university.
A published and best-selling author, Izunna's books include 'Ikem's Adventure' (his first book, published 2012, in his secondary school days) 'The Curse of A Widow' (2013); 'The Faithful Children' (published 2014 and given outstanding recognition in the 2015 Ezenwa Ohaeto Prize for Young Nigerian Novelists); 'Ajo Enyi' (Igbo novel, published 2015).
With 'Ajo Enyi', he won the 2015/2016 Nigerian Writers Award as the Indigenous Writer of the Year; won 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 works include 'African Blood' (a short story), 'Nzúzù M Egbuo M' (Igbo novel), 'Educated Illiterate', and 'Teach Me Grammar'.
He has edited and co-edited over 25 books and anthologies (published nationally and internationally).
He has been published in many magazines, anthologies, journals, etc, 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 some prestigious 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, 2016
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
First Prize Winner, NAPAS Essay Competition, 2016
The Future Award Africa, 2016
Anambra Exclusive Youth Choice Award/Youth Writer of the Year 2016
Award of Academic Excellence from 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 2017
Anambra Exclusive Youth Choice Award/Outstanding Youth of the Year, 2017
Youth Writer of the Year, 2016
Starlett Entertainment Award/Creative Writer of the Year, 2016
Young Author Award, 2018
Creative Crew Africa/Young Talent of the Year, 2018
Campus Best Writer of the Year, 2018
Campus Best Journalist of the Year, 2018
Young Achievers Award/Best Young Writer of the Year 2019
National Light Newspaper Staff of the Year, 2019
Anambra Media Excellence Award/News Reporter of the Year, 2019
Recognition Award, Anambra Through a Lens, 2020
Amazon Masterclass Award/Most Resilient Male Student, 2021
Anambra Media Excellence Award/Best News Reporter of the Year, 2021
ACORP/Awka Diocese Media Personality of the Week (November), 2021.
He also has some certificates of award, recognition and completion, 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.
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 Igbo language and culture. He preaches and takes the 'gospel' of Igbo language and the need for its sustenance to every 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 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.
In addition to these, Izunna is also a renowned journalist and columnist currently working with 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 headquartered in Canada, and also freelances for other media/publishing houses, both the online and print media.
Izunna is the Coordinator of Society of Young Nigerian Writers, Anambra State Chapter, which is a literary body that hosts Chinua Achebe Literary Festival, an annual literary event held in memory and honour of Late Prof. Chinua Achebe, since 2016.
He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Chinua Achebe Poetry/Essay Anthology which is an international anthology annually published in honour of Achebe. The most current editions of the anthology include 'Arrows of Words (for Chinua Achebe)', 'Achebe: A Man of the People', and ‘There Was a Man’, among others.
In April, 2020, Izunna was appointed the Project Coordinator, Writers Against COVID-19 Movement. He is the editor of the COVID-19 Poetry/Essay Anthology, titled 'Ripostes of Locked Down Voices', which is the first international anthology of poems and essays published on COVID-19.
He has served as a judge in many national and international writing-related competitions.
He is also an alumnus and 2020 Fellow of the SprinNG Advancement Fellowship, being championed by the SprinNG Literary Movement.
He edits and publishes an annual Special Valentine Poetry Collection, which are all available online for free download.
During his undergraduate days, he was also an Editorial Board member of the FAMASSA Magazine.
He is Ambassador of TFA Africa in Nigeria; and 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.