First major visibility or sharp growth
This list tracks writers whose work did not just appear in 2025, but
announced itself. These are new names that entered national
or global conversations, or existing writers whose influence expanded
sharply within a single year.
1. Godfrey George
Field: Investigative Journalism
Godfrey George’s 2025 run rewrote the record books. At the Nigeria Media
Merit Awards, he won nine awards in one night, an unprecedented sweep
that confirmed both consistency and depth in investigative reporting.
His work set a new benchmark for ambition in Nigerian journalism.
2. Olufunke Grace Bankole
Field: Prose (Fiction)
With The Edge of Water, Bankole achieved a rare crossover moment.
The novel’s inclusion on TIME’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2025
placed her instantly within the global literary conversation and marked
one of the strongest Nigerian fiction debuts in recent years.
3. That9jagirl (Tosin Olaniyi)
Field: Digital Storytelling
In 2025, That9jagirl’s serialized fiction became impossible to ignore.
Through viral, multi-part stories shared primarily on Instagram and X,
she built massive reader engagement around relationships, desire, and
Nigerian social life, helping redefine how fiction circulates outside
traditional publishing.
4. Star Zahra
Field: Poetry
Star Zahra made history as the first female poet published by Masobe
Books. Her debut collection won the 2025 ANA KMVL Poetry Prize,
announcing a confident new poetic voice and expanding the visibility
of contemporary Nigerian poetry.
5. Femi Otedola
Field: Memoir and Business Writing
With Making It Big, Otedola translated corporate power into
narrative. The memoir’s rise to Amazon’s number one business bestseller
spot showed strong public appetite for Nigerian business storytelling
rooted in local experience.
6. Ameen Animashaun
Field: Poetry
Animashaun’s collection Song earned him the 2025 Evaristo Prize
for African Poetry. The win positioned him as one of the most compelling
emerging poetic voices on the continent, praised for musical control
and emotional restraint.
7. Akinola Davies Jr.
Field: Screenwriting
My Father’s Shadow marked a historic moment for Nigerian cinema.
As writer and director, Davies Jr. delivered the first Nigerian film
selected for Cannes’ official competition, placing Nigerian
screenwriting on one of the world’s most prestigious stages.
8. Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
Field: Prose (Fiction)
The Tiny Things Are Heavier became one of the most discussed
debuts of the year. Critics consistently cited it as the standout first
novel of the 2025 literary season, establishing Okonkwo as a serious
literary presence.
9. Ajibola Tolase
Field: Poetry
Ajibola Tolase’s shortlisting for the 2025 Derek Walcott Prize for
2000 Blacks signalled a major international breakthrough,
placing his work within a global poetry conversation while affirming
his emergence as one of the most critically regarded Nigerian poets of
his generation.
10. Adedayo Agarau
Field: Poetry
Named to the Poets & Writers 2025 Cohort, Agarau’s
The Years of Blood gained international distribution, carrying
Nigerian poetic concerns into global circuits with clarity and
discipline.
11. James Ojo Adakole
Field: Investigative Journalism
Adakole’s selection among Africa’s top twenty investigative journalists
for the AIJC Masterclass marked a sharp leap in continental relevance
and professional recognition.
12. Oyebanji Akins (O’Fresh)
Field: Music Journalism
In 2025, O’Fresh became the first African music critic inducted into the
Grammy Recording Academy. His essays reached over 130 million readers
on X, demonstrating the scale and power of digital-first music
criticism.
13. Lara Kareem
Field: Prose (Romance)
With Àànú Ifẹ́, Kareem emerged as a defining voice in
indigenous-language romance fiction. The book helped mainstream a
genre often sidelined and positioned her as a reference point for
culturally rooted love stories.
14. Falmata Daniel
Field: Human Rights Journalism
Daniel’s 2025 reportage earned recognition from the National Human
Rights Commission. Her writing pushed human rights reporting beyond
documentation into sustained national attention.
15. Olumide Olutola
Field: Prose (Social Realism)
Habitat of Ordinary People won the ANA Chinua Achebe Prize,
marking one of the strongest debut wins in recent memory. The novel
resonated deeply with readers and critics alike.
16. Kunle Adebajo
Field: Investigative Journalism
In 2025, Kunle Adebajo was named West Africa Journalist of the Year for
his investigation into online fundraising marathons. His reporting
exposed how digital charity culture blurred lines between altruism,
influence, and financial opacity, sparking debate and institutional
scrutiny.
17. Sheriffdeen (NACJ)
Field: Sports Journalism
Winning Sports Writer of the Year and overall Campus Journalist of the
Year in 2025, Sheriffdeen’s rise demonstrated how campus journalism can
scale directly into national relevance.
18. Nelson CJ
Field: Cultural Journalism
Nelson CJ’s essays appeared in global outlets including
The New York Times and Rolling Stone. His 2025 work
framed Nigerian culture within international conversations without
flattening its complexity.
19. Obidah Habila Albert
Field: Tech Writing and Journalism
Albert’s selection for the 2025–2026 Digital Public Infrastructure
Journalism Fellowship marked a clear breakout, placing him at the
intersection of technology policy, infrastructure, and storytelling.
20. Nikki May
Field: Prose (Fiction)
This Motherless Land reached the Nigeria Prize for Literature
longlist immediately upon release, confirming Nikki May as a serious
literary contender from her first outing.
21. Taiwo Adebulu
Field: Investigative Journalism
Adebulu’s governance reporting earned a 2025 WAMECA shortlist, placing
his work among West Africa’s most credible investigative efforts.
22. Prudent Gabriel Okopi
Field: Fashion and Editorial Writing
In 2025, Prudent Gabriel Okopi consolidated her breakout as a fashion
writer and educational author by translating fashion practice into
structured, professional writing. Her books and training manuals formed
the academic backbone of the Prudential Fashion Academy’s 2025
curriculum, guiding over 600 graduating students across Lagos and
Abuja while reframing fashion writing as a tool for business
sustainability and industry development.
23. Chioma Ifeanyi-Eze
Field: Financial and Business Writing
Through the Maaad Marketing platform, Ifeanyi-Eze defined a new style of
Nigerian business writing in 2025, translating financial analysis into
practical strategy for SMEs.
24. Majekodunmi Oseriemen Ebhohon
Field: Drama and Playwriting
Ebhohon’s breakout year was sealed with his win at the 2025 ANA Prize for
Drama for The Great Delusion. The play’s epic treatment of Black
agency, historical reclamation, and systemic collapse positioned him as
one of the most intellectually ambitious new voices in Nigerian
theatre.
25. David Okorafor
Field: Children’s Literature
Winning the ANA Ngozi Chuma-Udeh Prize marked Okorafor’s arrival as a
significant new voice in children’s literature, grounding imagination
firmly in Nigerian cultural context.
