Chairman of the Niger State Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors (Niger-ANA), Dr Mamun Mallam, has disclosed that the association has planned an Intercollegiate Intellectual Competition for students of secondary schools in the state.
Leading other writers in advocacy visits to stakeholders, officials of Niger State Book Development Agency and the Niger State Senior Secondary Schools Board, Dr Mallam said they were out to sensitise stakeholders about the programmes of the writers’ body including the Abubakar Gimba National Literary Colloquium scheduled for August 2026 in Minna,
The ANA chairman said, “The intercollegiate intellectual tournament that the Association has dubbed Bago Book Challenge in honour of the state governor’s contribution to the ongoing urban and rural transformation will first hold in the three senatorial zones of the state and then will culminate with a grand finale in Minna.”
He said contestants will vie for honours in short story writing, poetry rendition, debate, quiz, painting, spelling and a novel competition tagged read-and-act.
The acting director of the agency, Dr Martina thanked the visiting writers and noted that even the Agency was a brainchild of Niger ANA.
She reminded the writers that the agency had previously published books for authors in the state and actively participated and led students to the Annual Schools Carnival of Arts and Festival of Songs (ASCAFS) which was organised by Niger ANA.
In a separate remark, the chairman of the Niger State Senior Secondary Schools Board, Alhaji AbdulKadir Shehu, noted that any initiative that would promote intellectual development of Niger State students will receive the support of the board, adding that his doors were open for further engagements.
