Dr. Raphael James

Founder and Director General of CRIMMD - Center for Research, Information and Media Development. Dr James runs a free public library since 2004 in Lagos, the library has over 60, 000 publications and it is a member of the Network of Books Clubs and Reading Culture Promoters in Nigeria NBRP. His library has played host to over 300 authors in Nigeria. He runs the CRIMMD Skill Acquisition Center for Women and has trained a total 16,911 women free of charge in different vocations. He is a historic and educative tourist, and he has visited 33 out of 36 states of Nigeria and documented over 530 tourist site. 

Publisher of two magazines, ‘The African Dame’ and ‘The National Biographer’ magazines. He has written 56 manuscripts and published only 24 books. He is the founder of the richest private Museum of Nigeria History with over 48, 000 photos and many artifacts and memorabilia, the museum is a Partner with the Arab Culture and Arts Network – ACAN, the Museum also partners with Gother Institute Nigeria for the 2023/2024 project. His museum participated in the National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) 35th edition, held in Lagos. He has donated 59, 122 books by end of August 2023, across the nation, since 2008 when he started his books donations to help bring back the reading culture. He also donates to orphanages and gives free motivational speeches to students. He has had the privilege to have met with and interviewed 7 world presidents and in all, he had interactions with families of 14 African presidents/head of states. He has received a total of 243 awards for his commendable works to humanity. Winner of the Global Justice World Nobel Peace Prize Award 2020 from India. He is listed in the Nigeria Books of Record, listed in the New Telegraph Newspaper of January 23, 2021 as Nigerian "Top Historian and Record Keeper" according the 'Naija7 Wonders' He was also listed among the 5 enterprising Africans for the last quarter of 2016 by the 'African Enterprise Magazine'; voted "SDLG Africa's Most Reliable Person" 2016. He received a certificate of participation from the Lagos Studies Association as one of those that presented a paper at the conference. He also received the World first International Internship University (IIU) Africa Award for Excellence for exemplary contributions towards Education in Africa. He was a nominee of the 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize named in honor of Jan Eliasson. He received the United States of America based The Nigeria Standard Newspaper award as “Africa’s Most Outstanding History Preservation Award 2021”. Member of African Institute of Entrepreneurship Development & Management; Association of Nigerian Authors; National Patron. National Union of Campus Journalists; National Patron of the National Association of Polytechnic Student. He is a Rotarian. He has been appointed Ambassador to seven organizations within Nigeria and he is a United Nations Peace Ambassador. Appointed Global Adviser on International Relations to the Wisdom University. Fellow of the Tourism Management Institute of Nigeria. 

Sophie Bouillon

Sophie Bouillon is the founder and director of StoryMi academy, an academy that aims to train young Nigerian journalists and storytellers, and accompany them in their career with media professionals.

She was born and studied in France but spent most of her career in Africa, first as a freelance journalist for several international media. 

She relocated on a permanent basis to Nigeria in 2016, where she worked with Agence France-Press (AFP) as a deputy director in the Lagos bureau. She is currently the director and coordinator of the Hausa Service for Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Sophie is an accomplished author with three books to her name. Manuwa Street, her last book, was published in Nigeria at Farafina Books in 2022. She is currently the youngest ever recipient of the highest award in French Press, the Albert Londres Prize.

To purchase Manuwa Street, visit farafinabooks.com/product/manuwa-street/   

Ojiugo Uche

Ojiugo Uche  is Co-founder and CEO at Genti Media – a media tech startup showcasing African audio content (stories, dramas, shows, poetry and more) in African voices and languages on their app, Genti Audio. Since launching in August last year, the app has gained over 20,000 users enjoying Genti’s 7,000+ hours of content in 15 languages (including an original collection of Igbo Poetry titled Ebezina featuring Chief Chiwetalu Agu).

Prior to founding Genti, Ojiugo spent a chunk of her professional career as a management consultant solving problems for African companies of all sizes as an independent operator and at a leading international consultancy. She is curious about the place of language in day-to-day life, in a sense of belonging, and in our sense of collective self and community. Genti explores and showcases this curiosity through tech-enabled audio distribution at-scale. 

Enyi Uneke Prince 

Uneke is one of three individuals who co-founded Fourseven studios. Working hand in hand with members of the team, he has gone on to write a good chunk of the titles including Odogwu, Shifter and F.L.U.X. Besides comic book writing, he has also written prose and poetry, exploring different themes within. He currently resides in Abuja and works with one of the leading banks in the country. 

Kingsley Ezeh

Kingsley Ezeh is a comic book illustrator, storyteller, architect and creative director of FourSeven Studios. Who with the team, weaves history, myth, imagination and truth, traditional and cosmopolitan into compelling narratives.

Mayor Prosper Ihechi

Mayor Prosper Ihechi is a Christian, writer and builder. He believes in the power of storytelling to shape identity through literature, poetry and fiction being his major areas of interest. He is also invested in the potential of data and storytelling in the field of consulting to shape products, businesses, and the future of early stage start-ups. Thus, he has been published on literary magazines such as Jalada, Okike and Praxis. He has been been honourably mentioned for such prizes as the Omega Sci-Fi Awards. He has also ideated for such early stage start-ups across industries as TRGST, a platform for growing the creator economy, Neoulo, an agro-real estate startup, among others. He is a writer and community manager at FourSeven Studios. He is also a student of the University Of Nigeria, Nsukka where he is currently pursuing a law degree. He shuttles two residences- Enugu and Rivers State. 

Godwin Edet Munam

Godwin Edet Munam (Gem) hails from Akwaibom state of Nigeria but has lived in Enugu since the year 1999. Has a BSc in architecture from the University of Nigeria. Prior to his university days he was already making comics, he will then be introduced to graphic design while in school. Today he works as a visual designer and as an illustrator. 

Chimaobi Ahuekwe

Chimaobi O. Ahuekwe was born on the 11th of September in Enugu, Enugu State and is the third of three children. He developed a love for writing and literature after his mother handed him his first novel, "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe, turning him into a voracious reader of various authors both African and foreign. He honed his writing skill while in the University and took part in GTbank's dusty manuscript contest becoming one of the selected few among many and also written short stories and articles for blogs.

Children of the Night is his first novel. 

To purchase Children of the Night, visit paystack.com/buy/children-of-the-night-wkvtdm 

Ugoo Okogeri

Ugoo Okogeri is an author. He resides in Enugu, Nigeria. Kosisochukwu is his first novel. 

Ifeoma Okoye 

Born on December 21, 1937, in Anambra State, in the then Eastern Region of Nigeria, Ifeoma Okoye studied at St. Monica's College Ogbunike in Anambra’s Oyi local government area and gained her teaching certificate in 1959. She worked at an international school in Enugu for four years in the late 1960s. In 1974, she started university at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she gained her BA in English in 1977. In 1986–1987, she studied at Aston University in Birmingham and earned a post graduate degree (MSc in Teaching English for Specific Purposes). Ifeoma Okoye went on to lecture first at Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (1978–1992) and then at Nnamdi Azikiwe University at Awka, Anambra State (1992–2000).
Her contributions to literature as a teacher and storyteller, have earned her a place of honor and respect.

Check out Ifeoma Okoye's extensive literary profile HERE