Young Nigerian writer, Adoo Gyuur, emerged the star of the day at the 2025 T.Y. Buratai Literary Initiative (TYBLI) Award Ceremony, where she was announced as the Grand Prize Winner of the Young Adult Literature Prize (YALP) 2025. The colourful event, held at the Tukur Buratai Research Center on Saturday, November 1, 2025, also featured the public presentation of Truth & Dare, an anthology of winning entries from the 2024 edition of the prize.
Visibly elated, Guyuur who won the N1.5m grand prize, expressed deep gratitude to the T.Y. Buratai Literary Initiative for providing a platform that celebrates young Nigerian voices and encourages creative excellence. She described the recognition as a life-changing moment and pledged to continue using literature as a tool for social transformation and national development.
“I am grateful to the T.Y. Buratai Literary Initiative for believing in young writers like me,” she said. “This award is not just a personal achievement, but a call to responsibility — to keep writing stories that reflect our society, inspire hope, and strengthen our shared humanity.”
The event’s initiator and grand patron, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd), CFR, in his keynote address titled “Securing the Nation’s Mind: Literature, Leadership, and the Promise of Our Youth,” commended Adoo Gyuur and other finalists: Sarah Yousouph and Chinyenike Lawrence Emenagu for their creativity, courage, and intellectual depth.
According to Buratai, the Young Adult Literature Prize was conceived to nurture young Nigerian voices and empower them to tell their own stories. “Each entry we received this year tells us that the future of Nigerian literature is bright,” he said. “Just as I have dedicated much of my career to securing the territorial integrity of our nation, I consider it equally important to secure the intellectual and moral integrity of our young minds.”
In his remarks as Special Guest of Honour and Chairman of the occasion, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. O.A. Ihejirika (rtd), CFR, lauded Buratai’s commitment to youth and literary development, describing the TYBLI initiative as “leadership in its purest form.” He also congratulated Gyuur for emerging the top winner, urging him and other young writers to remain steadfast in their creative journey.
“Adoo Gyuur’s victory is proof that Nigerian youths possess limitless potential,” Ihejirika said. “Whether you win a prize or not, you are already champions of imagination and expression.”
The ceremony also featured a posthumous award to the late author of “Undesirable Element”, Mohammed Sule, recognised as a forerunner and illustrator of young adult literature, as well as special recognition awards presented to journalists Mr. Simon Kolawole and Mr. Femi Oyewole for their contributions to national development through journalism.
The 2025 YALP event, marked by inspiring speeches, tributes, and literary excellence, reaffirmed the TY Buratai Literary Initiative’s mission to empower young Nigerians through the transformative power of words. For Adoo Gyuur, the grand prize was not just an honour — it was the beginning of a new chapter in his literary journey.
