A former senator from Kaduna State, Shehu Sani, on Wednesday awarded a total cash gift of one million naira to the winners of this year’s Hikayata writing competition from Kaduna State, who placed first and second.
He presented the cash gifts at a special dinner reception he organised for them.
Hikayata (My Story) is a short story writing contest being organised annually by the BBC Hausa strictly for women writers. This year’s version was the tenth in a row.
At the dinner reception, held at Sani’s residence in Kaduna, the renown politician said he hosted the reception to encourage the writers, as indigenes of Kaduna State, who emerged victorious in the competition.
He awarded ₦500,000 to Fadila Lamiɗo, who emerged as the overall winner of the competition with her story titled “Tsalle Ɗaya”. He also gave ₦500,000 to Jamila Lawal Zango from Zaria, who came second with her story titled “Gobe Na.”
In his remarks at the reception, Sani explained that the cash gifts were presented as incentives and encouragement to the two women.
He emphasised the importance of promoting literature and creative writing in the Hausa language, and urged young people and writers to continue using their talents to educate and enlighten society.
This recognition is seen as further elevating the prestige of the annual Hikayata competition and inspiring writers to continue producing works that are beneficial to society.
