Organizers of the Niger Delta International Book and Art Festival (NIBAF) have announced renowned author, Vice-President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, and Nigeria Prize for Literature laureate, Professor Obari Gomba as Keynote Speaker for the 2026 (maiden) edition.
Billed to hold from November 27-28, 2026 at the Arts Theatre, University of Port Harcourt, NIBAF, a strategic social innovation initiative to stimulate growth, investment and innovation within the book and art sectors, is conceived in broad national contexts with particular focus on the Niger Delta region.
It seeks to strengthen existing interventions in the creative ecosystem, expand opportunities for creative professionals, encourage productive partnerships and draw sustained attention to the critical role of copyright and intellectual property protection in building a sustainable creative economy.
According to the organizers, the choice of Professor Gomba as Keynote Speaker for NIBAF 2026 is not only in recognition of his distinguished academic profile, but his passionate and longstanding commitment to the socio-cultural development of the Niger Delta.
Gomba is an Honorary Fellow in Writing of the University of Iowa (USA) and Director, Academic Planning, Research and Control, University of Port Harcourt, where he has served as Associate Dean of Humanities.
He has been the TORCH Global South Visiting Professor and Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, University of Oxford (UK), a recipient of Rivers ANA Distinguished Writer Award and a two-time winner of both the Best Literary Artiste Award and the First Prize for Drama of the English Association of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
His works include ‘Grit’ (Winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2023) ‘The Lilt of the Rebel’ (Winner of PAWA Prize for African Poetry 2022/Listed for the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2022), ‘Guerrilla Post’ (Winner of ANA Drama Prize 2018/Listed for the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2018), ‘For Every Homeland’ (Winner of ANA Poetry Prize 2017/Listed for the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2017), and ‘Thunder Protocol’ (Winner of ANA Poetry Prize 2016).
Others are ‘Length of Eyes’ (Shortlisted for ANA Poetry Prize in 2013 /Listed for the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2013), and ‘Pearls of the Mangrove’ (adopted as ‘Book of the Festival’ for the 2011 Garden City Literary Festival and the 2019 Festival of Poetry, Calabar). In 2016, he curated an anthology featuring 35 writers from 33 countries, entitled ‘A Piece of Daily Life’ for the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa (USA).
His poetry has been featured in ‘Re-Markings: A World Assembly of Poets’ and ‘The Second Genesis: An Anthology of Contemporary World Poetry’. His poetry has also been published in international journals such as Prosopisia, Sentinel, Maple Tree Literary Supplement and Eleven-Eleven (which listed his ‘Gun Policy’ in the 20 Best of the Net for 2016). He has read his poems in the United States at Shambaugh House (University of Iowa), Dubuque Museum of Arts, Oaknell Retirement Centre, and Kirkwood.
In Nigeria, he has read his poems at Alliance Franciase in Enugu, Lagos International Poetry Festival, Lagos Book and Art Festival, Abuja Writers Forum, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Port Harcourt Book Festival, Art Republic/Art-in-My-City Exhibition in Enugu, History Concourse in Port Harcourt, and CORA Book Party for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, etc.
He has also read his poems and discussed literature (and politics) on reputable media platforms, including Radio Rivers FM, Nigerian Info FM, Rhythm FM, Radio UST FM, Garden City FM, Unique (Uniport) FM, NTA, and CCTV Africa. His poems were performed by the Portland Stage Company in Maine USA in 2016.
His other writings have appeared in Matatu, African Review, Africa Oil+Gas Report, Tydskrif vir Letterkunde, Oja, Third Text, Jeltan, ANA Review, Culture Digest, Crucible, Working Papers, The Muse, Mgbakoigba, New Age, Lagos Review of Books and Society, Thisday, The News, etc. A chapter on his writing is found in Masterpieces of African Literature; and his works have been reviewed/mentioned in 234 Next, The Guardian, The Guardian Life, ThisDay, The Sun, National Life, Punch, Nigerian Tribune, The Nation, Ago, etc.
Gomba’s work as a teacher has deepened his interest in human capital development. Beyond teaching in the classroom, he has served as a moderator for Christopher Okigbo Foundation/Conference; as a facilitator/resource person to the International Writing Program’s MOOC; as a panelist for Iowa Book Festival; as the LOC Chairman of the 3rd International Conference on Tanure Ojaide; as the Festival Coordinator of the Gabriel Okara Literary Festival; and as a moderator at Lagos International Poetry Festival.
He also served as a moderator at Lagos Book and Art Festival; as a writing workshop facilitator for Port Harcourt UNESCO World Book Capital, Port Harcourt Book Festival and Niger Delta Creative Writers’ Workshop; as a judge for Port Harcourt Carnival and Bayelsa State ANA; as a book reviewer and editor for Hornbill House of Arts; and as a resource person on advocacy to the Ministry of Economic Planning of Delta State in conjunction with ODA/UNDP.
A strong believer in the crucial role of knowledge to foster development in the 21st century, his Keynote Address at the Opening Ceremony of NIBAF 2026 is expected to interrogate the theme of the Festival: ‘Books, Art and the Niger Delta Heritage: Promoting Knowledge, Protecting Creativity’.
