Poet Tares Oburumu says his shortlisted collection, ‘Flora’s Love Colony’, examines Nigeria’s history and colonial legacy to help readers understand the country’s identity and its post-independence experience.

Flora’s Love ​‌‌‍​‍‍‍⁠⁠‍​​‌‍‌​‍⁠‌​Colony is among three books shortlisted for the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Literature, worth $100,000.

The collection was selected from 223 entries and an initial long-list of 11 books in this year’s NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature, poetry category.

Oburumu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Monday in Lagos that the work traced Nigeria’s history from the pre-colonial period through slavery and colonialism to the post-colonial era.

He said the collection explored the effects of colonialism on the Nigerian psyche and the challenges that followed independence among others.

He also said he was particularly interested in decolonisation and challenging inherited attitudes that continued to shape how Nigerians see themselves.

The writer chose poetry as a way to present complex historical issues in a concise form without lengthy narration.

”With poetry, I was able to put the information bit by bit in one poem and another without trying to be verbose, without trying to over-narrate the whole story,” he said.

The poet said his interest in Nigeria’s history was also linked to the origin of the country’s name, coined by Flora Shaw before the 1914 amalgamation.

He added that the collection was not written with the prize in mind, but was driven by his desire to tell Nigeria’s story and encourage a deeper understanding of its past.

He said the shortlist had given the book an opportunity to reach readers beyond its immediate audience.

”Being on the list means that you are reaching to a wider audience, a global audience and that means that you are going to touch more lives than you have already done,” he said.

NAN reports that the Nigeria Prize for Literature began in 2004 and covers prose fiction, poetry, drama and children’s literature.

The 2026 edition focuses on poetry, with Oburumu, James Eze and Ogaga Ifowodo shortlisted for the $100,000 award.