Sam Omatseye is set to captivate Nigeria’s literary landscape with his newly released novel, Juju Eyes (Sunshot Associates). The historian, writer, journalist and Editorial Board Chairman of The Nation newspaper, has scheduled three exclusive readings in Lagos this June, offering the public a chance to delve into his latest work.
The literary journey for Juju Eyes commences at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at 11am. The reading will be held at the TETFUND Building, Faculty of Communications and Media Studies, in partnership with the Departments of English and Media Studies. The event flyer extends a compelling invitation to the public: “Come experience the magic of storytelling.”
Following the LASU event, Omatseye will grace the Faculty of Arts Boardroom, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, on Tuesday, June 17 also at 11am. The Lagos readings will conclude at RovingHeights Bookstore, Landmark Event Centre, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Sunday, June 22 at 4pm.
Speaking about Juju Eyes, Omatseye offers a glimpse into its thematic core: “Juju Eyes is an intersection of vanity and superstition, and how a rebel in the Nigerian soul wields this intersection often to our own hurt. In every sphere of our lives, we make gods and try to kill them until we realise there is no such thing as divine suicide, or is there?”
Juju Eyes, Omatseye’s third novel, is described as a “vast, sweeping, epic narrative that uncovers the underbelly of society in an unflattering manner”.
Published by Sunshot Associates, the novel intricately weaves Africa’s mythic village scene into modern city dwelling, exploring their complex intersection. The narrative follows a young woman who, much like Nigeria itself, experiences betrayal from a close source and is compelled to embrace a life and a narrative dictated by her country for survival. Omatseye, known for his incisive political commentary in his weekly ‘In Touch’ column at The Nation, does not shy away from political themes in this work.
In a highly anticipated literary pairing, Omatseye is slated to join forces with Florida-based Nigerian-born writer and Creative Writing lecturer at the University of Florida, Uwem Akpan, for a series of readings in selected Nigerian cities in late July and early August. Akpan will be visiting Nigeria for the first time to read from his critically acclaimed and controversial novel, New York My Village (Parresia Publishing).
Omatseye will be presenting his second novel, My Name Is Okoro, which resonates with Akpan’s New York My Village in its powerful exploration of the devastating impact of the Nigerian Civil War on the minority groups of the Niger Delta. These communities, whose oil wealth is said to have been a disguised catalyst for the conflict, bore the brunt of the brutal struggle. As their territory frequently changed hands between the warring Nigerian and Biafran armies, the locals were forced to switch allegiances, enduring dire consequences in their fight for daily survival amidst their resource-rich lands.
This critical aspect of the war’s impact on minorities is a subject often overlooked by writers from both sides of the conflict. While writers of Igbo extraction, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Half of a Yellow Sun) and Chigozie Obioma (The Road to the Country), have extensively documented the victimhood narrative, Omatseye and Akpan, emerging from the scars and shadows of the Niger Delta, are shedding new light on the atrocities inflicted upon the minority people by both armies as Nigeria and Biafra vied for control over the region’s oil resources. Despite one party emerging victorious and the other defeated, the Niger Delta has remained under a form of siege since the brutal war concluded in January 1970.
Beyond Juju Eyes, Sam Omatseye’s significant contributions to literature include his debut novel Crocodile Girl, and poetry collections such as Dear Baby Ramatu (2009), Mandela’s Bones and Other Poems, and Lion Wind and Other Poems. His non-fiction works include A Chronicle Foretold (2016) and Tribe and Prejudice (2017). Omatseye is also a celebrated dramatist, with his play Scented Offal and The Siege being performed to commemorate Prof. Wole Soyinka’s 80th birthday.
Prof. Sunny Awhefeada, a distinguished critic, lecturer in literary studies, and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Delta State University, Abraka, lauded Omatseye’s stylistic prowess. “He’s one of the best stylists, not just of Nigeria but Africa today,” Awhefeada stated. “I do not agree with many of the things he writes, but as a teacher and critic, I have to be objective and I rate him as one of the best stylists writing on the continent today. When I read his novel My Name Is Okoro, I was remembering my grandmother, because my grandmother told me most of the things in that book.”
