When the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) held its prize ceremony last October in Lagos, a secondary school student writer, Ernest Ògúnyemí won the ANA/NECO Teen Prize for Prose. His 60-page collection of stories got the 18 year old the N100, 000 prize money attached to that category. But seven months after, ANA is yet to pay the teenage winner who had travelled from Abeokuta the prize money. He only received a plaque and a bag containing a copy of ANA’s annual publication, ANA Review that day with a promise of later payment from the group’s president, Denja Abdullahi. Several reminders from Ogunyemi and his teachers over the months could help the SS3 student of Baptist Boys’ High School, Abeokuta get the money. In frustration, took to his twitter account to complain bitterly about the continued delay in the payment. Why won’t we seek validation outside Nigeria, when our literary space here is a big mess? A literary space that is fraud/scam! @adedayo_agarau @Michael_Akuchie @pamilerinjacob @lolashoneyin — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 last year, I wrote a collection, edited it, typed it up, printed six copies of a close-to sixty pages book, skipped school for a day, got money from my dad (almost 20 000 naira) & sent in my manuscript for the ANA NECO/Teen Prize for prose: by FedEx, from Abeokuta — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 to Abuja. A few months later, I was shortlisted for the 100 000 naira prize. I went to Lagos for the prize presentation, from Abeokuta. @ANALagosZone I was at the program from around 12 pm till past 11 pm in the night. @WalleLawal @Wale_Ayinla @authorpedia @BrainyPoet @Ebunayo — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 After the announcement that I won, I was given a plaque & a bag containing the ANA Review (where my poem was published without my consent) by Denjah Abdullahi – the ANA president -‘s driver. He said he would reach me & send the prize money. @brittlepaper @obinnaudenwe1 — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 That night, without any concern from the association, I left Allen Avenue at around past 11, going to Ogba where my aunt stayed.@praxismagonline @spoonfool237 @GarkoAdamu1 @mezzy_adamz @brittlepaper @THISDAYLIVE — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 In months, I heard nothing. I called and texted. Nothing. Each time, Denjah said: “We don’t have the money!” & once, when I asked him why he acted as if it was not so important, he said I am rude & I should never call him again. @lincolndemo @sevhagereviews@KalahariReview — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 I asked my teachers to call & talk to him. They did. Denjah promised. Nothing. This is the seventh month, going to the eight – the call for submissions for the 2019 prize will close next week.@ANALagosZone @lincolndemo — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 Now, let ANA pay a secondary school student’s prize money, please. If they have no money, where will they get the money to pay for this year’s? @adedayo_agarau @GoodnessLanre @guardian @MobilePunch @opeeee_ @TribuneNews07 @lolashoneyin @KitanBelles @TJBenson_ @ehoranpoet — Ernest O. Ògúnyemí (@ErnestOgunyemi) May 26, 2019 EduCeleb.com reports that the works of Ogunyemi had appeared Litro UK, The Rising Phoenix, and in Erotic Africa: The Sex Anthology, published by Brittle Paper. He attended Goethe-Institut’s Afro Young Adult Workshop and was recently accepted to be part of Adroit Mentorship Program. But ANA President in his reaction to the tweets expressed disappointment about the young writer’s publicity of the non-payment of the prize money stating that it was the sponsors, National Examinations Council (NECO) which was yet to fund the prize He also declared moves on his part to pay from ANA’s purse prior to seeing Ogunyemi’s tweets. He then put an apology as a condition for the release of the funds. Read his reaction below. ON ERNEST OGUNYEMI AND THE ANA /NECO TEEN AUTHOR PRIZE 2018 Some well-meaning writers on twitter like Kola Tubosun , Chuma Nwokolo and Umar Yogiza called me this morning to draw my attention to the complaint of Ernest Ogunyemi on twitter against ANA over his unpaid prize money of N100,000 for the ANA/NECO Teen Author Prize he won in 2018. The judges who adjudged the prize that year initially doubted that he was the writer of the entry he submitted and asked us to investigate which we did by contacting his school authorities. I as President had to even speak to him and a couple of his teachers during school hours to attest to the authenticity of his submission.