Denja Abdullahi is at it again, even when Abuja is trying to square it up on its own. The literary landscape of Nigeria is becoming increasingly more interesting and inspiring. Now attention is being focused more on Abuja, this serene, modern and unpolluted capital of Nigeria. It is courtesy of Mallam Denja Abdullahi. Abdullahi is keen on raising the standard of the literary awareness of Abuja. All over the different encampments and locations in Abuja, surrounded by rocks and hills and valleys, paved with classical network of roads, stories beckon, poems hibernate in all corners, waiting to be explored, harnessed and made alive.
Abdullahi is now set to allow such to manifest into reality. In this exercise codenamed The Abuja Narratives – Short Story Anthology, he is calling on interested writers to write and submit short stories to this project. The deadline is 30 July, 2026. And the theme of The Abuja Narratives Short Stories Anthology is quite intriguing. It is Abuja – Seen, Unseen, Remembered, Imagined. So, if you are so touched, or moved or intrigued by the intrigues or intricacies or the beauties that surround Abuja, try and write a short story between 1,000 to 5,000 words and send to [email protected] not later than 30 July, 2026.
It is one short story per a writer. The story must in all intents and purposes represent, dwell and celebrate or even denigrate a ground or imaginative nuances and consistent sense of Abuja. Don’t forget also that Abuja is a replication of Brazilia, the immutable and dazzling capital of Brazil, a country like Nigeria that has had about three capitals overtime.
In a statement, Abdullahi, the brain behind the project and a former president of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) explained that the idea for the project emanated out of the genuine love he has for Abuja and Nigeria as a nation. ‘It cannot always be Lagos alone’, he teased. ‘This time around, we have to focus on Abuja to celebrate its natural ambience and serenity’.
He said further: ‘The Abuja Narratives Initiative (TANI) is being organized under the chairmanship of Udenta O. Udenta. It invites writers to submit short stories for The Abuja Narratives – a curated anthology exploring the many layers of Nigeria’s capital city’. According to him, the initiative is a cultural and literary platform dedicated entirely to documenting, interrogating and amplifying the lived realities, histories and the evolving realities of Abuja. This is why the theme is suitably titled: ‘Abuja, Seen, Unseen, Remembered, Imagined’.
So those outstanding features that trip you once you set your eyes on Abuja, or once you wake up in the morning to start your day, must ginger you on now to produce a story. The ball is in your court and whatever story you contribute, it is a testimonial to the many ingredients that always define and distinguish Abuja as one among equals, a city that keeps expanding in leaps and bounds.
Abdullahi, a renowned literary and culture activist and advocate went on: ‘Conceived as a place-based literary archive, the anthology positions Abuja not merely as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing force within the narrative fiction’.
Therefore stories are invited from all and sundry to explore Abuja in all its trappings, ‘as a fully embodied city, where place shapes character, conflict, memory and imagination’. And perhaps where single ladies or hook-up girls also flaunt their beauties without care and where young bachelors squat in the suburbs to avoid high cost of accommodation inside the main Abuja city. It is a mixed grill.
Areas to explore in the short stories bazaar are varied and diverse. Abuja must not be spared – the ugly, the beauty, the inanities, all must be explored in order to safely and genuinely capture the enigmatic semblances of Abuja, a city that glitters even when the citizens themselves are in tatters. A city that has been tagged, the city of politicians and the wealthy.
Therefore all submissions must ensure that Abuja is vividly and clearly presented in setting and atmosphere. The city actively influences plot, character and narrative direction and so readers can also experience the city through its geography, institutions and social rhythms.
Abdullahi is particularly attentive to how the city functions as a living narrative force where policies that shape Nigeria are mooted and implemented. That in itself is a story that must be pursued with vigour and purpose and tenacity. Writers must not necessarily be only Abuja residents. Those in the Diaspora can also contribute based on their impressions about Abuja. So, both established and budding writers are encouraged to participate. The stories to be submitted must therefore be original, fresh and unpublished elsewhere. This means that previously published works cannot be entertained.