Award-winning Nigerian novelist Chigozie Obioma has been appointed the inaugural fiction editor at The Republic. Known for its in-depth essays, criticism, and reportage, The Republic is now opening its pages to fiction for the first time—ushering in a new era of imaginative storytelling on the continent.

Obioma, a two-time Booker Prize finalist, is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Fishermen, An Orchestra of Minorities, and The Road to the Country. Widely regarded as “one of the most visionary African writers of our time,” his work explores the porous boundaries between myth and reality, and the enduring complexities of life across Africa and its diaspora. In taking this offer, Obioma shared that he values “The Republic’s vision to create knowledge that explores Nigeria and the African Diaspora in a serious way, alongside its gorgeous design…”

On this big step for the magazine, The Republic‘s editor-in-chief Wale Lawal shared:

A few years ago, a reader described us as ‘a Nigerian literary magazine who…insist on their right to be universal.’ I’ve always held on to that statement, believing that fiction has that unique power of interrogating our universal conditions. What we’re building with our fiction segment is not simply another outlet for African writing, but a platform for the most imaginative thinking the world has to offer. At The Republic, we’ve nurtured a strong reputation for housing serious journalism, but there are things only a story can reveal. Inviting fiction into our editorial house felt like the next natural step. Having Chigozie lead this was an easy decision. Beyond his literary excellence, what stood out to me in our conversations was his interest in nurturing and promoting African writers who are liberated from the confines of genre, geography and fads, and insist on their right to question the presumed mainstream. I think often about how the Nobel Laureate, Toni Morrison, explained her writing as an African American, as an exercise in standing at the border and claiming it as central. We’ve set ourselves the ambitious task of recentring literature around Africa and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide.

Obioma’s appointment signals a bold literary direction for The Republic, as it invites fiction submissions from writers across the continent and beyond. With Obioma at the helm, the magazine aims to spotlight stories that challenge conventions—whether intimate, cultural, or wildly imaginative. He insists that “every story needs to be told.” Sharing his vision for the fiction section of The Republic, he said:

I want to give a voice to fiction that is untrammelled and unguarded in its exploration of the world and humanity, and does not submit to fads and ideologies. This fiction desk will have a variety of styles and see its language—whatever the language is—as a canvas, rather than merely as a vehicle for transmitting information. And finally, it will be fiction that stays in the mind long after it has been read.

Born in Akure, Nigeria, Obioma’s novels have been translated into more than 30 languages and have won or been nominated for numerous international awards, including the FT/Oppenheimer Award for Fiction, the NAACP Image Award, and the LA Times Book Prize. His debut novel The Fishermen was adapted into an award-winning stage play. He currently serves as the James E. Ryan Associate Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and divides his time between the United States and Nigeria.

With this appointment, The Republic takes a decisive step into fiction, guided by one of Africa’s most accomplished literary voices.

Fiction submissions are now open, with selected works to be published for a fee of ₦300,000 (approximately $200 USD). Writers are encouraged to submit short stories between 1,500 and 3,000 words. Find more details to submit here.