US celebrates filmmaker Feranmi Abiola over NLNG award

The United States Mission in Nigeria has congratulated filmmaker Feranmi Abiola for emerging a joint winner of the 2026 Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts for her documentary, Mara Mania, following participation in a U.S. government exchange programme.

Abiola was announced as a winner with filmmaker Peter Oghenetega-Oke at the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) Grand Award Night in Lagos on Friday, October 9.

The two filmmakers will share the $20,000 prize, with Oghenetega-Oke recognised for his documentary, Beyond Tarkwa Bay.

In a post on Tuesday on its social media page, the US Mission in Nigeria described her as a U.S. exchange programme alumna.

“Congratulations to U.S. exchange alumna Feranmi Abiola, joint winner of the 2026 Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts for her documentary, Mara Mania!” the mission said.

It added that Abiola “honed her filmmaking and storytelling skills during the year-long Community College Initiative at Sinclair Community College, Ohio.”

The mission also noted that she is among more than 14,000 Nigerian alumni of U.S. government exchange programmes making an impact across different sectors, including the creative industries.

Her award-winning documentary, Mara Mania, explores the rise of Mara, a youth-driven street sound emerging from Lagos, documenting the people and music culture behind the movement.

The inaugural edition of the Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts attracted 98 submissions and focused on the theme, “Identity”, with documentary filmmaking selected as the medium for exploring Nigerian culture and experiences.