The former Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, has put forth an appeal to the FG to commensurate the extraordinary literary contributions of late Chinua Achebe with a national monument.
This plea is made in alignment with the resolutions of the 7th Senate and House of Representatives, which were adopted during their respective valedictory sessions in honor of Achebe at the time of his interment in 2013.
Ngige's call for this enduring recognition is not singular; he has also implored the government to fulfill the commitment, once made by former President Goodluck Jonathan, to reconstruct and elevate St. Philip’s Central School in Akpakaogwe, Ogidi—the very institution where Achebe embarked on his formative journey of education. Specifically, the vision encompasses its transformation into an educational complex encompassing primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Ngige, the former governor of Anambra State, conveyed these sentiments in response to the recent announcement by Governor Charles Soludo, who unveiled plans to rename the Anambra International Passenger and Cargo Airport in honor of Achebe during his address at the Independence Day Parade in Awka.
Ngige in a statement among others, said “We thank Governor Soludo for carrying this through. It is a recognition well deserved. Ichie Ugonabo Prof. Achebe, even though he was not a prized Nobel Laureate in his lifetime, bestrode the world of literature like a colossus.
“Interestingly, the Igbos of Southern Nigeria under the auspices of pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, had at the last Igbo Day Celebration on Friday, September 29 at Okpara Square, Enugu, given him an award in “Super Heroes” category for putting the Igbo nation on the work map through intellectualism.
“So, starting from his home state, Anambra and his Igbo brothers, we have announced to Nigeria and the world that this prolific author of “Things Fall Apart”, “There Was A Country”, “The Man of the People” and many other bestselling visionary works of satire, even though bodily dead, is still alive...