EMINENT Nigerians on Friday spoke glowingly about literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe who died in Boston, United States aged 82.
Arewa Consultative Forum
In a statement signed Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Anthony Sanni, the Arewa Consultative Forum said: " It is a sad news to all Nigerians. There is nothing we can say beyond the usual platitude that God should give the people and government of Nigeria the fortitude to endure what cannot be changed, since death is an inevitable end for all mortals.
The Professor is gone in flesh. But in many ways, he is very much around, considering he needs no tombstone to remind us of his legacies".
Project Nigeria
PROJECT Nigeria, a group of eminent Nigerian leaders, expressed grief over the death of Achebe, who it described as one of its associates and supporters.While commiserating with his family and country, the group, jointly led by elder statesmen, Prof Ben Nwabueze and Alhaji Maitama Sule, in a statement in Lagos signed by its National Secretary, Olawale Okunniyi, said: "We wish to state, as we mourn this irreparable loss to the peoples' movement, that Achebe, at different times, demonstrated exemplary courage as a general of the peoples' army and a literary icon of the progressive movement, whose interventions were dreaded by oppressive governments.
Liyel Imoke (Cross River State governor)
His literary offerings made name for Nigeria, while his moral interventions ignited and deepened national discuss on several key issues in the country. Nigeria has lost an international figure; a writer whom Nelson Mandela said that "in his company, the prison walls came crashing down."
Igbo In The United States
Chairman of Igbo World Assembly (IWA) and top executive of the Ohanaze Ndigbo, Anambra State-born California-based physician, Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze said yesterday: "I spoke to his family this morning. He was to be honored this weekend at the CISA/IWA retreat at Staunton, Virginia. "We will still honor him. What a great man and academic star who was fearless to tell the truth as he sees it. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Aka Ikenga
AKA Ikenga, an Igbo group, said: "Achebe bestrode the world of letters like the colossus that he was. He was a wordsmith! He was a master storyteller. He was an artist in the use of words. He was the palm oil with which we assimilated literature. He was the custodian of our values."
Rochas Okorocha (Imo State governor)
Prof. Achebe was no doubt an asset. While I sympathize with the members of the family, I however urge the Federal Government to immortalize his name as a great Nigeria. His demise is a colossal loss to Nigeria and Igbo nation. He contributed to the growth of the education sector in his literary works, constructive criticism, uncompromising war against social malpractice with extraordinary intellectual background.
Rauf Aregbesola (Osun State governor)
Through his writing, he carried the Nigerian cultural values to the whole world and with the translation of his works into several languages across the world, the history and culture of our people, especially those of the Igbo extraction, have been etched permanently on the psyche of the world. There is no doubt that the place of the likes of Achebe will be hard to fill as he promoted a genre of writing that was uniquely his own."
Isa Yuguda (Bauchi State governor)
His literary works ranked amongst the best not only in Nigeria, Africa but in the whole wide world. He was an icon that will be celebrated again and again".
Ikemba Odumegwu-Ojukwu CentreThe Director-General of Ikemba Odumegwu-Ojukwu Centre and former Minister of Education, Prof Fabian Osuji has described the death of Chinua Achebe as a great loss to the Igbo race in particular, the nation and the world at large. "We feel that the nation has lost a very distinguished writer, a very distinguished author, and a novelist who has contributed a whole lot to African Literature and in fact, he is regarded as the father of African Literature because before him, there was nothing like real, genuine and authentic African Literature. It was his classical novel, Things Fall Apart that created a new awareness about African writers and African Literature. To that extent, we feel a terrible sense of loss by his death.
Wale Okediran (former President, Association of Nigerian Authors)
What can I say? It's very shocking although we shall all have to go one day. His is a great loss to the Nigerian literature and country. He's done very well, played his part, left behind great works; he was even controversial at the very end. I'm proposing a state burial for him. As a giant literary figure, he deserves a state burial. FG should name something after him; maybe a stadium or one of the great universities.
Prof. Charles Nnolim (University of Port Harcourt-based teacher and literary critic)
I was shocked; I didn't know he was ill at all. But we have to look at the bright side of his life. He was our icon in the area of literature; he was very original and courageous. He lucky in that he had advantage of early start; he was original and didn't have anybody to copy from. He was courageous in attacking Nigeria in his book, The Trouble with Nigeria, A Man of the People.
Like I said, he was courageous in attacking Nigeria's corruption; he was a leader in the first class order. He pioneered African Writers Series (AWS), Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA); he started Okike magazine, which is still running. He had to reject an honour from Nigerian government on account of bad leadership. He is the man from who all Africa learnt from, a writer of world-class.
Things Fall Apart is one the best 100 books in the world. We hope that writers coming after him will have his genius and courage.
Prof. Abiola Irele (literary critic and Dean, College of Humanities at Kwara State University, Ofa)
Well, Achebe's death is a great loss to us in Nigeria. As one of pioneering writers, he gave Africa a decided image, a high profile. My only regret is that he did not get the Nobel Prize! It would have been a great honour to him and Nigeria. But his works will endure.
Prof. Femi Osofisan (retired academic, playwright, poet and novelist)
It is still a shock even though he was old enough. Achebe was one of the truly great minds of his generation, who could be both grandly right and grandiosely wrong. That is perhaps why he has ended amidst a burning controversy, for such is always the paradox of genius. Only the small stars die without a noise. I am convinced that Achebe will continue to speak to us, perhaps even louder now from the grave.
Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo (former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan)
We have lost the most outstanding writer our country has produced. He started a tradition, which many people admit is unique. This was somebody, whose influence has been very strong in Nigerian literature over the last 50 years or so. He started a tradition in Nigerian literature in English language, which has inspired many people to write. It's unfortunate and regretful that his life was characterized by controversy. But that doesn't taint the contributions that he has made to African. He's among the heroes of Nigeria literature; and he's go to go on inspiring Nigerian literature in the future.
Unoma Azuah (novelist and U.S.-based academic)
Achebe's passing has left a huge void in my life as a writer. I met him at Nsukka as an undergraduate student at University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His daughter, Nwando, is a friend and, of course, the affirmation he gave me and continues to give me as a Nigerian writer lives on. He taught me the need to have my own voice and to tell my own truth no matter how peculiar it may seem. He was a warrior who defended and protected our stories. He was a warrior that fortified and celebrated our literature. Like he said, and I paraphrase: if the hunter is left to tell the story of a hunt, he'll always proclaim himself the victor. Achebe will be greatly missed.
Odia Ofeimun (poet and social critic)
He gave his best. His best remains forever phenomenal. We can quarrel as we please with aspects of his works and days. What we all owe him makes him triumphant. I wished we argued more with him than we did. But he was always treated like the wise old one even when he was 30, and not quite right. He will be remembered for as long as stories are told.
Hyacinth Obunseh (former Association of Nigerian Authors General Secretary and promoter of African Writers Forum)
Achebe, Africa's, nay, the black world's biggest and most celebrated novelist, has passed on. He was one of the finest minds of his generation. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and the literary world. In his lifetime, he was humble, self-effacing, and lived the life he preached. He loved and believed in his people and Nigeria.
For so many years he lived abroad as a result of a fatal accident he sustained several decades ago. Had he stayed back home in Nigeria, chances are that he would not have lived long enough to make the contributions he made to world literature since then, till he passed away, as a result of our poor health and medical facilities, which has led influential members of this and previous administrations as well as the rich to go abroad for medical reasons.
We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to declare a State of Emergency in the health sector to arrest the situation and save Nigerians.
We also seize this opportunity to call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant State Pardon to General Mamman Jiya Vatsa and Mr. Kennule Saro-Wiwa, in the spirit of national reconciliation. Their contributions to Nigerian and African literature and environmental struggle cannot be over emphasised.
Issues concerning their deaths at best remain complicated and inconclusive. Indeed, this government has in the very recent past granted State Pardon to state terrorists and other persons convicted of crimes against the state. Granting Vatsa and Saro-Wiwa State Pardon at this time will go a long way to show government's seriousness in 'not wanting people to suffer for too long' for whatever crimes they may have committed against the state.
The families, friends and associates of Vatsa and Saro-Wiwa have suffered so much these past years, and we believe the government should dry their tears and end their sufferings at this time by pardoning them officially for whatever crimes they were accused of committing, even as those crimes were not proven then and now.
Tade Ipadeola (poet and President, Pen Centre Nigeria)
African literature has lost a fantastic storyteller and a man of huge literary ambitions. As first and most enduring editor of the African Writers Series, he made his most remarkable contribution to world literature for no other series or editor has managed to come close. He died before the controversy surrounding his last book died down but he will be remembered, hopefully for a lot more than the controversies he cultivated.
Richard Ali (novelist and PRO, North, Association of Nigerian Authors)
Chinua Achebe was a selfless writer who sought to use his considerable intellectual stature and literary prowess to tackle the identity question of Africans generally. The Heinemann African Writers Series, of which he was Founding Editor, was instrumental in placing writing by African writers on the global stage.
The Guardian
He is a man the whole of Nigeria love so i expect such a thing from so many Nigerians. Rest in peace Mr Chinua Achebe