Dishonouring the dead? The Cyprian Ekwensi Center, Abuja

Dear Editor,

I would start by appreciating the good work  you and your team are doing.

Your online copies have become our most read news source.Any news on Nigeria whether the good ,the bad ,or ugly at least keeps us abreast with home.

The really, really ugly, that is being posted on the web presently is that the new administrator of Abuja, Adamu Aliero has reversed the city's  civic centre posthumously named after the internationally acclaimed writter CYPRIAN EKWENSI back to it's original name.

While   some of these news items do not provide reasons for this,others  view  it as  having ethnic and religious undertones.But more embarrassing is the alleged fact that this reversal was cleared by Nigeria's House of Representatives.We indeed were  starting to convince the world that we were past these.

I have listened to Hon Dimeji speak on AIT several times and he sounds intelligent so i would like to give him the benefit of doubt.

We should   be a progressive nation that celebrates it's icons ,especially those that have earned it and most importantly those who have passed.Eventhough related articles suggest that as in the case with Abuja park operators a case that is pending in Court,Aliero might just be playing out his cards at ''northernizing''Abuja Nigeria's centre of unity.A political tool that has been  long abadoned for it's distructive nature. Whatever may be the undertones,you would recall that  the Civic Centre was renamed after this literary icon less than a year ago,given a face lift, brought under a new management and decleared by the then Minister,Aliyu Moddibo as a Centre that will not only immortise  Ekwensi but one that would be repositioned to compete with others around the world. The event was widely reported by both the local and international madia as proactive

This latest news ,   that   the name has been reverted and management  accordingly handed back to what some call the  former moribund managers  speak alot for this administration's commitment to growth.

Whatever the undertones may be,Aliero for lacking a focus for what it takes to administer a  developing and cosmopolitan  supposedly internationally competing  city which is a far cry from governing a mono ethnic and mono religious state should be careful not to start an ethnic or religious war in Abuja,  first the Parks and then this. Infact we believe    that he would perform better as the campaign manager of Yar'adua 2011.  Many's main  real concern   reletively is   the role the House under the leadership of Hon Dimeji played in all these,his leadership represents our present and future ,a future we cant afford to toy with.

We would appreciate your findings on this,which we look forward to reading soonest on your online editions.

Pls keep up the good work.We owe our nation's present and future to you.

 Aliyu BUKAR

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