Nigerians who graced the funeral service of late Prof. Chinua Achebe on Thursday at St. Phillip\u2019s Anglican Church, Ogidi, Anambra state have continued to pour encomiums on the literary icon.<\/p>\n
The occasion was graced by Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and John Mahama of Ghana, governors of Enugu, Imo, Abia and Anambra states.<\/p>\n
In his tribute, former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, described late Achebe as a trail-blazer or pace-setter who blazed the trail for revolution of African literature.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cBefore he came on the scene, it was a matter of foreigners writing about us. His first book: `Things Fall Apart\u2019, made such impact worldwide. It was an opportunity for people to learn the impact the white people had on African culture.That made him a trail-blazer.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, described Achebe as an `Iroko\u2019 of literary forest, who instilled confidence into African literature. \u201cHe was an outstanding, by global standards, story teller and a social critic. His work will live for a very long time because he brought confidence in African literature.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike the renaissance in Europe which gave European writers confidence in their culture, Chinua Achebe\u2019s writings gave African writers confidence because his social analysis was to the point and he created an atmosphere that enabled African writers to rediscover the dignity of the Africans before the Europeans came.And so in that way, his legacy will live forever\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Also commenting, the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said Achebe\u2019s literary contributions to the world would endure forever and urged political leaders to acquire wisdom from the works.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has also been a great commentator on Nigeria and Nigerian politics and society and we will remain forever proud of him and grateful for what he has contributed to this country. We\u2019ve learnt a lot from his commentary over time about leadership, the need to have integrity and honesty and that is what we strive to do in our work.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
In her contribution, former governor of Anambra, Dame Virgy Etiaba, described late Prof. Achebe as a fearless, courageous and outspoken character, who would never be easily forgotten.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those who reacted negatively and positively to his last book: \u201cThere was a Country\u2019\u2019, have all come together to give him a befitting tribute.
\nThis is because he was very hard working. He started with a humble beginning and ended in great heights,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
The minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr Emeka Nwogu, in his tribute, said the late literary icon lived a good life and was renowned as a writer of repute.<\/p>\n
Nwogu, who commended the late writer for his last book also charged his critics to write an account of their experience during the Nigerian 30-month civil war that ended on Jan. 15, 1970.<\/p>\n
To Delta\u2019s Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Achebe was a moral compass for many Nigerians who stood on very strong moral grounds on a lot of issues in Nigeria. \u201cHe will be remembered for his steadfastness in ensuring that we have a better society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among other dignitaries in attendance were Sen. Chris Ngige, Uche Chukwumerije, Andy Uba and Rep. Uche Ekwunife.<\/p>\n
(NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nigerians who graced the funeral service of late Prof. Chinua Achebe on Thursday at St. Phillip\u2019s Anglican Church, Ogidi, Anambra state have continued to pour encomiums on the literary icon.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n