Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the
late Nigeria’s and Africa’s literary guru, Professor Chinua Achebe, as an icon
of unmatched integrity and conviction.
In a tribute to the late Professor and author of the
famous “Things Fall Apart”, the former Vice President recalled how Achebe
forcefully rejected and condemned the July 2004 political crisis in Anambra
State during, which thugs attempted to remove a democratically elected Governor
on the orders of a godfather.
Based on his convictions and principle, Atiku said
the late Professor rejected a national honour conferred on him by the former
President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan administrations.
Read more after the cut...
According to the former Vice President, few
Nigerians would have followed the courage of their conviction and reject
national honours because of the fear of losing favour from those in power.
On the literary front, Atiku Abubakar paid glowing
tribute to late Achebe’s unquantifiable contributions to African literature.
He said Things Fall Apart would remain Achebe’s
everlasting legacy to literature.
In Atiku’s words, “the translation of Things Fall
Apart into more than one hundred languages of the world had put not only
Nigeria but also Africa on the map, thanks to Achebe’s literary prowess.”
The former Vice President also praised the lucidity
of Professor Achebe’s writing style, which he said, made him one of the most
readable and popular authors of the world.
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