Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the late Nigeria and Africa’s literary guru, 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 literary giant rejected a national honour conferred on him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan administrations.
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 paid glowing tribute to 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 Achebe’s writing style, which he said, made him one of the most readable and popular authors of the world.
A
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
