Connect with us
study in Ukraine

Nigeria News

Achebe Goes Home In Blaze of Glory

Published

on

JETHRO IBILEKE/Ogidi

Prof. Chinua Achebe, the late Nigerian literary icon was buried this afternoon at his country home in Ogidi, headquarters of Idemili North local government area of Anambra state in a blaze of glory.

Leading hundreds of dignitaries from all over the world to bid Achebe final goodbye was President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan whose chopper touched down at about 10.50 am.

All governors of the eastern states were at the burial ceremony, with the exception of Sullivan Chime of Enugu state who was represented by his deputy. Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan was also on hand to say bye for now to Achebe.

Also at the burial service which was held at the St. Phillips Anglican Church, Ogidi were eminent dignitaries from all works of life, including members of the international community of writers.

Achebe: Achebe's first son Ikechukwu, with Governor Peter Obi and Secretary to the FG, Pius Anyim

Achebe: Achebe’s first son Ikechukwu, with Governor Peter Obi and Secretary to the FG, Pius Anyim

Chief host at the event, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state walked beside the ambulance carrying the remains of Achebe from Achebe’s compound to the church premises.

In his homily, the Bishop of the Niger, Rev. Father Owen Nwokolo, urged Nigerian leaders to learn from Achebe who he said devoted his entire life to service to humanity.

Rev. Father Nwokolo called on the members of Achebe’s family to rejoice at the exit of their illustrious son because, in his word, “Chinua Achebe could not have lived a better life.”

•The late Chinua Achebe

•The late Chinua Achebe

Achebe's final burial place. Photo: Jethro Ibileke/P.M.NEWS

Achebe’s final burial place. Photo: Jethro Ibileke/P.M.NEWS

Prof. Achebe was later interred at the tomb erected in his compound by priests from across the easter states.

Earlier on Thursday evening, the well-polished mahogany casket bearing the remains of Achebe arrived at the community town hall at about 5 p.m where he laid in state. His body arrived at his country home at exactly 6.30 pm where a service of songs was held in his honour by the Anglican Communium.

Wife of the late writer, Prof. Christie Achebe, took no consolation as she literarily fell on the Mercedes Benz ambulance bearing the casket and wept uncontrollably, just as women of the Achebe family also thronged the compound, wailing and calling out in Igbo language, Ugo na abo (two eagle on a tree), meaning that Achebe, a rare person has gone.

The officiating priest, Reverend Father Osita Amacheze, based his sermon on the subject, A Time for Everything. Reading from the Bible book of Eccliastes chapter 3, he said there was time for affair by man on the surface of the earth, adding that it was the time for Achebe to exit the earth.

He urged the congregation, friends and relatives of the departed not to mourn his exit since he lived a fulfilled life that touched millions of lives.

“We came to make a joyful shouting to the Lord. We are not here to mourn because we are here for a celebration of life, a life that has been so well spent, that has touched so many of us,” Rev. Father Amacheze said.

Performance by various traditional groups spiced up the night.

Dame Ngozi Ezejum, née Achebe, first niece of the Achebe family, described the late writer as a traditional man whom she had fond memories of during his days at the University of Ibadan.

“Prof. Achebe was a humble and a traditional man to the core. He was fond of me, being the first niece of the Achebe family. Whenever he return from Ibadan in those days, he did his own cooking. I ran errands for him in getting condiments for his cooking, and in return, he would entertain me with music from his gramophone,” Dame Ezejum told PM NWES.

In the delegation of international community of writers that accompanied the remains of Prof. Achebe from the US to his country home were scholars from the Department of African Studies of the University of Massachusetts, including Prof. Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, Prof. Bill Lawler and a host of others.

——————————————————————————————————————————————-
Posted in Nigeria News. A DisNaija.Com network.

Source: PM News

DisNaija.Com publishes regular posts on Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Online Nigeria Gist.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Nigeria News


Your Opinion Counts. Be sure To Leave A Comment, If You Have Any.

Please Like, Share or Tweet. Your Support Is Appreciated.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Nigeria News

Kano Transfers Over 1,000 Almajiris To Different States Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

Published

on

The Kano State Government on Saturday said it has transferred 1,098 ‘almajiris’ to different states of the country.

The commissioner for local government, Murtala Garo, disclosed this while presenting a report before the state’s task force on COVID-19 at the government house, Kano.

Almajiris are children who are supposed to be learning Islamic studies while living with their Islamic teachers. Majority of them, however, end up begging on the streets of Northern Nigeria. They constitute a large number of Nigeria’s over 10 million out-of-school children.

Mr Garo said the Kano government transported 419 almajiris to Katsina, 524 to Jigawa and 155 to Kaduna. He said all of them tested negative for coronavirus before leaving the Kano State.

Despite the coronavirus test done in Kano for the almajiris, the Jigawa government earlier said it would quarantine for two weeks all the almajiris that recently arrived from Kano.

Mr Garo said another 100 almajiris scheduled to be taken to Bauchi State also tested negative to COVID-19.

In a remark, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said the COVID-19 situation in Kano was getting worse. He appealed for a collaborative effort to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.

Mr Ganduje, who commended residents for complying with the lockdown imposed in the state, said the decision was taken to halt the spread of the virus.

Kano State, as of Saturday night, has 77 coronavirus cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The decision to transfer the Kano almajiris is part of the agreement reached between Northern governors that almajiris in each state be transferred to their states of origin.

However, even before the latest agreement by the governors, the Kano government had been transferring almajiris to other states and neighbouring countries after it banned street begging in the state, most populous in Northern Nigeria.

Despite the transfers, however, no concrete step has been taken to ensure such children do not return to Kano streets as there is freedom of movement across Nigeria although interstate travel was recently banned to check the spread of the coronavirus.

 

Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria

Continue Reading

Nigeria News

COVID-19: ‘Bakassi Boys’ Foil Attempt To Smuggle 24 Women Into Abia In Container

Published

on

By Ugochukwu Alaribe

Operatives of the Abia State Vigilante Service, AVS, popularly known as ‘Bakassi Boys’ have arrested 24 market women hidden in a container truck, at Ekwereazu Ngwa, the boundary community between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The market women, said to be  from Akwa Ibom State, were on their way to Aba, when they were arrested with the truck driver and two of his conductors for violating the lockdown order by the state government.

Driver of the truck, Moses Asuquo, claimed he was going to Aba to purchase stock fish, but decided to assist the market women, because they were stranded.

A vigilante source told Sunday Vanguard that the vehicle was impounded while the market women were sent back to Akwa Ibom State.

Commissioner for Home Land Security, Prince Dan Okoli, who confirmed the incident, said that  smuggling of people into the state poses great threat to the state government’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID- 19.

 

Sourced From: Vanguard News

Continue Reading

Nigeria News

Woman Kills Her Maid Over Salary Request

Published

on

Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba of the Lagos State police command have arrested one Mrs Nene Steve for allegedly killing her maid, Joy Adole

The maid was allegedly beaten to death by Nene for requesting for her salary at their residence located at 18, Ogundola Street, Bariga area in Lagos.

Narrating the incident, Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased said that he was sad when they informed him that his sister was beaten to death.

He explained that the deceased was an indigene of Benue State brought to Lagos through an agent and started working with her as a maid  in January 2020.

‘’She reported that her boss refused to pay her and anytime she asked for her salary she will start beating her.

She was making an attempt to leave the place but due to the total lockdown she remained there until Sunday when her boss said she caught her stealing noodles and this led to her serious beating and death,’’ Ejeh said.

He called on Lagos State Government and well- meaning people in the country to help them in getting justice for the victim.

The police spokesman, Bala Elkana, stated that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police  Station to a report that their house girl had committed suicide.

Detectives were said to have visited the house and suspected foul play with the position of the rope and bruises all over the body which confirmed that the girl had been tortured to death and the boss decided to hang up the girl to make it look like suicide.

He said: “The police moved on with their investigation and found a lot of sign of violence on her body that she has been tortured before a rope was put on her neck.’’

He added that the police removed the corpse and deposited it in the mortuary for autopsy to further ascertain the cause of the death.

Elkana said the matter has been transferred from Bariga police station to Panti for further investigation while the couple have been arrested and will be charged to court.

Continue Reading

Tribune

Boko Haram Attacks: Buhari Summons Urgent Meeting Of Service Chiefs

Published

on

President Buhari and the Service Chiefs in a meeting. (File photo)

Ostensibly alarmed by the latest killings of dozens of soldiers by Boko Haram insurgents, President Muhammadu Buhari has summoned an urgent meeting of Service Chiefs to find ways to stop the trend. 

He has also dispatched the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, to the neighbouring Republic of Chad for an urgent meeting with President Idris Deby and his defence counterpart. 

Knowledgeable sources said in Abuja on Friday that the president is worried by on the deterioration of security situation on the Nigeria – Chad Border that has led to the recently increased Boko Haram terrorism in the area.

The sources which did not want to be named in Abuja said: “Nigeria has a Chad  problem in the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) put together to secure the Lake Chad basin areas and repeal the Boko Haram terrorist attacks against all the countries neighbouring the Lake.”

The sources noted that Chad is believed to be having their own internal security challenges and this has reportedly led to their pulling away their own troops manning their own border around Lake Chad,  saying: “That lacuna is being exploited by the Boko Haram terrorists, who go in and out of Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon to launch terrorist acts.  This is a clear illustration of the fact that terrorism is beyond national borders.”

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed that the Defence Minister is going to Chad but said he is unaware of the purpose. 

Meanwhile, the military authorities are said to be in the process of identifying the families of the latest victims with a view to making contact with them. 

Credible sources revealed that it is the reason the president is yet to make any pronouncement on the matter. 

“The President has called an urgent meeting with the Service Chiefs, as well as the fact that families of the latest victims of the Boko Haram are being identified and contacts made before a government pronouncement on the tragic attacks. This, it is understood, is the reason for the silence of the government over the incident,” the source said. 

 

Sourced From: Tribune

Continue Reading
Advertisement study in Ukraine

Politics

Popular Posts