A National Leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has expressed shock at the news of the demise of Prof. Chinua Achebe.
He said in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, in Abuja on Friday, that Achebe was a Nigerian writer that effectively combined intellectualism with simplicity.
The former head of state said the late writer’s debut literary work, Things fall apart, which was published in 1958, has continued to attract wide readership across the globe.
Buhari said, “He was known for an inimitable courage in freely expressing his personal convictions on prevalent national discourse irrespective of the desire of the principalities in the land.
“He rebuffed two attempts by the PDP-led Federal Government to confer national honours on him because of his conviction that the party had not given Nigerians any hope of responsible governance.”
While condoling with the immediate family members of Achebe on this loss, Buhari prayed to God to grant the family and the entire nation the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
