World-renowned anthropological and African renaissance author, Professor Chinua Achebe, has emerged a winner of Nigeria’s second highest national honor, Commander of the Federal Republic, CFR. It is the second time that Chinua Achebe is being nominated for the esteemed award conferred on his fellow author, Professor Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nnobel Laureate in Literature.
Achebe had rejected the first nomination in 2004 to protest the anarchy and ineptitude that became another name for leadership in Nigeria that Olusegun Obasanjo presided over. Precisely, Achebe said that has was protesting the lawlessness in his home state of Anambra.
The then presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, said that the long stay of Achebe abroad might have affected the writer’s judgment on the state of affairs in Nigeria.
But earlier in 1999, Professor Achebe had won the One Million Naira award from the country’s culture and tourism ministry while Chief Ojo Madueke was the minister.
Achebe joins a long list of other three hundred and sixty four Nigerians conferred with this year’s honors. Others are businessman Aliko Dangote, who wins the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), Speaker of the National Assembly, Aminu Tambuwal, Grace Alele-Williams, Actors Aki and Pawpaw, whose real names are Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, respectively.
Others are the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke and a number of military and security chiefs. The newly appointed Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Sali, former First Lady Mrs. Victoria Gowon and a handful of former military chiefs were also recognized by the President for the CFR award.
A handful of serving and former members of the National Assembly including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, former Senator Joy Emodi, Senator Smart Adeyemi, Senator James Manager, Senator Uche Chukwumerije and Senator Udoma Udo Udoma were all recognized with the Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.
Also some serving ministers including Olusegun Aganga, Emeka Wogu, Godsday Orubebe, Diezani Allison Madueke and Dr. Usman Shamsudeen were also honoured with CON. Mr. Jim Ovia and Mr. Atedo Peterside two bankers were also honoured, including a number of Chief Justices of the states and the erstwhile Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Babangida Nguroje who resigned that position at the peak of the crisis in the House in 2007.
Nigeria’s football captain, Joseph Yobo, 1984 bronze medalist Peter Konyegachi and Commonwealth medalist Mariam Usman are also honoured with the Member of the Order of the Niger, MON.