SPEAKER of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei has described the death of celebrated essayist and academician Chinua Achebe as a colossal loss to Nigeria and the galaxy of global literary fraternity.
Hon Ochei made this remarks in his reaction to the news of Professor Achebe’s death on Friday, submitting the literary giant’s passing has created a vacuum in the chronicle of avowed patriots whose contributions have offered the needed diverse but constructive suggestions in navigating Nigeria through the complexities of nationhood.
The legislator also opined that the late Achebe’s achievements as a foremost harbinger of African literature, placed Nigeria on the global literary radar, which invariably acted as the catalyst in propelling his compatriots and continental acolytes to nurturing African literature to universal acceptance.
In commiserating with the biological and professional families of the late icon, Hon Ochei counselled them to find solace in the timeless treatise of America’s Ralph Wado Emerson (1803-1822) that;
‘’Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows old.’’
He further averred that, his death should not be construed as an end to advancements in his chosen field, rather as acquiescence to the natural sequence of continuity.