Senate Wants Achebe Immortalised

The Senate has called on government to give a befitting state funeral to honour Achebe, to promote and showcase excellence and his positive contributions to Nigeria and the world at large. The debate was sponsored by Chris Ngige (ACN Anambra) and 107 other senators on the death of Achebe.
Leading debate on the motion, Senator Ngige noted that Achebe was a world figure and a personality who brought fame and prestige to Nigeria and all humanity through his literary works.
Senate President David Mark, on his part, noted that this was one of the few motions supported by all senators. More after the cut....
Senator Mark said that it was difficult to pay tribute to a man like Achebe because there was hardly anything that could be said that would truly befit the writer.
“Those who did their WASC after 1966 will remember Achebe well because ‘Things Fall Apart’ was first used in 1966. Before then, it was books written by non-Nigerians that were in use,” he said. “Most of us didn’t think of him as a human being because we thought that people who wrote books were spirits because they were great and not humans.”
The senate president described Achebe as a role model for youths and the elders, just as he was a forthright, fearless Nigeria who took Nigeria to great heights.
“His body is dead but his works will live forever,” he said. “His use of simple language will never and can never be matched by any other.’’