I know I'm going to get lots of insults thrown on my person after creating this topic, but to me the truth is better, I'm not a tribalist or an ethnic bigot, on the other hand I'm a proud Nigerian, one who believes that there is still hope for our great nation, I grew up reading literary works of chinua achebe, and I enjoyed his master piece (things fall apart) so much that I always re enacted this story whenever I was bored while growing up, the author of the book seemed bigger than life to me then, but growing up I discovered one thing about this man, he was a sadist, a pessimist, and a bad critic, he never saw the country Nigeria amounting to anything, he was always quick to condemn from the high pedestal which the "white man" put him, no doubt he has made Nigeria proud in the aspect of literature, but what has he done to help build this country? This is a man who spent half his life abroad pointing out problems of this country, but never offering sound possible solutions to these problems, this man hated his father land so much that he refused a national award twice, I believe that his refusal to accept the national awards stemmed from his hatred of his fatherland, not solely cos he felt the governments had failed the people, this man was not a man of the people as most people are claiming, rather he was a man against the people, he was a doomsday individual, he was hoping for the collapse of this our great country, he hated the market woman, the taxi driver and even the lawyer, he saw Nigerians as a people who could never change for the better, chinua achebe made us proud with his literary works, but aside from that he did not contribute enough for the over all development of this country, we've heard of great doctors who left the western world to come and practice in bush Africa, these men are the kind of people we should look up to, let me not say more, but I believe I have made my views known, may his soul rest, I hope he is buried in the United states.

^^I actually sympathize a bit with your sentiments. I think Achebe was a bit too much of a pessimist where it concerned modern Nigeria. He failed to understand that developing nations, especially complex ones like Nigeria, need time to develop the institutions and even the culture required to create and sustain advanced societies. He had this naive idea that straight off from independence, we should have been on a one way trajectory to being the new Japan or USA, forgetting that those nations had several centuries of independence before getting where there are. Africans are not superhumans. The colonialists left us without a single proper university on the entire black continent right up till 1960 when they left (apart from in SA). How does such a continent develop into a world class place in a decade or two as Achebe was expecting? It was never going to happen. The coups, the corruption, the ineptitude etc were all very predictable growing pains of newly liberated nations that had been bastardized for centuries by rapacious, unscrupulous foreigners. We've actually come a long way if you look at it objectively. We've brought mass education to our people, which was denied us by the colonialists. We've built some notable infrastructure, and our economies are growing from strength to strength. So we're not standing still. Shame Achebe never found it in him to acknowledge that progress.. But we still honour him for his great works of literary genius which brought glory, international respect and honour to his fatherland and to the continent. His place is assured in the annals of great African heroes.

bolaino: I know I'm going to get lots of insults thrown on my person after creating this topic, but to me the truth is better, I'm not a tribalist or an ethnic bigot, on the other hand I'm a proud Nigerian, one who believes that there is still hope for our great nation, I grew up reading literary works of chinua achebe, and I enjoyed his master piece (things fall apart) so much that I always re enacted this story whenever I was bored while growing up, the author of the book seemed bigger than life to me then, but growing up I discovered one thing about this man, he was a sadist, a pessimist, and a bad critic, he never saw the country Nigeria amounting to anything, he was always quick to condemn from the high pedestal which the "white man" put him, no doubt he has made Nigeria proud in the aspect of literature, but what has he done to help build this country? This is a man who spent half his life abroad pointing out problems of this country, but never offering sound possible solutions to these problems, this man hated his father land so much that he refused a national award twice, I believe that his refusal to accept the national awards stemmed from his hatred of his fatherland, not solely cos he felt the governments had failed the people, this man was not a man of the people as most people are claiming, rather he was a man against the people, he was a doomsday individual, he was hoping for the collapse of this our great country, he hated the market woman, the taxi driver and even the lawyer, he saw Nigerians as a people who could never change for the better, chinua achebe made us proud with his literary works, but aside from that he did not contribute enough for the over all development of this country, we've heard of great doctors who left the western world to come and practice in bush Africa, these men are the kind of people we should look up to, let me not say more, but I believe I have made my views known, may his soul rest, I hope he is buried in the United states.

You are one among many reasons Nigeria is a dead-end piece of junk. Achebe was and remained one of few major contributors to Africa’s progress. You are too ignorant to even begin to comprehend Achebe’s contribution to the progress of entire African continent. In USA, authors of text books that hold rare knowledge are valued more than an idiotic politician who claimed to have granted free education, built TV Station, roads, bridges or stadia by using public fund. An author used his\her natural endowment, time and money to publish books so that drooling airheads such you had the opportunity to spew crap.

If moronic dingbats such as you had followed a bit of Achebe’s preaching and forget the never-do-well structure on a sandy foundation such as Nigeria, the region would have experienced explosion of progress and mutual corporations among nation states rather than ethnical and sectarian massacres prevalent in Nigeria today.

I shall never want to have you as a compatriot.

Dede1:



You are one among many reasons Nigeria is a dead-end piece of junk. Achebe was and remained one of few major contributors to Africa’s progress. You are too ignorant to even begin to comprehend Achebe’s contribution to the progress of entire African continent. In USA, authors of text books that hold rare knowledge are valued more than an idiotic politician who claimed to have granted free education, built TV Station, roads, bridges or stadia by using public fund. An author used his\her natural endowment, time and money to publish books so that drooling airheads such you had the opportunity to spew crap.

If moronic dingbats such as you had followed a bit of Achebe’s preaching and forget the never-do-well structure on a sandy foundation such as Nigeria, the region would have experienced explosion of progress and mutual corporations among nation states rather than ethnical and sectarian massacres prevalent in Nigeria today.

I shall never want to have you as a compatriot.

What more is there to be said. Nairaland is like a field where retartded individuals have the opportunity to display foolishness and relate with smart and intelligent folks. The Op will have such fraudsters as awolowo, Fashola and Tinubu as a hero and contributor to the development of Nigeria as against people like Achebe and Soyinka

:-XI think Achebe really tried in promoting civil war in Nigeria, even with the last book he authored last year.

NEVER READ HIS BOOKS BUT LOVED THE WAY HE TOLD THE GOVT TO STICK THEIR AWARDS WHERE THE SUN DONT SHINE.TWICE.YEAH OYINBO DOCTORS AND PASTORS CAME TO OUR BUSH AND ALL THAT BUT THE UGLY TRUTH IS THAT EVEN MESSI OKOCHA AND RONALDO CAN ONLY PLAY ONE WING IN A FOOTBALL MATCH YOU NEED 11PLAYERS COACHES A MANAGER BENCH TEAM B ETC.A TREE CAN MAKE A FOREST WITH SOME SERIOUS SEED DISPERSAL BUT CANNOT BE A FOREST ESPECIALLY WHEN SEED DISPERSAL IS BEING STUNTED BY POOR LITERACY RATES

What does OP want Achebe to do? Bulid roads and bridges? The guy was an author and he excelled at what he did...in fact he was among the best in the world. All that he was fighting for was for your governor and president to be the among the best in the world too. Hope that answers your question.

Mr. Globe:

What more is there to be said. Nairaland is like a field where retartded individuals have the opportunity to display foolishness and relate with smart and intelligent folks. The Op will have such fraudsters as awolowo, Fashola and Tinubu as a hero and contributor to the development of Nigeria as against people like Achebe and Soyinka

mentionin names unrelated to the thread also shows your own display of 'Stewpidity'. The op asked you if he has contributed anythin to Nigerian's dev. Give him a succint reply and dont drag your Foolish bigoted mind into the thread.

Aside poisoning the hearts and minds of the younger generation of a Nation he had no belief in, he did well as a literary giant. I also appreciate his stance on issues of governance, corruption and transparency. If only he had kept his bigotry in check, Achebe would have qualified to be a Nigerian hero, but his final shots placed him as an IBO hero.

RIP Prof..

Dede1:



You are one among many reasons Nigeria is a dead-end piece of junk. Achebe was and remained one of few major contributors to Africa’s progress. You are too ignorant to even begin to comprehend Achebe’s contribution to the progress of entire African continent. In USA, authors of text books that hold rare knowledge are valued more than an idiotic politician who claimed to have granted free education, built TV Station, roads, bridges or stadia by using public fund. An author used his\her natural endowment, time and money to publish books so that drooling airheads such you had the opportunity to spew crap.

If moronic dingbats such as you had followed a bit of Achebe’s preaching and forget the never-do-well structure on a sandy foundation such as Nigeria, the region would have experienced explosion of progress and mutual corporations among nation states rather than ethnical and sectarian massacres prevalent in Nigeria today.

I shall never want to have you as a compatriot.

Who needs that hate filled people like you and ashebe as compatriots and of what use was ashebe as an elder and a nigerian when all he had was hate and contempt for his country and fellow Nigerians?

Soyinka was jailed in the same Nigeria while fighting for a better Nigeria which he's still doing, not promoting hatred and enmity, not writing hate filled books full of animosity and needless tribal supremacy.

Is this what you call contribution? obviously and war or no war, the man was just personally a hateful and vengeful human being and he let it let it out in his books, actions and utterances.

And you need to shut up about America and American authors because American authors don't write hate books, they are not tribalists, they don't denegrating and insult other people in their books.

What's next? his last book that upset and decided the country was progress too right?

Go and read up the definition of progress.

Eko Ile:

Who needs that hate filled people like you and ashebe as compatriots and of what use was ashebe as an elder and a nigerian when all he had was hate and contempt for his country and fellow Nigerians?

Soyinka was jailed in the same Nigeria while fighting for a better Nigeria which he's still doing, not promoting hatred and enmity, not writing hate filled books full of animosity and needless tribal supremacy.

Is this what you call contribution? obviously and war or no war, the man was just personally a hateful and vengeful human being and he let it let it out in his books, actions and utterances.

And you need to shut up about America and American authors because American authors don't write hate books, they are not tribalists, they don't denegrating and insult other people in their books.

What's next? his last book that upset and decided the country was progress too right?

Go and read up the definition of progress.

Eko Ole

You start off on this forum as a toddler with a bit organized social order but the need to pander to tribal crap has reduced you to less unimportant contributor. When did public disturbance become contribution to progress? When did Nigeria sink to this low?

Is it not funny you asked me to read up definition of progress when you think public nuisance constitutes progress?

Please God, I beg you to bring disintegration of the cesspit called Nigeria quickly.

ypzilanti: What does OP want Achebe to do? Bulid roads and bridges? The guy was an author and he excelled at what he did...in fact he was among the best in the world. All that he was fighting for was for your governor and president to be the among the best in the world too. Hope that answers your question.

Words and books are very powerful tools that heals, influence and change minds and ashebe used these powerful instrument to divide and spread hate and bigotry. His last book didn't heal, it divided the country and erased all the gains we've made.

That bitter old man was selfish and thoughtless. Who writes dumb stuff like that in 2013 and at 82 years old? Obviously, he was hateful and bitter man to the core and he took all that baggage to the grave with him.

Eko Ile:

Words and books are very powerful tools that heals, influence and change minds and ashebe used these powerful instrument to divide and spread hate and bigotry. His last book didn't heal, it divided the country and erased all the gains we've made.

That bitter old man was selfish and thoughtless. Who writes dumb stuff like that in 2013 and at 82 years old? Obviously, he was hateful and bitter man to the core and he took all that baggage to the grave with him.

Poor boy, where is your own publication?.

Dede1:


Eko Ole

You start off on this forum as a toddler with a bit organized social order but the need to pander to tribal crap has reduced you to less unimportant contributor. When did public disturbance become contribution to progress? When did Nigeria sink to this low?

Is it not funny you asked me to read up definition of progress when you think public nuisance constitutes progress?

Please God, I beg you to bring disintegration of the cesspit called Nigeria quickly.

I was expecting you to explain to us how his last hateful, devisive and tribal supremacy book = Progress .

I'm not going to play that dumb game with you, just explain to us how a book that turned the country upside down and dug up old wounds = progress.

Andre Uweh:
Poor boy, where is your own publication?.

Sorry I don't write and peddle hate and bigotry books, your gran pa ashebe wrote enough to keep you hateful, bigoted and busy for the rest of your life.

Achebe was a man who said the truth no matter what, a writer who gave headaches not prescription to our political leaders. A literary icon even the whole world acknowledges. U dont have to carry placards to Alausa like Wole-Wole Soyinmkpa to be recognized as an activist. Achebe was the first and only Nigerian to reject a national honour not once but twice as a protest to the failings of the Nigerian Government. If you say soyinka is contributing to ND because he is carryin placard up and down then it would be unfair,biased and a bit tribalistic if u dont accord achebe that respect.

Dede1:



You are one among many reasons Nigeria is a dead-end piece of junk. Achebe was and remained one of few major contributors to Africa’s progress. You are too ignorant to even begin to comprehend Achebe’s contribution to the progress of entire African continent. In USA, authors of text books that hold rare knowledge are valued more than an idiotic politician who claimed to have granted free education, built TV Station, roads, bridges or stadia by using public fund. An author used his\her natural endowment, time and money to publish books so that drooling airheads such you had the opportunity to spew crap.

If moronic dingbats such as you had followed a bit of Achebe’s preaching and forget the never-do-well structure on a sandy foundation such as Nigeria, the region would have experienced explosion of progress and mutual corporations among nation states rather than ethnical and sectarian massacres prevalent in Nigeria today.

I shall never want to have you as a compatriot.

please enumerate his contributions to Africa beginning with Nigeria.

Achebe was an ingrate! Twice conferred with national awards and he turned it down each time citing corruption. You should share with us how, sitting in US, he contributed at home to remove the very ill he vehemently opposed. The truth is Achebe remained bitter to his death and he never brought himself around to accept and reconcile the biafran defeat in his own spirit. By accepting a Nigerian honorary award would be an acceptance that his biafran identity is defeated and lost forever. He ended up personifying the Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart.

Negro_Ntns:

please enumerate his contributions to Africa beginning with Nigeria.

Achebe was an ingrate! Twice conferred with national awards and he turned it down each time citing corruption. You should share with us how, sitting in US, he contributed at home to remove the very ill he vehemently opposed. The truth is Achebe remained bitter to his death and he never brought himself around to accept and reconcile the biafran defeat in his own spirit. By accepting a Nigerian honorary award would be an acceptance that his biafran identity is defeated and lost forever. He ended up personifying the Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart.

Achebe clearly gave valid reasons why he rejected the worthless national honours. He is a man of conviction. Achebe is not a politician he did his best in his capacity as a writer. He brought so many positive attention to Nigeria. I don't know what you expect of him. The whole world adore him. Igbos do too. we don't care about irrelevant Yoruba opinion. Get off his d1ck

Mr. Globe:

Achebe clearly gave valid reasons why he rejected the worthless national honours. He is a man of conviction. Achebe is not a politician he did his best in his capacity as a writer. He brought so many positive attention to Nigeria. I don't know what you expect of him. The whole world adore him. Igbos do too. we don't care about irrelevant Yoruba opinion. Get off his d1ck

Positive Attention...... Is‎​ that all??

Mr. Globe:

Achebe clearly gave valid reasons why he rejected the worthless national honours. He is a man of conviction. Achebe is not a politician he did his best in his capacity as a writer. He brought so many positive attention to Nigeria. I don't know what you expect of him. The whole world adore him. Igbos do too. we don't care about irrelevant Yoruba opinion. Get off his d1ck

what were his reasons....please share with us.

he brought positive attention to iboland and negative attention to other people land. how is that a good contribution to nigeria?

Eko Ile:

I was expecting you to explain to us how his last hateful, devisive and tribal supremacy book = Progress .

I'm not going to play that dumb game with you, just explain to us how a book that turned the country upside down and dug up old wounds = progress.

I guess the only country Achebe’s book turned upside down only existed in your figment of imagination. Even Nigeria, which is a quasi-country, can not be said to have been turned upside down by Achebe’s book from the point of view of fellow with average intellect.

Please make use of your thinking cap for a moment. If the old wounds were healed, could they have been dug up as wounds?

Achebe was a very bitter and caustic man, his literary gift notwithstanding.

His writing was rich but his person was shallow and blunt.

Negro_Ntns:

please enumerate his contributions to Africa beginning with Nigeria.

Achebe was an ingrate! Twice conferred with national awards and he turned it down each time citing corruption. You should share with us how, sitting in US, he contributed at home to remove the very ill he vehemently opposed. The truth is Achebe remained bitter to his death and he never brought himself around to accept and reconcile the biafran defeat in his own spirit. By accepting a Nigerian honorary award would be an acceptance that his biafran identity is defeated and lost forever. He ended up personifying the Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart.

Wrong! achebe prophetically predicted the manner of death of AWO-OLE via Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart.

Moral awakening. Priceless!

@OP & FTC You disgust me!

What did Achebe do for his people? Achebe is or was an Igbo, the proceeds of his books back in the sixties went into supporting Biafra; and who are Biafrans?

What did Achebe do for his people? Achebe is or was literature icon, his books told a different perspective about Africans; and who are Africans?

What did Achebe do for his people? Achebe is or was a principled man, his rejection of the FG award was to tell the world that he will not sell himself cheap; and who does not sell himself/herself cheap?

Duru1:


I guess the only country Achebe’s book turned upside down only existed in your figment of imagination. Even Nigeria, which is a quasi-country, can not be said to have been turned upside down by Achebe’s book from the point of view of fellow with average intellect.

Please make use of your thinking cap for a moment. If the old wounds were healed, could they have been dug up as wounds?

Please stop spewing garbage. I asked a simple question and if you are too lazy and incompetent to answer, STFU and stop quoting me.

Explain how his last hate and bigotry filled book = Progress.

Negro_Ntns:

please enumerate his contributions to Africa beginning with Nigeria.

Achebe was an ingrate! Twice conferred with national awards and he turned it down each time citing corruption. You should share with us how, sitting in US, he contributed at home to remove the very ill he vehemently opposed. The truth is Achebe remained bitter to his death and he never brought himself around to accept and reconcile the biafran defeat in his own spirit. By accepting a Nigerian honorary award would be an acceptance that his biafran identity is defeated and lost forever. He ended up personifying the Okonkwo of Things Fall Apart.

You are a nut case. I can not believe you asked me to enumerate the contributions of Achebe to Africa whereas you do not know the meaning of contribution. I bet if you remotely know the meaning of word-contribution, you should not have asked such a silly question.

Eko Ile:

Please stop spewing garbage. I asked a simple question and if you are too lazy and incompetent to answer, STFU and stop quoting me.

Explain how his last hate and bigotry filled book = Progress.

If I am spewing garbage and you conclusively concluded that I quoted you, then you are the source of the garbage. I guess you have closed the door before you, olodo.

Duru1:


If I am spewing garbage and you conclusively concluded that I quoted you, then you are the source of the garbage. I guess you have closed the door before you, olodo.

I thought I told you to STFU if you're too lazy and incompetent to answer my question? I'm not interested in your moronic utterances you hopeless circus clown. Just answer my question.

Let me ask your dumb asssss for the last time. Was his last hate and bigotry filled book a sign of progress.?

E dey pain some people say achebe stroke awo,so nothin una go tell these sheeple wey dem go gree. Peace out.

Eko Ile:

I thought I told you to STFU if you're too lazy and incompetent to answer my question? I'm not interested in your moronic utterances you hopeless circus clown. Just answer my question.

Let me ask your dumb asssss for the last time. Was his last hate and bigotry filled book a sign of progress.?

Do you not think your silly question should encompass sentiments of human intellect in order to attract a humanly response?

Duru1:


Do you not think your silly question should encompass sentiments of human intellect in order to attract a humanly response?

All this retarded pronouncements because your dumb assss is too lazy, retarded, incompetent and unable to answer a simple question. Why should I even take scumbag like you seriously?

You know answering that question means exposing your bigoted and hateful gran pa for what he was, a die hard bitter and vengeful old man with a heart of granite.