The great IROKO OF IGBO LAND may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace Amen.

Our beloved Ogidi son, he shall be missed. How I wish I could be home for the burial rites.

Afam4eva: RIP Achebe

I like the maturity being shown by Igbo and especially Anambra politicians. Despite their political leanings, they put all that aside for a common goal. I've noticed this trend between Peter Obi and Ngige.

RIP to an icon.

In Nigeria there is nothing like political leaning. It's a matter of which political camp you can pitch your tent with to reach a political office.
No dogma or ideology, it's just pragmatic calculations.

Rest In Peace, Father of Africa Literature!

@Eagle eye: Thanks. What you said made a whole lot of sense.It just baffles me how some of these nairaland prefects jump run around frm thread to thread sowing seeds of hatred and tribalism even when it is uncalled for. For many years I had just observed as a guest.I just had to log in and let these guys know that all their plots are at best counter-productive.Little wonder this site is somewhat living on its past glory.the owner of this site had better called them to order or else he will wake up one day and see that what he worked hard to build had been destroyed by a few fellows who do not understand simple tolerance and restraint in a diverse cultured existence.

Adieu Chinua Achebe

amoco: @Eagle eye: Thanks. What you said made a whole lot of sense.It just baffles me how some of these nairaland prefects jump run around frm thread to thread sowing seeds of hatred and tribalism even when it is uncalled for. For many years I had just observed as a guest.I just had to log in and let these guys know that all their plots are at best counter-productive.

My dear, we can pay our respects here
www.nairaland.com/1299429/pay-last-respect-achebe
But try and ignore anyone who tries to derail or make tribal commnts. Achebe deserves more.

Good night Chinualumogu!!!!!

bobthebuilder99:
People respected and admired him until he wrote that tribal book There Was a Country.
If Nigerians know anything, we know how to spot a common tribalist. That book ruined his reputation here in Naija.

Na u sabi with your tribal talk. Prof. no send weda una come him burial or not. Na you suppose dey wonder why at your age nobody don hear ur name or talk about you. Tribal book ko, sentiment ni...
Adieu Prof.

FOR PROF ACHEBE

Four scores and two years ago
In Ogidi the shrill screams of a woman went forth
Heralding the birth of a son

Eight decades and two years after
Echoes of wails resound the world over
For that son who through hard work, resilience and discipline emerged a legend

Death has slashed the strings that held us together
And our hearts are fallen apart
The Achebian hearth is thrown into mourning

Great Iroko!
You will be fondly remembered especially by likes of me
Who though awkwardly try to walk in the foot prints you caved in for us

Adieu Pa Nigerian Literature
May your sweet soul Rest in peace.

bobthebuilder99:

People respected and admired him until he wrote that tribal book There Was a Country.

If Nigerians know anything, we know how to spot a common tribalist. That book ruined his reputation here in Naija.

he dont even deserve them, he never associate with them when alive, so it will be a shame to attend his burial.
Nigeria hate justice Which he Always Talk about.
There was a country is not a tribal book but Exactly What happen to his people. The injustice done to them,
there was a country will surely be a country.
Yorubas will hate him cuz he said the truth about What awo did to ndi igbo
Which will call "genocide"

R.I.P

@ Erotex; Nigerians don't deserve u. U are the real problem with Nigeria... Your comment is full of hate, lies and deceit. Point of correction, yorubas are fun loving people, yorubas don't hate Achebe, whatever hatred you are talking about must be a figment of your imagination.
Biafra was at war with Nigeria not Yoruba's. And yes, there's genocide during the war but most Nigerians rather are of the opinion that Achebe's impression about Awo is unfair and does not lack merit cos even Ojukwu would have done same or even worst if in Awo's shoes. The records are there that Awo loved the Igbos but a war must be fought and won. War is no child's play, many decisions and policies were taken during war, some fair, others regrettable. But most of these decisions weren't taken out of hatred to the Igbo race. That is the fact.

Erotex:

he dont even deserve them, he never associate with them when alive, so it will be a shame to attend his burial.
Nigeria hate justice Which he Always Talk about.
There was a country is not a tribal book but Exactly What happen to his people. The injustice done to them,
there was a country will surely be a country.
Yorubas will hate him cuz he said the truth about What awo did to ndi igbo
Which will call "genocide"

100% Whykay:
The records are there that Awo loved the Igbos but a war must be fought and won. War is no child's play, many decisions and policies were taken during war, some fair, others regrettable. But most of these decisions weren't taken out of hatred to the Igbo race. That is the fact.

There are rules of Engagement even in a War situation. If Awo truely loved the Igbos as you claimed, he would have known that his policies were going to affect even Women and Children who were not combatants.
EVEN IN WAR SITUATIONS, THERE ARE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT.

Good nite sir

Very true, there are rules and engagement in War situation but the Nigerian and Biafran side broke the rules. Awo's starvation policy is regrettable, he's only human, he totally forgot about Women and children who weren't combatants while implementing that policy but the Biafrans were no saint. My father was living in Enugu while the war broke out, while he was trying to escape with his family, he was captured by the Biafran army, taken to their base and he was only lucky to escape cos a soldier helped him . His younger brothers 14, 11, 7 yrs old at the time weren't that lucky. He told me that they were more than 600 captives there, mostly women and children of other tribes. They were in the place for more than five days without food, then one night he said, the head of the base must have received a bad news or something, he was very angry and he ordered that they kill them all and just like that they shot everyone(mostly teenagers, children and women). He also lost his parents to the war, he's the only surviving member of his family... My father is still alive today so he can always be interviewed on demand. His best friend today is an Igbo Man. My 'supposed to be' uncles were massacre like chickens by the Biafran soldiers yet I have no hatred whatsoever for Ojukwu, instead I admire him cos he's no coward. I understand Awo's plight too. I enjoy being a Nigerian.
Like I said earlier: 'War is no child's play,
many decisions and policies were taken during war,
some fair, others regrettable. But most of these
decisions weren't taken out of hatred for the Igbo race'.

100% Whykay:

Awo's starvation policy is regrettable, he's only human, HE TOTALLY FORGOT about Women and children who weren't combatants while implementing that policy but the Biafrans were no saint.

how convinient of Awo to forget that there were women and children, who weren't combatants.

100% Whykay:

but the Biafrans were no saint. My father was living in Enugu while the war broke out, while he was trying to escape with his family, he was captured by the Biafran army, taken to their base and he was only lucky to escape cos a soldier helped him . His younger brothers 14, 11, 7 yrs old at the time weren't that lucky.

Again it was very convinient for your father to have escaped because HE WAS ONLY LUCKY TO ESCAPE COS A SOLDIER (i assume Biafran Soldier) HELPED HIM.
But in the same breath you concluded that the brothers 14, 11, 7yrs old weren't that lucky.
I wish I can meet you "Lucky Dad in Person.

100% Whykay:

He told me that they were more than 600 captives there, mostly women and children of other tribes. They were in the place for more than five days without food, then one night he said, the head of the base must have received a bad news or something, he was very angry and he ordered that they kill them all and just like that they shot everyone(mostly teenagers, children and women).

Chai, I really wish to meet with your dad. Did you forget that your Dad has already escaped death out of sheer LUCK? How then did he know what happened after he has already escaped?
I AM NOT DOUBTING YOUR STORY, but I am naturally the curious type.

100% Whykay:

My 'supposed to be' uncles were massacre like chickens by the Biafran soldiers yet I have no hatred whatsoever for Ojukwu, instead I admire him cos he's no coward. I understand Awo's plight too. I enjoy being a Nigerian.
Like I said earlier: 'War is no child's play,
many decisions and policies were taken during war,
some fair, others regrettable. But most of these
decisions weren't taken out of hatred for the Igbo race'.

Wow!!! I really need to meet you one of these days, seriously. You hold Biafran soldiers responsible for the massacre of your 'Supposed to be Uncles', yet you admire Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu the Biafran War Lord cos he is not a "coward".
Bravo!!! There is still hope for Nigerians. I am yet to see this type on NL. Bros, (permit me to call you that) you try wella.

Its a free world, u are free to doubt my story... My father witnessed the killing of his brothers(its not a conclusion, its the truth), they even thought he was dead too, a soldier helped him escape afterwards. He's still alive and he can be interviewed.. Email is: yhincasaac@yahoo.com

eagle,eye:


Chai, I really wish to meet with your dad. Did you forget that your Dad has already escaped death out of sheer LUCK? How then did he know what happened after he has already escaped?
I AM NOT DOUBTING YOUR STORY, but I am naturally the curious type.

100% Whykay:
Its a free world, u are free to doubt my story... My father witnessed the killing of his brothers(its not a conclusion, its the truth), they even thought he was dead too, a soldier helped him escape afterwards. He's still alive and he can be interviewed.. Email is: yhincasaac@yahoo.com

I know it sounds somehow, but you made us believe that he had already escaped before the killing of his brothers......
Okay, if he witnesses the killings of his brothers, did he also witness the massacre of those women, children and tenegers you mentioned earlier that were killed because a Biafran Army officer got angry and went on a killing spree?
My brother, I am truely interested in getting some answers (after all I love history).
By the way I added you on FB.

Imanuelle: I emphasized that we had gone -1000 wise men down, and someone hid my comment?
moderator? did I break a rule?

^^^They're a tad over-sensitive with this their rule breaking nonsense; it's very annoying.....to the extent that they now hide posts that have nothing to do with breaking their 21 commandments, but everything to do with them just not liking the poster (for whatever reason) or his/her comment.

eagle,eye:


Okay, if he witnesses the killings of his brothers, did he also witness the massacre of those women, children and tenegers you mentioned earlier that were killed because a Biafran Army officer got angry and went on a killing spree?

Yes he did

100% Whykay:


Yes he did

I will take your word for it.