Afrobeat creator, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, his brother, Olikoye, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, and novelist, Abubakar Imam, are among 28 eminent Nigerians to be inducted into The Nigerian Hall of Fame for Letters and The Nigerian Hall of Fame for Science.

The induction ceremony of the quartet and others including the late mathematician, Chike Obi; psychiatrist, Adeoye Lambo; neurologist, Benjamin Osuntokun; artist, Ben Enwonwu; poet, Christopher Okigbo; and Oladipo Akinkugbe will hold at a gala night on Saturday, October 9.

Honour for excellence

A statement from Ifeanyi Mbanefo, manager, corporate communications and public affairs of Nigeria LNG Limited, said, “They will be honoured for outstanding contribution to science and letters, which has put Nigeria on the world literary and scientific map, promoted learning and scholarship, and bettered the lives of Nigerians.”

The gas company is co-organising the ceremony with The Nigerian Academy of Science and The Nigerian Academy of Letters.

Mr. Mbanefo added that the list of 28 people was arrived at after “three months of extensive consultations and scrutiny by eminent panellists empowered by The Nigerian Academy of Science and The Nigerian Academy of Letters.”

President, Nigerian Academy of Science, Oye Ibidapo-Obe, and two other academics, Ekanem Braide and Sunday Bwala, were on the science panel; while Romanus Egudu, president, Nigerian Academy of Letters, worked with Ayo Banjo and novelist, Zaynab Alkali.

Author of the popular ‘Things Fall Apart’, Chinua Achebe; the late master potter, Ladi Kwali; and Gordian Ezekwe of the Biafran Ogbunigwe fame, are also amongst the 28 people that will be honoured at the event where winners of The Nigerian Prize for Science and The Nigerian Prize for Literature will receive their prizes.

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