•Jonathan, world leaders to attend burial
From DENNIS MERNYI, Abuja
The remains of world-class literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe would arrive Nigeria from USA on May 21 en route the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.
Achebe’s burial programme, released yesterday at the Hilton Hotel Abuja where the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who was the chairman, made this known.
The event leading to his interment is to last one week. The programme also indicated that President Goodluck Jonathan would attend the final burial in person at Ogidi, his native place.
Briefing newsmen on the planned programme, the Coordinator of the Achebe National Transition Committee, Professor Uzodinma Nwala, stated that “several other activities had been on in so many parts of the world in the past.
He announced that the committee had decided to come out with the official burial arrangement as approved by the family of the deceased, the Igbo leaders and the governments of the five Igbo states.
Earlier in his remarks, the deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu disclosed that “the programme was arrived at after due consultations with the family and all concerned since the fact that he should be given a befitting burial.”
Also, in a remark, Senator Chris Ngige representing the late Achebe’s senatorial district, Anambra Central, disclosed that the senate would also pay last tribute to the late literary guru in the senate chambers, through a motion on the floor on May 15.
Ngige noted that the country and indeed the academic world had lost a rare gem, a great leader since he was a great assets to many across the globe through his works.
According to the programme, the first day of the funeral, Sunday May 19 would be a day of prayers and worship by 3.00pm at the National Worship Centre in Abuja, other worship centres across the country and beyond.
May 20 will be the Association Nigeria Authors (ANA)’s symposium on the life and times of late Achebe at the International Conference Centre in Abuja by 10 a.m. At 5pm, there would be tribes from national and international leaders as well as associates at the same venue with the cultural troops to be performed.
As the body arrives, Abuja at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport it would be received by a delegation of Nigerian and African leaders and diplomatic and cultural representatives and would later be flown to Enugu from the National Assembly complex where members of the senate chamber would pay their last respect and will be received by be South Eastern governors.
The final interment will be on May 23, at the Acbebe’s compound in Ogidi in Anambra State after the cultural carnival at Alex Ekwueme’stadium where ministers and state governors would participate.
The interment would be preceded by the funeral service at the St. Philips Anglican Church to be attended by President Jonathan, state governors, African leaders, diplomats and international literary dignitaries.
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