Achebe : Nigeria loses a Patriot

The Minister of Aviation,PrincessStella Adaeze-Oduah has described the death of Professor Chinua Achebe as a collosal loss to Nigeria and the Litrary world.
According to her,the news of the passing on to the 'Great Beyond' of foremost Nigerian literary icon, Prof., Achebe came to her as a rude shock. 
The Minister added:''It is also a re-awakening to our mortality as human beings.  But unlike other mortals, Achebe attained some immortality of sorts through his ground-breaking literary prowess''.

Princess Adaeze-Oduah went on:''Though dead in body and flesh, Prof Achebe lives forever not only in our hearts and minds, but also in the literary sub-conscious of the entire world which read one piece from the iconic writer, and waited in bated breathe for the next. His last Epistle-"There was a Country" is the crowning of a glowing career in the Arts and Literature that will continue to captivate and inspire generations the world over''.

''By his passing, Nigeria has lost a consummate patriot. To the world, a literary Colossus has fallen. But Nigeria and the world cannot be crestfallen by his death. His life and works remain not only a source of pride to all,but also a poignant indicator of the fertility of the human imagination. Through his works of fiction, Achebe painted indelible portraits of the precariousness of the human existence, and brought meaning and reality to our daily lives.

''As a fellow Anambrarian, the loss is personal and very affective. I am however lifted by the self-realisation that through his life,times and works, the map of Anambra state and  indeed Nigeria, will forever be etched indelibly in the consciousness of the literary world.

''My deep condolences and prayers remain with members of his  immediate family, the government and people of Anambra state as well as the entire literary community the world over. Adieu, Prof''.