Guardian

FOR some minutes, everywhere was silent. Everybody watched on as the officiating priest prayed for the repose of the soul of the late novelist, essayist and elder statesman, Prof. Chinua Achebe. Thereafter, shouts and cries rent the air as the body was finally laid to rest in a well-constructed glassy mausoleum.

Achebe died at 82 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on March 21, 2013 and was buried on Thursday 23, 2013.

It was, in deed, a whole week of activities as earnest preparations were made to give the literary icon a befitting burial. In preparation for the arrival of the remains of the late novelist in Ogidi, hotels and guesthouses in the town as well as the adjoining communities were fully booked and reserved. Those, who came during the burial proper but didn’t make plans ahead, found it difficult securing standard accommodation.

Hotels such as Crown Garden, First Choice, both in Iyi-Enu, Ogidi, Bon-Motel, Uru-Orji and Paradise Regain among others were fully booked and filled to the brim, especially by those who came from a distance to honour the literally icon.

Among the occupants of these hotels include government officials, Nigerians in Diaspora other individuals, who came from diverse places to to take part in the ceremony.

At Ogidi Town Hall, where the body first arrived before proceeding to his family house, the entire youths of Ogidi, the aged men and women, defied the early morning rain to receive the remains of the late icon.

The remains of the late icon was also, well received by Ogidi Union and laid in the hall, where few minutes procession was observed in his honour. The traditional leaders and red-cap chiefs were on ground, doing the dirge, blowing trumpets and different kinds of wind instruments to usher him into the hall.

After this brief ceremony at the town hall, which lasted for about 45 minutes, Achebe’s remains was accompanied to his family house at Anugo, Village, Ikenga, Ogidi for ‘Celebration of Life’ ceremony, which attracted a number of activities, including drama and wrestling, all based on the book, ‘Things Fall Apart.’

As was anticipated, a number of roads were barricaded to ensure safety of all guests. This was matched by a number of heavily armed police patrol teams drawn from different formations, Federal Road Safety Corps, Civil Defense, soldiers and other paramilitary organisations were also in place.

The cultural display during the wake-keep include wrestling competition between Amalinze and Umuofia, that is, between Okonkwo and Amalinze, the cat – all drawn from Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Several other drama and traditional dance groups were drawn from Abriba in Abia State and Student Kegites from Anambra state. The Kegites group, which they said represents African culture has the late Achebe as ‘father.’

Though Ogidi community had banned any form of Wake-keep in the community, Achebe’s was the exception. There were a number of musicals and other activities all night long before the body was finally taken to St. Philip’s Anglican Church for funeral service. Achebe was buried in the afternoon, against rumours that he was to be buried at night and laid in a yam ban.

Achebe’s burial drew men and women from all walks of life to the church. The funeral service, witnessed a large number of people, which include diplomats from Canada, USA, Germany, Ghana; southeast governors, senators of Federal Republic of Nigeria, professors, students, National Youth Service Corps members and teachers among others.

At the burial service, the sitting arrangement occurred in two chambers at the altar for the clergymen. The inner chamber was occupied by 11 bishops, while the outer chamber had over 109 clergymen. The 109 clergies composed venerable, vicars, lay-leaders, catechists and so on. Altogether, there were over 126 clergy men seated at the service.

The funeral service was presided over by the Bishop on the Niger, Rt. Rev. Owen C. Nwokolo, while Archbishop of Aba Province and the Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ikechi Nwosu, preached the sermon. Nwosu represented the Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Revd. Nicolas D. O. Okoh.

As the service came to a close, one thing that enthused a lot of people and worshipers was the promise made by President Jonathan to rebuild the old primary school with his Ghanaian counterpart, President John Dramani Mahama in honour of late Achebe.

The promise, which was a joint action between Nigerian and Ghanaian governments, was announced by President Goodluck Jonathan, who was present at both funeral service and burial ceremony.

However, due to the space constraint, canopies were mounted within the church premises, where refreshment was served to all and sundries, while the clergymen, family members, presidents, ministers, senators, governors and other diplomatic corps proceeded to Achebe’s compound for both burial and refreshment.

On Friday, through Saturday, Ikwa Ozu continued, where friends, associates, well-wishers, kinsmen, in-laws, age grades, Ogidi Union of Nigeria, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and other special groups, like traditional dancers gathered and paid their last respect to the fallen Iroko of Ogidi. The outing service at St. Philip’s Anglican Church Ogidi marked the end of weeklong ceremony.

MEANWHILE, following his invaluable contributions to the development of Nigeria and modern African literature as well as modern education in the country, the Ogidi community, appealed to government to name Anambra State University, Uli and its Igbariam Campus after Achebe, as a way of immortalising the late Icon.

The community believes this would encourage hard work and integrity in the society, even as they also advocated building a research centre in Ogidi to enable the younger generations develop intellectually. They also appealed to the government to name a major street in Abuja after Achebe, but the community got one outside the scope of their prayers.

Instead, the President announced the rebuilding of the neglected CMS Central School, (Where Achebe attended primary school education) as a joint project between Ghanaian and Nigerian governments. CMS Central School was the first and only primary school in Ogidi and surrounding communities during the colonial era, until other schools started springing up.

Then, people used to trek miles to the school, where some of them sat on blocks and bare floor during classes. The school was commissioned by Venerable Archdeacon C.T Basden, a member of Legislative Council of Nigeria on May 30, 1931 to preserve the memory of the Rev. A.M Onubogu, the first Secretary of the Building Committee of the church, who died in the course of his missionary work.

According to the Headmistress, CMS Central School, Mrs. Ngozi Oraka, the school has never received any recognisition apart from one Mr. and Mrs. Onwunili from Ogidi, who renovated the school when the roofs were rotten and blown off by wind. “The couple also painted the school with our choice of colour.”

She noted also that there was yet another man from Nkwele Ogidi, who fixed burglary proofs in the buildings and built class demarcating boards for the halls. “Apart from journalists that come to get information from us, the school was never considered or given opportunity to bid our old boy farewell. He started with us and had to end with us. But I’m still happy with this development.”

“I’m very happy to receive this news. We have been waiting for a day like this. Many people have visited the school in the past; including Achebe, while he was still alive but they haven’t done anything to that effect. We send our gratitude to our President and that of John Mahama of Ghana. This is the best thing that has happened to this school,” she expressed.

While people were of opinion that the projects was not in commensuration with what Achebe represents, a member of the Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Maxwell Okudo, while appreciating the President’s promise said, “it is advisable not to make huge demands of the president so that the little that was promised would be fulfilled. When the President comes to commission the primary school, we can then make more demands. It must be appreciated. This promise is just an extra mile he has made.”

The former, governor of Anambra state, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who described the burial as a fiesta, said “It was more than we expected. The promise was not expected. It is going to be a university of a primary school.”

But Maurice Ebo, the President of the Nkwelle Ogidi Development Union said, “We are happy that the president came but we are not impressed with the promise of Mr. President. We should be moving forward, considering the number of years that has passed when Achebe attended his primary education there. Nothing would be more gratifying than to see the Federal Government in a unique way liaising with the Ghanaian Government to build a university in Ogidi in memory of Achebe. We thought at least, they could build Chinua Achebe Institute of Literary Studies in Ogidi.”