Abstract

Chinua Achebe and the Nigerian Predicament: A Tribute to a Patriot

Ugumanim Bassey Obo

It can be said – without any fear of contradiction-that as a country, Nigeria has been thoroughly misruled by members of the political class. In this regard, all the regimes that the country has had since the departure of the colonialists in 1960 are culpable. Inspite of this, the country has produced a number of great and eminent people in all fields of human endeavour, and one of these is Chinua Achebe. This essay is aimed at celebrating the life of Achebe who is widely acclaimed as a literary giant. While acknowledging the fact that like all human beings, Achebe was not perfect, it is contended that he was a great patriot, a globally venerated writer, and an indefatigable critic of bad governance and the domination of man by man.