The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 election, Peter Obi, has said that the renaming of the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport to Chinua Achebe International Airport, is a most delightful and welcome development, News About Nigeria reports.
Obi said this in a post on his official X account, noting that the literary icon deserves such honour.
“The renaming of the Anambra International Cargo and Passenger Airport to Chinua Achebe International Airport is a most delightful and welcome development. The late literary icon deserves all the honour that the state and the nation can bestow. Chinua Achebe’s towering stature as a global literary pioneer and icon is deserving of such recognition,” Obi stated.
The former Anambra governor further congratulated the Achebe family for the honour bestowed upon the late literary icon.
He also lauded the Anambra state governor, Charles Soludo for the decision which according to him is in line with the practice of the state to name institutions after outstanding citizens and heroes of Anambra.
Obi said, “I congratulate the Achebe Family for the bestowed honour and Kudos to the Governor of Anambra State, HE Prof. Charles Soludo, for the timely and fitting decision, which is consistent with extant best practices. This latest gesture is in line with the practice of the state government naming our public institutions after our heroes and outstanding citizens.
He also highlighted other public institutions named after great minds and heroes of the state; the public arena named after the former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme Square; the Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu University, the State Library named after Prof. Kenneth Dike and the science block at CKC Onitsha named the Prof. Chike Obi Building.
Obi added that the latest gesture is also consistent with Achebe’s exhortation that we must, of necessity, tell our own stories, noting that by telling his own story so well, Achebe also told the Anambra and Nigerian stories.
