By Prisca Sam-Duru & Esther Faroye

Fusillade of reactions have continued to trail last week’s rejection of the Nation’s National Award by world renowned writer and famous mid-wife of African literature, Professor Chinua Achebe.

The United States of America based writer, who   was among the 360 awardees selected for the award of different categories of the 2011 National Honours had also in 2004, rejected the  honour from the leadership of President Olusegun Obsanjo in protest of the political situation in Nigeria ,and in particular, because of the political bickering and imbroglio in his  home State of Anambra.

Achebe, whose craft and magnanimous imagination helped to   shape and define the turf of Africa’s narrative landscape in  his letter of rejection of the award of the Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, CFR  from President Goodluck Jonathan reasoned that the reasons for which he rejected the honour in the past have not been addressed.

Chinua Achebe

In a letter addressed to  Vanguard’s Arts, Achebe through his  medical doctor son, Chidi  wrote that : “The reasons for rejecting the offer when it was first made have not been addressed let alone solved. It is inappropriate to offer it again to me. I must therefore regretfully decline the offer again.”

Reacting to this development, Achebe’s kinsmen in the writing profession have in different ways aired their feelings on the rejection. Here are some of the responses:

Prof Nwachukwu-Agbada, Dean School of Post Graduate Studies, Abia State University.

Achebe’s second rejection of the National Honour is an indication that he has observed no change since 2004 when he turned down the award for the first time. In the political, social and economic drives of the country, there’s neither movement nor motion. He continues to see lack of will, inefficiency in governmental exertions, insincerity, injustice in certain parts of the country, the total strangulation of the poor and the lopsidedness in the scheme of things.

It is not true as President Jonathan tries to convince us that Achebe’s grouses with Nigeria in his The Trouble with Nigeria no longer exists. Corruption flowers still, without any of the bodies set up to curb it  addressing it.

Only small fishes are caught in the nets of EFCC and its sister organ, the ICPC. Our lawmakers have since gone ahead to award themselves fat salaries and allowances. While having reduced to a minimum the activities of the Niger Delta militants,

Boko Haram has taken a centre-stage in the centripetal forces trying fervently to pull down the country. Thus the nation is no longer at ease.

Dagga Tolar, Poet & Literary Activist.

Achebe needs to be commended for his consistence, this rejection again calls to all of us to educate us of the fact that to have anything to do with the ruling elite in Nigeria is to endorse their 51years failure at governance that is still on going. To collect the award adds nothing to Achebe and cannot cancel out the fact that their failure is why he cannot live in his own country.

Damian Apata, Prof of English & Literary Critic

From the look of things, Achebe rejecting a national award for the second time is another political protest which means that he is not happy with the way things are going in the country. One thing is that prof. Chinua Achebe is a very complex individual who cannot be dismissed in one sentence but I would like to say that between 2004 and 2011 which is a period of seven years, I believe that something has changed in the country.

So, even if it is to encourage the government in charge, he should have accepted the award. Also, for the interest of the nation, he should mellow down, rather than giving the international community the impression that things are too bad. I don’t see how rejection of the award can change Nigeria so, he should have accepted it as a way of encouraging the government of the day”

Prof Ezeigbo, Prof of English, Gender Scholar & Writer.

Achebe has the right to reject the National award for the second time and he has his reasons. His rejecting the award should act as a challenge to every Nigerian whether in Government or not. So, if he thinks that things have not changed since seven years ago then for him, things have not changed. I don’t want to blame anybody for anything but it is a challenge that we all should work towards change in Nigeria.