By Yemie Adeoye
The Nigeria LNG Limited, in partnership with The Nigerian Academy of Letters and the Nigerian Academy of Science, recently instituted Science and Literature Halls of Fame. Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Nigeria LNG Limited, Mr. Ifeanyi Mbanefo, gives reasons for the development. EXCERPTS:

We gather that eminent writers and scientists will be inducted into the science and literature hall of fame. Who are the writers?

There is, strictly speaking, no particular time or season to honour achievers, to establish a hall of fame. The Hall of Fame for Great Americans was established in 1900. The Walhalla Temple, the German Hall of Fame was conceived in 1807 and built in 1830.  A hall of fame is meant to honour individuals with noteworthy achievements in a particular field.

Usually, the hall of fame can be physical, figurative or metaphorical in which case there is simply a register or roll of honourees. So the answer to your question is that any time, anywhere, there are men and women worthy of honour, a hall of fame should be established either physically or metaphorically.

Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Nigeria LNG Limited, Mr. Ifeanyi Mbanefo

The Nigerian Academy of Science, The Nigerian academy of Letters and Nigeria LNG Limited, agreed to establish this hall of fame principally to honour great Nigerians who by their work have put this great country on the world map. The honour is restricted to writers and scientists in this case.

What are the criteria for the award?

In simple terms, the criteria for scientists emphasise ground-breaking or utilitarian works relevant to solving developmental problems in Nigeria, while those for literature stress relevance to the society.

To recap, the writers to be inducted are authors whose works constitute our country’s rich literary heritage. It is meant to recognise writers, past and present, dead or alive, whose works reflect the character of our great country – its land, and its people.

The work of scientists to be inducted must have brought great benefits to society and their communities as a whole and must have contributed in an exceptional way to the advancement of science and technology in Nigeria and must have made achievements that were nationally or internationally recognised by peer in the scientific community.

Would honourees be only members of the Academy of Science and Academy of Letters?

Not in the least. You can be a scientist and not be a member of the Nigerian Academy of Science or a writer and not be a member of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. We have said, time and again, that for this exercise, age, gender sensitivity, geographical balance, etc will be considered extraneous clutter, meaning that they will not be taken into consideration. We are not looking for potentials here, we are considering achievements; accomplishments.

Excellence is the only consideration.

Who are the members of your selection panel?

For science, you have Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe, President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Ekanem Braide, Fellow of the Science Academy and Professor Sunday Bwala, also a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science. The literature team are Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo, Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Professor Romanus Egudu, President of the Academy of Letters and Professor Zaynab Alkali, a professor of English and creative writing.

How many people will be honoured?

As many as meets the strict criteria will be inducted; there are no limits to numbers.  Nigeria is a big country. However, the challenge will be that of ensuring that we do not compare apples and oranges; we must compare likes with likes. And that itself would be a limiting factor. In subsequent years, we do expect that only a handful of writers and scientists will be inducted each year.

Why did you throw the voting open to the public?

Ultimately, the people are the best judge of relevance. The impact should be on the larger society, not just in the scientific or literary community. It is in the streets that you determine relevance. So the people are in the best position to judge.  Secondly, these men, by the very nature of the award have not only become instant celebrities, they have also become role models.

We want them to inspire the society, to lift this nation by their sheer accomplishments and clout. To point the rest of us in the right direction! They will be the best ambassadors this nation will ever produce, because they will be chosen by the people themselves.

In summary, if someone’s invention reduced mortality rate, increased life expectancy, eliminated rigging, solved problems of energy shortage, he is most likely to be a practitioner of relevant science. The emphasis is on relevance. Science is very broad, so is literature. But in all things, we must set boundaries and stay within it. Our goal here is to honour relevant science and relevant arts.

What is the award worth; I mean the cash value of the award?

In this exercise, we are guided by the desire to instil in younger Nigerians an appreciation of excellence as its own reward and the pursuit of excellence as an end in itself. This is why we do not think an award of this nature should have a monetary value. Induction into the Hall of Fame by of any academy should be one of the highest honours a scholar can receive.

What is the relationship between the hall of fame and The Nigeria Prize for Science and The Nigeria Prize for Literature which your company sponsors?

Advertising students would describe the relationship as brand extension, something akin to what the Man Booker did in 2005 when it started The Man Booker International Prize, a literary award given biennially to a living author of any nationality for fiction published in English or generally available in English translation.

Photos of the honourees, apart from gracing the halls of the science and letters academy, may be hung in national monuments such museums, national assembly, etc. plans are afoot to approach the leadership of the National Assembly with the proposal.