By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Saturday, designated roads in the Guzape District Lot II of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with the names of two esteemed literary icons and late global figures.They are Professor Chinua Achebe and Professor John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo.
Tinubu made this announcement during the inauguration of engineering infrastructure in Guzape District Lot II.
The approval came after a speech by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, appealing to the President to name major roads in Guzape District after the two literary giants.
He said: “I want to appeal to you, just like what you did last time to some Nigerians who have in one way or another, particularly in writing, literary works, made the nation proud. People like Chinua Achebe, people like J.P. Clark.
“Your Excellency, I want to appeal to you, to let this road be named after Chinua Achebe and there’s another road within the same district that can be named against J.P. Clark.
“This is an appeal to you. These are people that have contributed just like the Nobel Laureate did.”
Subsequently, Tinubu announced the approval of the request pronouncing the newly inaugurated roads as the Chinua Achebe and JP Clark’s during the commissioning.
The move is seen as a step towards dousing tension amongst writers and in the Nigerian literary community. Recall that Tinubu had earlier named a road after Nobel Laureate, Poet and critic, Prof Wole Soyinka.
Clark was born on the 6th of April 1935 and passed away on the 13th of October 2020.
Born in Kiagbodo, Nigeria, to an Ijaw father and Urhobo mother, Clark received his early education at the Native Authority School, Okrika (Ofinibenya-Ama), in Burutu LGA (then Western Ijaw) and the prestigious Government College in Ughelli, and his BA degree in English at the University College, Ibadan, where he edited various magazines, including the Beacon and The Horn.
Upon graduation from Ibadan in 1960, he worked as an information officer in the Ministry of Information, in the old Western Region of Nigeria, as features editor of the Daily Express, and as a research fellow at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. He served for several years as a professor of English at the University of Lagos, a position from which he retired in 1980. He died a few years ago.
