Former Minister, Ojo Maduekwe, Literary Icon, Elechi Amadi, Pass on

Family, friends and associates were thrown into mourning yesterday when Nigeria lost two renowned figures – former Minister of Foreign Affairs, lawyer and politician, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, and foremost literary icon, Captain Elechi Amadi (rtd), of “The Concubine” fame.

 

Maduekwe, who was until his death the Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), died yesterday at the age of 71 shortly after taking ill after he returned from a trip to the United States. He was said to have passed away on his way to the hospital.

 
Maduekwe was born on May 6, 1945 in Ohafia, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State. He graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsuka with LL.B Honours in 1972, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1973.

He was once the National Secretary of the PDP in 2005 and had worked as the Deputy Director of the PDP Presidential Campaign in 2011 for the Goodluck/Sambo ticket.

Other positions he held included Nigerian Ambassador to Canada (2011-2015); Minister of Foreign Affairs; Minister of Transport (2000-2003); Minister of Culture & Tourism (1990-2000); Legal and Constitutional Adviser to the President (2003-2005); Member, National Assembly (Second Republic) in 1983; Member, Constitutional Assembly (1988-1990); Member, National Constitutional Conference (1994-1995); and Adviser to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chairman (1990-1992).

He also once served as the adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993-1995); Member, National Boundaries Adjustment Commission (1997-1998) and was elected a senator in 1998 in the Third Republic.

A erudite scholar and newspaper columnist, Madukwe belonged to many professional bodies including the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), American Bar Association and International Bar Association, and was until last night a Senior Partner of Maduekwe & Co.
Amadi, who was 82 years old, will be best remembered for his 1966 novel, The Concubine, which has been called “an outstanding work of pure fiction”.

Some of his other works included The Great Ponds, Isiburu, Sunset in Biafra, Dance of Johannesburg, Peppersoup, The Road to Ibadan, The Slave, Estrangement, Les Grand Etangs, and The Woman of Calabar.

A scholar, Eldred Jones, in “African Literature 1966-1967”, African Forum, described the late literary icon as “a Nigerian author of plays and novels that are generally about African village life, customs, beliefs and religious practices, as they were before contact with the Western world”.

Born in 1934 in Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, Amadi attended Government College, Umuahia (1948–52), Survey School, Oyo (1953–54), and the University of Ibadan (1955–59), where he obtained a degree in Physics and Mathematics.

He worked for a time as a land surveyor and later was a teacher at several schools, including the Nigerian Military School, Zaria (1963–66). Amadi served in the Nigerian Army, remained there during the Nigerian Civil War, and retired at the rank of captain.

He held various positions with the Rivers State Government: Permanent Secretary (1973–83), Commissioner for Education (1987–88) and Commissioner for Lands and Housing (1989–90).

He was a writer-in-residence and lecturer at the Rivers State College of Education (now Ignatius Ajuru University of Education), where he also held the positions of Dean of Arts, Head of the Literature Department and Director of General Studies.

In his lifetime, he was severally honoured by institutions and writers. On May 13, 1989, a symposium was held at the University of Port Harcourt to celebrate his 55th birthday while in May 2004, a conference was also organised by the Association of Nigerian Authors, Rivers State branch, to mark his 70th birthday.

He celebrated his 80th birthday in Port Harcourt in 2014, releasing a souvenir edition of one of his plays, Isiburu.

He said his literary works promoted Rivers State, the Niger Delta and the country, hence he would be celebrated by Rivers State and all lovers of literature across the country.

Wike said the late Amadi was a consummate patriot, a great literary icon, a soldier’s soldier, and development enthusiast.

He prayed to God to grant his immediate family the strength to bear the irreparable loss, pointing out that his achievements in different areas of national life would always be remembered.

The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, also described the late Amadi as a patriot and literary icon who lived a good life.

A statement issued by his media office said: “Today we mourn the passage of a globally acknowledged literary icon and role model who lived an exemplary life.

“Captain Elechi Amadi, certainly was a man of many parts who touched lives in many ways. And he will be remembered for good by many people who met him physically or through his books. He was a well-known author, publisher, soldier and statesman who was concerned about a better society.

“My generation will definitely remember him more for his great books like The Concubine, The Great Ponds, Sunset in Biafra, Estrangement, The Slave, and a collection of poems.

“It is regrettable that Amadi passed away at a time when Rivers, our dear state is still far away from the aspirations of its founding fathers like him and most sons and daughters of the state.

“There is no doubt that Elder Elechi Amadi and other founding fathers will be weeping in their graves at the state of Rivers State. Nigeria and the international literary community has lost a creative giant.

“The departed patriot, no doubt, had a remarkable life and he will surely be remembered for serving humanity with literature and his interventions.

May his soul find eternal rest in the Lord.”

The post Former Minister, Ojo Maduekwe, Literary Icon, Elechi Amadi, Pass on appeared first on 36NG.

Go To Original Post Former Minister, Ojo Maduekwe, Literary Icon, Elechi Amadi, Pass on



via 36NG | www.36ng.com.ng - Pop of Nigeria created by Segun and Lala