Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
The Association of Nigerian Authors ANA has called on the federal government to immortalize literary icons in Nigeria.
The President of the Association of Nigerian Authors ANA Camilius Ukah said this while visiting the gravesite of Elechi Amadi in Aluu as part of activities marking the 40th Anniversary of ANA.
Camillus Ukah said immortalizing literary icons like Elechi Amadi and Chinua Achebe would encourage young ones to emulate their path.
”If we need to honour them like I said a nation becomes what it honours, our nation will become great. If we raise the images of these people so that young people will look at them and emulate their creativity, their inventiveness, you will see we will have a better model for our children and young ones to copy”.
”But unfortunately, we honour different things, so I think it’s important that the Federal Government, the state government should find a way of immortalizing these icons” he said.
On the forty years anniversary of ANA, the President of the body Camillus Ukah also said that ANA has contributed their quota in literary development in the country through their writings.
He also appealed to the Federal Government to make compulsory the use of local literary works in schools across the country.
The ANA President said such a move will protect the history and culture of different ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
In her response, Prof Iyalla Amadi, the wife of late Captain Elechi Amadi, said the family will continue to work with ANA to promote reading and literary events in the country.
She commended the Association of Nigerian Authors for paying homage to the late literary icon Capt Elechi Amadi.
In his remark, the Chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors, Rivers State Chapter, Adi Wali said the visit to the gravesite of Capt Elechi Amadi is part of the body’s 10-city tour to celebrate ANA’s 40 anniversary.
He said Elechi Amadi is one of the founding fathers of ANA and what to use the visit to honour his legacy and contributions to the development of literature in Nigeria and the world at large.
