LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The author of internationally acclaimed novel “Things Fall Apart” and other works examining the political failures and corruption of oil-rich Nigeria has again turned down a national honor over the failings of the nation.
Chinua Achebe rejected being honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic, an honorary position awarded to others during a ceremony Monday by President Goodluck Jonathan. Achebe’s terse letter to Jonathan noted he rejected the award in 2004 and said problems he cited then “have not been addressed, let alone solved.”
The rejection by the 80-year-old writer sparked an equally curt response from the presidency, which said Achebe’s decision “clearly flies in the face of the reality of Nigeria’s current political situation.”
