Esedo Ruth: Ignorance Advertised!!!

It is better to keep quiet and be assumed wise than to speak and then clear all doubts. Just yesterday, a friend brought this rather nauseating comment by one Esedo Ruth to my notice. Of course I laughed it off, having the twin emotion of pity and irritation. Pity, because I understand that the lady in question is only speaking at her wits end, she may genuinely be ignorant. And then irritation knowing well that we are in an era where knowledge is just a click a way. Yet, Ruth and her likes prefer to look far from it.

First, Ruth needs to know that there are thousands of edifices built by leaders across the world that are not named after them. For instance, Nelson Mandela is one of such global figures who many historic edifices have been named after none of which was built by him. Back home, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe did not build the Abuja international airport named after him. Going by Ruth’s logic, naming that airport after Zik is a serious injustice against the military administrator who built it. Interesting! Again, the Wilberforce Chuba Okadigbo Airport in Ebonyi State built by the immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State and the current Minister of works is, in Ruth’s estimation, a misnomer, as it has been named after the late Chuba Okadigbo (Oyi of Oyi) who is not the builder.

Here in Anambra, former Governor Mbadinuju built the Anambra State University, which was later renamed by Mr Peter Obi to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University. Same Mbadinuju built the Women Development Center which was renamed by Chief Willie Obiano to “Dora Akunyuli Women Development Centre”. There are a thousand and one of this examples that prove that Ruth and her likes have their comments rooted in ignorance.

On the appositeness of the naming of the Anambra Cargo and Passenger Airport to Prof. Chinua Achebe International airport, one would wonder what Ruth meant when she said “Chinua Achebe should have been name after institutions”. Whatever that means anyway. May be Ruth would need to tell us if the Late Azikiwe was an Academic deserving of been named after a federal University or was Dr Alex Ekwueme a Professor that the government would ever decide to name a university after him?

Ruth must know that institutions are named after iconic figures not necessarily those who built it. Most people who are named after institutions did not build them. They are just honoured to remain immortal for generations to come.

Anything named after Governor Obiano will be an act of spectacular goodwill and not a matter of entitlement. To this, Governor Soludo has cleared all doubts, doing what no past Governor of Anambra state has done — which is proposing to rename the International Convention Centre, Awka, to Dr Willie Obiano International Convention Center, Awka. This is unprecedented.

What Ruth has done here is to advertise her ignorance, and I believe those who know her should help redirect her. The naming of the Anambra airport after Prof. Chinua Achebe has continued to gather positive reviews and commendations from well meaning Ndi Anambra and others across the world. This is certainly a master stroke decision that has etched Soludo’s name in gold.

— Mazi Ejimofor Opara writes from Awka, Anambra State.