President Bola Tinubu has named the M18 road in the Guzape district of the federal capital territory (FCT) as Chinua Achebe Expressway.
Olusegun Dada, special assistant to the president on social media, said the president inaugurated the expressway on Saturday before naming it after the late renowned novelist.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Commissions the M18 road infrastructure in Guzape District of Abuja. Names road after Nigerian Novelist and Poet, late Professor Chinua Achebe,” he wrote.
Achebe died in 2013 at the age of 83. He was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as one of the fathers of modern African literature. In May, Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, named Abuja’s southern parkway after Tinubu.
The southern parkway stretches from the National Christian Centre to ring road one and is considered one of the city’s major spines.
On Tuesday, Tinubu named the inaugurated arterial road N20 from the northern parkway to the outer northern expressway (ONEX) in the nation’s capital after Wole Soyinka, a famous playwright.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, had said the naming of the road after Soyinka was recommended by the FCT administration.
Soyinka is the first African to win the Nobel Prize for literature.
Why it matters
President Tinubu’s move of naming projects after popularly known people in the country is a form of acknowledgment for their exploits as Nigerians and a recognition of their good work.
Bottom Line
Naming key infrastructure after prominent cultural figures like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka not only honors their contributions but also embeds their legacies within the nation’s everyday life. This practice by President Tinubu signifies a broader effort to celebrate Nigerian excellence and inspire future generations through the visible commemoration of the country’s literary and cultural icons.
