President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday described the decision by Nigeria’s foremost prolific writer, Prof. Chinua Achebe,? to reject the conferment of the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on him as regrettable.
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Achebe is turning down the national award for the umpteenth time, as he had done in the past, with a message to the federal government that he was not going to accept? a national honour from a corrupt and undemocratic government.
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But in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan said he was shocked by Achebe’s claim that the issues which caused him to reject the same award seven years ago still remained unresolved.
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The statement reads in part,? “Coming as it does, against the background of the widely acclaimed electoral reforms undertaken by the Jonathan administration, the claim by Prof. Achebe clearly flies in the face of the reality of Nigeria’s current political situation.
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“As reflected in the immense improvements recorded in the conduct of the last general elections which were applauded within and outside the country as the most credible elections in Nigeria in recent years, the Jonathan Administration has made tremendous efforts to positively change the political architecture complained about by Prof. Achebe and other Nigerians”.
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