Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Our icon of inspiration

Sir: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie makes us proud! She is one of our cultural icons! She received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Yale University during the 2019 commencement ceremony.

She delivered the Class Day address the day before, becoming the first African-American to receive an honorary degree in that year.

Adichie is one of the best of us in Nigeria and Africa. Adichie’s story is being told beautifully in different forms by the world. The deafening silence on her achievements by Nigerians is also loud and undeniable.

Why do we not celebrate the good ones among us? Why don’t people rejoice with our collective achievements domestically and on the world stage? These are damning questions begging for honest answers! Adichie is one of the representations of Nigeria’s glory.

Meanwhile, Adichie is flourishing exceptionally in America and European exceptionalism, lands of abundant opportunities, and prosperity! The most glowing part of Adichie’s story is her referential of Nigeria in all her presentations and expositions. She is a true patriot. Adichie has a compendium knowledge and unique style in preserving Professor Chinua Achebe’s literary encyclopedia.

Unfortunately, some of our people stereotype Adichie for her beliefs in feminism and controversial academic presentations. Some Nigerians frown at her feminist postures, but their inability to understand her multicultural intelligence and literary know-how is not surprising but bewildering!

Adichie beautifies one of the human capital endowments we have in Nigeria. It is unfathomable to see how unwilling Nigerian leadership exports its best human resources (brains) to a willing world that utilises them for its benefit.

Nigeria is a reservoir of raw and untapped knowledge. Some of these natural talents are wasting away in the homeland—also known sadly as the hinterland. The processed brains and other knowledgeable people residing in Nigeria are being abused and bastardised daily by the hostile environment, jealousy and selfish motives.

Consequently, time heals! I hope time heals our people’s self-hate, self-destruct and deliberate ignorance. There should be no burden in being critical about something or someone. But when you morph low to hate someone making progress because of her opinions on pertinent issues, you will need to make a critical visit to a psychologist for moral therapy and decency.

Interestingly, while Adichie’s self-made spiral and talent are soaring high in academia and the international arena, her presenters are flying deep in low-life of jealousy and confusion. Nigeria is a nation with abundant human capital. We are the number one exporter of human resources to the global world. Anytime I see Nigerians achieving a remarkable feat in a competitive global world, my adrenaline-rush for our greatness always goes beyond imagination and satisfaction. Congratulations to Amazon Adichie. She is one of our cultural icons and ambassador extraordinaire! Let’s celebrate her brilliance, great literary talent and achievements.

Yahaya Balogun wrote from Arizona, USA.