Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State, has renamed the Anambra International Passenger and Cargo Airport the Chinua Achebe International Passenger and Cargo Airport.
Mazi Ejimofor, Governor Soludo’s New Media Aide, said this in a viral WhatsApp message.
The renaming of the airport, which was erected in the closing stages of the administration of the immediate previous Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, and remains one of his most significant legacies, had pitted supporters of the two governors against each other.
Professor Soludo revealed that the state intended to rename the Anambra International Convention Centre in Awka after Governor Obiano. Governor Soludo stated at the Anambra Investment Summit in September 2023 that he had yet to address the proposed name change with his predecessor.
Those who were privy to the negotiations that followed the public announcement between Governor Soludo and Governor Obiano indicated that Governor Obiano declined the offer to rename the convention center after him. Many people believe that renaming the airport after him would have been more fitting.
Late Professor Chinua Achebe, who was born in Ogidi, Anambra state, is one of Anambra’s notable sons and wrote the book Things Fall Apart, which has been translated into other languages.