The decision by Rivers State Government to immortalise late Professor Claude Ake will certainly be widely acclaimed and highly honoured by eminent academics, intellectuals, environmental crusaders and opinion leaders in the six continents of the world.

For the past 15 years, well meaning people all over the world have regarded Nigeria as a nation where recognition is only accorded to politicians and money bags, while intellectual icons are not recognised.

Honour should actually be given to whom honour is due. We should honour people who have excelled academically to inspire the youths. Professor Ake who was once described as the World’s Greatest Political Economist remains a pride to Africa.

That the present administration in Rivers State had this in mind over the years is demonstrated in the fact that the State’s 2010 Calendar with the theme -”Our Heroes our Pride” featured Professor Ake in the month· of February, the very month he was born some 72 years ago.

Late Professor Ake was one of the very few individuals who have projected our image to the entire word. Christine Wing of the Ford Foundation of America in a tribute to late prof. Ake had this to say “ … I found his intelligence, vision and commitment to the Africas people to be extraorindiary … and I am acutely aware that his loss is felt not just through Nigeria and Africa, but throughout the world.”

The Obafemi Awolowo Foundation in its own tribute described Prof. Ake as “ … a man of truth, and indisputable globally acclaimed genius … and most certainly, one of the most committed advocates and architect of a truly great Nigeria.”

And W. Natztger WIDER said about Prof. Ake’s death, “Africa has lost its most insightful Political Economist, a scholar who spoke critically and prophetically to those elites who use power capriciously and in a repressive way.”

Claude Ake was born on 18th February 1939 at Omoku, in Ogba-Egbema­Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. His intellectual capacity was exposed at Saint Michael’s (Ang.) School, Omoku. While his class mates were moving from standard five to standard six, he passed the common entrance examination to the prestigious Kings College, Lagos from standard five. At Kings College he passed the Cambridge school certificate with distinction and earned a scholarship to study Economics at the University College (Ibadan) an affiliate of the University of London.

Claude Ake graduated in 1962 with a first class honours and proceeded to the Great Columbia University, New York, where he obtained a Ph.D degree in Political Theory and Political Economy in 1968.

From here he opted for teaching and educating humanity. Claude Ake had a rich and versatile teaching experience, starting from his Alma mater, Columbia University, New York, where he was Assistant Professor from 1966 to 1968. He also taught at Carloton University, Canada and the Universities of Nairobi and Dares Salaem.

Prof. Ake was a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University (UK) 1981-1983 and at Cambridge University (UK) 1984, visiting Professor at Yale University, United States.

Prof. Ake published numerous scholarly articles in leading journals of both Economics and Political Science spread across the six continents of the world. Some of his publications include, a Theory of Political Integration, 1967, Revolutionary Pressures in Africa, 1978, Social Science as Imperialism, 1979, and a Political Economy of Africa. This very publication was simultaneously published by Longman in London and New York in 1981 and it was declared the Best Text book in United State of America in 1981. (Book of the Year list of Choice).

It is pertinent at this junction to quo e some statements made by Prof. Ake some 15 years ago. They reflect what we are witnessing in the world today.

“Like everyone else, I am saddened by the present turn of our politics. Differences look increasingly irreconcilable with each passing day, the rhetoric is more strident, the postures more belligerent. More ominous still, the people are voting with their feet in a surge of states of origin signaling a defacto partition of Nigeria. The political parties contributed richly to the present crisis by collaborating opportunistically in an implausible and undemocratic transition programme. Even now, it will be very surprising of the opportunism if the political class does not lead them to betray the people once more ….

“I resent these tiresome appeals to us ordinary Nigerians to be reasonable law-abiding, and patriotic as if we are these problem. Those who have so irresponsibly and unnecessarily brought the country to the brink should own up and back off. This is the only path of honour and the one real hope for all of us.”

“The experience of this decade has shown that any form of Government which cannot eradicate hunger and severe deprivation cannot avoid violence and cannot survive. Similarly, no peaceful and secure world is going to be possible without solving the problem of uneven development and the poverty of much at the world’s population ….. if the new world order is to be an improvement on its predecessor, it has to place the highest, priority on democra-cy and even development.

The New World Order 1994

“The development project has not failed in Africa. It just never started in the first place due to hostile political conditions. It can start and it can succeed. The disasters of the past have been useful lessons, awareness is developing and objective conditions in the world make self reliance increasingly inevitable and desirable … “

Democracy and Development in Africa 1996.

That a former President of Bostwana, His Excellency Festus Mogai accepted to be one of the quest speakers at the inaugural lecture in memory of the late Professor shows that he and his country greatly cherish the seeds which Prof. Ake sowed through rigorous intellectual analysis of the African problems. Festus Mogai is not the only African leader missing Prof. Claude Ake.

For instance, once President Museveni of Uganda sees a Nigerian, he would like to discuss Prof. Ake “ I was Prof. Ake’s student, his death is a monumental loss to Africa” says President Museveni.

Ake was indeed a scholar per excellence, he was indeed an Academic Ambassador of the Black Race, he was indeed globally acclaimed genius. But he was indeed more acknowledged abroad that at home.

The chairman of the inaugural committee for the memorial lecture who is the States Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Hon. Charles Gogo-Levi said – “naming a monument after the late Prof. would be a decision to be taken by the Governor as the present administration was sensitive to the yearings of the people .. “

And in the words of the Commissioner of Information and communitications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, “this was the first time any Government from the region was recognising the late intellectual icon.”

It is kudos to the Rivers State Government for realising that this is worth doing even though it is coming 15 long years after his death.

Rivers State Government under His Excellency, Honourable Chibuike Amaechi and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria, under His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan both former students of University of Port Harcourt where late Prof. Claude Ake was Dean of the Faculty of Social Science own his great spirit an appropriate memorial. And the time for Nigeria to pay is now.

Even the various Local Government Areas in Nigeria own Prof. Ake because outside the Ivory Tower, Claude Ake demonstrated the highest integrity, patriotism, sincerity and dedication to the cause of the common man with whom he fully identified himself.

Sir Ichoku, a former director with Rivers State Ministry of Information & Communications, writes from Port Harcourt.

Anthony Ichoku