Dr Chidi Achebe, the second son of late novelist, Prof Chinua Achebe, has won the 2022 prestigious John and Samuel Bard Award in the United States, for excellence in medicine and science.
The award, according to the president of Bard College in New York “honors scientists whose achievements demonstrate the breadth of concern and depth of commitment that characterized these pioneer physicians.
Commenting on the Achebe father-son linkage in Bard College, Botstein said “it is particularly appropriate for the college to honor an alumnus of your distinction on the eve of commencement, which focuses on the accomplishments of the members of the graduating class and their prospects for the future.
“And even more special is to think of your own father/son connection to Bard.
“I know he would be proud of your many achievements and I imagine he would feel you are also honoring him and his work by allowing us to celebrate you with this award.”
Previous recipients include Nobel laureates Linus Pauling and Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, as well as Mathilde Krim and Lewis Thomas.
Achebe is the chief executive of African Integrated Development Enterprise (AIDE) which is building 18 health facilities across Africa, starting with Nigeria and Kenya.
The 2022 Bard College Awards will hold on Friday, May 27, as part of the Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
Reacting to the award, the outgoing governor of Anambra State, Mr. Willie Obiano, and the governor-elect, Prof Charles Soludo, expressed their delight and congratulated the recipient.
This was contained in a statement signed by the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, Mr. Don Adinuba.
“This is a parting gift to me and the Anambra people as I am about to depart office after eight years of giving my best to a great state”, Adinuba quoted Obiano as saying.
He added: “Professor Chinua Achebe remains a very great man even in the grave, and it is reassuring that his children like Chidi, a medical doctor who trained in some of the best institutions in the world, is steeped in the tradition of global excellence,”
To Soludo, Chidi is a “worthy ambassador of Anambra State” whose passion for Africa’s rapid development “is reminiscent of his father’s lifelong commitment to Africa’s emancipation.”
