Multiple prize winning novelist and engaging public speaker, Ms Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been chosen to deliver the keynote address at the special lecture being planned to mark the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano’s 100-Days in office.
The event which will take place on Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at the Women Development Centre, Awka the state capital will also feature a formal unveiling of the corporate symbols of the new brand Anambra which has been in the works for some time now as well as the flag off of some legacy projects of by the amiable governor of the state.
Ms Adichie who divides her time between Maryland, USA and Lagos Nigeria was considered the ideal speaker for the event following her firm grasp of contemporary Nigerian narratives and her soaring stature as an emerging persuasive speaker of note.
Ms Adichie who hails from Abba town in Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State is widely believed to be very popular across ethnic and racial boundaries and seen as a sex symbol for Nigerian youths. Her involvement is believed to be in line with governor Obiano’s passionate drive to redirect the energy of the youths of Anambra State to the pursuit of goals and ideals that would bring dignity to the state.
Viewed against the backdrop of the current massive crackdown on criminals in the state, Adichie’s invitation to speak at Obiano’s 100-Days in office lecture is therefore seen as a symbolic reminder to the youths of the state that a return to the values of hard-work and legitimate aspirations is still the surest way to a successful and contented life.
Adichie is expected to address an audience of about 2000 people including members of the Anambra State executive council, traditional rulers, members of different women associations, members of the state house of assembly, members of the academia and the youths on the subtle issues of governance and the need to re-awaken the Anambra spirit through a determined return to the values that once marked the state out in the country.
Adichie’s address is programmed to fall in sync with the formal unveiling of a new logo and other items of corporate identity for the state to formally mark the commencement of governor Obiano’s campaign for the restoration of the intangible assets that once made Ndi Anambra great.
The corporate symbols which have long been incubated by a Lagos-based integrated marketing communications consortium known as Brand Aristotle are expected to usher in a new phase of cultural and ethical renaissance in the state that will return it to the path of moral and cultural rectitude.
Adichie, who established herself as one of Africa’s most notable literary voices made a phenomenal transition into the club of eclectic public speakers with her riveting performance at the 2009 Ted Talk in the UK, poignantly titled The Danger of a Single Story.
She was to firmly establish herself as a speaker of note a couple of years later with another masterful delivery on feminism which eventually found its way into mainstream acceptance when its lines were sampled by super-talented music diva, Beyonce for her song Flawless.
Interestingly, since she began to garner global acclaim through her books and speeches, Ms Adichie has yet to make any serious public appearance in her home state of Anambra until her recent invitation to speak at governor’s 100-Days in office.
It would be recalled that since he assumed office on March 17 this year, Obiano has been very outspoken about the ills that have held the state down, upbraiding the custodians of the people’s cultural mores for not asking hard-headed questions of the members of their communities whose wealth has no easy explanation.
The governor was also recently reported to have announced plans to devote a full week in the month of December to cultural festival that would be held in all the 21 local government areas of the state.
