Nigerians from all walks of life formally bid Alex Ekwueme, a former vice president and elder statesman, farewell as his remains are committed to mother earth on Friday, February 2, in Oko, his hometown in Anambra State

By Olu Ojewale

IT IS not always palatable to say goodbye to the loved ones, especially when you are not likely to see again. Nigerians from the different walks of life must have felt that way as they bid goodbye to former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme as his body was interned today, Friday, February 2, in Oko, Anambra State. Ekwueme died in London, on Sunday, November 19, 2017. He was 85-years old.

Dignitaries from different parts of the world were represented at the funeral which called attention to the little town of Oko, hometown of Ekwueme.

Leading the federal government delegation was Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo while  National Assembly members were led by Bukola Saraki, Senate president and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House of Representatives. Also present were ministers, governors and various government officials and other prominent Nigerians.

During the burial service for Ekwueme at St John, The Divine Church, Oko, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Friday, February 2, Osinbajo announced that President Muhammadu Buhari had renamed Federal University, Ndufu-Ikwo, Ebonyi State to Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State.

He said this was in honour of Ekwueme’s contributions to nation building.

Since the announcement of the passing of the gentle elder statesman, the federal government had taken the challenge of leading the arrangements for the burial ceremony.

Apart from giving the late vice-president a befitting burial, condolences laced with encomiums have also been pouring in for the late elder statesman, for his invaluable contributions to the country. Many Nigerians from different parts of the country have also been asking that he be immortalised.

In his tribute to the great Nigerian leader, Chukwuma Soludo, a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, called for instituting of Dr Alex Ekwueme’s Movement as a way to sustain his enviable socio-economic legacies.

Soludo made the call at a Colloquium organised in honour of the late former vice-president of Nigeria at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

According to the former CBN boss, it has become imperative for progressive-minded people to be apostles of the elder statesman to promote his ideals of selfless service in public life.

He described Ekwueme as a leader of uncommon intellectual ability, who gave Nigeria the six geo-political zones as a framework for national cohesion.

To immortalise him, Soludo called for upgrading of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko to a University of Technology to be named after Ekwueme.

Ben Nwankwo, the member representing Orumba North and Orumba South Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, said he was already sponsoring a bill at the National Assembly for a law to upgrade the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, to a University of Technology to be named after Ekwueme.

Nwankwo disclosed that the bill had scaled through the first reading in the assembly.

At an inter-denominational service held in his honour in Enugu on Wednesday, January 31, governors of the South-East, extolled the virtues of Ekwueme. The service, held at Okpara Square, was part of events leading to the interment of the deceased.

In his speech, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State described the late elder statesman as a brilliant scholar and astute professional.

In the same manner, Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State described the late Ekwueme as a man who came before his time and ahead of his peers. Obiano, represented by Nkem Okeke, his deputy, said that the deceased was a man of integrity and honour, who played politics of inclusion.

For Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and the chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, the late Ekwueme was a rallying point for Igbo people, describing his death as a great loss because his wisdom would be missed at this point in the history of the country.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, in his tribute, said that the deceased represented the character of a patriot. Represented by Eze Madumere, his deputy, Okorocha said that the deceased sacrificed so much in politics and gained little.

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, in his tribute, described the late octogenarian as a man of immeasurable honour, humble and unassuming.

Atiku Abubakar, former vice president of Nigeria, in his tribute, described the late vice-president as someone who could rightly be called one of the great leaders and founders of the democracy Nigeria has enjoyed since 1999. He described Ekwueme as one of the best presidents that Nigeria never had. He argued: “Though Dr. Ekwueme contested for the presidential ticket of the PDP for the 1999 presidential election and lost, he was never for once a bitter man. It can be said without contradiction, that there are few Nigerian politicians of the mould of late Dr. Ekwueme who play politics without bitterness in a clime such as ours where reckless political deals and betrayals tend to be common.

“Whenever there were problems in the then ruling party, the PDP until 2015, and there were many instances, it was always to the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme that the PDP and most political leaders in the country reverted to seek solution. And the late Statesman, popularly known as Ide by his admirers following his traditional title, always delivered and ensured that the problems were nipped in the bud,” he said.

On his part, Saraki described the late politician him as a man of courage who always put Nigeria first.

The late elder statesman, who turned 85 on October 21, relapsed into a coma at his Enugu residence on November 12, and was  airlifted to London, for further medical treatment. Before being taken abroad, he was taken to Memfys Neurosurgery Hospital in Enugu.

Ekwueme was the first elected vice-president of Nigeria when he served as deputy to President Shehu Shagari between 1979 and 1984. The elder statesman started primary school at the St John’s Anglican Central School, Ekwulobia, and later proceeded to King’s College, Lagos.

As an awardee of the Fulbright Scholarship in the United States (being one of the first Nigerians to gain the award), Ekwueme attended the University of Washington where he earned Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and City Planning.

He obtained his Master’s degree in urban planning. Ekwueme also earned degrees in Sociology, History, Philosophy and Law from the University of London. He later proceeded to obtain a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde, before gaining the BL (honours) degree from the Nigerian Law School.

Ekwueme was a distinguished architect. He started his professional career as an assistant architect with a Seattle-based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates, and also with the London-based firm Nickson and Partners. On his return to Nigeria, he joined ESSO West Africa, Lagos, overseeing the Construction and Maintenance Department.

He later went on to create a successful private business with his firm – Ekwueme Associates, Architects and Town Planners, the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria. His practice flourished with 16 offices spread all over Nigeria and was wound up in preparation for Ekwueme assuming office as the first executive vice president of Nigeria.

Ekwueme had presided over the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria.

Before his demise, Ekwueme was the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Institute of Architects. He was a member of the housing sub-committee of the Simeon Adebo Salaries and Wages Review Commission. He also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority.

On the national front, Ekwueme participated in the Nigeria National Constitutional Conference, NCC, in Abuja, where he served on the Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution.

His famous proposals at the NCC for a just and equitable power sharing in Nigeria based on the six geopolitical zones have now come to be accepted as necessary for maintaining a stable Nigerian polity.

In the heyday of the late General Sani Abacha regime, Ekwueme mobilised the group of 34 eminent Nigerians who risked their lives to stand up against the dictatorship of the late general. He was the founding chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and was the first chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees.

A philanthropist of note, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Canada-based Forum of Federations; a member of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS,  Council of Elders.

He even led the team assembled by the National Democratic Institute, NDI, for pre-election monitoring for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe in 2000. He was the leader of the Organisation of Africa Unity, OAU, observer team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary election in 2000.

Ekwueme co-led the 28 member NDI/Carter Centre sponsored Observer Team to the Liberian Presidential run-off election in 2005.

He has been honoured with the Order of the Republic of Guinea and in Nigeria he received Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, the second highest national honour in the country.

Until his death, Ekwueme was the benefactor and patron of Alex Ekwueme Foundation.

– Feb. 2, 2018 @ 18:29 GMT |