23rd April, 2015
Damilare Okunola
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has expressed dismay over the demise of Senator Uche Chukwumerije, Chairman Senate Committee on Education.
In a tribute made available to P.M.NEWS Campus Square on Tuesday by ASUP President, Chibuzo Asomugha, he described the late Chukwumerije as a national icon whose departure has opened a yawning vacuum in Nigeria’s political and governance space too deep to be easily filled.
“It was a cognomen most fitting that Chukwumerije was known as the ‘Conscience of the Senate’. He represented the sublimity of the legislative profession; he was a patriot par excellence who had an expert grasp of the ethics and processes of law making at the highest level.
“Uche Chukwumerije will be taking away with him the purest essences of integrity, discipline, diligence, selflessness, patriotism, acumen, humility and utmost regard for the less privileged ever exhibited in governance.
“In the protracted struggle of our union for a wholesome polytechnic sub-sector, we found in Uche Chukwumerije a dependable ally, an impassioned advocator, an enthusiastic mentor, a dogged defender of his convictions, a punctual presence, and indeed a most honest partner.
“If we made any progress in our struggle, it is largely owed to the dogged steadfastness of this extraordinary Nigerian who, once he understood the crux of our engagement, took it on as a personal endeavour.
“Indeed, it is with a very heavy heart that we commiserate with the Chukwumerije family, the people of Abia North Senatorial Zone, the National Assembly and the Nigerian nation on the passage of this brave and worthy son, Dike e jiejemba, Isikaraaka,” Asomugha wrote.