Gov. Ugwuanyi, others mourn Ekwueme

Nigerians have continued to mourn former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, with Gov. Ugwuanyi of Enugu describing his death as further decrease in the number of elder statesmen with much love for the country.

Ekwueme, 85, died in a London clinic on Sunday night.

Ugwuanyi said in a statement on Monday that the demise of Ekwueme was painful to Enugu State and Nigeria a whole.

“We received the news of his passing with deep sadness; it is a huge loss not only to his family but to the entire country.

Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives described Ekwueme’s death as a huge loss to Africa.

In a statement signed on Monday in Abuja, Dogara said that the late elder statesman was a patriot and nationalist.

He said that the former vice president died at a period Africa needed patriots and leaders like him as it struggles with conflicts and numerous challenging issues.

“In times as these, elderly wisdom, experience and guidance of Dr Ekwueme are needed by leaders at all levels.

“Dr Ekwueme was a philanthropist, a famous architect, lawyer, brilliant politician and a man of peace whose efforts in building bridges of friendship among the various peoples of Nigeria are legendary.

“He played politics of ideas, principle and purpose and helped to bring stability,’’ he said.

Dogara said that Ekwueme lived a life worthy of emulation and left an indelible mark in the annals of the history of Nigeria.

“As said of saints and sages, we take solace in the fact that he has gone to rest, having emptied himself while he walked on earth and served humanity.

“He was truly a political colossus and giant.

“I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the Ekwueme family, the government and people of Anambra State over this huge and irreparable loss.’’

Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Victor Ndoma- Egba, said that the death of the elder statesman was the end of an era.

Ndoma-Egba expressed his sadness at in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by Mrs Clara Braide, his Special Adviser on Communication.

He said that Ekwueme died when his knowledge was most needed for nation building.

“The news of the death of Dr Alex Ekwueme came with sadness and a sense of loss.

“He was a great leader, foremost Nigerian, astute politician, a detribalised Nigeria whose wealth of experience will be highly missed by Nigeria.

“As his children, we have learnt a lot from him.

“As the Vice President of Nigeria, Ekwueme was a great rallying factor of Igbo socio-political integration,” he said.

According to Ndoma Egba, Ekwueme was a voice of reasoning and a man who fought for a place for Ndigbo at the centre of mainstream politics.

“Indeed, we have lost a rare gem, a gentleman and a decent politician and academic.

“We mourn him and will continue to remember his legacies,” he said.

Rep. Johnson Agbonayinma (Edo – PDP) described Ekwueme as a man of peace who stood for Nigeria’s unity.

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Agbonayinma told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that Nigerians would greatly miss the former vice president.

He said that Ekwueme left legacies of unity, love, tolerance and hard work, regretting that he died when his knowledge was needed most.

Chief Paul Nnajiofor, Chairman, Enugu State House of Assembly Committee on Information, said that Nigeria lost a great politician and father in Ekwueme’s death.

He also described the late politician as great philosopher.

Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme was born on October 21, 1932.

He got his primary education at St John’s Anglican Central School, Ekwulobia, Anambra State, and attended King’s College, Lagos.

He secured Fulbright Scholarship in the U.S. and attended the University of Washington, where he earned bachelor’s degree in architecture and city planning.

He obtained a master’s degree in urban planning.

Ekwueme also had degrees law and some other fields.

He obtained a Ph.D. in architecture from the University of Strathclyde.

He is the Ide of the Oko Kingdom in Anambra State, where his younger brother Prof. Laz Ekwueme is the Traditional Ruler.

Ekwueme participated in the Nigeria National Constitutional Conference in 1994/1995, where he served in the Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution.

The elder statesman died at 10p.m., according to his brother, Laz.

Ekwueme, who turned 85 in October, was reported to have collapsed in his residence in Enugu few weeks ago and was taken to Memfys Nuerosurgery Hospital, Enugu, from where he was flown to London.