A former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, said the late former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, while alive was a titan in Nigerian politics and an illustrious elder statesman.
Mr. Obasanjo stated this on Monday in a condolence message on the demise of Mr. Ekwueme, which he said he received with great shock.
He said the deceased was a hero and a great son of Nigeria whose life has been a life devoted to the service of his fatherland.
”The late Dr. Ekwueme was a selfless, disciplined and patriotic Nigerian who lived a worthy and exemplary life”, Mr. Obasanjo said.
”This, indeed, is another opportunity for me to acknowledge his diverse and worthy achievements in the multi-faceted endeavours that he had undertaken in the course of a meritorious career in public and private life.”
”It cannot be gainsaid that, over the years, Dr. Ekwueme had shown courage of conviction and integrity in his dealings at the pinnacle of national affairs, notably with his record of sincerity as Vice President of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP during my administration as a democratically-elected President of Nigeria”, Mr. Obasanjo added.
Similarly, a former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, described Mr. Ekwueme as a national icon whose contributions helped to stabilise democratic ideals in the nation’s polity.
He said the late Mr. Ekwueme was an exceptional personality who lived a life full of achievements in his professional career as an architect of international repute and also in the field of politics where he established himself as a remarkable politician and rallying point among his kinsmen, contemporaries and generality of Nigerians.
“Articulate, focused, disciplined and patriotic, Dr. Ekwueme held aloft democratic ideals of the nation’s founding fathers and never wavered in the quest for a better Nigeria”, he said.
‘This won him great respect from across the political spectrum putting him at a foremost spot as a legend and natural leader”, the former governor said.
Also, a former acting National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, described the death of Mr. Ekwueme as a huge loss to the PDP and Nigeria.
Mr. Secondus in a statement he signed said Nigeria had lost a dependable resource person whose invaluable contributions to the socio-political development of the country remains unequalled.
The news of Mr. Ekwueme’s death in a London clinic at the age of 85 on Sunday was confirmed by his brother and traditional ruler of Oko in Anambra State, Laz Ekwueme.
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