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Tag: Alex Ekwueme

  • Alex Ekwueme’s daughter joins Anambra Governorship race

    Alex Ekwueme’s daughter joins Anambra Governorship race

    Lady Alexandra Onyemelukwe, daughter of former Vice President Alex Ekwueme has joined the race for the Nov. 6 Anambra governorship election, under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

    Onyemelukwe spoke with newsmen shortly after submitting her nomination and expression of interest forms at the PDP National Secretariat on Thursday in Abuja.

    She said she was optimistic after picking the party’s ticket for the election.

    “Yes, new things are happening and the world is changing. Women are coming up in different places.

    “Anambra already has two women senators, which has never happened elsewhere in Nigeria.

    “In Anambra, we the women are special and innovative and we are daring. This time it will be different and we will see the difference a woman can make,” she said.

    She said that she was not afraid of big weights in the contest because she was also a big weight with God as her political father.

    “Basically politics for me is not a game, it is a passion.

    “I grew up in politics and I come from a political family and I know you don’t go on such a journey without God.

    “I have the most high God with me and I believe that since I have Him I will not fail,” she said.

    She said she was in the race because she had a lot to offer the state inaddition to her passion for the people.

    “I am a second generation PDP woman. I have the fear and love of God, and a sense of selfless service to offer to the people of the state, ” she said.

    Onyemelukwe promised to harness the skills and innovations of the people for the development of the state, if elected as governor.

    “Anambra people are known for industry, hard work, skills and innovations.

    “The state is actually an industrial hub. We have the Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka zones in the state.

    “It is a matter of harnessing what we already have so that we can achieve optimum best and shine as the light of the nation,” Onyemelukwe said.

    She also pledged to give priority to women and youth empowerment.

    “As a woman and a mother I believe that I am in a better position to know what is the best not just for the children and women, but for the men as well, because I am also a wife and daughter and a sister.

    “Our children need to have quality and affordable education. That is the most important thing.

    “In that way we are training the next generation and the generations to come. The world is moving on, it is not about moving along with them but we catching on and then moving on.

    “Anambra women are strong. As I said we already have two senators out of three. We need to harness our women in terms of having industrial clusters, SMEs,” she said.

  • Ekwueme dedicated his life to promoting Nigeria`s interest, says envoy

    Nigeria`s High Commissioner to South Africa, Amb. Ahmed Musa Ibeto, has said that former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, dedicated his life to promote the interest of Nigeria.

    Ibeto made the assertion in a special tribute to Ekwueme, who died on Nov. 19, 2017.

    The envoy said that the former vice president was a politician par excellence.

    “Chief Alex Ekwueme was indeed a great icon and national figure, who strived at all, times to dedicate his life to the promotion of Nigeria’s interest.

    He was a politician par excellence in deeds and character, who built his political career on integrity and selfless service to his fatherland,” he said.

    Ibeto said that as the first-elected Vice President of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983, Ekwueme brought life into the mainstream of the nation`s politics and recorded remarkable achievements in building a prosperous Nigeria.

    “ He was such an intelligent, humane and humble man, who was full of life even at his age,” he said.

    The envoy said that the former vice president was an erudite scholar who bagged degrees in different fields such as Architecture, Urban Planning, Sociology, History, Philosophy and Law from several Universities.

    “ Such a feat can only be attained by a man with very high clout and burning passion for knowledge, like Late Alex Ekwueme, Ibeto said.

    The high commissioner said that on the international scene, Ekwueme was well recognized.

    “He was a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Elders.

    He also headed several Observer Missions on election monitoring in several African countries and was a recipient of national awards of other African countries apart from Nigeria.

    Until his demise, he was a stabilizing factor in Nigerian politics and continued to participate actively in the Nigerian project,” he said.

    The envoy said that Ekwueme was endeared to many of his admirers for his intellectual prowess, principle of one Nigeria, integrity and hard work.

    According to him, the former vice president will be remembered for his contributions to nation-building, a functional and effective governance structure for Nigeria.

    “ The Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and many of his admirers will indeed miss this great national icon,” Ibeto said.

     

    Ekwueme deserves more than N1bn burial budget from Buhari – APGA

     

  • [Photos] Osinbajo, Boss Mustapha, Ngige, others attend late Ekwueme’s parade of honour in Abuja

    The remains of former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, arrived at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, for the ‘Parade of Honour’ on Monday in Abuja.

    Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Sen. Chris Ngige and other top government officials witnessed the parade.

    Dr. Ekweme who was born on October 21, 1932 in Oko, Orumba North Local Government of Anambra State, died in a London hospital at 10pm on Sunday, November 19, 2017.

  • Late former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme for burial Feb 2

    Late former Vice President Dr Alex Ekwueme will be buried on February 2, 2018, in his Oko, Anambra State, country home.

    Funeral rites will start on January 19 with a memorial service at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos. It will be followed by tributes and music in the evening at Landmark events centre, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    On January 27, a memorial service will be held at St. Marylebone Parish Church, London. Back home, an evening of tributes will hold on January 28 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

    Other events lined up include Federal Government commendation ceremonies at Eagle Square, Abuja (January 29); Service of Songs at Cathedral Church of the Good Shepherd, Enugu (January 30); South East Zone commendation service at Okpara Square, Enugu (January 31).

    On February 1, the Anambra State commendation ceremony will hold at Ekwueme Square, Awka, to be followed by service of songs in Oko.

    The ceremony will be rounded up on February 2 with lying-in-state and burial.

    The former Vice President died on Sunday, November 19 in a London hospital.

  • Buhari congratulates Alex Ekwueme as he clocks 85

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday congratulated former Vice President Alex Ekwueme who turns 85 years on Saturday.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President said he joined all former leaders of Nigeria, professional colleagues and friends of the Ekwueme family in celebrating the octogenarian.

    Buhari noted that Ekwueme’s life’s journey had been a narrative of immeasurable grace, courage, and candour.

    The statement read, “The President extols Ekwueme’s love for knowledge and search for wisdom from an early age, which led him to obtain many degrees in various fields of study, including a doctorate in Architecture, and being one of the first Nigerians to gain the Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States.

    “President Buhari commends the former Vice President’s entrepreneurial spirit in setting up the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria, spreading its tentacles to more than 16 cities, until he accepted the national call to serve his fatherland in 1979 after a long commitment in building his community.

    “As one of the founders of Nigeria’s democracy, the President affirms that Ekwueme played a major role in mobilising the group of 34 eminent Nigerians in the 1990s, who moved against all odds in opposing military dictatorship in the country and enabled the foundation of a liberal and inclusive leadership structure.

    “President Buhari recalls, with fond memory, his many encounters with the former Vice President over the years, and his lovingkindness, peaceful nature and deep commitment in seeing Nigeria become one of the greatest countries on earth.

    “He prays that the Almighty God will grant Ekwueme good health, longer life, and more opportunities to share with humanity from his fountain of wisdom.”