Lawmaker mourns former VP and describes him as “man of peace”

iyebiye olawuyi

November 20, 2017 1:29 PM

Ujam told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that Ekwueme’s death was a huge loss to Nigeria.

A House of Representatives member, Rep. Emeka Ujam (Enugu-PDP), on Monday, mourned late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, saying “Ekwueme was a man of peace who stood for the unity of the country.”

He added that “this is a man who stood for the unity of Nigeria; it is extremely painful."

“I am personally saddened because I know him personally; he was a great man."

“The family should take heart but to know that the legacy he stood for lives through them."

“He was the first Igbo Vice President we know; we must emulate his political style of peace.”

Alex Ekwueme died on Sunday night, Nov. 19, 2017 in London Hospital.

Born on Oct. 21, 1932, he started primary school at St. John’s Anglican Central School, Ekwulobia, Anambra and later attended King’s College, Lagos.

He got Fulbright Scholarship in the U.S., being one of the first Nigerian to gain the award.

He attended University of Washington where he earned bachelor’s degree in Architecture and city planning.

He also obtained master’s degree in urban planning and degrees in sociology, history, philosophy and law from the University of London.

The Ide of Oko kingdom in Anambra, where his younger brother, Prof. Lazarus Ekwueme is the traditional ruler, was the first elected Vice-President of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983.

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

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