Ekwueme: A tribute to Nigeria's first elected Vice President

Dr Ekwueme was widely regarded as public servant and a man of peace.

Nigeria's former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, is dead.

Ekwueme died in the early hours of Sunday, November 19, 2017.

According to a statement issued by his brother, Igwe Laz Ekwueme, “Ekwueme family regrets to announce the peaceful passing away of their patriarch, the former Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme GCON.

“The sad event occurred at the London Clinic at 10:00 pm on Sunday 19th November 2017.”

Dr Alex Ekwueme was Nigeria's first elected Vice President who served as former President Shehu Shagari's deputy on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) between 1979 and 1983.

The 85-year-old Anambra native was born in Uga, miles away from Oko kingdom where he was the Ide and his younger brother Prof Lazarus Ekwueme, reigns as the traditional ruler.

He was born to a missionary father who moved around a lot during his early years before his death.

Dr Ekwueme earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture and City Planning from the University of Washington before his master's degree in Urban Planning.

He also has degrees in Sociology, History, Philosophy and Law from the University of London as well as a PhD in Architecture from the University of Strathclyde, before he gained another degree from the Nigerian Law School.

As an accomplished architect, he ran a successful private business with his firm, Ekwueme Associates, Estate and Town Planning, the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria established in 1958.

At some point, he presided over the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, and also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority.

Dr Ekwueme was part of a group of 34 eminent Nigerians who rallied against the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha during the era of military rule.

The group was instrumental to the formation of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) where he was founding Chairman. He also served as the first Chairman of the party's Board of Trustees.

Dr Ekwueme was widely regarded as public servant and a man of peace whose philanthropy included running an Educational Trust Fund responsible for sponsoring the education of several hundred youths to universities in Nigeria and abroad.

He also had international reckoning as he was a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Elders and was leader of the team assembled by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for pre-election monitoring for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe in 2000, as well as leader of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) observer team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary election the same year.

He was awarded the Order of the Republic of Guinea and Nigeria, second highest national honours of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

SOURCE - PULSE.NG posted by Campus94