The late former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, was buried on Saturday at his Igboukwu country home in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Ezeife, who was the state governor from January 2, 1992, to November 1993, during the aborted Third Republic, died at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, on December 14, 2023.
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During the state funeral held in his honour, President Bola Tinubu described the late Ezeife as a “true son of the soil” who fought for the peace and unity of Nigeria, adding that Ezeife died at the time Nigerians needed his development ideas.
The President, who was represented at the funeral by the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, lauded the towering influence of the deceased and his leadership credentials in Nigeria’s political landscape.
He said, “Ezeife’s towering influence and his leadership credentials helped shape the political landscape of the country, unfortunately, he died at a time when the country needed his services more.”
In his remarks, the Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, praised the late Ezeife, adding that he lived the kind of lifestyle he was known to preach.
He noted that ‘Okwadike,’ as he was fondly called during his lifetime, was a “man of integrity and credibility”.
He said, “Ezeife lived the life he preached. He did not just preach it, he lived it. Ezeife believed in the law, and that was why he held Nigeria responsible for the law.
However, Soludo, noted that the burial was not conducted based on the state burial laws.
In February 2024, the Anambra State Government reiterated its resolve to enforce the burial law enacted in 2019 to control the high expenditures of burial and funeral activities in the state.
Speaking on the conduct of the burial activities, Soludo said, “I must not leave without saying this, if the ‘Okwadike’ that I knew were to be alive, he would not have supported most of what is being done here today.
“When I got here and saw brochures printed, I said this is wrong because it is against the Anambra State Burial Laws. Some people texted me asking to print some materials for the burial but I told them they don’t have waivers to do such because it is against the burial laws in Anambra state. Printing of any materials for burial in Anambra is meant to be for just one day. That is the law.
“We won’t enforce the law when a poor man dies and then overlook it when a rich man dies, no. I did not pass the law, the law was passed two years before I became Governor of Anambra state.”
Dignitaries present during the ceremony include the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Victor Umeh, Senator Ben Ndi-Obi, Senator Uche Ekwunife, and traditional rulers, among others.