The Nigerian Senate has mourned the death of former Vice President of Nigeria, Alex Ekweme, and sent a delegate to condole with the family, state government and people of Anambra State.
The upper chamber also called on Federal Government to immediately name the Federal Polytechnic Oko and other Federal assets after him.
This followed a point of order raised by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, during the plenary on Tuesday, on the death of former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme who also said the deceased was an intellectual giant who had lived an examplary life worthy of emulation.
Senate President Bukola Saraki, in his statement, commented that the death of Ekweme was aloss for the Country, saying that the deceased was a detribalized Nigerian that put Nigeria first and showed loyalty to the former Government headed by Shehu Shagari.
“Ekwueme stands out to be a unique public figure and adjudged to be incorruptible because he left Government poorer”, Senator James Manager said.
Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Ibn Na’Allah said: “Three weeks ago, I and my colleagues met Alex Ekwueme at the international airport on his way to Enugu and waited for almost 2 hours to board his flight. Alex can be described as a single Nigerian despite being from an Igbo extraction”.
Also lending his voice, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe stressed that “in 1999 he ran under PDP and on losing the primary election he did not threaten to tear PDP apart or say there is no democracy.
“Ekwueme’s lifestyle shows that Nigeria is not lacking in men that we can count on”.