Alex Ekwueme was born to Igbo parents in Oko Town, in present day Anambra State on 21 October 1932.[2] He died at 10:00pm on Sunday 19 November 2017 at a clinic in London.[3] He had to be flown there after his relapse to a coma which he fell into as a result of his fall in his Enugu residence.[4]
Education
Ekwueme started primary school at the St John's Anglican Central School, at Ekwulobia, then he proceeded to King's College, Lagos.[5] As an awardee of the Fulbright Scholarship in the United States of America (being one of the first Nigerians to gain the award), He attended the University of Washington where he earned bachelor's degree in Architecture and city planning.
Ekwueme was a distinguished architect. He started his professional career as an Assistant Architect with a Seattle-based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates, and also with the London based firm Nickson and Partners. On his return to Nigeria, he joined ESSO West Africa, Lagos, overseeing the Construction and Maintenance department.[9]
He then went on to create a successful private business with his firm - Ekwueme Associates, Architects and Town Planners, the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria.
His practice flourished with 16 offices spread all over Nigeria and was wound up in preparation for Ekwueme assuming office as the first executive vice president of Nigeria. Ekwueme had presided over the Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria.[10]
He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Nigerian Institute of Architects.[11]
Before Ekwueme gained national and international limelight as the vice president of Nigeria in 1979, he was actively involved in the socio-economic development of his community.
In addition to his many public service roles within his community, Ekwueme started an active Educational Trust Fund that has been responsible for sponsoring the education of several hundred youths to universities in Nigeria and abroad.
Ekwueme was a member of the housing sub-committee of the Adebo Salaries and Wages Review Commission.[12] He also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority On the national front.
Ekwueme participated in the 1995 National Constitutional Conference (NCC) in Abuja, where he served on the Committee on the Structure and Framework of the Constitution.[13] His famous proposals at the NCC for a just and equitable power sharing in Nigeria based on the six geopolitical zones have now come to be accepted as necessary for maintaining a stable Nigerian polity.
Ekwueme mobilized the group of 34 eminent Nigerians who risked their lives to stand up against the dictatorship of General Sani Abacha during the era of military rule in Nigeria.[14] He was the founding chairman of the ruling party in Nigeria and was the first chairman of the party's board of trustees.
Ekwueme was a prolific philanthropist, public servant, and a man of peace.[15]
He was a member of the board of directors of Canada-based Forum of Federations. He was also a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Council of Elders.
Ekwueme was leader of the team assembled by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for pre-election monitoring for the parliamentary election in Zimbabwe in 2000.[16] He was the leader of the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU) observer team to the Tanzanian Presidential and Parliamentary election in 2000.
Ekwueme co-led the 28-member NDI/Carter Centre-sponsored Observer Team to the Liberian presidential run-off election in 2005.[17] Most recently Dr Ekwueme was called upon by the ruling party in Nigeria to head the Reconciliation Committee in the wake of intra-party discord and after the recent presidential election.
Titles and honours
Ekwueme was the Ide of the Oko kingdom in Anambra State, where his younger brother, Professor Lazarus Ekwueme, reigns as the traditional ruler.[18] He was also honoured by the council of Traditional Rulers in the old Aguata as the Ide of AguataLocal Government Area of Anambra State comprising forty-four (44) towns.[19]
Statue of Dr Alex Ekwueme in Owerri Imo state
He was honoured with the Order of the Republic of Guinea and Nigeria, second highest national honours of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).
Dr. Ekwueme was the benefactor and patron of the "Alex Ekwueme Foundation". The Alex Ekwueme University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state was named after him on his death[20]
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described late former vice president Alex Ekwueme as fearless and an epitome of integrity.[21] “As Vice President, he set an excellent example of loyalty, discipline, team spirit and fidelity to the nation. He was fearless and with the courage of his convictions, he led the G-34, the group of eminent Nigerians who confronted military dictatorship in its darkest and most fearsome days in Nigeria’s history. He contributed significantly to the return of democracy in 1999,’’ Osinbajo said.[22]
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