Alex Ekwueme (1932-2017)

IN 2013, four years before his demise in November last year at the ripe age of 85, an interviewer asked Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme (GCON) how he would like to be remembered. Dr. Ekwueme’s succinct response radiated the unflappable security of a man who knew what his life as a servant to the public had been all about: “I will like to be remembered as someone who came into public office to render service and rendered that service selflessly.” Today, as his remains are lowered into his final resting place after a funeral service at St. John the Divine Church, Oko, Anambra State, he and members of his family can rest assured that that is exactly how the man who rose from modest beginnings to become the country’s first elected vice president (1979- 1983) will be remembered.

A glimpse of the appreciation of what Dr. Ekwueme stood for, and the assuredness of his legacy, can be caught from the heartfelt eulogies that greeted news of his passing in a London hospital on November 19, 2017. Describing him as “a patriot and a statesman,” President Muhammadu Buhari lauded Dr. Ekwueme for his “unwavering commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria,” and acknowledged that “his personal sacrifices helped lay the foundation for our democracy.” In the same vein, Senate President Bukola Saraki praised Dr. Ekwueme’s “dedication and service to the development of our country and his exemplary courage in the face of overwhelming odds when he stood up to past military regime, and his dexterity in his personal pursuits as a successful architect, lawyer, businessman and philanthropist.” Other Nigerians from various walks of life and across the social strata have joined in extolling the virtues of Dr. Ekwueme.

We solemnly and proudly identify with the sentiment behind these eulogies. Dr. Ekwueme’s life and career encapsulated a brand of politics that is increasingly rare in today’s climate. He was a professional first (an architect who established technically the country’s first architectural firm in January 1958) and a politician second. His fondest goal as a politician was to create a social order that would allow a Nigerian from any part of the country, irrespective of accidents of birth or geography, to flourish. To secure this goal, education was of prime importance. After all, it was what had vaulted an itinerant church teacher’s son (and his similarly illustrious siblings) from Oko to King’s College, Lagos, whence he would go on to conquer the world.

Although, as is befitting of a public servant, he conducted most of his business in full view of the public, Dr. Ekwueme was an intensely private man. It is partly on this account that most Nigerians remain in the dark about one of his obsessions: charity towards society’s neediest. Dr. Ekwueme gave constantly and prodigiously, a fact widely attested to by his friends, relatives and business associates. Nor has his resentment of authoritarianism in all its forms and his passion for democracy received the warranted recognition and accolades. History will record that Dr. Ekwueme was one of the first politicians to openly challenge the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as soon as it became clear that the General’s aim was to succeed himself in office.

As a leading figure in the then emergent opposition, Dr. Ekwueme was instrumental to the establishment of the Institute for Civil Society (ICS), the G18, and the G34 which eventually metamorphosed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). At every turn, the full weight of his classical training as an architect, sociologist and philosopher were brought to bear on often-contentious debates. The restructuring of Nigeria in 1994 along six geopolitical axes was in large part a product of his polyvalent imagination. As Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s remains are interred today, it is important that what he stood for as a politician and statesman are not buried with him. In this era of uncouth pretence, when politicians with puny minds stalk the land, regret at the passing of a genuine public servant becomes acuter. For its own sake, and for the sake of posterity, the nation should fight to preserve his legacy.

Rest in peace, Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, golden son of Nigeria.