The late Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, GCON, would have turned 91 on October 21. As a member of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), he was the first elected Vice President of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983 during the Second Republic under President Shehu Shagari. In his capacity as the Vice President, he was very loyal to President Shehu Shagari and his dedication to duty was not in doubt. Ekwueme was the Ide of the Oko Kingdom in Anambra state. Paradoxically, the Ide went into the government as a rich man and even came out poorer.
He served Nigeria so selflessly that he could not understand the treatment meted to him and his boss by the military dictators after they were ousted from power based on flimsy allegations of corruption. Although bitter concerning that dark episode in his life, he later forgave them and forged ahead and continued to serve his fatherland with utmost patriotism. It was to his eternal credit that the Justice Samson Uwaifo tribunal vindicated him and attested to his integrity and honesty in his public service.
Born in Oko, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State on October 21 1932, he died on November 19, 2017 at the age of 85years. He had his primary education at St. John’s Anglican Central School, Ekwulobia, before attending King’s College, Lagos. Later, Ekwueme studied Architecture and City Planning at the University of Washington through the Fulbright Scholarship in the United States. He later obtained a master’s degree in Urban Planning as well as a Doctoral in Architecture from University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom. Not done yet in search of more academic laurels, Ekwueme went ahead to earn degrees in Sociology, History, Philosophy and Law from the University of London. He later attended the Nigerian Law School. All these reflected highly in his worldview, philosophy, work ethics, vision and politics.
Nevertheless, these and his other achievements in architecture and politics underscored his genius and brilliance. While not downplaying his indelible marks in architecture and town planning, it is unarguable that his monumental achievements in politics have dwarfed all other things the Ide did. However, we shall return to some of these themes later in the article.
Although no longer in this plane of existence, his 90th posthumous birthday will offer an opportunity to further examine his life, works, and politics in the face of political developments arising from party primaries, the campaigns and the road to the 2023 crucial election, among other contending issues. Before joining politics in 1979, Alex Ekwueme was a renowned architect and city planner, whose firm, Ekwueme & Associates, Architects and Town Planners, designed some landmark edifices in the country. Some of them include the designing and completion of the masterplans of the capitals of the then 19 states of the federation. They also designed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Ekwueme commenced his professional career as an Assistant Architect with a Seattle-based firm, Leo A. Daly and Associates, as well as the London based firm, Nickson and Partners. When he returned to Nigeria, Ekwueme joined ESSO West Africa, Lagos, in charge of the Construction and Maintenance Department. Much later, he set up the first indigenous architectural firm in Nigeria, Ekwueme & Associates, Architects and Town Planners. He had a flourishing practice with over 16 offices across the country. He presided over the Nigerian Institute of Architects and Architects Registration of Nigeria. But the firm was later wound up before he assumed office as the Vice President of Nigeria. Dr. Ekwueme was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Institute of Architects. Despite these outstanding achievements, Ekwueme was actively involved in the socio-economic development of his community, Oko. His Educational trust Fund has sponsored the education of several hundreds of youths to universities in Nigeria and abroad. Apart from serving as a member of the housing sub-committee of the Adebo Salaries and Wages Commission, Ekwueme also served for many years on the board of the Anambra State Housing Development Authority.
During the 1995 Constitutional Conference, Ekwueme moved for the adoption of a just and equitable power sharing arrangement based on the six geopolitical zones. Although that proposal has not been fully implemented or backed by law, it has helped largely to maintain a stable polity. It is likely that Nigeria may in future return to that power sharing formula as a way of stemming tensions and anxieties inherent in the hot chase for the presidency at every election season. Besides being the Vice President of Nigeria, Ekwueme was one of those eminent Nigerians and unsung heroes of our nascent democracy in 1999. When the convoluted transitions to civil rule by the military dictators ended in the June 12, 1993 election fiasco, it was Ekwueme who led the G-34, a group of patriots who openly and courageously opposed the plan by Gen. Sani Abacha, the then military strongman, to perpetuate himself in power.
It was also Dr. Ekwueme’s G-34 and a motley of other groups that later formed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in preparatory for the 1999 general election, which the party won with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the president. Ekwueme was elected the first national Chairman of PDP while Professor Jerry Gana was elected the first national Secretary of the party. Ekwueme played politics without bitterness and acrimony, presently witnessed among some politicians in leading political parties. The ongoing crisis in the PDP over the choice of a vice presidential candidate and the crisis rocking the APC can be blamed on the inability of our present politicians to let go. It will be recalled that during 1998 convention of the PDP in Jos, where Alex Ekwueme vied for the PDP presidential ticket against Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he was given the Nyesom Wike treatment and he did not tear the party apart.
Despite the gang up against Ekwueme in Jos, he moved on. I think this is one of the eternal lessons in forbearance our present crop of politicians should imbibe from Ekwueme. It is also ironical that the PDP, which he helped to found and was even its first Chairman of Board of Trustees, is today embroiled in a crisis, mainly because of its failure to obey its zoning formula. This can possibly explain why Wike and his supporters are still angry with the PDP. As we move towards the 2023 general election, the political elite must not see politics as a “do or die” affair. Politics should be seen as a call for selfless and national service. It is not an arena for settling old scores or waging new inter-ethnic wars.
Besides architecture, politics and law, Ekwueme was a prolific author. His political philosophy is encapsulated in his seminal work, Wither Nigeria?: Thoughts on Democracy, Politics and Constitution, 1999-2000. The ideas espoused in the book are still relevant today as we move towards the general election in February next year. His other engaging work, From State House to Kirikiri, is a profound and insightful detention memoir. Ekwueme’s vindication at the Justice Samson Uwaifo tribunal is a historical moment that has not been adequately situated by political commentators and writers. Dr. Alex Ekwueme was honoured in 2018 when the Federal Government renamed the Federal University, Ndufu-Alike after him. The university which was established on February 26, 2011, the Alex Ekwueme University (AE-FUNAI) has grown by leaps and bounds. Presently, it has 41 academic departments, 57 programmes with over 10,000 students and 2,300 staff population.
It is hoped that this landmark memorial of a great Nigerian statesman will be used to further interrogate his philosophy, politics and his contributions to Nigeria’s political development. Incidentally, the Ekwueme family has graciously promised to reprint his two important books and distribute them freely to some higher institutions across the country.